Attack on North Station 1937

Welcome back to Lessons from the Front!
In this episode, we return to the brutal streets of Shanghai, August 1937, during the opening battles of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Our scenario — The Assault on Shanghai North Station — recreates a daring Chinese attack against a Japanese strongpoint centred on a pill box defending the entrance to the city’s North Railway Station, in the Zhabei District.

Commanding the Chinese forces, I led a combined force of elite German-trained 87th Division troops, Shanghai police, and local militia, supported by artillery and light armour. Facing me was Wei Lun, commanding a determined Japanese defence with Type 89 I-Go tanks, infantry dug in behind sandbags, and a fortified pill box dominating the plaza.

Over six tense turns, the Chinese launched a pincer assault through the shattered city streets — a desperate race to throw a satchel charge into the pill box before time ran out. Would courage and firepower overcome discipline and steel?

This scenario is inspired by the real fighting that took place around Shanghai North Station between August 23–26, 1937 — one of the fiercest urban battles of the early war.

For the Chinese to win, a squad must move into base contact with the pill box and, at the start of their next activation, use an order dice to detonate satchel charges — destroying the position. The Japanese win by preventing this within six turns.

Thanks to ‪@xpidemix‬ for use of their premises and to ‪@warlordgames‬ for their epic rule-set, Bolt Action Version 3.

With thanks to footage taken from    • Ambushing Japanese Scouts - The Eight Hund...   and    • China vs Japan in WW2 - Hilltop battle [En...