Breaching the Trasimene Line - Italy 1944 - Dawn Day Two

Sit Rep Dawn Day Two

The night had been well spent by both sides, with the Axis withdrawing the remnants of the Italian company back over the river to the comparative safety of an orchard, as well as bringing forward their FJ reserves.

The British had been very busy with the CO sending out orders left, right and centre. All of his Battlegroup was now in play and he had also put in requests for air support, both bomber and ground attack, as well as some engineering AFVs to help overcome the Axis defences.

Axis Losses To Date

One platoon of infantry, a 47mm ATG and the L5-30.

British Losses To Date

One platoon from 'A' company and a Humber AC.

Damage & Repairs

The British had been unable to make repairs on the battlefield to their Churchill 6 pdr (keep its 3 hits from Day One), but the Italians had been able to keep their MG unit almost fighting fit (keep 1 hit from the 3 taken on Day One).

Positions At Dawn Day Two

The following photos will give an idea of how both sides have deployed for that start of Day Two.

An overview of the table, with mist along the river, obscuring both sides. It is expected to lift between 8.00 & 9.00am, or thereabouts.

Despite the overnight mist, the British have been able to locate the Axis minefield, just below the bridge and covering both sides of the ford.

The Italian troops in the orchard behind stone walls and covered by the minefield to the front. They are not dug-in.

The British CO has sent the Recce infantry to see if they can find a crossing over the river that is not mined. they appear to have found one but can't be sure until the mist lifts or the cross over to the otherside.

'A' company is covering the mined ford in case of any Axis counter-attacks from this direction.

The reserve tank squadron laagered behind the maize, ready to push on twards the bridge or where ever they are required. 'D' company is in reserve behind the farmhouse, with the FAO and FAC in the roof of the farm.

'B' company has moved into the vineyard, helping to cover the other tank squadron to its left.

The tank squadron has two troops of Churchills to the fore, with the Shermans and Churchill VCS in hull down positions on the hill, ready to provide support. 'C' company is to their left, ready to try and cross the river in support of the tanks.

The Recce Honey has taken up a concealed position at the edge of the orchard, ready to provide eyes and ears to the attack from the left flank.

The British reserves which are yet to arrive in the form of a Sherman flail, Churchill SBG and WASP carrier. Ground attack aircraft and bombers are off table in the wings.

The FJ have moved forward to the fall back trenches to add more depth to their positions.

The FJ mortars in their gun-pits will provide much needed fire support.

The Tiger I and Pak 40 in their gun and AFV pits, with a commanding view down the valley. They will be very hard to shift from these positions. 

A Stug III in its AFV pit, commanding the approaches to the bridge.

The Pz IV is providing mobile flank protection to the units in the orchard by the bridge.

Plans

The British CO is planning on probing the Axis defences in front of his left flank, hoping to they will be able to cross the river quickly and start to unlock the Axis positions. He has some smoke support from the artillery to help mask this manouevre, but not much. He is hoping that his request for air support will be met as he's sure it will be sorely needed in the coming hours.

The Axis plans are to maintain their positions, relying upon their long range firepower from their Tiger I and ATGs, plus the potentially devastating firepower from their mortars, which are as effective as off table artillery, if not more so. The only potential weak point is their right flank which is covered by the Italians. If the British can gain a foothold their, then they may have a real fight on their hands.

So that table is all set for the Day Two action to kick-off, which hopefully will be later today when I finished 'Daddy Day Care'. I'm really looking forward to this and hope it's a good one. Until next time, stay safe and keep healthy.

Breaching the Trasimene Line - Italy 1944 - Day One

So with the table set, the OOB etc sorted it was time to deploy the Axis forces in the defensive positions.

Axis Defensive Positions

As mentioned in an earlier post, the Axis have three lines of defence as follows:

The Italians occupy the farmhouse. All troops are dug-in or within stone buildings that form the farm. The L3-50 is in an AFV pit.

Another view, with the positions providing mutual support.

The second line of defence, with a Fallashirmjager Kompanie dug-in around the bridge, with supporting elements such as tanks, ATGs and AA guns.

Behind this position are some fall back trenches, to allow for a fighting withdrawl should it be nescessary. The FJ mortars are deployed on the rocky ridge (top right) so that they have a commanding view down the valley.

The final defensive position based around the hill top town, with dug-in tanks and ATGs.

One Kompanie of FJ are in reserve and as yet not deployed.

