SUMMARY: Japanese Victory by causing 9 American step casualties (over 7 steps). US failed to clear all Japanese two hexes away from 1309 and 2209 and lost over two steps. Japanese Casualties = 19 of 24 steps (80% casualties) 4 of 6 surviving leaders US Casualties = 9 of 70 steps (13% casualties) all leaders survived

As my first Guadalcanal Game I did enjoy the challenge of this scenario and its tactical dilemmas. The mass and quality of marine raiders are amazing versus the tenacious SNLF. However the game IS SLOW MOVING due to the terrain. The only real tactical option for the Japanese player is to hunker down in the caves for the entire game and force the US player to dig him out. Not a lot of playable fun, but a tactical approach to winning nonetheless. The Japanese player will have some decision points early on if he wants to defend the two key hills around the cave complex.

• US victory conditions are nigh impossible if the Japanese Dig into their caves. For play balance, I'd recommend upping allowable US casualties to 4 or 5 steps.

• A funny note, every random event (5) occurred to the Americans.

  0800-1200: My game sounds a lot like the historical record to a point. From 0800-until 1130, US forces were unmolested as they built their beach head and set about securing the western half of the island. A lot of good aircraft drawings allowed me to inflict two steps damage on an exposed SNLF Platoon. Aircraft also found and destroyed the Japanese AA platoon. With the Western side secured, the Raider BN established a complete line on the 12xx hexline and proceeded to push east. 1200-1400: The Raider BN pushed into the cave network against hex 1409 and attempted to dislodge SNLF forces dug in on the high ground around 1407 and 1408. With amazing luck and heroism, assaults against the hill and the cave produced 5 Japanese losses in a single turn (1245 hrs). However, Hex 1508 and 10407 would hold out another hour as well as 1403. Two quick thunderstorms helped slow movement down, but they were passing showers (1 turn only each). 1400-1500: Efforts continued to dislodge 1408 until the engineers showed up and completed the task. The 2/5 Marine Battalion moved to bypass the Raider BN on both the Northern and Souther paths and were able to encircle the cave in hex 1709. However, an unfortunate friendly fire incident (random event) had a platoon from 2/5 marines fire on and reduce an engineer platoon as it moved to hex 1509. 1500-1715; This was a period where 1509 (SNLF leader and HMG) and 1608 (SNLF Platoon, and Commander) would hold out the rest of the game, only being reduced once while taking out 3 US steps. Raider and Marine HMGs with engineers continued to clear Hex 1709 for two hours, and finally cleared it when the engineers departed due to misunderstood orders (random event) creating an opportunity to move in more HMGs. This occured near the end of the scenario at 1700 hours. In the east, the Japanese servants had dug in on the east side of the jungle hill 2109/2108 to shoot as the marines crossed the cricket field. However, Marine small arms out ranged and spotted the positions from 3 hexes away and proceeded to cause multiple demoralization and step losses to be followed up by close assault. The Servants in Hex 2108 gave a good showing of themselves by demoralizing numerous raiders and reducing one platoon, while recovering themselves and retaining their ground until nightfall and the end of the scenario.

By 1715 hours, the entire island was clear accept for three contested hexes = two hexes of the cave complex continued to strongly resist as well as a platoon of Japanese servants in 2108.

US Techniques and Observations:

1. Ships: Task Force Mike's best use is to interdict Japanese movement along coastal roads and the clear terrain between 17xx-20xx. This gives opportunity fire and disrupts Japanese options to reinforce or retrograde to different sides of the island. Otherwise, the ships are not powerful enough for effective direct fire.

2. Air Support: Mass air support at every opportunity. While you draw air support, it is better to use all three or less planes each round against exposed targets. The SBDs in my game had two X results and also forced the AA gun crew to abandon their AA through morale checks.

3. Bombardment Mortars: Useless - unless you mass the 60mm and 81mm together for an attack on an above ground Jap unit, and even then it might not be worth the activation until you have nothing else left to do, and you will almost always have assault options. The 81mm will likely be too slow to catch up to support the forward line of troops by the time it lands on the Island - but that will be dependant on each game.

4. Maneuver/Clearing the Island: As a shaping effort, The American will have to dedicate a force early on to clear the west side of the Island and the northern shore, just to secure beachhead. OR accept risk and clear the western side of the Island later on with Marines so your Raiders get into the fight earlier. I used a raider company (3 platoons and 3 leaders,) to circle the Island from the South and then clear on-line from 0101, 0102, 0103 west to east to 1304,1305,1306, while the rest fo teh Raider BN clear from teh beach head west to east to 13xx Phase Line when they met resistance.

