Japanese Hard Attack Values in PzC

[Steel God]

Playing P44 for the first time and I'm struck by the HA values for the Japanese regular infantry units (8).  Okay the range is 0 but still that's 4x greater than actual IJA Armor units.  The AF Battalions, which one assumes are not exactly trained to be ground troops as a primary role, have a HA value of 6.  Without going to check I'm thinking there are no European Armies in PzC that have any regular infantry units with a HA of 8, and those armies had all manner of personal AT weapons available to them by 1944.  I've gone through the designer notes hoping to find some explanation of actual design decisions, but for better or worse the notes are actually just 160 pages of history and not really notes that document the design decisions of the game in development  So my question is, does anyone know why the HA values for Japanese units were set the way they were?  What does that represent?  As I don't own either of the Japan titles, are the HA values in those games also set at 8?

[krmiller]

Might be the Japanese suicide bombers.  I play several miniature rules skirmish games that use individual figures for platoon size actions.  All of them have a suicide bomber for the Japanese.  They carry a mine or other explosive device and it normally has one of the highest penetration values in the game.  If they manage to get close enough to attack any AFV it is normally damaged if not destroyed at the cost of one man. 

For historical reference see
https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/...-us-tanks/

Have not updated all my PzC games but my ver. 4.01 Japan'45 lists the Infantry HA at 9.

[Elxaime]

Here is another reference, the October 1, 1944, US Army Handbook on Japanese Military Forces:

https://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/handb...fense.html

The Japanese had learned hard lessons from 1939 when they faced Soviet mass armored units on tank-friendly terrain. They would avoid such fights, instead making use of cover and flexible withdrawal tactics to encourage enemy armor to advance and lose cohesion, then envelop the attacking tanks with specialized tank fighters that were the land-based equivalent of the Kamikaze.

In Panzer Campaigns, even the few decent Japanese heavy AT guns and heavy tanks are no match for their Allied equivalents. And Japanese indirect fire won't usually cause significant armored losses. So Allied armor that can stand off and fire from 2 hexes is pretty safe. But if you try and push Allied armor into close combat with the Japanese - watch out!

[RedDevil]

Paul, you must keep moving your armor right next to the 800 man Japanese units.. :)

[Liebchen]

I can't find it, now, but I recall the notes (or something) mentioned the suicide attacks and the hard attack value.

[Steel God]

I was really hopeful that the answer would not be that it represents suicide squads using Lunge Mines or Satchel Charges because historically those methods produced really pathetic results and if anything the HA values should be worse not better if that's what they represent.  It feels like a pure play balance issue, which is how things were done 20 years ago and feels a little backwards.  Anyway, thanks for the help in trying to understand it all.

And Dev - I'm playing the Japanese (that shouldn't shock you ) not the Americans.  Although in truth what I should say is my opponent is playing the Americans and my role is to die as slowly as possible