'Delaying at the Bridge' - Xuzhou, 1938 AAR

 

Another AAR for you. This time it is again, a little different, in that I used AI to formulate a scenario. I gave it a simple prompt to come up with a scenario for the second Sino-Japanese war between 1937 and 1939, using Rapid Fire Reloaded rules, and some information about the size of forces on either side. I then adapted it a little bit and added the stats for the units. But, it was super quick to put together so...let's see how it plays! The full scenario is at the bottom of this blog post if you wanted to replicate it. Rules are Rapid Fire Reloaded with some home brew tweaks noted in the Lebisey AAR.

Last time, I mentioned I enjoyed following the White Dwarf battle reports back in the day, so I'm going to try and give this AAR a bit of that feel.

In short, the Chinese forces are retreating across the Yi river, and need to destroy the only bridge over the river before the Japanese can take it (see scenario rules at the end)

Chinese forces: 2 infantry battalions (1 Regular, 1 Poor militia) with MMG and a Mortar, supported by a Pak 36, a T-26 and a sniper.

Japanese forces: 2 regular infantry battalions with MMGs and an Infantry Gun, supported by a TK tankette and an I-Go tank.

Key for the map: Chinese in blue, Japanese in light brown

Here is the map, and the photo of the board. It is quite an open table so I set up some hard and soft cover lines.

NORTH →

Turn 1:

The Chinese set up with their engineers beginning their task of preparing the bridge for demolition. The militia were kept in reserve, the HQ and a two companies occupying the houses to the south of the road, with the third in reserve nearby. The better German-trained infantry had taken up positions along two hedgelines, with their HQ also located towards the bridge acting as OP for their mortar, which was set up on the NE hill along with RHQ.  MMGs were set up to cover the bridge with the T26  and Pak 36 deployed on either flank. The sniper was positioned the rafters of one of the buildings to get a slight elevation to his line of sight.

The Japanese entered the table from the western edge. The TK tankette and engineer company were allowed to be deployed up to 12" on to the table, the tankette trundling up the road and the engineers taking cover behind some fencing for protection. Behind them, the I-Go led a column of 1 Battalion advancing up the road, followed by 2 Battalion. The RHQ deployed on the hill to the SW to oversee the battle.

The T-26 was first into action, taking advantage of a small window before the TK disappeared behind the bridge to fire a 45mm A/T round at it, albeit unsuccessfully. The TK kept on the road, and as it took the bend in the road the Pak-36 opened up from across the river. The gunners had a truer aim than the tank and, although they managed to hit the tankette, no meaningful damage was caused. The TK understood its mission and quickly continued over and across the bridge. The Chinese engineers, seeing the tiny AFV approaching, quickly took cover against the stone bridge, but as the tankette fired on them with its VMG, one of the engineers fell. The I-Go, a slow, ponderous tank, led the infantry up the road and had a pop at the T-26 but missed at such long range. 

Quickly reloading, the Chinese saw the real and imminent threat to their engineers and as such both the Pak 36 and T-26 immediately fired on the TK once again, this time blowing up the small tankette, whose crew had bravely given their lives in an attempt to seize the bridge. 

The Pak 36 takes out the TK tankette

Meanwhile the Chinese officers saw the approaching infantry and called in mortar fire upon them, blowing up the mules carrying the MMG for the battalion!

The end of Turn 1

Turn 2:

1st Battalion and the I-Go continued their advance up the road towards the bridge, the I-Go initially out of line of sight to the T-26 so targeted the Pak-36 to the north, causing a casualty but not putting the gun out of action. The Chinese engineers were out of sight of the Japanese, but the bridge was in range of the leading company's knee mortar which sent a round towards it but failed to hit anything of note. The Japanese 2nd battalion were diverted cross-country to the south with the aim of setting up positions in the farmland there.

As the engineers continued their work, the Chinese mortar targeted the leading company again, causing two more casualties. The T-26 moved to get a clear view of the I-Go, and got a shot away but missed, but the plucky Pak 36 also fired back at the Japanese tank, watching it explode as the round hit home. The Chinese anti-tank crew had certainly done their job today.