5. MASS, MASS, MASS: You will likely have to travel with 3 platoons to a hex in many places in order to allow for command and control and to mass firepower. The cover provided by the hills and jungle help offset the +1 for stacking 3 units. Remember, the Fog of War rolls will NOT be your friend and the more scattered your forces, the more opportunity for your timeline and plan to unravel. Plus by massing forces you can prvent the Japanese from having any likely overmatch above ground, even when hidden.

6. Bypassing Caves. Once you have massed assaults on the Cave Networks, I suggest bypassing so you can establish a strong firing line along the 18xx hexline to continue clearing the island West-east and eliminate the Jap Servant units that will likely still be in the town or dug-in and hidden on the eastern hill around Hex 2209 as part of their victory criteria.

7. Caves. No doubt about it, SNLF inside of Caves with leaders are tremendously difficult to clear. Hexes, 1408, 1509, and 1608 are worst of all. Because modifiers are cumulative in an assault, the Japanese Player receives 3 defensive shifts for the cave AND JUNGLE shifts, AND they will get to fire first and often get at an average of 2 positive shifts on the attack for Japanese close combat skills (except HMGs) and normally for having undemoralized leaders. So how do you counter that? a. Direct Fire: 2-level elevation hexes adjacent to caves give you a +1 advantage, +2 for adjacent, you offset the -3 defense bonus for caves. This makes hexes 1309 and 1508 positions of advantage and the Jap player should take heed to dig-in and defend them. If you can get 22+ fire value w/ 3x HMGs and a leader, you can at least assure a combat result. Against the Cave in 1709, try to envelop the cave and then use leaders to combine fire power between two hexes. You will want to get at least a 30 column attack to off set the cave defenses for a 22 column fire value. YOU MUST SUSTAIN MULTIPLE DIRECT FIRES against the enemy per turn or he will spend all his actions recovering. Try to eliminate Hex 1409 first so you can also combine firepower in nonjungle hexes of 1409 and 1510 vs. 1509. b. Assaults: Once you have either demoralized or reduced elements in the Cave use your Raider BN to conduct assaults. Their superior morale (9) to a reduced SNLF (8) will give you added leverage. Engineers are critical assets, commit them with care against caves. By committing engineers though (morale 8) you will not gain the +1 for having higher morale on the attack. So it is better to use Engineers with regular Marines. Also every assault should include at least 1 x HMG to max firepower. But you must always have an ENG, RAIDER, or Marine in the assault to prevent from halving the firepower. You will also want to surround caves when possible and have reinforcements ready to enter as initial forces need to tap out from casualties/exhaustion.

8. Paths: The center Island path, the northern path, and the southern path past Hex 1209 all become high speed avenues of approach to get reinforcements into the cave complex, or bypass the cave complex from the north and envelop it.

9. Fog of War and Echeloned Movement: The American Player has a lot of mass and moves slowly. Because the jungle prevents coordinated movement and Fog of War is reduced to 15 and starts on the second activation, it can rapidly accelerate the pace of the game. Before you know it you will have forces waiting to get on shore or move off the beach head. Make sure to pace your movements so that reinforcements get on the island and within supporting distance to keep pressure on the Japanese.

10. Tactical Pauses: it will make sense from time to time to halt combat actions in the caves, to rotate forces or try to recover them instead of continuing weak attacks.

Japanese Techniques and Observations:

1. Caves: caves, caves, caves- at least one leader and one SNLF platoon in every cave - and DO NOT COME OUT. Stay patient, you will continually get to shoot first as he tried to dig you out. Also, I recommend never leaving a cave empty. Put someone in it.

2. Key terrain. Outside of the caves, Hexes 1309, 1308, 1407, and especially 1508 might be worth digging in some SNLF and defending to disrupt actions against caves, and deny key firing positions to negate your cave defenses.

3. Opposing the beach landings. There might by value in using your 37mm AA and HMGs to rake the LCVPs from 1208-1209 to get massive casualties. I did not try it. I used my AA to disrupt SBD attacks, but to no avail. I also did not opt to use hidden japanese units outside of the cave complez area. I let the American player take time searching and clearing the rest of the island instead of risking my limited SNLF platoons. It may have still been worth it, especially in a two player game.

4. Servant Units. I suggest retreating them into hex 2208 and 2209,digging in and staying where the American must get within firing range to spot them.

5. Recovery: constantly try to recover your disrupted forces before he launches an attack. You have easy chances of recovering. You can fight well disrupted, you will not likley survive being demoralized as you will often only be fighting with one platoon at a time.

6. Patience: This is not a fun game for the Japanese Player. You must sit and wait it out. Your success is in causing him casualties and frustration through your first fire abilities in the caves and jungle. Fog of War is your friend, the reduced Fog of War requirements in Guadalcanal make for games to move quickly before you've been able to coordinate actions.