Seize Sitaria - The Greco-Italian War 1940 - Campaign Turn 2

This is the second action of my mini-campaign set during the ill fated Italian invasion of Greece.

Background Fluff

30th October 1940. Communication problems coupled with a day of rest on the 29th, meant the the Sapienza Column was about a whole day behind other units in the advance towards Kalpaki. Having encountered resistance at Krioneri, which was overcome, the Column then advanced towards the village of Sitaria, now aware that the Greeks were putting up much stiffer resistance than they'd been led to believe would happen. 

Italian Sapienza Column OOB

1 x CO (CV8)

2 x HQ (CV8)

2 x HQ (CV7)

1 x FAO (CV6)

1 x Recce (Cavalry)

7 x Infantry (+1 die when rolling for Fall-Back)

3 x Infantry (Albanian Fascist Militia. +1 die when rolling for Fall-Back)

2 x MG

1 x 81mm Mortar

1 x IG + Tow (Horse)

1 x 75mm Artillery (Off table)

3 x L3/35 Tankettes

1 x L3/35 Tankette flamethrower

Greek Frontier Border Force OOB

1 x CO (CV8)

2 x HQ (CV8)

5 x Infantry (-1 die when rolling for Fall-Back)

1 x MG

1 x 81mm Mortar

1 x 75mm Artillery Support Unit + Tow (Horse)

Scenario Details

• There is still 10/10 cloud cover, so no air support is available.
• It has started to rain, so visibility is reduced to 50cm for the whole game.
• The terrain is very rough, with wooded hillsides and mountains. As a result, the L3/35 Tankettes cannot moved over of through this terrain. Horse drawn Artillery is able to do so, but at -1CV to reflect the difficult nature of the terrain.
• The Italians deploy using Static Deployment, 20cm in from their table edge.
• The game last for 12 Turns.
• The objective for the Italians is once again to exit the table edge and to avoid as many casualties as possible. Earlier losses have not been replaced the morale is faltering due to the unexpected tough Greek resistance.
• The objective for the Greeks is to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Italians and to try and prevent them exiting of the Greek table edge. Reinforcements are arriving in and around Kalpaki, but minimising their own losses would greatly benefit the Greek cause.

The Game

This game was played some days ago now, so I hope my notes and the photos will jog my old brain to produce a coherent narrative of how the action unfolded!

An overview of the table, with Sitaria sitting in a small valley with some flat farmland around the town. The Italians enter from the NW table edge.

The Greeks occupy Sitaria as best they can with the limited force at their disposal.

Francois le Fermier makes a guest appearance as he does some contract farming.

The Greek remnants from the previous action occupy forward positions in the rocks and orchard.

A view of the Italian positions, with the main force moving on the left flank, with the L3/35's confined to the centre due to the terrain, and a small flanking force on the right.

The end of Turn 1. As the Italians advanced, they came under fire from the advanced Greek positions, with the Albanian Fascist Militia (blue grey uniforms) losing two Infantry units.

The Italian left flank is in some disarray, as both HQ units are suppressed, which will cause some C&C issues. The L3/35 tankettes provide supporting fire which manages to cause some hits on the Greek units to their front.

The Italian right flank struggles forward through a mountain pass.

The end of Turn 2. Little movement from the Italians, but their FAO brings down accuarate fire on the Greeks in the orchard, leading to one Infantry unit being KO'd. With limited visibility due to the rain, the Greeks have no targets in sight.

The end of Turn 3. As the Italian right flank advances through the pass, things go less well for the Italians. The FAO has an issue communicating the grid reference for his Artillery, leading to it falling on the Albanian Fascist Militia! Despite this, they do manage to KO the remaining Greek Infantry unit in and around the orchard. Again the rain prevents the other Greek units from having any targets they can see.

The Italian advance has stalled.

At least the right flank has navigated the mountain pass to close in on Sitaria.

The end of Turn 4. The Italian left flank and centre pushes forward somewhat slowly, but the right flank comes under fire from Sitaria.

The Italian right flank deploys to attack Sitaria, but takes fire as it does so.

