Airborne Guinea Pigs - The Matrix Games version of Rising Sun

Nadzab, 35km NW of Lae, Papua New Guinea: [Hypothetical; Best played as Allied] Toward the end of August 1943, the fortunes of war were changing for the Japanese. In eastern New Guinea, Australian and US forces were advancing up the coast toward the main Japanese airbase and anchorage at Lae. The drive up the coast was in fact a feint, designed to draw Japanese forces to the front, while the 9th Australian Division landed on the coast east of Lae, and the 7th Australian Division pressed from the west. To pave the way for the 7th Division infiltration, the American 503rd Parachute Regiment was dropped on an old Australian airfield at Nadzab. There was no opposition and the buildup began immediately. This scenario examines the possibility of what might have happened if the airfield at Nadzab had been defended, and if the Japanese had reacted quickly with reinforcements.