The USMC are dug in along the ridge line known as Hill 80.

Thick Jungle pressing in on all sides not less than 75m away.

The Mortar based illumination was fading away.

The men of 1^st Co. Raider Battalion would see shadows in the think jungle. So they knew what was coming. The Jungle was teeming with life.

Not taking chances they radioed in for support, as they had already lost a whole company of men and a MG section. The !st Para were on their way.

Squads opened up early as entire companies advanced right up the trails. The shots were all mostly in effectual in the half light. Their fire drew powerful return fire, but the Marines whilst scared were not afraid.

Not taking chances they radioed in for support, as they had already lost a whole company of men and a MG section. The !st Para were on their way.

Squads opened up early as entire companies advanced right up the trails. The shots were all mostly in effectual in the half light. Their fire drew powerful return fire, but the Marines whilst scared were not afraid.

The rush came in an amazing flood of flesh, directly up the hill in the open. The ‘50’s open up, the BARS fired and grenade after grenade was thrown.  As the smoke cleared and in the dying light of the illumination the men of CO. B 1st Raiders could see the bodies on the hill and all around them. The fight was intense, back and forth across the fox holes, and dug out s the enemy swarm, seeking a way to force the Marines to run, to break, to flee.  Similarly the courage it took for their enemy to die to the last man officers included was not lost on the Marines.

 

All about them bodies lay, moaning, groaning. Some tried to raise guns, others let go grenades as a parting gift. The Marines had few casualties this time. But they knew more were coming.  They rolled bodies down the hill, killed the wounded Japs, and cleared fire lanes quickly. There would be no quarter, asked or given.

So what happened?

In game terms I was appalled, at first the OW and FOW rolls were both 11’s. But the Raiders pulled out a big 66 next which gave a 7 step kill. Prior to that the Marines had to expose themselves to return fire as a single platoon advanced. In hind sight as the US player I would hold that fire next time. This allowed a 20 fire factor SFA, for a MC which ended up no effect! Suppressing the Marines is nigh on impossible.

@ 0400 the Raiders start moving units. Heavy fire is exchanged, and it is decided that the  20mm guns need to be attached to the Raiders ASAP and brought forward. Op Sheets are cobbled together and units move to staging locations.

C company is brewing an Op Sheet that will either attack (1d6 random select) the rear of the forces at Hill 80 or sweep off and break up the attack on the Pioneers that looks set to happen.  The Pioneer attack would have to await daylight hours. They roll a 6. The Rear Attack on the base of Hill 80 into the 3-124 it is!

IJA player, is just pissed. After 2 lucky rolls on OW’s the US rolls a freaking 66. COME ON. 2/3s of a company blown away.  The good news is it looks like USMC is stripping everything in an over reaction to the fight on Hill 80. Div HQ is almost bare and we just started! I have nothing else to say.