The Marine battalion in this battle executed a flawless assault, capturing Kokumbona in 3 hours with no losses. The Japanese survivors, less than a platoon of service troops, straggled into the jungle.

The Marines advanced against a strong position of Japanese SNLF and service troops deployed in depth in the jungle to the west of Kokumbona. Supported by infantry guns, AA and AT guns, it looked like a pretty tough nut to crack. Our heroic Lt. Col. advanced in two strong columns, his force he led into the jungle while his second in command advanced up the beach track. Initial gains in the jungle were halted as the Marines pulled back to regroup and rally some shaken troops, giving the Japanese time to organize a series of Banzai charges. Meanwhile along the shore, the Major was relying on sheer volume of fire to grind away at the Japanese, but this was slow going. He decided to launch a series of audacious assaults, first crushing the forward Japanese positions, then outflanking the second line along the shore.

Back in the jungle, the Lt. Col. stood firm against a series of tough human wave attacks, but he kept his troops organized and launching local counterattacks. Two hours into the battle, the Marine line delivered a series of stinging blows to the Japanese, with the Japanese in the jungle (primarily SNLF) reeling back in disorder and the Japanese along the shore trail (primarily service forces) crushed by the Major's spirited counterattack.

In the final hour of the battle, the Lt. Col. pushed deeper into the jungle, driving the Japanese remnants before him. The Major led a bold frontal assault against the SNLF platoon in Kokumbona. He formed up a company and took the position by storm.

All in all this was a victory that could not have gone any better for the Marines, or worse for the Japanese.