Battle Report: Following the nighttime attack by the Colonel Ichicki’s troops on 21 August 1942, Americans from the 1st Marine Division struck back in mid-morning. Units from the 1st Marine Battalion moved north on the east side of the river, while the 2nd Battalion held the west bank of the Ilu from the jungle to the coast. They were supported by units from the 1st Tank Battalion, but the armor was unable to advance through the swampy ground. The remnants of the Ichicki Detachment were dug in just south of the coast and about 1 Km from the east bank of the river with their line of sight blocked in all directions by the palm groves. The Marines took fire at 1115 hours as they advanced north, but by noon they had turned the Japanese left flank for enfilade while pinning the front line. Shortly thereafter, US artillery took out a Japanese 70mm gun emplacement, and by 1300 hours, the Japanese front line about ¾ Km south of the beach broke down. The Marines poured though and headed toward the Japanese right flank that extended to the coast. By 1445 hours, the surviving Japanese troops were pushed to the coast covered by the remnant of an HMG platoon. At 1500, only two Japanese units remained and both were severely compromised, but holding out nonetheless.

Analysis: This scenario is fought over the same ground as that of Scenario #8 and uses a victory condition of either Japanese troop survival or elimination. It was played using 4th edition rules. At the halfway point in the scenario, the US had only eliminated a single step (the 70mm Japanese gun platoon), so they needed to pick up the pace. Up to that point, there had been limited success in softening up the Japanese front line. The next five turns all ended with fog-of-war, which hurt the opportunity for the US to advance and saved a couple of Japanese retreats from assault that would have otherwise been forced with concurrent free shots. At game end, the Americans had lost 3 steps to 18 for the Japanese; neither side had met the requirements for victory. The scenario had great balance and took the battle right down to the wire. At first, it appeared as though the Americans wouldn't have a chance of eliminating enough Japanese units, but in the end, the Japanese were fortunate to survive a number of assaults against the odds.