This scenario had a lot of interesting things to offer, Americans, Australians, Japanese SNLF & Regular Army. The Infantry slightly favored the Japanese by a few more units but the quality the Allies. The hardware was about even, one Japanese, reduced Type 95 Tank vs. a 40mm AA Gun. Leadership would go to the Japanese as the Unfamiliar Allies rule prevented the Americans & Australians from working together in this scenario. So I did not mix these groups. The Morale clearly favored the Japanese but being on the defense in the jungle favored the Allies. So this makes for and interesting scenario!

As the Allies, I intended to use the Australians the first line of defense, more forward to where the Japanese would enter and then fall back. The American with Engineers, HMG’s and that 40mm AA Gun would be defending around the airstrip, which I added a home made airstrip counter for. They would also benefit from the Firing Lanes special rule in this scenarios and rained fire down on the Japanese and hopefully this defense would bring victory to the Allies.

As the Japanese, I would slug down that single trail with half of their group and than if they got too tangled up there, plan B would be to break off half of the Japanese force down the coastline beach hexes, which are consider clear terrain hexes for movement and right on to the Airstrip.

As the battle progressed, here are some of the highlights and strategies. First I risked making some of my unit combat stacks with three combat units, as there is no bombardment, as there is no on or off board artillery. Yes some direct combat column modifiers would be used for direct fire but I thought the risk was worth it to get into assault combat with three units. The fire first in Jungle came into play in assaults but using the Japanese with a column shift for all unit with higher morale, one for being Japanese, one for having a leader and one for have an AFV with INF was very nice. The Australian first line of defense didn’t workout so well, as either the Japanese assaulted or went around using the beach highway instead of the jungle trail. When the allied unit went demoralized in the jungle it was hard to gather them back, especially with a much lower morale then the Japanese. Once the Japanese got around the Australians they ran into the American defense line and paid a price with the Firing Line around the airstrip, eventually losing units and their reduced step Type 95 tank unit to the 40mm gun, which was also lost latter as well. The Australian did regroup some of their units and head back to help the Americans, after being flanked on both sides but by then the Japanese were pretty imbedded in around the airstrip and the American were hurting. The Japanese 9/8 & 8/6 Morale prevailed and the Allies just could not around up enough strength for a third push and many of their units were off in the jungle in a demoralized or disruptive state. And the unfamiliar Allies rule hurt in trying to pull units together for sure. All the air strip hexes but one contested one, were in Japanese hands. So because of the one contested airstrip it was a Japanese Minor Victory but it could have easily have been a Major one. Step losses were 11 Japanese & 13 Allied.

This was a very enjoyable scenario. I think worth a replay or two even in the sea of PG scenarios. Next time, I will not space my two lines of Allied defense so far apart and I will defend the beach highway better. This should give the Allies a better chance for achieving a victory but maybe not? I would rank this high on the PG scenario list of must play scenarios. It just an interesting subject, battle setting and mixes some cool nationalities. Also the scenario is not too large, has an interesting mix of units but not too many and terrain and is a cool puzzle to try and solve. I will try this one again someday. Besides, how offend do you get to put a wreck counter, on an airstrip, for a blown up Japanese tank in the Pacific? I guess no planes will be landing there.

