Bailey's Bridge

The Marines planned a three-pronged attack against the Japanese forces on the western bank of the Matanikau River. The 1st Raider Battalion would cross the river at a small footbridge upstream and attack from the south while elements of the 5th Marines attacked at the river's mouth. Meanwhile, …

1942-09-26

S066

The Marines planned a three-pronged attack against the Japanese forces on the western bank of the Matanikau River. The 1st Raider Battalion would cross the river at a small footbridge upstream and attack from the south while elements of the 5th Marines attacked at the river's mouth. Meanwhile, half of Chesty Puller's 1st Battalion, 7th Marines would land west of the river to encircle the defenders. Unbeknownst to the Raiders, however, the Japanese had crossed the river at the footbridge and set up on the eastern side. As the Marines surveyed the terrain leading to the bridge, machine gun fire rang out. The opening burst cut down the well-liked Major Kenneth Bailey, who would soon be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions earlier at Bloody Ridge. Having realized that the Japanese were on the eastern bank, the Raiders tried to attack through them.

Matanikau River, Guadalcanal

The Actions along the Matanikau—sometimes referred to as the Second and Third Battles of the Matanikau—were two separate but related engagements, which took place in the months of September and October 1942, among a series of engagements between the United States and Imperial Japanese naval and ground forces around the Matanikau River on Guadalcanal Island in the southwestern Pacific northeast of Australia, during the Guadalcanal campaign. These particular engagements—the first taking place between 23 and 27 September, and the second between 6 and 9 October—were two of the largest and most significant of the Matanikau actions.

American

Japanese

Scenario Type = Starter Kit