The Old Breed revisited

[KG Erwin]

First battle August 11, 1942 0500
Location: Tenaru
Mission: Defend
Weather: Thunderstorm
Visibility : 1

My force is facing west on a 3000-yard front (60 hexes). The Japanese hit me with their scouts and tank-hunter teams- these are quickly dispatched, but my positions are spotted. By turn 10 I'm being pounded by mortars and off-board artillery. The Jap main force hits me soon after. There are Engineer Squads in the front ranks---these guys, when I can't suppress them, shred several of my frontline squads. When the Jap infantry closes in, I'm subjected to multiple banzai assaults-- I resort to close-range fire with my mortars to kill and suppress the human waves. The frontline Marine squads and the supporting M2A4 company fire their weapons until the barrels overheat, but fresh attackers keep appearing in the monsoon-like conditions.
This is what playing this campaign was meant to be--it's brutal close-quarters mayhem, even though it's in the early stages. I have my engineers in the frontlines, using satchel charges and their few flamethrowers against the relentless assaults.

Thanks to the changes made by Stuart in Jap AI selections, even defend missions in the Pacific become a drama. No more easy target practice--the Japanese are extremely tough, will suffer great losses but not concede defeat until it's hopeless, they use off-board assets well, and offer a legitimate challenge in bad weather and close terrain. I'm thoroughly dreading the prospect of a full-scale amphib assault in 1943. [X(]