LACK OF RECONNAISSANCE
PK 26.1 SCENARIO DESIGN BY PAUL KENNY
PIIS, LUZON, THE PHILIPPINES, 26 DECEMBER 1941: The withdrawal from Luzon
was underway. Although outnumbering their enemy, the Southern Luzon Force under
General Jones was beating a hasty retreat to the Calumpit bridges into Bataan. Despite lim-
ited Japanese pressure the untried and under equipped men of the Southern Luzon Force
were becoming disorganized. When General Jones learned of the retreat of the 1st Infantry
Regiment of the 1st Regular Division (PA) from Sampaloc to Lucban he became quite irate.
He ordered Major Rumbold the Regimental Commander to establish contact with the
Japanese immediately. He then left the Regimental Command post to perform a recon-
naissance of the area. At about 1900, near Piis, he met an enemy patrol. The Japanese,
equipped with machine guns, opened fire on Jones' party and disabled the half-track. The
patrol was finally dispersed and Jones returned to the 1st Infantry, the half-track crew hik-
ing back carrying its machine guns. By this time Rumbold had pushed forward toward Piis
but had been halted by a combination of rain, darkness, and enemy fire.
37
VICTORY CONDITIONS: The Americans must have more
VP more than the Japanese at game end. CVP are gained
normally. American units that exit off the west board edge are
worth double VP (EXC. prisoners).
JAPANESE SET UP FIRST Balance:
AMERICANS MOVE FIRST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Japanese: Exchange the HMG for a .50 cal. HMG.
American: Remove the Japanese HMG.
2nd Platoon, Company C, 194th Tank Battalion [ELR: 3]
American
enter within one hex of A6 with all infantry as passengers {SAN: 2}:
M3 GMC HT
Scout Car
M3 LT
M3 HT
M3A1
4
3 3 4
Elements of the 2nd Battalion, 20th Infantry and the 22nd Field Artillery [ELR: 4]
japanese
setup on/west of hexrow K {SAN: 4}:
5 5 2
2
VASL artwork used with permission of Rodney Kinney
SSR: AFTERMATH:
1. EC are Moderate with no wind at start. PTO is in effect, The next morning, 26 December, Rumbold ordered the 2nd Platoon, Company C,
except roads exist and are unpaved, kunai does not exist 194th Tank Battalion, which General Jones had attached to the 1st Infantry the previ-
treat as open ground and light jungle is in effect. ous evening, to attack the Japanese in Piis. Lt. Robert F. Needham, the platoon
2. M3LT have HE10. leader, suggested a reconnaissance first, but was told that it would be unnecessary
since the enemy was understood to have nothing larger than .50-caliber machine
3. All vehicular movement hex entry costs (EXC. Road) are
guns. Advancing in column along the narrow road, the tanks ran into a strong
at 2 x normal MP costs.
Japanese roadblock consisting of antitank guns, 75-mm. guns, and several machine
4. Japanese ART Guns do not have WP. guns. The enemy roadblock had been prepared the previous evening, after the fight
5. The roadblock is worth 5 VP at game end to the control- with General Jones’ half-track, in expectation of an American mechanized attack.
ling side. During the action that followed, the platoon’s lead and rear tanks were knocked out,
6. No American infantry may dismount until it has LOS to immobilizing the others on the narrow road, and Lieutenant Needham and his crew
a Japanese unit or the road block or the Japanese have in the lead tank were killed. The surviving tanks managed to escape, to drift back
fired at any American unit or Turn 3. finally into the American lines at the end of the month.
