The Gifu Position*
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21 January, 1943*
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Guadalcanal Solomon Islands*
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U.S. advance v Japanese defend*
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To secure the southern flank of the U.S. position on Guadalcanal, the U.S. Army's 25th Division advanced into the jungle covered heights on and around Mount Austen. The Division's 35th Infantry Regiment is given the task of securing the bald ridge known as the "Sea Horse" and linking with the troops holding Mount Austen. The area in between these two features was a warren of Japanese pillboxes, bunkers and machine gun nests concealed within the dense, ravine-cut jungle caled the "Gifu Position". The 35th's 2nd Battalion attacked on January 10 but was stopped by Japanese fire from Gifu. For eleven days, the 2nd Battalion hacked through the jungle fighting the dug-in enemy who had sworn to fight to the death, each days gain being measured in yards. By 21 January, the long awaited armor support arrived in the form of a single Marine light tank and the 2nd Battalion had worked it's way through the rugged terrain to surround the position. At 1040, the exhausted Americans moved forward to eliminate the last of the stubborn strongpoint.*
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Game Notes: The victory locations are practically useless in terms of points. The U.S. player gets points for destroying pillboxes and bunkers, however, due to the heavy losses of the previous days, the battalion cannot afford excessive casualties and so the cost of U.S. squads are increased accordingly.
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Source:"Guadalcanal: The First Offensive" -John Miller, Jr. -U.S. Army Center for Military History(www.history.army.mil)
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Design:  C.Berry