Survey the map for one hexes of jungle. This will get the Marines to trail fast. With 9 platoons and a flm make 4 stacks. This way, ideally, you can have 2 hexes occupied next to IJA positions.

``on the next turn to assault. Flm unit negate first fire.

`` to put 3 platoons in one hex. Jungle does give -2 to help offset to +1 density factor.

This small 16-turn scenario uses just a handful of counters, 4 Japanese infantry, 2 Service and an HMG for the Japanese lead by 3 LTs and a Sgt, 8 Infantry and a Flamethrower for the US, lead by a CPT, 3 LTs, and a Sgt. The Japanese have 2 entrenchments that the Marines have to take by the end of 16 turns. Setting up the Japanese, I placed the entrenchments, one at the south end of the 60M elevation and the other on the 80M hilltop, placing the HMG and a Ser with an LT in the hilltop entrenchment and 2 infantry with an LT in the southern entrenchment. The other Service with the Sgt went in between the two entrenchments where he could help reinforce either one, and the other 2 Japanese infantry with the final LT acted as an outpost that could react and attack unwary Marines in the jungle before they might get to the entrenchments. The Marines entered on the trail at the south of the board, with the Cpt leading the Flamethrower engineer platoon, the Sgt and the 3 LTs each getting 2 Infantry platoons. Using the chain of command thing allowed the Sgt to lead, followed by an LT, then the Cpt, and finally another LT, with the final LT following along on the next activation. This allows the Marines to cross the board fairly quickly on the trail. The Marines split up, the Cpt, an LT and the SGT moving east towards the hill on the trail that leads to the hilltop, while the other 2 LTs moved on north hoping to envelop the hilltop entrenchment. The outpost Japanese force with a really good LT assaulted the leading Marine elements under the 8-0-0 SGT and drew first blood, causing a step loss and demoralizing the SGT, but the US Captain in the next hex stepped in with the Flame unit and wiped out the Japanese force, allowing things to progress until they reached the southern entrenchment and assaulted. The dice just were not in the Marines favor and even with the Flame unit, the Japanese caused two step losses, one to the Flamethrower and one to an infantry platoon stacked with him, and killed the Captain. Decapitation had no effect and the southern attack force brought in the LT to take over while the northern force started their own series of assaults. The northern entrenchment wavered as the occupants were disrupted but the Japanese SGT with another Service platoon joined in and the Marines were simply unable to roll high enough to push the Japanese out of the entrenchment. The southern entrenchment demoralized the Flame unit and caused another step loss, but the LT had another reduced platoon to throw in, disrupting in turn the Japanese force. Down to the wire, neither assaulting Marine force could push the Japanese out in the end, and the game ended in a Japanese victory as anything but having both entrenchments in their possession at game end was going to be a Marine loss. Great little battle for a snowy day at work.

Played using the lower 8-3 Marine infantry.

It seems like a straight forward scenario, take control of two entrenchments as the US Marines and win but there is so much more, how the Japanese setup their defenses, how to approach and attacks these defenses as the Americans and oh yeah the terrain puzzle to boot!

At first I thought I had an excellent attack plan and movement approach as the Marines but after not breaking down some Japanese units that would later reinforce some of the Japanese entrenchments and some awful dice rolls, things started going very badly for the Marines. They end up taking twice as many casualties as the Japanese and could only take control of one entrenchment, as in this game it was one entrenchment too many and a Japanese victory!

House Rule: I reduced the American marines INF to 9-5/5-5 for this scenario.

Played solo in less than 90 minutes.

I set up the two Japanese entrenchments far north with a small screening forces (2 units and 3 leaders) in front on them. The idea is very simple; to delay the American advance 1 or 2 turns.

The Americans make contact with the screening force on turn 6 and assault them the next turn. It takes two turns to eliminate them and there are only 8 turns to take control of the two entrenchments. The Americans take control of the first entrenchment on turn 13 but the flamethrower unit is disrupted and lose a turn recovering. The other entrenchment still has 3 steps of defenders when the engineer joined in the assault. The Japanese lose 1 more steps but both reduced units passed their morale check. The Americans need a "4" or better on the last assault but roll a "1".

Japanese victory.

I gave this scenario a "3". Not many decision points but they are critical as the Americans are fighting the clock as much as the Japanese.