‘To die for the Emperor is to live forever.’

– Japanese Imperial Army Slogan

The Japanese Imperial armed forces had been at war since 1931 in China and Manchuria. Their war in the Pacific is just the next step in asserting their leadership over the Asia-Pacific region. In a series and well-planned and executed campaigns in late-1941 and 1942 veteran Japanese forces quickly asserted their dominance in southeast Asia and the western Pacific, toppling the western colonial powers and taking control of these resource rich regions for the greater good of the Japanese Empire.

However, the Japanese strike on Pearl Harbor has woken the Americans. The Japanese must fight with determination to hold their gains, to push the westerners back, and consolidate Japanese control. Each inch of ground is not given lightly, with each beach, hill, village, island, and airfield defended and counter-attacked with a ferocity and spirit of will that no enemy can stand against.

‘By their victory, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.’

— Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, US Navy, on the Marines after the battle of Iwo Jima

The US Marine Corps has had a long and proud history as part of the US armed forces, and the Pacific Campaign of 1941 to 1945 is perhaps its finest hour. During the course of the war the Marine Corps had expanded from two brigades of about 18,000 Marines to six divisions, five air wings, and various supporting arms to over 485,000 Marines.

They were the tip of the American spear during the Pacific campaign conducting amphibious assaults from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, through the atolls of Marshall Islands, to Islands of the Marianas with the invasions of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. They prepared the way for the assault on Japanese by taking the Japanese possessions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, facing fierce fanatical resistance from Japanese defenders in some of the most savage fighting of the entire war.

Ultimately they would prepare to invade mainland Japan itself.

PacificNew to Flames of War

Product Code: FW306

Product Code: FW307

PointsThe isolated nature of the Pacific Theatre of Operations and the slow development of weapon technology by the Japanese meant the power and effectiveness of the weapons in the Pacific seem somewhat out of balance with what was being used in Europe at the same time. This led to some weapons, like the Sherman tank, having a greater impact for a longer time than in Europe.

We realised many gamers will also want to pit their Pacific forces against forces from Europe. To cover this you will find two point levels for each platoon, one for the Pacific War, intended for playing games within the context of the Pacific Theatre, and Late-war, with points compatible with any other Flames Of War forces with Late-war points.

Pacific War Points are also compatible with Early-war Points, although not all the equipment was available in the Early-war (1939-1941).

Whatever points option you select, you and your oppo-nent’s forces must be entirely selected from that points option.

What you will find in the Pacific

The US Marines represent the best of the best and are rated Fearless Veteran, whilst their Army support units are Confident Trained. The Marines are trained to get the job done and have the Gung Ho rule which gives them the German Mission Tactics rule and Semper Fi which allows them to reroll tests to Counter Attack in assaults.

Marine infantry CoMPanyMarines platoons come in two sizes, big and bigger with up to ten teams in a platoon armed as Rifle teams or BAR teams (which are better on the move and re-roll misses in Defensive Fire). You can also add armoured LVT(4) Amtracs that are loaded with MGs to move your troops around the table, or just lend a little extra firepower.

A Marine Infantry Company also comes with everything you would expect including;

• machine-guns (lots of machine-guns!),

• mortars,

• Assault Sections with Bazookas and Flamethrowers,

• an anti-tank platoon armed with 37mm guns and more Bazookas,

• as well as self-propelled guns.

Don’t forget that the Pacific points are compatible with Early-war (see the box below for more information) giving them some very unique equipment options for the period.

Marine aMPhibian tank CoMPanyThe Marines used the strange looking LVT(A) Amtanks that could wade ashore and then engage enemy targets on the beach. Armed with either;

• a 37mm gun (ROF 2, AT 7, FP 4+) or

• 75mm gun (ROF 2, AT 6, FP 3+).

These lightly armoured tanks are more than a match for other Early-war tanks, or just really cheap in Late-war letting you add in plenty of Divisional Support options. You can also field up to 6 in a platoon making them outstanding assault tanks.

Marine tank CoMPanyIf the LVTs are not to your liking you can also field a tra-ditional M4A2 or M4A3 Sherman company. With Pacific points they are expensive but they are also near unkillable

monsters (Front armour 6 and an AT 10 gun), whilst in Late-war they are more like the medium tanks you would expect.

You can also support your Sherman tanks with a platoon of Flame tanks if you need to burn your opposition out.

