I've often found in my many years of gaming, that some of the interesting games occur within the context of an ImagiNation or Historical campaign. My preference is the ImagiNation type which provides a great deal of flexibility. Hence, we have decided to use some islands off the coast of Massachusetts, transferred to the Southwest Pacific, as the stage for a series of games using painted toy soldiers representing both the US Army and USMC against the forces of Imperial Japan. Our first stop is a small (612 acre/248 hectare) island currently a wildlife refuge but in a previous iteration was a US Navy bombing range (until 1996). Off limits to visitors, due to the unexploded ordnance leftover from those days, it is rarely visited, indeed illegal. Until 1942 a privately owned island, it was leased to the Navy for WW2. An airstrip was constructed and manned by a small naval contingent. The aircraft stationed there were likely used for anti-submarine patrols. Here are a couple of photos of the islands today.
 | ||
| The southern coast is a series of sandy cliffs and rising ground. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the remains of the airstrip in the lower left. The northern coast is more even with a large sandy beach. Here's is where the Americans will land. |
 | |||||
| Another view of the island looking north. The cliffs are readily visible as well as the scrubby vegetation. The air strip was to the left. The Japanese have a number of defensive options. |
Next time, I will go over the opposing forces. Until then...