All rights reserved, Jeff Shields, 1996

Mono Island, Treasury Islands, 27 October 1943: The New Zealand 8th Brigade attacked the Treasury Islands as part of Halsey's grand tactics in the central Pacific. The attack was a feint designed to keep the Japanese off balance in the Solomons; it was nothing but a stepping stone to isolate the island base of Kolombangara and thus avoid high casualties. As the landing forces went in they met light resistance, receiving fire from a few mountain guns, mortars, and an antiaircraft gun. On the beaches the attack was met with more hostility, with the Kiwis dying on the ramps of their landing craft.

Aftermath: One of the landing craft received a serious mortaring and landed in front of a pillbox. The request for permission to unbeach the craft was denied, so the hapless Kiwis disembarked behind an armored dozer. The bulldozer went to work and destroyed the strongpoint, but a mountain gun on the Kiwi right blew more holes into the slow moving landing craft. By the end of the day the Kiwis had secured the beachhead, but that night the Japanese launched a last banzai attack in a desperate attempt to seize back their supply base.

Victory Conditions: The New Zealand player wins by destroying or controlling all of the pillboxes without suffering >= 24 CVP.

Mapboard:

+---+---+
|oc1|oc2|  Overlays Oc1 and Oc2
+---+---+
|be1|be2|  Overlays Be1 and Be2
+---+---+ S
|35 |37 |E+W
|___|___| N
|   |   |  Only hexrows B-K are playable
|   |   |  on bds 35 & 37
+---+---+

Provisional Balance:

• J3: J2+Add 8x"?" to the Japanese OB and HIP applies only as per G1.631
• J2: J1+Kiwis have 3 Turns of Air Support
• J1: Replace Japanese OBA with 2x90 MRT
• N1: Replace Kiwi 9-2 with a 9-1.
• N2: N1+Replace 1-3-5 pillboxes with 1-5-7s.
• N3: N2+Kiwis receive only 1 Turn of Air Support

10x458, 4x248, 9-2, 9-1, 8-1, 8-0, 3xLMG, dMMG, dHMG, 2xDC, 2xFT

2xArmored Bulldozer, 2x LCM(3), 2xLCVP

Japanese OB: Elements of the Mono Island Army Garrison [ELR: 3] set up HIP on any hinterland hex within 4 hexes of a beach hex {SAN: 4}:

4x447, 4x347, 2x228, 9-1, 9-0, 8-1, 2xLMG, MMG, HMG, 2x50* MRT, DC, Radio, 75* ART (Year 38 Type), 6xTrenchs, 3x 1S Foxholes, 2x1-3-5, 1-5-7

In beach hexes with HIP: 4 Wire

SSR:

1. EC are moist with no wind at start. PTO terrain is in effect including light jungle. The New Zealanders are conducting a Seaborne Assault (G14.1).
2. Make a beach with water access by placing overlay Be1 with 101-110 on 35A10-A1, overlay Be2 with 201-210 on 37A10- A1, overlay Oc1 with 1001-1010 on Be122-131, and overlay Oc2 with 201-210 on Oc1 109 - Be2 229. Beach slope is moderate.
3. The New Zealanders have a Shipboard observer with one module of 120 mm NOBA (HE and WP). The Japanese receive one module of 90 mm OBA (HE and Smoke).
4. The New Zealand SAN is "6" at start, but is lowered by three at the end of Game Turn 3.
5. The New Zealand player automatically receives Air Support consisting of two FB with bombs on each of the first two Game Turns. At the end of each Game Turn, that turn's FBs are recalled.

Scenario Source: Hoyt, E.P. 1983. Glory of the Solomons. Stein & Day, NY. (pp. 209-213).