The L3/35's advance cautiously towards the town.

The remaining troops on the left flank reach cover and prepare to move towards the town.

The end of Turn 5. The Italian advance struggles, failing to do much to put pressure on the Greeks, who in turn manage to suppress two Italian Infantry units.

The way is open to the outskirts of Sitaria, but the Italians fail to take the opportunity to advance.

The Greeks hold their positions in the town and await the Italian attacks that will surely come.

The end of Turn 6. With no Artillery arriving in support, the Italians still manage to KO the Greek MG unit in the town. The Greeks KO and Italian Infantry unit in return and, as the L3/35's advance, they hit one with ATR fire, but fail to KO it.

The Italian right flank is not in a good state at present, having taken losses.

The Greeks hold on and hope they can do something to halt the L3/35's.

The end of Turn 7. The Italian Artillery hits Sitaria, but fails to cause any casualties, and both sides lose and Infantry unit each. But it is the L3/35 flamethrower tankette that is now a major threat, having KO'd the Greek Infantry unit with the ATR. 

The Greeks look on nervously as...

... as the L3/35 tankette moves past the burning building it has just torched.

The end of Turn 8. Suddenly the Greeks reach their Breakpoint as they take more losses from combined arms attacks. Despite passing, they realise the retreat is the best option now and they begin to pull back towards Kalpaki, leaving the Italians in control of Sitaria.

A suppressed Greek Infantry unit wisely decides to surrender that the L3/35 flamethrower tankette closes in on their building.

The remaining Greek troops begin to pull back.

End of the Game

In the end the Italian numbers told, especially having armoured support in the form of the L3/35 tankettes. 

The Italian losses were quite heavy and not something they could afford, given their tenuous supply lines.

The Greeks paid heavily, but they were safe in the knowledge that they were working on interior lines and that more troops and materiel was arriving in Kalpaki.

Post Game Thoughts

Well that was another nice solo game that fitted in nicely with the overall mini-campaign narrative. As always a few thoughts:

• After the game I realised that I completely forgot to give the Greek troops in the BUA a saving throw! Whilst this was a big error on my part, I don't think it would have altered the overall outcome. 
• The Rain worked well and certainly gave that feeling of limited visibility, which in this case actually hampered the Greeks more than the Italians. It's rare we use Weather in our games, but it is good when we have the opportunity to do so.
• The L3/35 tankettes were once again a real bonus for the Italians, as the Greeks just didn't have anything to fight back against them with. They might have been able to KO maybe one with the ATR, but this would have been a slim chance. Deploying the IG in a more direct fire role would have helped, but would have exposed it to the risk of Italian fire, which I felt to be too risky.
• Playing a game in such mountainous terrain is tricky, not only from a game point of view in terms of line-of-sight, movement issues etc, but from a practical point of view of how best to replicate this on the games table. Luckily I have just enough hills etc to do this on a 4'x4', but on anything larger I would struggle.
• Once again a good game that drives the campaign narrative and one that you might not normally play as a one off, but it is nice to have the chance to do something different from the norm.
• Google Maps and Street view is a real boon for us gamers, as it allowed me to get a pretty good idea of the actual terrain in and around Sitaria. Naturally it will be a bit of a compromise given the terrain you have to hand and the type of game you are playing, but it does help an awful lot when thinking of how to set the scenario up.

What Next?

Well first and foremost I need to get my Napoleonic hat on in advance of Tuesday's game, so time to dig out the BBB rules and to have a bit of a refresh on the battle of Waterloo too. No matter the outcome I'm sure we're going to have a great days gaming on so many levels! I'm not sure how many photos I might be allowed to take, but hopefully enough to give an idea of how the day went.

On the Greco-Italian campaign front, I'd like to get the final game in before we're away on holiday in just over a week's time, but don't want to rush things. Even if I don't get to play the game, at least I can get the scenario all sorted in advance.

Given the Blogger is still playing silly buggers, I hope that at least some of you get to see this AAR as the previous action received fewer comments than normal. Maybe that's down to Blogger or the campaign is not to many people's liking?

