Z Special Unit

"Many of the training techniques [of Z Special Unit] ... were later used during the formation of other Australian Army special forces."

- Z Special Unit's Wikipedia page

The Z Special Unit was a branch-off of the British SOE (Special Operations Executive) spy network that operated in the Pacific Theater of WWII, as opposed to the SOE's main operations in Europe. The men of Z Special Unit adopted many of the weapons of their Japanese foes, most notably the Arisaka bolt-action rifle, but they did bring in Allied weaponry like the Sten submachine gun. The Z Special Unit set up Operation Scorpion, a planned raid on a New Guinea base controlled by the Japanese, and this set the stage for future missions like Operation Jaywick and Operation Rimau. Operation Jaywick was a minor success, concluding with the loss of seven Japanese ships, but Operation Rimau was a disaster that left many Z Special Unit members dead and others captured and later executed.

Battle vs. Long Range Desert Group (by El Alamein)
LRDG: 

Z Special Unit: 

The surf pounds against the rocks and the high tide sweeps up against the sand on the beach. The moon casts an ominous shadow over the quiet battlefield. Smoky craters hiss their rage at the sky and weak tank obstacles sag in their positions on the wet sand. Crunching footsteps announce the arrival of the Z Special Unit. They scout the area around them and hike forward, hoping to scale up the cliffs.

Meanwhile, up on the cliffs, the LRDG is watching down for intruders. Seeing the dark shapes of the Z Special Unit commandos as a threat, the sniper with the SMLE aims at the dark figures and fires, missing by a hair. Down below, the Z Special Unit commandos crouch in surprise, but recover, quickly spot their opponents, and get battle-ready. Three of the commandos keeps pushing up the beach while two of them fan out, keep on the move, and return fire with Arisaka rifles. The LRDG sniper is hit in the shoulder and jerks upward in pain, only to be shot in the head by the other commando.

The LRDG men above ready their grenades and lob them as a group down the cliff. One of the commandos dives out of the way into a crater but the other man throws one of the grenades back. It bounces halfway off of the cliff wall, rolls back down at him, and rests in place just in time for the massive explosion.

The commando in the crater is still visible from above, and is shot to pieces by the LRDG high up on the cliffs.

By this point the Z Special Unit commandos have scaled the cliff walls and charge at the LRDG members, guns ablaze. The Sten cuts down several LRDG soldiers, killing 2 of them. A third is wounded in the arm.

The Z Special Unit leader throws a Mills Bomb at the LRDG as they scramble for cover. They dive behind a low wall and avoid the brunt of the blast. They fire back with the heavy Thompson SMG, and kill one of the advancing Z Special Unit soldiers with a spray across the belly. He falls and squeezes the trigger, firing off shots in the air as he dies.

The Z Special Unit leader takes out his S&W revolver and fires through the wooden boards into the stomach of the Thomspon-weilding LRDG troop. He doubles over and falls behind the wall, groaning. Blood pools out from his wound and he lays choking in the stuff. The LRDG leader, with his Webley revolver, stands up, aims briefly, and kills the Z Special Unit second-in-command with a headshot. His neck snaps backward and he falls like a rock. Meanwhile, the LRDG soldier has died of blood loss.

The LRDG keeps firing as he runs away and the Z Special Unit keeps chase, conserving rounds. Suddenly, the LRDG comes to the peak of the cliff at an outpost - he can run no further. Raising his hands in surrender, he allows the Z Special Unit to confiscate his revolver. Then, he turns, puts a knee into the man's groin, punches him in the chin, and grabs his wrist just in time. The revolver fires into the air, but the LRDG clamps a hand around the Z Special Unit's mouth and walks him to the edge of the cliff before throwing him off of it.

The LRDG soldier peeks over the edge of the cliff to make sure his opponent is slain. He puts a round from the enemy's revolver into the corpse to be sure, then heads back to the main officer's building to report the attack.

Expert's Opinion
The LRDG had superior long-ranged weapons (where they excelled) and were better suited to a regular firefight than their specialist foes, which carried them to victory.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.