Divisional suPPortEach of the lists can lend support each other but they also have access to some of the bigger guns you would expect including Marine Artillery with;

• M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzers through to the M1A1 Long Tom,

• 4.5” Rocket Launchers that drop a Salvo template on anyone too slow to get out of the way,

• M1 90mm AA guns (ROF 2-3, AT 13) to take care of enemy tanks and aircraft,

The Marines also have access to the F-4U Corsair that brings a wide range of weapons to the battlefield including the traditional guns and bombs, as well as Rockets and Napalm.

The Japanese forces in the Pacific have a diverse range of troops ranging from the elite Fearless Veteran infantry and tank units have previously fought in China and Manchuria through to fresh reinforcement and garrison units that may be Fearless Trained or Confident Trained. Japanese forces have a number of National Rules to convey their unique characteristics. These make them more like to Assault even in the face of heavy fire, as well as stay on the table fighting long after other units would have retreated.

hohei Chutai (infantry CoMPany)The Japanese infantry can be either Fearless Veteran or Confident Trained, letting you pick between a smaller elite force, or larger unit with more support options. The basic Hohei Platoon has upto 14 teams making almost as big as a Soviet Company and is capable of withstanding a terrible volume of fire before eventually charging and assaulting the enemy.

You can support your infantry with up to;

• two platoons of HMGs

• and three different types of infantry, anti-tank or field guns. The newest of which is the Type 1 47mm AT gun (ROF 3 and AT 8) and whilst it may have trouble killing enemy Shermans it has no problems dealing with lighter Stuarts or LVTs.

• of course the guns are not your primary anti-tank weapon, this is the job of your Nikuhaku (human bullet) teams that can be swapped into your Hohei platoons. These teams roll four dice in assaults vs tanks at Tank Assault 5!

sensha rentai (tank regiMent)These are the elite of the Japanese Army and are either Fearless Veteran or Fearless Trained.

Japanese tank platoons have access to a wide variety of tanks including many of the models found in Rising Sun. Now they also have access to;

• Type 97 Kai Shinhoto Chi-Ha tank (ROF 2, AT 8),

• as well as a platoon of captured Stuart tanks.

With platoons of up to five tanks they are resilient on the table, as well as being handy in assaults against infantry teams.

yosai hohei Chutai (fortifieD infantry CoMPany)Smaller in number than Hohei Chutai they do have access to a similar range of support options, but with the inclusion of Barbed Wire, Minefields, Gun Pits and Anti-tank Obstacles. These defensive systems were designed to project Japans conquests from the Allied forces coming to take them back.

Ka-Mi Sensha Chutai (Ka-Mi Amphibious Tank Company)

The Ka-Mi is a particularly odd looking vehicle and looks like a boat with tracks. Its all round armour of 1 and AT 5 gun means it sits in the middle of the pack compared with other Early War vehicles but with platoons of up-to five Veteran tanks means that they will stick around and tie up the enemy for some time.

Divisional suPPortThe Japanese have access to additional tank and infantry platoons in their Divisional Support, as well as a range of artillery options going all the way up to AT 12 (Type 96 150mm Howitzer) and AT 14 (Type 92 105mm gun).

They can also deploy the Type 88 75mm gun (ROF 2 or 3, AT 10) if you are worried about enemy aircraft.

There are also Scout and Recon Tankette Platoons to help find the enemy.

All of the companies can access an Engineer Platoon con-sisting of up to 13 Pioneer teams (AT 3 in assaults) that can also swap up teams for Nikuhaku or Flame-thrower teams.

Still worried about tanks, bring along a unit of either;

• Type 1 Ho-Ni I (ROF 2, AT 10. FP 3+) or

• Type 4 Ho-Ro (ROF 1, AT 13, FP 1+, Bunker Buster) Self-propelled guns.

Finally the iconic Mitsubishi Zero is available to bomb or strafe your opponents should you need air support.

NEW! UBX45 - Amphibian Tank Platoon

NEW! USAB07 - Gators Amtracks

Few military operations are as difficult or risky as landing troops on an enemy beach. Landing infantry is only half the challenge as without adequate support on the beach to knock out enemy defences the infantry can be quickly

pinned down and killed. This is where the amphibious tank can even the odds.

