This was an interesting little puzzle, but it seemed like there is an optimal solution for placement of the Japanese entrenchment "Festung" that made it pretty much impossible for the Americans to meet their victory conditions or prevent the Japanese from meeting theirs. I set up the three Japanese entrenchments on the hill with the 40-meter peak, at the 20-meter level adjacent to the village at the base of the hill. I emplaced the guns with the high anti-tank factors with views overlooking the beach, so that if the Americans came in close to the hill the LVTs would get shot up, which is pretty much what happened after I decided to set up the Americans that way. Some jungle and marsh also helped to impede approaches to the hill. I had an option of landing the Americans far from the entrenchments, where some jungle cover would protect the landing transports. If I had set up down there, I could march the Marines overland to get to the hill while letting the air units whittle down the guns so that the transports and armor LVTs could then approach. The other benefit of that approach would have been to get everyone "onside" of the road that the Americans needed to be north/east of. By placing the festung mostly "offside", it meant that the Americans had to take two entrenchments AND THEN move northeast to get onside. As it was I was able as the Americans to contest two entrenchments at the end of the game, but couldn't take them, and I only had 13 steps "onside". At the end I barely had enough American steps on the whole map to satisfy the 20 step onside victory condition (about 23 or 4 I think) anyway, even if I had enough time to get them onside.

It didn't help the Americans that the Japanese had significantly hotter dice, but I don't think that was the ultimate reason that Japan won.

So I learned quite a bit about setting up a defense, and enjoyed the scenario, but what I see as an issue with the victory conditions limits it to a "3" rating.