Eora Creek Day 2 focuses the fighting on the Northern Trail Loop or Track with the main objective being the three villages along this section of the trail, the Japanese have to control them and the Aussies need to capture two out of the three to score a minor victory. Eliminating steps also plays a factor in victory for both sides.

The Australians divided their forces into two groups, one attacking from the east with the other attacking from the west, using the same game plan as Day 1, utilizing both trail and creek movement (no jungle disorientation for creek movement) to get as many units adjacent to Japanese positions hopefully with minimal casualties.

On the east side the advance did not go as smoothly as planned, the Aussie progress was slowed by the Japanese resistance, which was fierce in spots. A couple of hexes were locked in assault combat for the most of the game with one lasting until the end, with both sides funneling new units to replace step losses or those that fled demoralized. These lasting close quarter combats not only tied up units to clear but blocked the quickest path to the objectives, some units tried to go around but became lost due to jungle disorientation. Causalities were high on both sides but the Aussies had the numbers which caused the Japanese to reinforce this flank with the only reserve they had, a couple of reduced steps, by the end of the game the east force advanced within 4 hexes from their nearest village objective.

The fighting on the west side was a fierce but the Aussies did not actively engage in assault combat, instead they chose to get as many units adjacent to the Japanese and use DF to reduce each strong point, even if it took several turns. This tactic did not bog any of their units down in assault combat by having one or two enemy units hold up their advance, the Aussies on this flank kept things flowing, yes slowly, but steady, with one village captured then the second.

The Australians dominated the initiative winning it 23 out of 24 turns, but wouldn’t you know it on the last turn with a major victory on the line they would lose the initiative just this once allowing the Japanese to hold out in the last village. There have been a number of scenarios in this campaign so far that have gone down to the wire, the last turn on who would win or lose, Eora Creek Day 2 was another one added to the list.

Author	treadasaurusrex (Australia)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Australia
Participants	Reconquista
Play Date	2024-10-27
Language	English
Scenario	KoCa021

This 7-session play-through was focused on the 3 villages along the Northern Trail Track. I led the attacking Australians against Reconquista leading the Japanese defenders. This was another tedious slog without armor of any kind on either side, It was probably not playtested. We used the FOW, consolidation and excess initiative optional rules.

As others have done, the Australian force came on in two separate columns on other flank of the Emperor's garrisons. Luckily, this one had creek movement, which means that there was much less chance for the usual problem with movement disorientation. The Aussie infantry closed with the Japanese and then fought out multiple adjacent-hex firefights that seemed to go on forever, before the several garrisons were exhausted and damaged enough for successful close assaults to begin.

Luckily for the Australians, the senior Japanese commander was eliminated during the 11th game turn, which made things proceed much easier and faster for my side. Still, there were many casualties to both sides, and not enough reserves for the Japanese to be able to replace steps lost in close assaults and adjacent-hex firefights. By the end of game turn 24, the Aussies had managed to liberate all three vilages, and the Emperor had darn few troops remaining. Surprisingly, there were only 8 FOW-shortened game turns, and the Japanese threw many more combat 7-die rolls that the Australians. They also had the initiative for only 7 of the 24 game turns played.

This one was more drudgery than fun, as with most of the scenarios in the Kokoda Campaign. I give this one a 3, in testament to my opponent's fierce & wily defense. Probably this tedious one is better in SOLO mode, than in SHARED play. Not sure that the Japanese can win this rather one-sided fight without a tremendous amount of lucky initiative and combat die rolling.