Breaching the Trasimene Line - Italy 1944 - OOB & Scenario Details

After some thought and tweaking my ideas, alongside laying the troops out on the table, I came up with the following for both sides. 

British OOB

2nd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's Own), 28th Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division

1 x CO (CV9)

4 x HQ (CV8)

1 x FAO (CV8)

1 x FAC (CV9)

12 x Regular Infantry (4 with PIAT upgrade)

2 x MGs

1 x 3" Mortar

1 x 6 pdr ATG + tow

145th Regiment, (8th Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment) Royal Armoured Corps, 21st Tank Brigade

2 x HQs (CV8)

2 x Squadrons, each:

2 x Shermans

2 x Churchill 6 pdrs

1 x Churchill VCS

Recce

1 x Scout Carrier (plus Recce Infantry)

1 x Humber 2 pdr

1 x Honey

Support

1 x Battery 25 pdrs

1 x Sherman Crab (count as Grant Scorpion)

1 x WASP Carrier

1 x Hurricane Ground Attack

1 x Medium Bomber 

Notes

• The 4th Infantry Division was a 'mixed division', working alongside the 21st Tank Brigade, which was perfect for the scenario I had envisaged and the task at hand.
• As in previous games, each Company has its own HQ which I find gives a better game and allows for more historical command and control.
• The mixed Sherman and Churchill troops provides a nice mix of movement and durability, with the toughness and off road ability of the latter most useful for the Italian terrain.
• The Recce units are a combined group from the Infantry and Tank units, with the aim of advancing to contact to locate the enemy.
• Normally one might expect more artillery support for the British. However the terrain really limited the ability to bring guns into action and as importantly ammo to them. To replicate this I have limited their artillery support to one battery.
• To help off set the terrain issues re: the above, the British learnt to use air support to supplement the limited artillery on call. Both cabrank ground attack aircraft and also medium bombers were used to great effect later on in the campaign. To reflect this a Medium Bomber unit has been added as a possible support option, should it be required.
• Reinforcements may be available, depending upon how the attacks progress. They will be limited so the British need to husband their forces carefully.

Axis 'Kampfgruppe' OOB

2nd Co, 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd 'Littorio' Divison, Army of the Italian Social Republic

1 x HQ (CV8)

3 x Regular Infantry (1 with ATR upgrade)

1 x MG

1 x 47mm ATG

1 x L5-30 Tank

1st Battalion, 3rd Fallschirmjager Regiment, 1st Fallschirmjager Division

1 x CO (CV9)

2 x HQs (CV8)

6 x Fallschirmjager (2 with panzershreck upgrade)

2 x MGs

2 x 81mm Mortars

1 x 120mm Mortar

1 x Pak 38

1 x Pak 40

1 x 75mm Infantry Gun

1 x M15/42

1 x Stug III

1 x Pz IV

1 x Tiger I

2 x 20mm AA Guns (one truck mounted)

Notes

• I was going to add a Kompanie of Heer to support the Fallschirmjager, but in the end liked the idea of an Italian unit from the RSI, that fought alongside the Germans until the end of the war. To reflect their background, I have made them 'Stubborn', meaning they deduct one die when rolling for fallback when suppressed. 
• The mixed 'Kampfgruppe' reflects the confused nature of the fighting as the Axis forces tried to delay the Allied advance to give them time to finish the Gothic Line and get their troops in place. It also allows a nice mix of unit or vehicles to be fielded.
• The Axis have no artillery support available to them, instead relying upon their mortars, which can be equally devastating.
• They have access to some limited field defences, mainly mines, trenches, gun pits and AFV pits. This is due to resources being used on the Gothic Line.
• Armoured support is limited, but given the nature of the terrain, should hopefully provide sufficient for the task in hand.
• Reinforcements are highly unlikely, so the Axis troops need to be careful of when to hold and when to pull back. No fighting to the last bullet here!

Scenario Details

To be honest, as this game is solo and somewhat narrative driven, I'm slightly flexible on the exact details of the scenario. However I have the following broad guidelines which I will follow:

• Each Turn will represent about one hour of the day, with Dusk falling at 8.00pm and Night at 9.00pm. Dawn will be at 6.00pm and be the same as Dusk in game terms. I will use the Weather rules in BKCII to reflect the visibility issues etc for these times of day.
• There is a chance of Mist or Fog in the area by the river each morning and evening. This will be decided by a simple die roll as to whether the mist/fog appears or lifts etc.
• At Night, each side is allowed to move units about within the area they already occupy, but not forward of this, to represent them 'dressing ranks' at the end of the day. Damaged AFV's may attempt to be repaired, using the Unreliable Special Rules from BKCIV as a guide.
• The Axis troops get one free automatic withdrawl move at th start of their Turn, should they wish to attempt to move back to other positions. This reflects the fact that the Germans were very adept at leaving their positions quickly without the Allies realising they had gone.
• The Churchill tanks are the only AFVs that can cross the river or the rough mountain terrain, but not the escarpments.
• The Sherman tanks can only cross the river by the ford or the bridge.

The troops are broadly set out on the table, so all being well the game will kick off tomorrow once my fresh eyes have had a look at things in the morning. So until next time stay safe and keep healthy!

• The village and town are strong defensive positions and as such count as stone buildings, with units in the BUA having a 4+ save.