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The Sendai Attack

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Title
The Sendai Attack
Description
Since October 12th, Japanese engineers have been cutting a 48 km long path through the jungle and hills of Guadalcanal called the “Maruyama Road.” Lt General Hyakutake has ordered Lt General Maruyama and his 2nd (Sendai) Division to traverse the …
Source
Publisher
Date
1942-10-25
Scenario#
Guad11
Scenario Description
Since October 12th, Japanese engineers have been cutting a 48 km long path through the jungle and hills of Guadalcanal called the “Maruyama Road.” Lt General Hyakutake has ordered Lt General Maruyama and his 2nd (Sendai) Division to traverse the “Maruyama Road” and envelope the enemy with a surprise assault from the south. His soldiers are to Banzai charge the wary enemy with unrelenting fury, until Vandegrift is forced to surrender. However, the Japanese soldiers
are sick and exhausted. The 5,600 men have been walking single file along the muddy jungle trail carrying heavy weapons and artillery shells by hand since the 15th. Most of the extra equipment has been discarded by the tired men. Their low progress has resulted in the initial attack date on the 18th to be pushed back several times, but they are finally in position on the evening of the 24th. The Japanese are in two columns and their points of attack have been carefully planned by Maruyama and his commanders. On the left, Major General Nasu will lead the 29th Infantry. Major General Kawaguchi (the Japanese commander at Bloody Ridge), who was to command the right column, was relieved of command when he refused to follow Maruyama’s plan and began shifting his troops east where Kawaguchi believed the American defenses would be lighter. Colonel Toshinari Shoji has instead been given command of the 230th Infantry. Vandegrift did not expect an attack from the south, so only 700 men of the 1st Battalion 7th Marines, commanded by Lt Colonel Lewis ‘Chester’ Puller, remained to guard the 2,300 meters of the southern parimeter that stretched from the Lunga River to the Tanaru River. The Marines have been surprised by the Japanese assault and Puller has called for reinforcements. Artillery has been deployed to target the ground in front of the the Marine lines, but no reinforcements are able to deploy before the Japanese come charging out of the dark! The 700 Marines and artillery are all that stand between the Japanese and Henderson Field.
Location
Guadalcanal
Battle Narrative
The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23 to 26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. The battle was a land, sea, and air battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and was fought between the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy and Allied forces, mainly U.S. Marine and Army. The battle was the last of three major land offensives conducted by the Japanese during the Guadalcanal campaign.
Narrative Source
Combatants
Japanese
American

Geolocation