Day One

By the time that the British had arrived at the valley, it was already mid-afternoon and time was running out if an attack needed to be mounted to take the farmhouse and environs that was visible to the Recce troops. The CO ordered them to be careful but to advance to contact to flush the enemy into the open.

The Humber AC was to lead the way, with the Honey in support, whilst the infantry in the carrier were to move to the left and take up positions overlooking the farm.

The Italian troops were under orders not to shoot until absolutely necessary, so as not to reveal their positions. They were confident because they were well dug-in and camouflaged, with support to the rear should they need it and with little chance of their position being flanked.

Positions at 3.00pm onwards. The British recce units had moved slowly forward but hadn't seen any sign of enemy troops. The Italian commander thought of ordering his tank and ATG to fire, but thought the better of it.

Positions at 4.00pm onwards. As the British recce continued their advance, the Italian ATG and tank opened fire, causing hits and forcing them off the road to shelter behind the stone walls lining the fields. The recce infantry debussed from their carrier and moved onto the rocky hill (top left) and radioed back to the CO that contact had been made and requested support. With the British at their mercy, the Italian commander then failed to get his orders through to the tank and ATG to fire once again.

The British recce infantry look on as gun fire erupts from well concealed positions in and around the farmhouse.

The position at 5.00pm onwards. With contact made the British CO ordered two tank troops and a company of infantry forward, supported by a Churchill V CS tank to help tackle the stone buildings of the farm. As they arrived, the tanks only moved on slowly, careful not to become further targets to Axis tanks or ATGs, whilst the infantry pushed forward on the right flank to try and get round the Italian positions. The Humber and Honey engaged the Italians, but only hit the dug-in L5-30.

The Italian commander kept his infantry's powder dry as they had no targets and didn't need to move, but this time he did get through to the tank and ATG which managed to KO the Humber and inflict hits on the Churchill, which shrugged them off.

Reinforcements arrive, with the infantry moving towards the rocky outcrops to try and get round the Italian positions.

The 47mm ATG brews up the Humber AC.

The position at 6.00pm onwards. With the action hotting up, the Honey retreated to leave the 'big boys toys' to take the fight to the Italians. The CO seeing how the action might develop also ordered another two troops of tanks and an infantry company on stand by to move forward. As the infantry company moved forward they came under fire from the Italians that left one platoon suppressed and nearly done for. The Churchills and Sherman combined their fire and after some time, managed to KO the dug-in ATG and add another hit to the dug-in L5-30, which was proving a stubborn opponent. However the incoming fire must have affected it as it was rather ineffective when shooting back, failing to hit anything.

A platoon of British infantry take heavy fire from the Italian positions.

The British tanks trying to shoot their way onto the objective, but are having a hard time in doing so.

The KO'd Italian ATG.

The positions at 7.00pm onwards. With things somewhat stuck and not moving forward quickly, the CO ordered his standby troops forward plus the FAO, but only the infantry company made it as the tanks must have become stuck in a traffic jam on the narrow road. Despite an awful lot of firepower directed at the Italian positions, little was achieved other than the Italian infantry in the maize by the L5-30 taking a hit.

In response the Italian CO played a bit of a blinder, but getting two Double 1's and another successful order off! This led to the L5-30 managing to suppress the Churchill 6 pdr and forcing it back, before it succumbed to combined fire.

The demise of the dug-in L5-30 but at least it gained everlasting fame by forcing a Churchill tank back suppressed. Oh the shame of it!

The British infantry company arrives and pushes towards the hill, but the tanks fail to arrive.

The Italians still hold on despite the overwhelming superiority of materiel facing them.

The FAO arrives (bottom left) and takes up position over looking the Italian held farm.

The position at 8.00pm onwards and dusk starts to fall (-1CV and 50cm visibility). With light beginning to fail and time running out, the CO orders his troops to begin consolidating their positions, which they do. The FAO manages to get through to his battery of 25 pdrs and hits the farm, but only manages to suppress the MG unit. Combined fire from the tanks does little else other than adding more hits but fails to KO any units.

With few if any targets, the Italian CO is quite happy to hold his fire and await nightfall.

Despite intense firepower directed at them, the Italians are just holding on.

The British troops unable to take the farm before night falls.

The leading troops of tanks begin to consolidate their position and await infantry support before going into laager.

The L5-30 that performed heroics with its pop gun armament.

