#45_1105_1: Second Day at Ariake Bay - PzC 22 Japan '45

5 November 1945 - Size, Small - Location: Ariake Bay, Southern Kyushu, Japan - Intended for Head to Head or Solo play as either side. For Solo Victory Conditions see the file "J45-Solo-Vic-Cond.pdf" in the main game folder. Narrative: The 43rd Division had made it ashore and taken out the first and second layers of defense on X-Day. After an uneasy night with shellfire erupting from both sides' artillery the GIs were ready to assault the bluffs and continue their assault on Japan. Meanwhile, the Japanese soldiers knew that they had to hold their enemies to limited gains so that the reinforcements could arrive and throw them back into the bay. The attack started with the typical artillery and naval gunfire. The air strikes added in their weight and in places the Japanese communications were disrupted and one of the napalm attacks took out a large group of HQ personnel. The GIs moved out and soon were assaulting the heights. Machine gun fire and artillery rained down on their advance. Men went down and non-coms and officers were hit leaving the men having to improvise. The assault on the hills eventually wore out as the men of the 98th Improvised Brigade added their numbers to the battle. In the end the GIs would have to be content with having wrested the positions west and northwest of Anraku from the Japanese. The other defensive positions held firm. It would take another six days of fighting to finally clear the Japanese from the heights.