Battle Report: Late on the night of September 13, 1942, Mjr. Mizuno’s “Zuma” Battalion moved toward Lunga Ridge to join the surge on Henderson Field. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment were using the jungle on the west side of a swamp for cover. Japanese units moving west across the swamp were greeted by HMG platoons as they neared the jungle around midnight. Their first assault was on the US right and they were repulsed around 0100 hours, being forced back into the swamp with heavy losses. Nonetheless, they maintained pressure on this flank while initiating an assault on the US left. A little after 0200 hours, a single Japanese platoon broke through US lines on the left and fled west into the swamp on that side of the jungle strip. The remainder of the US line held, and the Japanese stood down less than an hour later.

Analysis: This is a nighttime 14-turn scenario with a limited number of units. As with the other Edson’s Ridge night action, Japanese units suffer disorientation. Victory is based step losses and, in the case of the US, control of an area around a key hex that anchors the Marine perimeter. The key for the Japanese is to step up as far west as possible and hope that they can get to the swamp, so that disorientation is no longer a factor until they reach the jungle on the west side of it. The US strategy is to establish a line that can withhold the Japanese onslaught. The Japanese were able to combine units and create some strong assault groups that were capable of tying up the limited number of American troops. Since the Japanese had lost more steps than needed for US victory, the focus became one of clearing the US line. They were able to do this with a single unit to get the draw, despite losing 11 steps to the American single step loss. The scenario is a good introductory one as it plays quickly and is well balanced.