The I-Go is destroyed by the Pak 36

Turn 2

Turn 3:

The Japanese, now without any armoured support, were still determined to push forward using their typical infantry-based tactics. 1 Battalion headed up the road, with 1 Company pausing in order to for the knees mortars to attack the bridge. 2 Company pushed past, moving to the left of the road to fire at the A/T gun. No Japanese fire caused any casualties to the Chinese. Meanwhile, 2 Battalion moved cross country to support the attack, whilst the Japanese engineers also moved up with the infantry and took cover behind the knocked out I-Go tank. The Chinese gunners manning the Pak 36 switched to HE and returned fire towards 2 Company with no effect, The mortar fired again on 1 Company, causing one casualty whilst the T-26 switched its fire to 2 Battalion, taking out a Japanese soldier.

Turn 3

Turn 4:

The Japanese continued their advance up the road, with 2 Company now taking the lead of the advance whilst 1 Company laid down fire on the Pak 36. 3 Company advanced through the cornfield to the North aiming to take positions up along the fence line. Meanwhile, 2 Battalion continued their advance to the south, the support weapons doing their best to with no luck. However, the mortar from 2 Company had more luck, taking out another Chinese engineer on the bridge.

Realising they needed to be more proactive in protecting the Engineers whilst they completed their work, they moved one of their MMGs along the hedge line towards the Pak 36 position, and their reserve militia company up the road towards the bridge. Focussing on the lead Japanese company, the Pak 36, mortar and T-26 machine gun managed to take out three enemy soldiers. 

Turn 4

Turn 5:

The Japanese engineers, flanked by the 1 and 2 Companies, charged towards the bridge, not quite getting there but getting some cover from the bridge itself. 3 Company took up positions alongside the fence, and brought fire down on the Pak 36 alongside 1 Company as it moved towards the bridge. This fire proved fatal for one of the Pak 36 gunners, putting the gun out of action until it could be recrewed.

2 Battalion continued its advance, with its support weapons in a position to set up next turn. Knee mortars from 1 and 2 Company continued to hit the bridge, killing another engineer, leaving just one remaining! 

The Chinese realised that their Engineer was almost done, but was also in real peril. Fire was targeted at 1 and 2 Companies from the newly-sited MMG, from the Company behind the northern hedgrow, from the T-26 and the Mortar, but only one Japanese soldier fell. The sniper also targeted 1 Company but missed.

Turn 5

Turn 6:

The leading Japanese companies took up positions on the bridge, enabling their engineers to move in behind and begin work on dismantling the charges laid by the Chinese. 2 Battalion moved up to the South with their MMG and Infantry gun finally deploying. Knee mortars rained down on the brave final Engineer, but failed to wound him as he continued finalising the demolition of the bridge. The companies on the bridge soon came under fire from the Chinese infantry behind the hedgerows, receiving some return rifle fire from the Japanese company behind the fence. The T-26 and the Chinese company on the road moved up to the bridge, firing at the infantry and engineers. In all two soldier and an engineer were killed. Mortar fire from the hill was ineffective, whilst the sniper also missed its target.

The battle is joined on the bridge

Turn 6

Turns 7-8:

Knee mortar fire rained down on the remaining engineer, who finally succumbed to the attack. This removed the possibility of a Chinese victory as they were unable to detonate their charges. However, it was still possible that the Japanese attack could be repelled. The remaining Japanese infantrymen on the bridge took up positions across it, blocking line of sight to the engineers behind them. The company behind the fence fired on the MMG, causing a casualty and knocking it out until it could be recrewed. Its knee mortar caused two casualties on the Chinese militia company coming up to the bridge.

The Chinese in return made a dedicated move towards the Engineers, the T-26 a supporting infantry killing the remaining infantry on the bridge, whilst the mortar fired on the engineers, not causing any casualties.

However, 1 Battalion had taken a number of casualties and, failing their morale check, their remaining company withdrew from the battle. The lead Japanese company assaulted the tank on the bridge, destroying it.

