Gavutu-Tanambogo Assault 2 - Turn 1-3.5 - Aleas iacta est

Let's cut the crap and admit that every single marine from the 1Para is gone. This came at a cost for Japan. So I decided to go for broke and land two companies back daylight. All of the NOBA is committed and so is a flight of close air support.

The plan you may ask? Land on Tanambogo, pound anything that is farther away from 6 hexes of the troops with NOBA, CAS on turn 3-4. The landing site isn't beach, but it doesn't matter with this kind of LC. The objective, take the island before nightfall.

Landing area: congested but well supported by MG fire.

Running inland on the left got complicated when fire from a number of mortars, the 70mm INF and MG fires converged on any given hexe of the hinterland. The SNLF are out of sight on the hill, waiting for the marines to attempt to gain the high ground out of the LOF from the caves. 

Pushback: Amazing how captured marine 60mm can clear an area from a distance.

Close air support was effective in suppressing some mortars and striping the SNLF.  Where I thought that Japan was fighting a losing battle, I'm starting to think that it will be a close one once again.