This replay is going to look at the operational game Guadalcanal. It covers the entire land-air campaign for Guadalcanal in 1942-43. Each turn represents one month from August 1942 through February 1943. Maneuver units are mostly regiments and battalions. Air markers each represent from 12-60 aircraft.
In order to win, a player must collect victory points (VP) for eliminating enemy units and capturing and holding objectives on the map. With both sides accumulating VP, it’s the differential between the two totals that finally matters. A player will need
at least +16 VP to reach a marginal victory. A major victory is achieved at +31 VP, and a decisive victory at +45.
At the start, the Japanese player has the 11+13 Engineer Regiment deployed near Henderson Field. Supporting it are the 81st Infantry Battalion and 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF).
Turn One
August 1942
Planning
The initiative belongs to the US on turn one. That player selects three cam-paign chits. One is “Staff Planning,” which allows an HQ to activate without supply. Then there is a “MAGIC” chit for revealing enemy reinforce-ments. The last chit is “Coordinated Fire.” That has a permanent effect on air and naval bombardment.
The Japanese player already has a “Banzai” chit. He then selects three more: “Operation KE,” “Santa Cruz,” and “INTEL.” The Battle of Santa Cruz occurs off-map, and it provides the Japanese with additional air units available as reinforcements. INTEL will allow the Japanese player, when defending, to select the Combat Results Table (CRT) for one battle. Operation KE can have no effect at this time and is returned to the pool.
The US player flies air superiority missions, which eliminates a Japanese unit and damages two others. One US air unit is damaged. The US 1st Marine Division lands without effect from enemy interdiction. The Japanese Ichiki Detachment is also free from air harassment. The Japanese second wave reinforcement is subject to US air interdiction, and is hit, though it doesn’t absorb too many losses. Some of the forces within it are delayed a turn, until September. The US player lands some forces at Koli Point. Another unit lands at Kokumbona. The Japanese player debarks a force near the air strip while other units are spread out to capture the Tasimboko and Cape Esperance objectives. The US player expends a supply unit to activate the 1st Marine
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regiment there already. An infantry battalion is sent to Bloody Ridge, and the Marines take up position near the airstrip. There’s no attack.
Second Impulse
The US 1st Armored is in Tamaru, and it attacks the Japanese force near the airstrip. The US player decides to use the Assault CRT. (The Japanese player could’ve changed the CRT with the INTEL chit, but he chose not to do so.) The battle goes well for the Americans: the defender is shattered. Two of the Japanese battalions are eliminated and one retreats to the airstrip.
End of Turn
The US player has collected five VP for enemy losses. The Japanese player has an engineer in the airstrip but, since it’s August 1942, it’s not eligible to be activated. The airstrip lies dormant. The Japanese nonethe-
headquarters. The Japanese player decides to reorganize the two infantry regiments into battalions, so they will have better defensive ratings.
First Impulse
The Marines march toward the airstrip and encounter a Japanese
unit. That unit is subjected to an attack. It’s the weak 81st Battalion. It will be no more than a road block for the Americans. An attack is launched on the Raid CRT, and the unit is wiped out. The Marines advance.
The Japanese fall back toward the airstrip. They have an engineer
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less have control of three objectives; so the score stands at US +2 VP.
Turn Two
September 1942
The noteworthy event during cam-paign chit selection is the Japanese “KA-Go Operation.” That releases a lot of reinforcements. Both sides absorb losses during the air superiority segment. (That hurts the Japanese more than the US in terms of VP.)
US 1st Marine lands its second wave. They must face Japanese interdiction, but most of the troops manage to land unscathed. The Japanese 2nd Divisionalso performs a landing, and one of the supply units is destroyed by American air interdiction. Another regiment from Rabaul loses a battalion as well. Some of the Japanese KA-Go units attempt to land, but the US interdiction takes its toll. The Japanese corps headquarters is destroyed for four VP. First Impulse
Both sides decide to activate their respective headquarters, expending supply units to do so. There are two US attacks aimed at the airstrip and
Bloody Ridge. A bloodbath results at the airstrip, and both sides lose a battalion. At Bloody Ridge the Japanese battalion is destroyed and the Marines capture the location. On the other side of the airstrip the Marines use the Raid CRT, and that results only in a contact. The Japanese player counterattacks and knocks out one of the Marine engi-neer units. Both sides incur losses, but the unit at the airstrip withers away.
