The marines have about 3 companies with lots of leaders, including the battalion commander and XO, plus lots of mortars and 2 M-7 rocket trucks, 2 flame and 1 regular engineer unit and lots of HMGs, plus the 2 37mm units with jeeps to tow. The Japanese have 4 full and 3 half infantry platoons, 4 HMGs, a 20mm AA gun, a Major and 3 LTs to hold and defend 4 caves. The Marines need to take 3 of the 4. I spread out the caves well, but obviously not well enough. Marine companies were able to skirt both flanks and down the middle outside of Japanese observation while Marine mortars and rockets pounded the central Japanese position in the village on board 82 at the mouth of the valley. Not a lot of damage was done, but the noise must have been successful in preventing the Japanese from hearing the Marines moving through the jungles. There is a lot of jungle to use on this board, even if much of it is only a single hex thick. A Marine player taking his or her time will have no difficulty sneaking up on the 3 needed caves if set up the way I did. I had 2 on each hill, spread out thinking it would make the Marines take longer to get there. Even at moves of 1 hex per turn, they had more than enough time. In just a few turns, the closest cave on the Marine right was being assaulted, and with pretty good dice for the Marines. Just a little bit of disruption while forcing the Japanese to abandon the cave, and then that moment when the Marines hit the fleeing Japanese with everything they had, leaving only a demoralized LT wandering off on his own. The Marine left and center caves on the larger hill struck at about the same time, with the cave on the left falling immediately, but the one in the center holding out a few turns. This was the one that the LTC decided to lead an attack on, and even with his 9-1-2 stature, he and 2 of his platoons found themselves demoralized and with 2 step reductions, walking away from the cave hex. The Marine Major felt the LTC had succeeded in softening up the enemy, as he walked in with 2 more platoons and took it immediately. By this point, artillery and other troops who were out mopping up took care of the Japanese HMGs in the village, who were demoralized and fled after loosing 1 of the 2 HMG units. Behind the village on the first level of the larger hill, an infantry platoon provided security for the 20mm gun, and with the artillery free from earlier targets, they pounded that position, reducing the infantry and eliminating the AA unit. At the end of turn 12, with only 2 HMG units and 3 leaders, plus the 3 steps of infantry still holding the last cave with their LT, there just wasn't enough Japanese firepower left on the board to try to take back any of the caves, and with no Japanese victory conditions including killing more Marines, the game was called. Marine win, 13 steps of Japanese to 2 steps of Marines lost.