My first cavalry scenario. This is a meeting engagement between Australian cavalry and Japanese Special Naval Landing Force troops. Each side has HMG and artillery support. Objectives are killing the enemy and holding the 40-meter hills.

0630-0715: Both sides make a dash for the hills. The Australians occupy the western hill with one-third of the cavalry, two-thirds of the HMGs, and the artillery and mortars. A small contingent of SNLF occupies the smaller, northern hill on the east side. The rest pass through the larger, southern hill and head toward the western hill, leaving their HMGs and two platoons of infantry to hold the eastern hill. The larger cavalry force, which was threatening the northern hill, breaks off to head flank the Japanese approaching the western hill, with their HMGs on trucks trailing behind them.

0730-0745: The Australians dig in just before the Japanese arrive to assault them. The Japanese lose 1½ platoons to Opportunity Fire and the Commander leading the group is disrupted. They lose another platoon in the assault, while eliminating one platoon of Australian cavalry. The larger group of Aussie horsemen set themselves up to charge the assaulting Japanese. The Japanese on the uncontested hills dig in.

0800-0815: Assaults continue, with both sides taking losses. The Japanese are completely involved in the assaults and are causing casualties due to their higher morale and the Japanese assault bonus, but their fewer numbers mean the Australians are gaining the advantage. Total step losses are ten Japanese to nine Australian (10/9).

0830-0900: The Australians wear down the Japanese in the assault hexes, whittling them down to one half-platoon. Four Japanese platoons move from the small northern hill to reinforce the troops dug-in on the western hill, leaving two platoons to guard the smaller hill. The Australian cavalry freed up from the assaults moves up to the western hill and draws fire. Now that it is spotted, Australian artillery eliminates one Japanese battery (16/11).

0915-0945: The Australians wipe out the last Japanese half-platoon and reorganize to attack one of the other hills. After feinting toward the larger one they head toward the small hill, leaving a rearguard to prevent the Japanese from attacking the western hill. They move up onto the three vacant 40 meter hexes, losing a platoon to opportunity fire (17/13).

1000-1015: The Japanese and Australians exchange close-range fire on the smaller hill. The Japanese Lieutenant and HMG are demoralized. The Lieutenant fails a recovery roll and flees, but the HMG recovers to disrupted. The machine gun is demoralized again on the following turn, and the cavalry assaults (from one hex, not a charge). The Australian Major and two platoons are demoralized by first fire from the dug-in Japanese, and the remaining platoon does no damage to the Japanese.

1030-1045: The Australian Major fails recovery and flees, while the two cavalry platoons recover to good order (rolled two snake-eyes in a row!). The Japanese machine gun recovers, and the assault is stalemated with no more losses on either side. Meanwhile, the Australian artillery has found the range, destroying the remaining Japanese battery and an entire platoon of infantry on the other hill.

The Australians have destroyed 20 steps and hold 19 hilltop hexes. The Japanese have destroyed 13 steps and hold ten hexes (One hex is still in dispute).

The Australians win a major victory.

In retrospect, I was too aggressive with the Japanese. They had the advantage in any assault hex, but were too spread out. They had to leave a force to guard each eastern hill in order to prevent the cavalry from taking them on the cheap. By attempting to hold both eastern hills while simultaneously attacking the western hill, they allowed the faster and more numerous Australians to defeat them in detail.