Second Impulse
During the second impulse the marine HQ moves onto the airstrip, taking control of it. Then they attack the units at Matanikau. These Japanese are severely damaged and the Americans capture the village. Another attack is launched at Mount Austen. That Japanese unit is annihilated. That result allows the victorious unit to advance into the objective.
End of Turn
The US has accumulated 20 VP to the Japanese 17, which yields a +3 US lead. That’s still a draw, but the Americans have made progress. They didn’t get anything for the airstrip, which has been renamed Henderson
Field, because their engineers were so badly damaged during the combat they were unable to activate the base.
Turn Three
October 1942
The US continues to hold the initiative. Additionally, the American player obtains another Staff Planning chit along with a “Destroyer Support” chit. The Japanese player selects “New Guinea Diversion.” That takes away three air units for that off-map operation. Next the “Disease” chit is selected, and the Japanese must lose three battalions. Then a “Weather” chit takes out a Japanese supply point and an air support unit.
Both players allocate their air missions and air superiority is resolved. The US has one unit and the Japanese two. The Japanese are unaffected, but the US has one unit damaged and another is eliminated. The Americans have difficulty getting their reinforcements to Guadalcanal due to the Japanese interdiction. On the other hand, the Japanese land without incident.
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The US player expends one supply unit to rebuild the engineer unit at Henderson Field. The HQ there can’t be activated while those forces regroup. The special forces are moved to defend Bloody Ridge, while the airstrip is set up for defense against counterattack, so the engineers can make it operational.
While the US Marines are defending the airfield, the Japanese send an infantry battalion to secure Beaufort Bay, which is an objective hex. A second infantry battalion secures Aola Bay, another Japanese objective. Then the Japanese 35th HQ orders an attack against the Marines on Bloody Ridge.
That attack employs the Banzai chit, which provides a column shift. The result of the attack is contact, which is converted to AE due to the Banzai. Fortunately for them, the Japanese have a unit that can breakdown.
The 1st Marine counterattacks on Bloody Ridge and eliminates the rest of the Japanese force there. Overall, that works out well for the Americans. The Banzai backfired.
The Japanese player is able to launch an air strike against Henderson Field and, as a result, the engineers there become suppressed and are still unable to activate the airfield.
End of Turn
Both players tally their VP. The US is still +2 VP. The Japanese are occupying a number of objectives, which counters their combat losses.
Turn Four
November 1942
The US player continues to have the initiative. The Japanese player selects the “Tokyo Express” chit and receives four supply units. Both sides pick their air missions. During the Air Superiority Phase the US and Japanese both absorb damage, and both must place one aircraft in the Damaged box.
Elements of the Americal Division begin to land. They face Japanese interdiction, but land unharmed while the Japanese Air Force absorbs
some loses due to AA fire. The Japanese 24th Regiment lands near Koli Point. There’s no US interdiction.
The American player expends a supply unit to recover two damaged air units. A Staff Planning chit is expended to put the 1st Marine headquarters in active status. The Japanese also expend sup-ply to rebuild damaged units and acti-vate their 38th Division headquarters.
US Impulse
The Marines move out from Henderson Field in two directions. One force heads toward Koli Point, while the other moves toward Kokumbona. US destroyers fire on the Japanese position at Kokumbona, but with no effect. Two infantry units attack but fail to make headway.
Near Koli Point, 1st Armored Battalionattacks the 38th Division HQ and the engineer regiment. Those Japanese forces are shattered. The 38th Engineeris eliminated. The HQ falls back, but the Marines don’t pursue. At Aola Bay the Americal makes its first contact.
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The Japanese 4th SNLF Battalion is deployed there. The Japanese player changes the combat to the Raid CRT, using an Intel chit. The attack is turned back and the US player loses a unit.
Japanese Impulse
The forces at Kokumbona move out of contact with the Marines. On the other side of the island the Japanese detach-ment at Aola Bay fights the Americal regiment. Though outnumbered, the Japanese player wants to assault as there’s a one-third chance of a blood-bath. The US player wants to protect the units; so he uses an Intel chit to choose the Raid CRT. The result is contact, no effect. The Japanese player will likely get a VP for the objective.
US 2nd Impulse
The US force at Aola Bay isn’t in com-mand range, but it’s adjacent to the enemy; so it must attack. That doesn’t go well; the result is attrition. The Japanese player gains two more VP.