The Marine Tank Company features not only the tradition M4 Sherman but also includes an option for to build an Amphibian Tank Company with LVT(A)1 or LVT(A)4

tanks. Gators Amtracks includes seven LVTs with options for them to be fielded as either the 37mm armed LVT(A)1

or the 75mm armed LVT(A)4.

UBX46 - LVT (A) Amtrack Section

ARMY DEAL

AMPHIBEAN TANKS

US772 - Marine Rifle Platoon (with HQ team)

US773 - Company Machine-gun Platoon

US774 - Machine-gun Platoon US775 - Mortar Platoon

US776 - Marine Engineer Assault Section US509 - M3A1 37mm Anti-tank Gun Platoon

NEW! UBX47 - Marine Rocket Launcher Battery

NEW! AC016 - F4U Corsair NEW! UBX48 - M3A1 Stuart Platoon

(with M3A1 ‘Satan’ option)

MARINE RIFLE COMPANY

DIVISIONAL SUPPORT

HOHEI CHUTAI

KA-MI SENSHA CHUTAI

JBX01 - Hohei Chutai

JP706 - Nikuhaku Teams JP501 - Type 94 37mm anti-tank gun JP565 - Type 38 75mm gun

NEW! JBX06 - Type 2 Ka Mi Platoon

NEW! JBX05 - Type 97 Te-Ke Platoon

NEW! AC017 - Mitsubishi Zero

JP580 - Type 96 150mm howitzer

NEW! JBX07 - Type 1 Ho-Ni Platoon

NEW! JBX08 - Type 4 Ho-Ro Platoon

JBX02 - Medium Sensha Platoon

JBX03 - Light Sensha Platoon

NEW! JBX09 - Type 97 Chi-Ha Platoon

SENSHA RENTAI

DIVISIONAL SUPPORT

Building a new army can be a rather daunting task. With so many new platoons available, as well as needing to work out which blisters or boxes to purchase, it can be hard to tell where to start. Here we take a look at the two infantry companies from Gung Ho and Banzai, and how to build a viable 1000 point army.

Your first 1000 points

CoMPany hQ2 SMG teams 55 points Each US772 (Marine Rifle Platoon) blister contains an extra SMG team to build the Company HQ.

Marine rifle Platoon3 Rifle Squads 230 points The US772 (Marine Rifle Platoon) blister contains a full Marine Rifle Platoon, with additional figures to upgrade your platoon to BAR teams.

Marine rifle Platoon3 Rifle Squads 230 points

2 LVT(4) Amtrac 35 points UBX46 (LVT(4) Amtrac Section) contains the pair of LVT(4) Amtracs you need.

MaChine-gun Platoon4 M2 .50 cal HMG 130 points Use US774 (Machine-gun Platoon) to build this unit. It includes both the .50 cal and M19174 HMG options.

anti-tank Platoon4 M3A1 37mm guns 100 points The US509 (M3A1 37mm Anti-tank gun) blister includes both the guns and the Bazooka teams.

4 Bazookas 80 points

4 DUKW trucks 5 points You can tow your guns with the UBX24 (DUKW) box set.

Marine artillery batteryHQ section and 140 points Use the USO140 (Marine Artillery Group) pack to provide your HQ and enough gun crew for four guns.

4 M1A1 75mm pack howitzers The Special Order range includes all the guns you need for your Marine artillery including USO507 (M1A1 75mm pack howitzer).

MARINE RIFLE COMPANY

Where to froM here?It is always hard to go past some tanks to help cut-off enemy attacks and you can choose from a number of options including UBX45 (Amphibian Tank Platoon) box, UBX48 (M3A1 Stuart Platoon with ‘Satan’ Flamethrower option) box or the US045 (M4A2 Sherman) blister. Air support provides a good counter to both tanks and infantry with AC016 (F-4U Corsair) or you can upgrade your artillery to 105mm guns with USO505 (M2A1 105mm howitzer).

hohei Chutai hQ2 Sword Teams 30 points The JBX01 (Hohei Chutai) box includes two full strength infantry platoons as well as the HQ.

Added Regimental Standard 75 points

hohei Platoon2 Rifle Squads 150 points If you want to swap out some of your Rifle teams for tank-killing Nikuhaku teams then purchase JP706.

With Banners 25 points

hohei Platoon2 Rifle Squads 150 points

hohei WeaPons Platoon 2 Type 92 HMG and 80 points JP707 (Hohei Weapons Platoon) includes both the pair of HMGs and AT rifles.