End of Day One

With the arrival of the night, the British CO ordered up the rest of his units, ready for deployment in the morning. Plans had yet to be drawn up, as his recce units were carefully probing forward, trying to locate any enemy units. The Italian CO was awaiting orders from the FJ CO as to whether to withdraw or not under the cover of darkness, which seemed the most likely option given his position and depleted force.

Post Day One Thoughts

Well that was a nice little action and certainly a tough one for the British, with the Italian troops putting up a stiff fight. Not entirely unexpected given their dug-in positions and the strong stone farmhouse that formed the centre of their position. So a few thoughts on the first day of this 'mini-campaign':

• I had forgotten how hard it can be to shift dug-in units or units in stone buildings in BKCII. Still this felt right and having read Zuehlke's book on 'Ortona' entirely historically accurate. As a one off game, this would have been a bit dull and a slog, but as this is a 'campaign', it just adds to the narrative, which I personally enjoy.
• The highlight for me was the little L5-30 suppressing the Churchill 6 pdr and then forcing it back! What are the chances? I just love it when things like this happen in my games.
• The British will certainly need to call upon their Air Support going forward, as the next positions will certainly be very tough nuts to crack. The British CO has also requested a Churchill SBG to help deal with the hill top town if and when they reach it.
• I can see why Churchills were called up for use in Italy as they are perfect with their better off road ability and endurance compared the the Shermans. Without them I can't see an easy way for the British to move forward other than very large amounts of artillery, which as mentioned in a previous post was always readily available.
• Having the time to play this at my leisure has been a real treat and hasn't felt rushed at all. In fact this first day was played over three mini sessions as family duties intervened at times. One day I will have my own games room or space and this will certainly allow more games to be played.

So now I'm in the process of sorting out plans for Day Two, with a few ideas in my head, but I need to take stock of what happened on Day one and any implications to units with hits etc, before making my final decision. Certainly the Axis force did what it was meant to do on Day One and delay the British advance with minimal units involved.

So until next time stay safe and keep healthy!

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.

Breaching the Trasimene Line - Italy 1944 - Background

Some years ago a bought a book on Panzer Tactics by Stackpole Books, which had an image of a German defence in depth position, somewhere on the Eastern Front. Over the years I've always fancied trying something similar, either as a series of linked games on a 4' x 4' table or a one off, but on a 6' x 4' table, with the action slowly moving along the length of the table. 

Lately I've been thinking of trying this out again, now that our dining table gives me near as damn it a 5' x 3' surface. Then Jon Bleasdale  put up a post that convinced me to give this ago as I played the same campaign a few years ago, but set it in the ACW. So it was simply a case of formulating my ideas into a cohesive plan and getting things onto the table

Rather than setting it on the Eastern Front, I decided to set the action in Italy 1944, with a British force advancing up a valley, having to overcome various German positions along the way. This would give a nice challenge with a pretty narrow front and the defence in depth for the Axis that I was after. A mix of reading and some Google searches led to elements of the British 4th Infantry Division and 21st Tank Brigade for the Allies, with a German Kampfgruppe based around the 1st Fallschirmjager-Division opposing them. This fits in nicely with the historical Allied attempt to breakthrough the Trasimene Line, which the Germans used as a stop gap position before the Gothic Line.

Aside from Google, the following books were extremely useful in sorting out my initial ideas into something more concrete and both come highly recommended.

A wealth of information is contained in this book, covering NWE, The Mediterranean and the Far East theatres.

An excellent overview of the fighting in Italy, with the final chapters looking at the issues the Allies faced in this campaign, which is really useful for the wargamer. The issues surrounding artillery and air support have been used for my game, more of which in another post.

With the broad idea already formulated, I knocked up some sketches for table layout ideas and after playing about a bit with my terrain, came up with the following:

An overview of the table, with the British arriving on the left hand side of the table.

The first German defensive position will be based around this small farmhouse, where the terrain narrows making it hard to AFVs to deploy anywhere but the road.

The second defensive position will be to the right of the bridge, which may have its approaches mined. There is a ford nearby which again may be mined.

The final defensive position is this town on a hill, which with its commanding view of the valley and stone buildings, will be a tough nut to crack.

The view up the valley from the British point of view.

The German view down the valley.

As the game will be played solo and the family has kindly allowed me to leave it set up for as long as nescessary, which is quite a luxury, I have plenty of time to play this out at my leisure. More details on the OOB for both sides will follow, as well as any specific scenario conditions etc, but now I have to pop out for my second Covid jab, which I hope won't lay me low for a few days. So until next time stay safe!