Panzer Grenadier: Kokoda Trail
Scenario Overview, Part 1
March 2014

With the book supplement Kokoda Trail, Panzer Grenadier covers the battles fought by the Japanese and Australian armies among the mountains and coastlines of New Guinea. Designer Dave Cheever presents 30 scenarios that take players all the way through the campaign, in which the Australian Army fought a series of running battles, holding actions and counterattacks against the Imperial Japanese Army as the latter attempted to cross the Owen Stanley Range to capture Port Moresby, and to establish a supporting airbase on the shores of Milne Bay. There is also a campaign game that lets players fight several scenarios in sequence, with the victory points scored over the course of all the scenarios determining who wins the campaign.

And to top it all off, the book comes with two geomorphic jungle terrain boards made gorgeous by artist by Guy Riessen, on which all 30 Kokoda Trail scenarios take place.

Below is a summary of the first ten scenarios from Kokoda Trail. We hope you enjoy them!

Scenario One
Escape from Oivi
26 July 1942

When the Yokoyama Advanced Detachment landed at Buna on 21 July 1942, the only Australian troops on the north side of the Owen Stanley Mountains were Company B of the 39th Infantry Battalion and scattered native troops of the Papuan Infantry Battalion. Col. Yosuke Yokoyama quickly organized his own 15th Independent Engineer Regiment along with the 1st Battalion of 144th Regiment and began pushing toward his objective of Kokoda. The greatly outnumbered Australian forces elected to destroy supplies and facilities before withdrawing back into the hills toward Kokoda. As efforts began to airlift additional reinforcements into Kokoda airstrip on 26th July 1942, Lt. Col. Owen, commander of the 39th Infantry Battalion, sent the airlifted troops from Company D forward to join the retreating Company B.

Conclusion

In a preview of the many engagements to come the Japanese infiltrated past the tightly bunched Australian forces and completely surrounded them. Captain Sam Templeton, commander of B Company, was killed early in the engagement, but eventually most of the green Australians managed to escape through the Japanese lines. Lance Corporal Sanopa of the Papuan Infantry Battalion led most of the Australian forces down a steep defile to the stream below the village before circling around into the jungle and heading back to Kokoda.

Commentary

The Kokoda Trail campaign begins with a small-unit action in which one Australian infantry company tries to keep the trail open long enough for another to escape the Japanese units trying to cut behind them and trap them in the dense jungle terrain. Holding a crossroads for just long enough and then getting off the board fast is the only option for the Australians, since the Japanese outnumber them and have much higher morale than the green militia troops holding the forward Australian position.

Scenario Two
Defense of Kokoda
29 July 1942

Following the sharp engagement at Oivi, the Yokoyama Advance Force took several days to build up supplies and gather forces for the assault on Kokoda. Lt. Col. Owen continued to desperately request airlift for additional elements of his battalion. Early on the morning of 28 July an additional platoon of D company was loaded into planes and circled over the strip at Kokoda, but the American flight crews refused to land as they believed the Japanese were too close for safety. It would be up to B Company and a few detachments to hold Kokoda against a vastly superior Japanese force. Finally early in the morning of 29 July the Japanese launched one of their famous night attacks.

Conclusion

Lt. Col. Owen deployed his forces about the village of Kokoda using the slope up to the plateau to further strengthen his position. The Japanese brought the Australians under mortar fire as darkness fell, but waited until 2:30 AM before launching troops toward the Australian positions. Once again the Australians lost their commander early in the battle as Lt. Col. Owen fell with a mortal head wound during the initial charge of the Japanese forces. The Australians held firm for about an hour before breaking under the pressure of the more numerous Japanese and retreating back up the track toward Deniki.

Commentary

Here the Australians deploy in defensible terrain (or dug in if they set up on the more vulnerable airstrip), so they have a chance of holding the Japanese at bay. But the bonuses the Japanese get in assault combat will make it tough to hold out against them for long.

Scenario Three
Counterattack
8 August 1942

After seizing their assigned objective of Kokoda, the Yokoyama Advanced Detachment stopped and sent its engineers back the way they’d come to improve the tracks between the east coast and Kokoda. This would help speed the advance of South Seas Detachment across the Owen Stanley Mountains toward Port Moresby. Meanwhile the Australians holding the trail ahead of them at Deniki started receiving reinforcements from 39th Infantry Battalion (companies straggling up the trail from Port Moresby). But the 39th’s new commander, Major Alan Cameron, was not willing to concede the initiative to the Japanese. He resolved to launch a three-pronged counterattack against Kokoda in an effort to recapture the airstrip and bring in further reinforcements and supplies by air. Leaving two companies in reserve at Deniki, he gave each of the other three companies a different assignment in the counterattack. D Company would cut the trail east of Kokoda to block Japanese reinforcements, C Company would assault directly up the track from Deniki and A Company would circle through the jungle for a flanking attack on Kokoda itself. Once A Company had control of the village and airstrip, they were to fire a Verey flare pistol to signal that reinforcements could be brought in by air.

