Battle Report: After Japanese troops pushed American units from A and D companies of the 1st Raider Battalion back in the early morning hours of September 13, the Raiders counterattacked in the morning to restore their lines. As they moved south, they met resistance from the Japanese 1st battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, 35th Brigade. By 0915, they had assaulted the Japanese right flank and, an hour later they had turned both flanks. Intense short-range exchanges continued until both sides stood down around 1100 hours, and the raider units withdrew.

Analysis: This 9-turn scenario uses about half of the small Edson’s Ridge map, so it has a handful of units in a tight space, which makes it good for an introductory scenario. It was played with 4th edition rules and works fine using the newer rules. It also plays quickly since fog-of-war rolls are done after each side has taken a single turn. It ended with the Americans losing two steps to three for the Japanese. Since both Japanese objectives were still contested, and the number of steps lost necessary for Japanese victory wasn’t reached, this one ended in a draw. That result is consistent with the history of this action.