New RSME Scen

[Mr. Guberman]

This is one that did not make it in time for the last update.

viz: The Fight on Lake Toba

14 March, 1942
Lake Toba region, North Central Sumatra: The "main" island of
the Dutch East Indies, Java, has already surrendered to the Japanese. Stranded on the northern end of the large island of Sumatra, a large force of Dutch troops still hold out. On March 12th
the Japanese, mobilising from the newly captured naval base of
Singapore, land along the north eastern coast from Sabang Island
in the north, south to near Medan. The core element of this
invasion force is the vaunted Imperial Guards Division, with
experience in China and the fight for Malaya already under it's
belt. Quickly seizing the cities of Medan and Pematangsiantar,
the Japanese pursue the retreating Dutch forces into the undeveloped
wilds of north central Sumatra. The Dutch have planned to make
a stand in a series of semi-prepared fortified areas and wage
a guerilla type war against the Japanese until further outside
help can arrive from the other Allied powers. The rapidity of
the Japanese advance continues to confound all efforts by the
Dutch to organize an effective resistance. The reliability of
the locally raised troops is now becoming a serious issue as
nothing has been able to stop the Japanese onslaught, neither
the impreginable fortress at Singapore or the main KNIL army
on the island of Java, and local sentiment for the Dutch has,
by and large, never been good. The Japanese Kokushi Detachment,
of the Guards Division moves inland to the large, volcanicly
formed, lake in the mountains, hot on the heels of Dutch Major
Van Aarsen's troops who are trying to stabilize some sort of
position north of Siborongorong around the town of Balige and
further north at Porsea, on the south and eastern shores, respectively, of Lake Toba. On the night of the 13th, the Japanese, "blow through" Porsea, bypassing resisting Dutch troops and assisted by coastal boats which land troops behind the bulk of the Dutch troops in the Porsea area, move on toward Balige. On the morning of the 14th Dutch Lt Van de Ploeg gets permission to counterattack toward Porsea and rescue the surrounded garrison there and, by a series of ambushes along the only good road, try and stymie the Japanese advance.

Enjoy.

Cheers
Curt