Japanese 2nd Impulse
The air force launches a strike against Henderson Field. That again leaves the engineers suppressed; so they won’t be able to activate the airfield. The Japanese at Aola Bay are also out of command but in contact with American forces. A mandatory attack is launched. The US player uses another
Intel chit to switch the CRT and, as a result, the Japanese force is shattered. One unit is eliminated and the other is forced to retreat. Two US infantry battalions advance into the area.
The Japanese player gains four VP for objectives, and the total stands at Japan 31 VP and US 27 VP: Japan +4.
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Turn Five
December 1942
The Japanese player now has the initiative. First he selects four campaign chits. One isn’t applicable and is therefore returned to the pool. A Weather event occurs, and both players lose an air unit to the Damaged box. Then both players lose one supply unit, also destroyed in the foul weather. Due to poor medical supplies and logistics, the Japanese player loses four bat-talions worth of units to a Disease chit.
The US player selects three campaign chits. The XIV Corps goes into effect, which raises the US command-control level to four. Both players assign their air missions, then air superiority is determined. The Japanese player loses this time: three units are eliminated and two are damaged. The US also los-es a unit while two others are damaged.
The Japanese player has no reinforce-ments at this time. The Americans do, and they land with supply near Tasimboko. Both sides expend supply to repair damaged air units and rebuild eliminated forces. The Japanese player uses the Dig-In chit to build bunkers. The US player expends a Staff chit to activate 1st Marine HQ,
and then expends a supply unit to activate the Americal Headquarters.
Japanese Impulse
The 4th SNLF attacks the US units near Aola Bay. That doesn’t go well, as the Japanese battalion is outnumbered. It’s also destroyed. The rest of the forces are out of contact and have hunkered down. US Impulse
The Marines advance along into contact with the Japanese infantry northwest of Kokumbona. A naval bombardment is employed by expend-ing the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal chit. That leaves the Japanese there suppressed. The Marines attack and manage to obtain an attrition result.
The Americal Division attacks Japanese 38th Division HQ and the 24th Infantry Regiment. That results in a bloodbath. The Japanese suffer heavy loses, but still manage to hold their position. The US force absorbs catastrophic casualties. The Japanese player collects a good number of VP.
Japanese 2nd Impulse
The Japanese can’t move, as they don’t have any activated headquarters due to lack of supply. Unfortunately for
them, their 38th Division HQ and an infantry battalion are entangled with the Americal Division near Koli Point. Those units are forced to attack; so they choose the Raid CRT. That ends in disaster, as the Japanese infantry is destroyed outright and the headquar-ters is eliminated while attempting to rout. Since the Americans have dispersed their forces near Henderson Field, the Japanese Air Force makes several weak attacks looking for the engineers. They fail to gain any results.
US 2nd Impulse
The Americal Division deploys into bet-ter defensive positions at Tasimboko. The 1st Marine Engineer Regiment moves to Henderson Field to get it operational. US forces also occupy a Japanese objective. Though that doesn’t produce any American VP, it will deny those points to the Japanese player. The Marines on the northwestern part of the island attack the two Japanese infantry battalions that have been left behind there. They’re both destroyed.
The Japanese player collects three VP for objectives. The US player adds five VP as Henderson Field has become activated as an airbase. That will also present the US player with additional air units. The US player is +10 VP.
Turn Six
January 1943
The US player has the initiative again, and he selects four campaign chits. One is “Cactus Air Force,” which results in four additional air units. “USMC Relief” is also selected, and is implemented as a permanent event. That increases US command-control to five points. The Japanese player selects his campaign chits. One is Operation KE. Since the US has 10 more VP than the Japanese player, it’s implemented. That will bring more reinforcements. The Japanese command-control le el also advances to five points.
Both players assign their air missions. The US player is finally getting competitive in that area. Air superiority is resolved. The Japanese
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Air Force loses two units to damage. The US incurs no losses this time.
The 14th Division is received as reinforcements at Espirito Santo. The US player attempts to get supply to Guadalcanal, but Japanese interdic-tion manages to sink a lot of it. Some supply does arrive, though. The air supply chit is played to get more supplies to the Americal Division.
Similarly , the Japanese player attempts to land his Operation KE force. Some are delayed and others are destroyed by US interdiction. A few units manage to land. Then an attempt is made to get supply onto the island. That also has mixed results due to US air interdiction.