After abysmal results for the Australians in recent games, it was good to see them win one. The US forces set up in 3 stacks with the AA gun in the center and adjacent to the field while the two others set up just south and east as a tripwire to alert everyone when the Japanese arrived. The Australians set up in an echelon from the center of the board and to the northwest, sort of a 'refuse the flank' posture. Japanese entered with the tank on the trail, 3 stacks of SNLF with the Lt Cdr, an LT and an Ensign, 2 with infantry and the 3rd with an HMG, while the Service companies entered down the center in a cluster around the Cpt, and the remaining SNLF to the north forming a line through the jungle and hills. The US troops drew first blood as SNLF troops walking up the beach hit the edge of the fire lane 3 hexes from the airfield (troops had fallen back to avoid contact as the Japanese got close but not within the 3-hex distance from the airfield). That first shot rolled a 12 and killed the first SNLF troops, demoralizing the leader. The tank was taken out by the 40mm AA gun as it entered the 3-hex range, killed outright. During the first 9 turns, the SNLF had lost 5 steps and 2 leaders to the US having lost just 2 steps of Engineers. The Australians fell back and finally formed the angle so that most were inside the 3-hex zone of the airfield and did quite a bit of damage to SNLF and a stack of Service troops, while the US troops completely disrupted the SNLF and Service troops from mid-board and south. On turn 16 alone, the SNLF lost 3 more steps and another leader, this time the Commander himself, causing a decapitation check that only 1 SNLF LT failed, but that in an important assault at the corner between the Australians and the US troops, delaying that action long enough to allow the Australians to assault and cause more losses. In the end, there was a single step of demoralized SNLF on the open runway awaiting the mopping up while SNLF and a few Service elements clung to their attempt to break through to the airfield. Great allied victory, with 26 steps of Japanese lost to only 6 steps of allies.

In this scenario the Australians and Americans are defending an airstrip, with the Japanese attacking with a force that includes tanks. Victory is totally dependent on the airstrip for minor, with total control and casualty requirements for a major victory condition. Allied leaders cannot lead units of differing nationalities.

I initially consider sending the Australians towards the map edge to defend against the Japanese, while the Americans defend the airstrip, but after reading Jay’s AAR I decide to stick with a two line setup, but with the Australians much closer to the airstrip so they can fall back, and closer to the shoreline to stop the highway. The Japanese come in with one flank on the shore and in line six hexes across.

The plan is to have the Australians slow the Japanese down, falling back and avoiding conflict until they are back in the fire lane zone. The Japanese take about four turns before they hit the Australian line, and the Aussies can’t resist some opfire. Opfire is devastating, taking out three Japanese steps and causing significant chaos. But the Japanese outnumber the Aussies, and soon the assaults begin. By turn six the Australians are much less excited, and much fewer in number.

A few units (to include some demoralized units that escaped assault hexes) fall back behind the airstrip, and the Americans take lead for the defense for a while. A machine gun nest on the shore next to the airstrip takes out four Japanese steps before falling in assault. The American 40mm, with some engineers, puts up a tough defense, but also falls. The northern flank plays cat and mouse until finally caught, and fails to collapse all the way through the game. This is mainly due to the central American machine gun position (with another engineer) that is ripping into the service troops trying to hit the northern flank. The Japanese never manage to get sufficient force together to manage the assault until the American center is forced to move on turn 23. Slowly recovering Aussies augment the American defenders, but the Japanese catch too many of them to make a difference anywhere except in the north.

Finally the numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese forces allows them to put controlling forces on all five airstrip hexes. The American center attempts to move on the airstrip, but is pinned in an assault. One Australian platoon, with two Lts, manages to reach adjacent to the northern airstrip hex on turn 23. Unfortunately, the Japanese win initiative on turn 24, the final turn, and likewise pin the Aussies in the hex while still covering the airstrip hexes. The scenario ends with the Japanese controlling the entire airstrip, 16 Japanese step losses, and 24 Allied step losses. Major Japanese victory.

I really wanted to give this scenario a 4, but I had to go with a 3 due to balance. It was a very fun scenario, but with an Allied morale of 7/6, even the Japanese service troops had the three column Japanese assault shift, if they could avoid a step loss or demoralization. With an Allied morale of 8/6, same as the service troops, this scenario would have been much more balanced. There was never really a chance for the Allies to meet even minor victory conditions; it was a question of a minor or major Japanese victory. An Allied minor requires all airstrip hexes to be clear of undemoralized Japanese units. You just can’t achieve that with a 7/6 morale vs a combo of 9/8 SNLF and 8/6 service troops that outnumber you. But if victory conditions don’t bother you, this is a nice little gem to play.