Units from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Service troops from the seaplane bases continued to battle into the night of August 7th on the Island of Tulagi. Troops from the 1st Raider battalion and 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment would get little sleep that night as they strove to hold the territory gained following the landings that morning. The US troops had established a defensive line north of the caves on the south coast and then moving north along the trail that led towards the north Japanese seaplane base. SNLF units were in the caves, and dug in hidden adjacent to the north trail. In addition, one US Raider unit and a group of Japanese service units were engaged near the south seaplane base. Thunderstorms broke out for the better part of an hour beginning at 2145, during which time the Raider units weakened the Japanese left flank. By 0145, the south coast road had been opened and a US Marine/Raider rescue group began to move west to assist the beleaguered Raiders in the jungle north of the south seaplane base. After turning the flank and pinning a Japanese HMG in the caves, the Allies pressed north to where the US troops had suffered casualties. A service platoon moved east to reinforce the Japanese position on their right flank. By 0300, the Japanese right flank was reeling, and it folded completely at 0400 hours when the commander and his remaining units fled east to assist the service units that were still trying to suppress the lone Raider unit on the eastern tip of the island. The US units reinforced their defensive line across the neck of the island, while the Japanese remnants gathered to try and eliminate the Raiders that were trapped out east; however, the Raider unit broke through and joined the main body of the Allied forces, effectively ending the battle with an American victory. By 0545, there were a few remaining Japanese units that were in disarray and bravely holding the south seaplane base.

This scenario was played using 4th edition rules (including the updated cave rules), and the special rules regarding Hidden Units (#4) and Disorientation (#5) from the Kokoda Campaign scenario book. It basically requires the Japanese to eliminate 5 American steps and break through the defensive line to control at least one hex, while the Americans must prevent the breakthrough while not losing more than two steps. While this plays with historical accuracy, the choice of topic leaves much to be desired as this quickly devolves into a die-rolling contest, with the Americans on the front line hoping to damage the Japanese units to a level where they pose little threat to the Americans. There are two primary choices for the Japanese to have a chance to secure a guaranteed draw: 1) line up toe-to-toe dug in along the American line and hope to hit “snake-eyes” before the Americans do; or 2) quickly pull back the SNLF units and eliminate the Raider unit that is placed behind enemy lines, which would give the first two steps of American loss. Then move back west and hope to secure at least one more step to insure the draw, or be lucky enough to get thee more steps for the win. There is no need for the Americans to move forward, particularly with a disruption penalty associated with movement, as their opening position is in jungle, mainly upslope and with limited night visibility; this sets up a maximum negative two-column shift on Japanese fire, which must occur from an adjacent hex due to the limited visibility. With a US front line that has some “2’ morale officers and a starting morale of 9/8 for the Raiders that are the predominant units manning the line, step losses are very hard for the Japanese to achieve. In this playthrough, the first tactical approach was used for the Japanese, who got a US step loss on Turn 15 and a second one on Turn 21; after that, the US had weakened their units to the point that “X” results were very hard to attain. The scenario ended with 16 Japanese step losses to only two for the Americans, resulting in an American victory.