Turns 7-8

At this point, I decided to call the game. The Chinese were not in a position to win, and according the scenario rules, the Japanese engineers were also unlikely to be able to diffuse the charges as they would remain under fire from the mortar. Whilst the Japanese were on and about to cross the bridge, there were still sufficient Chinese troops - their infantry battalions were largely intact - to repel them and push the remaining Japanese battalion back. As such, the bridge would remain intact and the battle had been a stalemate.

Largely, this AI-written scenario had been enjoyable and close-run. However, there were some tweaks that need to be made - but isn't that the same with any scenario from scratch? Firstly, the Japanese engineers not being able to perform their work if under fire is actually, almost impossible to achieve, with ranged IDF fire from mortars which are kept at the rear of the battlefield. Likewise, the Chinese engineers were hugely vulnerable to knee mortars. The bridge was the sole focus of the battle, so drawing fire elsewhere was difficult.

Perhaps it was my tactical set up, but the Chinese infantry were largely ineffectual. Had they rushed across the bridge, it is possible they could've held up the Japanese and kept the mortars out of range of the bridge for the 6-7 turns necessary to enable a Japanese victory. Likewise, perhaps the Japanese engineers should've been withheld for a late run at the bridge and looking to deactivate the charges at the last minute, when perhaps the Japanese armour may have broken through the Chinese and be able to take out the mortar. The Japanese 2 Battalion did also not 

All of this means that I will need to refight it .... which I will, albeit without the battle report. I'll post a postscript summary below however.

Rapid Fire! Reloaded Scenario:

"Delaying at the Bridge" – Battle of Xuzhou, May 1938

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⚔️ Historical Background:

In the spring of 1938, Japanese forces sought to encircle and destroy Chinese Nationalist armies retreating from the besieged city of Xuzhou. As the Chinese 5th War Area attempted a breakout to the west, Japanese vanguard units pushed forward to seize key river crossings to trap them.

This scenario depicts a delaying action by retreating Chinese forces at a strategic bridge over the Yi River, intended to buy time for the main army to escape. Japanese forces must seize the bridge intact before it's blown, while Chinese forces must hold long enough to complete the demolition.

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🗺️ Scenario Overview

• Date: May 15, 1938
• Location: Yi River bridge, west of Xuzhou
• Table Size: 6' x 4'
• Game Length: 10 turns

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🎯 Objectives

• Japanese Objective: Capture the bridge intact by end of Turn 10.
• Chinese Objective: Delay the Japanese long enough to demolish the bridge on Turn 10.

Victory Conditions:

• Japanese Major Victory: Control the bridge by end of Turn 10 before demolition.
• Chinese Victory: Successfully destroy the bridge.
• Draw: Japanese hold the bridge but demolition goes off anyway (costly Chinese win).

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🧱 Terrain Layout (6' x 4')

• Yi River flows diagonally from NW to SE (1' wide).
• Stone bridge at center (4" wide crossing)
• River is impassable except at bridge
• Chinese-held village on east side of the river (2–3 buildings, cover)
• Open farmland and fields on both sides
• Low hills in northeast and southwest corners (provide elevation)
• Dirt roads lead to and from the bridge

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🛠️ Special Rules

🔥 Bridge Demolition (Chinese)

• The Chinese engineer team may begin setting charges at the start of Turn 1.
• Charges require 6 full turns to arm (Turn 1–6).
• On Turn 10, the Chinese may detonate the bridge if the engineer team is:
• Still alive
• Within 6" of the bridge
• Not pinned

Roll 2D6 on Turn 10 to see if the demolition succeeds:

• 7+ = Bridge destroyed
• +1 if engineers worked uninterrupted for all 6 turns
• -1 if under fire during setup
• -2 if team was pinned or disrupted at any time during setup

If the bridge is destroyed: it becomes impassable, and counts as a Chinese victory.

