American Goal Eliminate all Japanese with suffering less than 7 steps. Timeframe – 2 whole days!

Strategy - With two days to rid the islands of Japanese presence, the Americans can really take their time. They need to move carefully and can “waste” time trying to spy out the hidden Japanese units. Either from LCVP or moving in safe hexes. The lack of Jungle will make attacking the caves much easier and they can use firegroups to get maximum effect. Crossing the causeway may prove problematic.

Japanese Goal Inflict casualties (at least 7 steps), survive.

Strategy – Hide out and take a pot shot when they have a good chance at scoring a hit. Hide in caves and use first fire to defend in assault.

American Casualties will be presented by (x).

The Battle

1130 – The Americans begin to dig-in on shore as the LCVPs advance. Japanese AA gun and artillery on the west hill opens fire on the LCVPs. One boat is sunk sending the Major and the only engineer platoon to the watery depths! (2). But their hidden status is lost.

comment: A great start for the Japanese!

American ABDs and Navy target the Japanese guns, but are ineffective. A hidden SER is spotted by the approaching LCVPs.

1145 - 1200 – Air attacks and Naval Barrages smash the Japanese guns eliminating them as the boats begin to land. Another hidden SER is spotted. American troops open fire vs. the dug-in Japanese who, having lost hidden status, try to flee to the caves, under heavy fire. Half a platoon and their Ensign are lost.

1215-1230 – Parachute platoon is reduced by Japanese fire. (3) But the Americans demoralise, assault and eliminate the Japanese SER. A fairly secure beachhead is established.

Comment: Japanese have inflicted half the allowable casualties on the Americans. The American decision is whether to assault now or wait for the Marines and their superior firepower. If they wait long enough, they will get repeatedly hit. So they decide to advance…

1245-1300 – Americans advance and the Japanese, instead of fighting in the open, retreat into the caves. There is no assault. American troops flood the south island as the Japanese defenders are pinned inside their caves.

Comment: Either the Japanese wait for the Marines to attempt to dig them out or they “counter-attack” fighting outside the cave. They decide to stay inside.

1315-1700 – Nothing happens as the Americans dig-in.

1715 - 1745 – The Marines arrives and move in for the assault.

1800 – The assault on the first cave is attempted. Fire is exchanged but to no effect. This is very scary for the Americans and leaving the result a bit too much to chance. The earlier loss of the only American engineer is costly.

1815 – Assault is retried once more but the Marines suffer a loss (4).

1830-1915 – The Marines recover morale and wait for night to set in.

midnight – At midnight the Americans bring a few M5s to shore.

errata: I’m not certain when this should have arrived. The scenario says 8 Aug 1200, but then it says turn 36, which is near midnight. It also shows it arriving prior to 8 Aug 1000 (turn 91) when the 3rd battalion arrives. So I opted for a midnight landing.

0530 - 0600 – The sun begins to rise. Welcome Day Two. The Americans begin to manoeuvre for a new tactic. They leave the entrance to cave one and one parachute company is demoralised fleeing.

The surrounding fire groups attack!

Gameplay note: firegroups attack on the 16 and 11 columns. Japanese counter-attack on the 16. It is a bit risky, but with two attacks to one, the odds seem better than going for an even assault.

The Americans are very fortunate as their first volley eliminate one of the Japanese platoons! The defenders fail to recover.

0615 - 0630 - More direct fire and a full assault fails to crack the Japanese defenders who begin to recover.

0645-0715 – The Americans continue to fail to conquer the cave as the Japanese platoon eventually recovers. WHAT A HARD SLOG!

0730-0830 – It takes another hour of assaulting, but eventually the Japanese defender is eliminated.

0845-0900 – Americans dig-in and prepare for the next cave.

0915-1100 – Americans wait for the Marines and more HMG platoons to arrive. They line the outside of the caves with HMGs.

1115-1145 – The attacks begin when the Americans abandon the cave front. After 45 minutes of attacking, the American HMGs finally eliminate a Japanese platoon.

1200-1215 – HMGs deliver another devastating attack (2X). The final Japanese platoon is then reduced from compound morale failure.

1230 – The cave defenders are eliminated. Only one more cave to clear out.

1245 – The American M5 leads the charge across the causeway supported by infantry under fire.

1300-1545 – American armour and infantry advance to the cave entrance. The Japanese defenders decide to hide within instead of assaulting in the open. The Americans keep the Japanese pinned down as the HMGs advance past and dig-in around the cave.

1600 – 1700 – Americans leave the cave front racing across the causeway as the HMGs open fire! The defenders are disrupted, demoralised, rallied, pinned, disrupted and finally eliminated!

The Americans are Victorious!

Aftermath

Suffering only 4 step losses, the Americans are finally victorious in their Solomons campaign.

Cracking those caves is very tough, but the ability to make firegroups and lack of other cover made these much easier than in Tulagi. Also, the allowable losses for the Americans was more lenient. Combined with the huge timeframe (195 turns), this scenario felt more balanced than the previous ones.

The Japanese defence is fairly static, and I would hate to have played this 2-player as the Japanese. This felt more like a “solo puzzle”.