Iwo: Bloodbath in the Bonins 19 Feb – 17 Mar 1945

Iwo, Bloodbath in the Bonins 19 Feb – 17 Mar 1945, is a solitaire board-wargame using a modification of the Series: Fire & Movement combat system (Decision Games). Developed to portray the mechanized battlefields of a later generation, F&M stresses the use of fire support to generate breakthroughs, followed by a rapid penetration by mobile reserves.

Iwo Jima was a critical point on the flight path of US bombers from their Saipan bases to their Japanese targets. The island would be a refuge for malfunctioning or damaged bombers coming or going. An obvious target for a US amphibious assault, the Japanese had reinforced the garrison and dug miles of tunnels the length and breadth of the island. Their goal was to inflict maximum casualties on the Americans to force them to reconsider the seemingly inevitable invasion of Japan. The resulting battle was brutal, even by the standards of the Pacific War.

On Iwo, the Japanese fought from within an extensive tunnel network, neutralizing the usual fire support effects and limiting maneuver to the US approach to each fortified position. The Japanese units are hidden, their strength revealed only at the instant of combat, so the US player must mass against a position to play it safe, using fire support to suppress the defenders and so reduce attacker casualties (a key victory condition]. On the other hand, the US player must clear the island to win, and time is not on his side. Sooner or later he must take risks to push the battle forward. Taking some terrain, like Mount Suribachi, is critical to weakening the island’s defense.

The Japanese defense is handled by a short, simple set of priorities when conducting Japanese bombardments, punctuated with an occasional Banzai charge. A weak attack against a bunker may only displace the defenders to another position, where they will have to be attacked again. The rules include an option for a two-player game, with a second player handling the
Japanese forces.

Note: This is a SOLITAIRE game with two-player rules included.

Game Scale:

Game Turn: 2 days
Hex: 350 yards / 300 meters
Units: Company to Battalion


Game Inventory:

One 17 x 22" full color map
One dual-side printed countersheet (100 1/2" counters)
One 4-page Iwo rulebook
One 8-page Fire & Movement Folio Standard rulebook


Solitaire Playability: Very High
Complexity Level: Low
Players: 1 (Solitaire game, but 2 or more can play)
Playing Time: 1-2 hours

Players will need to include one 6-sided die for play.