Conclusion

D Company reached its assigned location and set up and ambush that inflicted about 60 casualties on a party of Japanese engineers returning to Kokoda. The Japanese responded by moving a strong force out of Kokoda that forced D Company to go “bush” and separate into small groups to move back to Deniki. That allowed A Company to reach Kokoda undetected and capture the village and airstrip from its few remaining defenders. They fired the Verey signal and dug in to wait for the promised airlift of reinforcements. However, because Australian reconnaissance patrols had failed to locate the main body of the Yokoyama Detachment, Captain A. C. Dean led the untested troops of C Company straight into the main Japanese force. The Australians lacked the numbers to dislodge the Japanese from the trail, and once Captain Dean was killed they moved back into the lines at Deniki. That left A Company unsupported, and when the promised airlift never arrived they were ordered to disperse into the jungle and move back to Deniki in small groups.

Commentary

Here’s a scenario in which one Australian militia company tries to keep the Japanese forces south of Kokoda busy so that another company can cut behind them and retake Kokoda Village and its airstrip. The Australians have numbers on their side for a change (due to the good job D Company did luring the Kokoda garrison away), but Japanese higher morale and the bonus they get in assault combat will make holding Kokoda a very tough job once the Japanese are able to react to the Australian flanking move against the village.

Scenario Four
Pursuit
12 August 1942

The fight at Kokoda provided a morale boost for both sides. Though they were unable to hold the village after taking it, the tactical victories scored by A and D Companies proved for the first time that the Japanese were not supermen able to sweep all before them. As for the Japanese, the fact that no enemy reinforcements arrived to hold Kokoda told them just how thin the Australian forces facing them were. Previously content to just sit at Kokoda and wait for the main body of South Seas Detachment to arrive, Col. Yokoyama and Lt. Col. Tuskimoto resolved to purse the retreating Australians and perhaps destroy them. Meanwhile, Maj. Cameron brought E Company (the last of his fresh reserves) forward to join C and D Companies in an attempt to blunt the new Japanese advance.

Conclusion

The Japanese assault came against the left flank of the line, manned by the untried troops of E Company. Under constant fire for most the morning, the Australian line bent but did not break. But as the Japanese broke off the attack early that afternoon, it was clear to Major Cameron that his men could not fight off a second attack and he made plans to withdraw back to Isurava. There the Aussies would make a new stand and wait for more reinforcements. Deciding that they could not catch and destroy the Australians in retreat, the Japanese once again went back to waiting for the main body of the South Seas Detachment.

Commentary

The number of forces on both sides starts to grow as more formations reach the scene of action. But in their hurry to reach the front, both sides have overstretched their supply lines and have units that are low on ammunition. This will cause some units to be reduced in firepower or even get removed due to lack of ammo as the scenario progresses, and that will probably weigh heavier on the outnumbered Aussies than the Japanese. The Australians therefore get the option of exiting the map to escape destruction if it comes to that, though they don’t get any VPs for doing so.

Scenario Five
Milne Bay — The Landing
26 August 1942

To establish air support and supply bases for the forces fighting on the Kokoda Trail, at 2200 on the evening of August 25th the Japanese landed around 500 men on the north shore of Milne Bay. While the bulk of the troops set about establishing a base, a patrol accompanied by two tanks moved west toward the K. B. Mission. At 0145 on the morning of August 26th, the patrol encountered an Australian patrol from 61st Battalion.

Conclusion

Although the light Australian forces had no weapons capable of damaging the tanks, the SNLF patrol was content to engage in a firefight and locate the enemy. Both sides broke off at dawn and returned to report.

Commentary

A nighttime jungle probe in which both sides’ forces are very small. Both players have to move cautiously, with the Japanese trying to take control of the coastal trails near their landing zone. The Australians begin the scenario in control of most of the VP-producing trail hexes, but they must decide whether to stand and fight or circumvent the Japanese forces to take trail hexes closer to the Japanese base.

Scenario Six
Milne Bay — Second Night
27 August 1942

During the daylight hours of August 26th, a flight of P-40's from the airfields further up Milne Bay had sufficient clear weather to attack the Japanese landing area and cause heavy damage, but they were unable to intercept the second wave of Japanese headed toward the bay. A second company of the 61st Battalion was also sent forward to reinforce the company already in position at K.B. Mission.

Conclusion

The Japanese were once again content to use only a portion of their force and patrol in strength. They pushed the Australians back to the Gama River before withdrawing once again as dawn began to break.

Commentary

It’s the same tactical situation on the same board as the last scenario, but each side has more forces. That gives the Australians more options while the elite Japanese forces will have more firepower to bring to jungle assaults.

Scenario Seven
Milne Bay — The Breakout
28 August 1942

Still uncertain about the intentions or strength of the Japanese forces on the north shore, Maj. Gen. Clowes ordered the lightly-armed 2/10th Battalion of the 18th Brigade forward during the daylight hours of 27 Aug to determine the location of the Japanese. They arrived at K. B. Mission late in the afternoon and prepared a position in case the Japanese attacked once again during the night.

Conclusion

The Japanese finally chose to attack in strength and the Australians, who still had no effective weapons against the light tanks, were quickly split in two. One portion of the 2/10th was pushed up into the hills while the rest were pushed back to the Gama River. By dawn the Japanese were approaching No. 3 Airstrip.