🧨 Japanese Bridge Seizure

• Japanese engineers may disarm charges if they:
• Reach the bridge
• Spend a full turn adjacent to the engineer stand or bridge base
• Are not under fire or pinned

If successful, the bridge cannot be destroyed (Japanese win condition)

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🕹️ Game Turn Sequence

• 10 Turns max
• Initiative: Japanese on Turn 1
• Roll for initiative each turn after Turn 2

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🪖 Deployment

• Chinese deploy first, anywhere east of the river
• T-26 and Pak 36 must be deployed within 12" of bridge
• Engineer team starts within 3" of the bridge
• Japanese enter from western table edge Turn 1
• Tankette and engineers may scout ahead (enter from road up to 12")

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💡 Optional Rules

• T-26 Limited Fuel: On Turn 6+, roll 1d6 at start of Chinese turn. On 1, the T-26 runs out of fuel and is immobilized.
• Chinese Sniper: May deploy in any building on Chinese side before game starts (cannot move).
• Fog of War: At start of Turn 7, roll 1d6:
• On 1–2: Sudden smoke and confusion reduces visibility to 18” until Turn 9

🔚 Summary

This is a tense, time-sensitive scenario:

• The Japanese must close quickly, clear defenders, and secure the bridge.
• The Chinese must trade space for time, protect the engineers, and hold out.

The asymmetry in quality and objectives makes this ideal for two players who enjoy a blend of maneuver, defense, and engineering objectives.

Description			AT/HE Value
81mm mortar			HE 4 x D6
MMG			4 x D6
Pak 36			A/T class 5 HE 2 x D6
Vehicle	Speed	Armour	Hull	Turret
T26 (45mm)	24/12	5	-	A/T class 4 HE 3 x D6 (or VMG)

 

 

Description			AT/HE Value
50mm mortar			HE 2 x D6
MMG			4 x D6
70mm Type 90 Infantry Gun			HE 4 x D6
Vehicle	Speed	Armour	Hull	Turret
Type 89 I-Go (57mm)	15/9	5	VMG	A/T class 5 HE 3 x D6 Rear VMG
Type 94 TK (MG)	24/12	5	none	VMG

 

 

 

Chinese Nationalist Rearguard Force (2 Battalions)

1st Battalion, 88th Division (German-trained)

• 1 HQ stand (Senior Officer)
• 3 Infantry Companies (3 x 8 men each)
• 1 HMG stand
• 1 81mm mortar stand

2nd Battalion, Local Militia

• 1 HQ stand
• 3 Infantry Companies (3 x 6 men each, lower morale)
• 1 HMG stand

Support Elements

• 1 x Pak 36 (37mm AT gun)
• 1 x German-trained Engineer Team (4 men, controls bridge demolition)
• 1 x Sniper Team (1 figure)
• 1 x T-26 tank (Soviet-supplied, 45mm gun)

Morale:

• 88th Division troops: Regular
• Militia: Poor

Description			AT/HE Value
81mm mortar			HE 4 x D6
MMG			4 x D6
Pak 36			A/T class 5 HE 2 x D6
Vehicle	Speed	Armour	Hull	Turret
T26 (45mm)	24/12	5	-	A/T class 4 HE 3 x D6 (or VMG)

 

 

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Japanese Vanguard Assault Force (2 Battalions)

1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment

• 
  1 HQ stand
• 3 Infantry Companies (3 x 8 men each, 50mm mortar)
• 1 HMG stand

2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment

• 1 HQ stand
• 3 Infantry Companies (3 x 8 men each, 50mm mortar)
• 1 HMG stand
• 1 70mm Battalion Gun

Support Elements

• 1 x Type 89 Medium Tank (57mm)
• 1 x Type 94 Tankette (MG only, fast recon)
• 1 x Engineer Section (controls bridge repair/disarm charges)

Morale: Regular

Description			AT/HE Value
50mm mortar			HE 2 x D6
MMG			4 x D6
70mm Type 90 Infantry Gun			HE 4 x D6
Vehicle	Speed	Armour	Hull	Turret
Type 89 I-Go (57mm)	15/9	5	VMG	A/T class 5 HE 3 x D6 Rear VMG
Type 94 TK (MG)	24/12	5	none	VMG

 

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