Late in the evening of May 29, 1943, the Japanese Adak-Attu Occupation Force charged west toward the American front line manned by units from the 7th Infantry Division that were bivouacked across a broad front on both the northeast and southeast hills. A Japanese scout platoon moved west along the track, while the main Japanese force advanced slowly down the southeast hill and along the northeast ridge. They took fire on both fronts from the Americans at 2200 hours. By 2245, furious hand-to-hand fighting was occurring on both ridges; the US pulled back quickly on the northeast ridge to consolidate their forces, but the units on the southeast hill held strong. The US continued to avoid Japanese pursuit in the northeast well past midnight, eventually forming ranks and confronting the onrushing Japanese troops. Some of the Japanese broke through and headed west, but others were eventually slowed and eliminated. By 0445, The Americans had sole possession of the northeast ridge and held firm on the southeast hill as well for an American victory.

This scenario represents the attack ordered by Colonel Yamasaki in the closing days of the Aleutian campaign with the intent of reducing the American force to the fullest extent possible with the remaining Japanese troops. The Japanese need to eliminate 10 American steps before they can gain exit points for the western edge, so it benefits the Americans to fall back and skirt the Japanese units while working for the best shots. The closer the units can move and stay near the NE and SE corners of the map, the more difficult it will be for the Japanese side to gain the necessary ten steps that allow the Japanese to gain exit points. However, the US player must be cautious as the limited visibility allows the Japanese player to exit without penalty if the US doesn’t have a reasonable pursuit strategy. The scenario does an excellent job of capturing the feel of the historical situation and appears very well balanced. For the Japanese player, picking the right time to break west, assuming that step losses exceed ten US steps and the total are in his favor, is a tough tactical decision. In this playthrough, the US managed to get some pinpoint mortar fire along with direct fire hits to slow the Japanese contingent, making them vulnerable to assault. The final VP tally was 27 for the Japanese (11 US steps plus 16 exit points) versus 20 Japanese steps lost, so the Japanese did not quite double the US total resulting in an American victory.