This Muskeg and Arctic hill terrain is TOUGH. Hats off to the 7th Infantry Division and their Japanese opponents. The conditions are making me miserable. I find myself wishing I were playing a Jungle scenario instead. Imagine the 7th had been trained to fight in the desert. They had spent an extended period of time training in the Mohave desert before being shipped to the Alaska. What a suprise.

The Axis set up on the hills at extreme northern end of the board, dug in. The Allies enter from the South edge on the western trail. It took the Allies until 1015 to run into opportuntity fire from a Japanese position. I made an error in the long approach forgetting the "free" hex rewarded to those units that move their entire move on the track or road. It could have save several turns. I decided not to bother. It was a very long approach and I wanted to finish sometime before Easter!

The Axis foxhole line followed the hill line right down to the trail exits on the low ground. The Allies decided to attack the southern most axis position on the arctic hill and attempt to get more units up there to assist cleaning out the Axis positions one at a time. As with the last scenario the Allies assaulted the Axis position and eliminated a step. The Axis instantly counterattacked. The Axis abandoned their nearest foxholes and reenforced the ongoing assault. This went back and forth and turned into a protracted series of assault and counter assault with both sides suffeing step losses and demorializations and disruptions and recoverys. The Allies did manage to get a number of units off the board but at 1245 a previously demoralized axis inf platoon and a Lt. recovered and occupied road hex 2035 blocking the Allied exit route. In the end the Allies were only able to get 10 steps and 2 leaders off the north edge. Axis victory. The Allies finished with 24 points and the Axis 18. The allies fell short of the 2 to 1 victory point ratio needed for victory. The approach march was too long and unnessary. I understand the the axis could have set up anywhere but they would have been easily out flanked or by passed just about any where they set up. There just were not enough Axis units to cover all possible routes. Only at the extreme north edge did defensive terrain meet up with the most obvious Allied route of advance. So why oh why make the Allies march so far and so long?

My Lt. Obannon survives still and finished with 2 net points to add to the one he already had. This brings him to 3 leadership points saved. He was under fire 3 times and in assault 3 times. He failed one morale check and passed two others. He was credited with destroying two enemy steps.