The American player uses a Staff chit to activate 1st Marine HQ. One supply unit is expended to activate the Americal
Division’s headquarters. Another supply unit is employed to rebuild an infantry regiment. The Japanese player rebuilds an infantry regiment and activates an HQ. The Japanese player evacuates one headquarters and another infantry regiment from objective hexes.
US Impulse
The Americans decide to be aggressive and launch three attacks. The Americal Division has caught the XVII Corps headquarters in the open. In a move of desperation, the Japanese player uses a Banzai chit. The tactic works, and the units remain in contact.
The 1st USMC launches an attack against the Japanese troops at Koli Point. The defenders have dug in here. The US player employs the “Gung Ho” chit, while the Japanese player expends another Banzai.
The 1st Marine HQ provides support. The Marines win this one, with the Japanese suffering attrition: 5th
Yokosuko Battalion is eliminated.
The final attack is against the Japanese units between Kokumbona and Visale. The defense consists of an HQ and a tank regiment. There’s no effect, as the Marines use the Raid CRT.
Japanese Impulse
The 2nd Division HQ and 8th Tank Regiment both fall back from contact with the Marines and run all the way to Cape Esperance. The other units are pinned.
Japanese air strikes are used to barrage the Marines poised to take out the forces at Koli Point. That’s done in conjunction with the “Iron Bottom Sound” chit. There’s no effect,
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however, and the air unit becomes damaged. Another air strike man-ages to neutralize 1st Marine HQ.
An attack is launched against the US force near Aola Bay. The Japanese player uses the Assault CRT, hoping for a bloodbath. Instead he obtains an attacker shattered. There are significant losses to the Japanese force.
At Koli Point the Japanese initiate another attack. It’s at poor odds, but 1st Marine HQ has been knocked out of command; so there may be a ray of hope. The Assault CRT is used, but to no avail. Another attacker shattered result is obtained. Due to the fortifica-tion, the Japanese forces don’t retreat.
US 2nd Impulse
The Americal Division is active, and it orders its units forward to target the XVII Corps HQ and its one
remaining combat unit. That Japanese force is surrounded. The American commander plays it safe and selects the Raid CRT, but the Japanese player intervenes with an Intel chit, changing to the Assault CRT. The result is a bloodbath. Japanese XVII Corps HQ is eliminated., but an entire American regiment is also wiped out.
Then the 1st Marine Division launches an attack at Koli Point. The marines are out of command but are adjacent to the enemy position. The American commander decides on the Raid CRT. The Japanese take an attrition loss but the rest of the forces remain intact.
Japanese 2nd Impulse
The 7th Infantry Battalion is cut off and forced into an attack against the US forces on the eastern side of the island. Severely outnumbered, the Japanese unit is eliminated.
The Japanese force at Koli Point con-ducts another raid against 1st Marine Division. Those Japanese are compelled by the ZOC to attack, even though out-numbered. The attacking infantry battalion is destroyed while the Japanese HQ abandons the objective.
The Japanese player adds two VP for his remaining objectives, and the US player collects five VP for an activated Henderson Field. The US currently has 73 VP to the Japanese 58 (USA +15).
Turn Seven
February 1943
The US player continues to have the initiative. The Americans add five cam-paign chits. Two of them are Destroyer Support. The Japanese player selects a couple damaging chits, one is Weather. That takes out some air and supply on both sides. The Japanese player doesn’t
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US Impulse
The Americans have most of Guadalcanal under control. The Japanese player has one headquarters unit left, which is trapped. US destroy-ers are used (chits) to bombard that HQ, which becomes suppressed. Then the Marines attack it. The headquarters is dispatched, and the US collects four VP. The Japanese player has no units left on the map; so not much happens during the remaining impulses.
The US player adds five VP for Henderson Field. The final score is US 88 VP and Japan 72. That gives the US a +16 differential, which is a marginal victory.
have much supply left. Disease also sweeps through Japanese forces again, and another battalion disappears.
Both sides allocate their air missions. The Japanese player diversifies while the American focuses on air superiority. The two air forces engage for air superiority. The Japanese player loses two air units and two others become damaged. The US incurs no damage this time.
One USMC battalion is evacuated. Most of the reinforcements are unable to land due to Japanese interdiction, but some units and supplies get to the island. The Japanese player is unable to get reinforcements to Guadalcanal. One battalion is evacuated, followed by a headquarters and a tank regiment are evacuated from Cape Esperance. That yields seven VP for the Japanese player.
