After abysmal results for the Australians in recent games, it was good to see them win one. The US forces set up in 3 stacks with the AA gun in the center and adjacent to the field while the two others set up just south and east as a tripwire to alert everyone when the Japanese arrived. The Australians set up in an echelon from the center of the board and to the northwest, sort of a 'refuse the flank' posture. Japanese entered with the tank on the trail, 3 stacks of SNLF with the Lt Cdr, an LT and an Ensign, 2 with infantry and the 3rd with an HMG, while the Service companies entered down the center in a cluster around the Cpt, and the remaining SNLF to the north forming a line through the jungle and hills. The US troops drew first blood as SNLF troops walking up the beach hit the edge of the fire lane 3 hexes from the airfield (troops had fallen back to avoid contact as the Japanese got close but not within the 3-hex distance from the airfield). That first shot rolled a 12 and killed the first SNLF troops, demoralizing the leader. The tank was taken out by the 40mm AA gun as it entered the 3-hex range, killed outright. During the first 9 turns, the SNLF had lost 5 steps and 2 leaders to the US having lost just 2 steps of Engineers. The Australians fell back and finally formed the angle so that most were inside the 3-hex zone of the airfield and did quite a bit of damage to SNLF and a stack of Service troops, while the US troops completely disrupted the SNLF and Service troops from mid-board and south. On turn 16 alone, the SNLF lost 3 more steps and another leader, this time the Commander himself, causing a decapitation check that only 1 SNLF LT failed, but that in an important assault at the corner between the Australians and the US troops, delaying that action long enough to allow the Australians to assault and cause more losses. In the end, there was a single step of demoralized SNLF on the open runway awaiting the mopping up while SNLF and a few Service elements clung to their attempt to break through to the airfield. Great allied victory, with 26 steps of Japanese lost to only 6 steps of allies.