2 Type 97 20mm anti-tank rifles

hohei raPiD fire Platoon2 Type 1 37mm guns 35 points Use JP501 (Type 94 37mm anti-tank gun) for this platoon. The guns look the same as the Type 1 37mm.

tank Platoon5 Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks 150 points JBX09 (Type 97 Chi-Ha tank) box includes 5 Chi-Ta tanks, and an additional 5 Kai Shinhoto for ultimate flexibility

Upgrade 2 to Type 97 Kai Shinhoto Chi-Ha tanks 30 points

reCon tankette Platoon2 Type 97 Te-Ke (MG) tanks 60 points Use JBX05 (Type 97 Te-Ke Platoon) box for the Recon tanks. It includes 5 tanks with both turret options.

Upgrade both to 37mm versions 10 points

heavy fielD artillery batteryHQ section and 230 points Your HQ section is in the JP709 (Artillery HQ) blister.

4 Type 96 150mm howitzers And the guns are in the JP580 (Type 96 150mm howitzer) blister – you will need 2 blisters for a full platoon.

HOHEI CHUTAI

Where to froM here?Upgrading both infantry platoons to full strength with a 3rd squad will help keep them in the fight longer. If you think you need more tank killing power then the best place to look is at the two Self-propelled Gun options (JBX07 – Type 1 Ho-Ni 1, or JBX08 – Type 4 Ho-Ro) or AC017 (Mitsubishi Zero). If your opponents are likely to have lots of infantry you cannot beat extra HMGs (JP704 – Hohei Machine-gun Platoon).

Pacific Terrain

BB187 - Jungle Bushes BB196 - Island Huts

BB197 - Island Palms

fW306a - PaCifiC beaCh lanDing Mats

islanD

atoll

www.FlamesOfWar.comTo find your local stockist, or order any of our ranges on-line, please visit us at

APRIL 2016 RELEASESFW306 Gung Ho (48 page book) SB Book

FW307 Banzai (48 page book) SB Book

JBX01 Hohei Chutai A6 Box

JBX02 Type 89 Chi-Ro Platoon (x5 tanks) A6 Box

JBX03 Type 95 Ha-Go Platoon (x5 tanks) A6 Box

USAB06 Gator’s Amtracks (US Marines Army Deal) Box

TK037 US Marines Token Set (21 tokens) Blister

TO025 US Marines Objective Set (3 objectives) Blister

FW306A Pacific Beach Landing Mats (48”x18” and 48”x15”) Tube

MAY 2016 RELEASESAC016 F4U Corsair (x1 aircraft) A6 Box

UBX45 Amphibian Tank Platoon (x3 tanks) A5 Box

UBX46 LVT(4) Amtrac Section (x2 tanks) A6 Box

US509 M3A1 37mm Anti-tank gun (x4 guns) Blister

US772 Marine Rifle Platoon (with HQ team) Blister

US776 Marine Engineer Assault Section (with extra bazookas) Blister

AC017 Mitsubishi Zero (x1 aircraft) A6 Box

JBX05 Type 97 Te-Ke Platoon (x5 tanks) A6 Box

JBX06 Type 2 Ka Mi Platoon (x5 tanks) A6 Box

JBX09 Type 97 Chi-Ha Platoon (x5 tanks) A6 Box

JP550 Type 88 75mm Heavy Anti-aircraft Gun (x1 gun) Blister

JUNE 2016 RELEASESUBX47 Marine Rocket Launcher Battery (x3 trucks) A6 Box

US045 M4A2 Sherman (x1 tank) Blister

US548 20mm Twin Mk 4 anti-aircraft gun (x2 guns) Blister

US773 Company Machine-gun Platoon (x4 guns) Blister

US774 Machine-gun Platoon (x4 guns) Blister

US775 Mortar Platoon (x4 guns) Blister

USO140 Marine Artillery Group Blister

JBX07 Type 1 Ho-Ni 1 Self-propelled Gun Platoon (x3 vehicles) A6 Box

JBX08 Type 4 Ho-Ro Self-propelled Gun Platoon (x3 vehicles) A6 Box

JP510 Type 1 47mm gun (x2 guns) Blister

JP541 Type 98 20mm (x2 guns) Blister

JP575 Type 91 105mm (x2 guns) Blister

JP705 Mortar Platoon (x4 guns) Blister

JP707 Hohei Weapons Platoon (x4 guns) Blister