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RE: Best way to attack?
As Daniel mentions, if you are looking at a particular situation it will help to have a scenario to consider. The following is more of a general response.
Kokoda, with the jungle rules in full effect, is difficult. The Australians in the early scenarios typically don't have to attack often and when they do, it can be a very haphazard affair. The Japanese on the other hand, with their superior morale and INF assault bonus can be extremely effective in assault. A single platoon can effectively assault surviving the likely morale checks, thus pinning the Australian player while the remaining Japanese fight their way through the jungle (and the disorientation rules!) and ultimately join the assault.
The later scenario Australians, where the regulars with their higher morale dominate the force, can also assault with smaller packages and reasonably expect to survive until the remaining forces can join. The one technique that works in other PG games of "softening up" the defender through bombardment and/or direct fire, is unlikely to occur in KC. The attacking force rarely has the time to set up coordinated fire groups, and to wait to assault until the defender is disrupted or demoralized. If one is so lucky as to be in a position to do so that is great and you should take advantage of it but don't wait for that to happen or you might wait all game.
For the Australians, I suggest a static defense. The jungle only provides a -1 column shift, while firing will usually only happen when the Japanese are adjacent. Thus an HMG with an INF will be firing Op Fire on the 22 column. To mass this kind of firepower it is usually necessary to set up close to the Japanese objectives (e.g. Isurava or Kokoda and the airfield).
Above all you need to be patient on defense. With either player reacting to the other player's move too early can lead to disaster as you carefully aligned units make a mess of things stumbling around in every direction except the one you wanted them to move. Remember, however, that once you are adjacent to the enemy you can always assault (as long as you have a leader) as assault is a fire action and NOT subject to disorientation. Note that in the early stages of an assault there may be many opportunities for the defender to counterattack the initial attacks to advantage. Consider a situation where a single Japanese INF and a leader have attacked an Australian HMG and INF. Adjacent are another 2 Australian INF and a leader. By sending one of the INF it might be possible (if the Australian is in good order in the assault hex) to counterattack on the 18 column (an adjacent HMG may be able to raise that to the 24 column). If a miracle has occurred and the Japanese force has been disrupted or demoralized (far more likely in the later scenarios, as hunger and the failure to take Port Moresby have lowered the Japanese morale) the defensive first fire will be feeble and such an assault may have a good chance of causing real damage to the "pinning" force.
As an aside, I realize that players may feel that the disorientation rules are too draconian, that units could not be within 1-2 kilometers of the enemy and be completely unable to come into contact within a day. There were, however numerous examples of exactly that happening during the campaign. The Japanese sent out flanking forces at Isurava that were aimed at the Rest House which fought through the jungle for an entire day and a half before making contact. The Australians similarly sent a flanking force out at Eora Creek that failed to show up until a day and a half later. One Australian battalion went bush early on and only reappeared a week or two later (if need be I can get the name and number but my source is buried as we are moving things around to try to get the house in better order. This is the price of being married to a teacher who views the summer as the three months to do everything that most people take all year to do...).
So, to summarize, on attack one should be bold or even reckless in entering assaults with the idea of pinning the defenders while support advances (especially with the Japanese infantry due to their assault bonus). On defense you are counting on massed firepower and the opportunity fire bonus to do most of your damage.
No "minor" country left behind...
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