Commentary

By this point the Australians have brought in an entire infantry battalion to contain the Japanese beachhead, but the Japanese have brought in an equal number of SER units to support their elite Special Naval Landing Force units in a full-force attack on the Australians. Japanese armor support, higher morale and bonuses in assault combat will make it very hard for the outnumbered Australians to hold out against them, but thevictory conditions are tough on the Japanese. They must clear all road and village hexes on the board of undemoralized Australian units to win.

Scenario Eight
Isurava — Day One
27 August 1942

By the 27th of August (after several days of increasing pressure against Australian patrols), Maj. Gen. Tomitaro Horii was ready to kick off the renewed Japanese offensive. By now his South Seas Detachment had grown to include all three battalions of 141st Infantry Regiment, and two more battalions of 41st Infantry Regiment were only days away. The Australians had only two complete infantry battalions in the area: the battle-tested 39th and the green 53rd. The first company from the veteran 2/14th Battalion had arrived the night before, but the remaining companies of 2/14th and all of 2/16th were still strung-out along the Track. Unaware of the actual Japanese strength, the on-site commander Brigadier Potts decided to try and seize the initiative by sending 53rd Battalion up the eastern trail while using 39th and whatever parts of 2/14th arrived to hold the Japanese forces at Isurava. The 2/16th could take over the reserve role at Alola as they arrived during the next few days.

Conclusion

Thirty-Ninth Infantry Battalion had used the two week lull to rebuild their ammunition stores and create firing lanes on the main approaches to Isurava village. It was enough to hold fast against the first probing attacks mounted by Maj. Gen. Horii. However, the green 53rd Battalion lost several of its officers in the first moments of contact and subsequently broke and scattered into the jungle. That gave Horii a perfect route to flank the Australians at Isurava, but he failed to take advantage of it.

Commentary

The forces in this scenario are the largest thus far in the book, with each side fielding a force roughly three battalions in size. Most of the Australian forces are the lower-morale militia they’ve been fielding up till now, but one company from the veteran 2/14th battalion has the 8/8 morale previously seen for the Aussies in our Afrika Korps game. How and when the Australian player commits them to battle will likely determine how the battle plays out.

Scenario Nine
Isurava — Day Two
28 August 1942

After learning from reports that they were facing new Australian troops, Maj Gen Horii elected to commit all three battalions of 141st Infantry Regiment to his second attack on the Isurava defenses. Second Battalion would join III in a direct attack on the Australian positions while the I Batttalion would attempt to flank it. The Australians now had three companies of the 2/14th in the line at Isurava, and a fourth (A Company) arrived and was placed in reserve after force-marching all night. The 53rd remained scattered, but pressure in that area remained low.

Conclusion

Thirty-Ninth and 2/14th Battalions stood firm throughout the day eliminating any units which managed to penetrate the Isurava lines. Though ordered into reserve at the end of the day, the 39th requested and received permission to stay in support of 2/14th for another day. The 53rd continued to struggle all day and proved unable to resist the numerous Japanese forces on the eastern Abuari trail, but the timely arrival of troops from 21st Brigade gave them some badly needed support.

Commentary

Here the Japanese attack grows in strength, but the complexion of the Australian forces begins to change as more units from the veteran 2/14th arrive, significantly increasing average Australian morale. The Japanese made only modest gains on the first day so the Australians still hold the village of Isurava, where they’ve prepared firing lanes that give them bonuses on the Direct Fire table against attacking Japanese. The biggest worry for the Aussies is that the Japanese will send a strong force down the eastern trail, destroy the lower-morale 53rd Battalion forces holding that road and overwhelm the few 2/14th platoons supporting them, and cut behind the forces at Isurava to isolate it.

Scenario Ten
Assault on Airstrip No. 3
28 August 1942

By dawn on 28 August the Japanese force was approaching No. 3 airstrip. Nearly perpendicular to the advancing Japanese force, the airstrip was a good defensive position with clear lines of fire. Brigadier Field of 7th Brigade was in charge of defending the area with a combined force of Australian and U.S. Army troops.

Conclusion

The Japanese tanks bogged down before ever making it to the airfield and the heavy weapons of the US troops aided the Australians in holding the airfield. A subsequent night assault yielded the same result, and soon the Japanese High Command ordered a withdrawal to the landing beaches.

Commentary

Here the U.S. Army makes its one and only appearance, supporting the Australians in defending a major objective of the Japanese landing at Milne Bay. All the Allied forces are relatively green with average morale, but once again they’ve prepared firing lanes near the airstrip that will give them direct fire bonuses against the advancing Japanese. That plus the increased firepower of the American HMG, ENG and weapon units will make it tough going for the Japanese, who will suffer from the fact that most of their force consists of relatively low-morale (for the Japanese) SER units.

That’s all for Part One. Part Two covers the end of the Battle of Isurava, running battles through the mountains as the Australians try to slow the Japanese advance, and the battles of Missionary Ridge and Ioribaiwa.

Order Kokoda Trail now!