Thanks for getting this far, assuming you've seen it of course, and as always any comments greatly appreciated!

TTFN.

Crossing the Aoos - The Greco-Italian War 1940 - Campaign Turn 1

This is the first part of my mini-campaign based upon events around the ill-fated Italian invasion of Greece in 1940.

Background Fluff

28th October 1940, Albania-Greek Border. At 5.30am Italian units crossed the frontier at multiple points into Greece. The XXV Italian Army Corps was tasked with seizing the important road junctions at Kalpaki in Western Macedonia. Spearheading one of the advances was the Sapienza Column, formed from elements of the 23rd Infantry Division (Ferrara) and the 131st Armoured Division (Centauro).

Italian Sapienza Column OOB

1 x CO (CV8)

2 x HQ (CV8)

2 x HQ (CV7)

1 x FAO (CV6)

9 x Infantry (+1 die when rolling for Fall-Back)

2 x MG

1 x 81mm Mortar

1 x 75mm Artillery (Off table)

3 x L3/35 Tankettes

Greek 5/42 Evzones Border Guards OOB

1 x HQ (CV8)

3 x Infantry (-1 die when rolling for Fall-Back)

1 x MG

1 x 81mm Mortar

Scenario Details

• The weather is 10/10 cloud so there is no air support available to either side.
• Turn 1 takes place in the pre-Dawn, so there is a -2CV to command rolls.
• Turn 2 takes places at Dawn, so there is a -1CV to command rolls.
• From Turn 3 onwards visibility is normal, with no penalties to command rolls.
• The Greek objective is to slow down the Italian forces, trading space for time, to allow for reinforcements to move up and form defensive postions in the rear (later scenario).
• The Italian objective is to exit the the table as quickly as possible, avoiding casualties, as logistical problems mean that replacements will be hard to come by.
• The river Aoos can only be crossed via the bridge, as the river has risen due to recent rain making it impassable.
• The game last for 8 Turns.

The Game

As is the norm these days, annotated photos should help tell the tale of how the game unfolded...

An overview of the table. The Italians arrive from the left hand table edge using Mobile Deployment.

The Greek troops concealed within the rocky terrain, which counts as Hard cover, over looking the bridge over the river Aoos.

The view from the Italian entry point.

Optimistic advertising hoardings 'welcoming' the Italian troops.

The Italian Sapienza Column in all its glory.

The end of Turn 2. Despite the darkness and the early Dawn light, the Italian troops made reasonable progress towards the bridge, but soon came under fire from the Greeks concealed amongst the mountainous terrain.

The lead Italian Company is suppressed by Greek mortar fire.

The end of Turn 3. Shocked by the sudden barrage of fire, all the Italian units failed to move. Seizing their chance the Greeks using combined arms destroyed the leading Italian Infantry Company.

Only the MG unit is left of the lead Italian Infantry Company.

The end of Turn 4. A turn for the better for the Italian's, as the sudden arrival of the L3/35 Tankettes and accurate Artillery fire helped their cause, leading to the Greeks failing their command roll this Turn.

A welcome sight as the L3/35 Tankettes move up and cover the bridge and its approaches.

The Italian Infantry struggle to move forward.

A Greek Infantry unit caught in the Italian Artillery bombardment.

The end of Turn 5. The Italians begin to take the fight to the Greeks, with the L3/35 Tankettes and Artillery causing hits on two Greek Infantry Platoons. A command blunder for the Greeks sees half their force making a withdrawal back towards their own lines of communication.

The Italians are still struggling to get even close to the bridge.

Greek Infantry take effective fire from the Italian combined arms.

Some Greek units mistakenly fall back, but probably a wise move given the casualties they have already taken.

The end of Turn 6. A completely ineffective Turn for the Italians, which allows the Greeks to move their Infantry in the frontline back and out of sight of the Italians.

The Greeks begin to fall back.

The Greeks prepare a second defensive line.

A view from the Greek positions.

The end of Turn 7. The L3/35 Tankettes push tentatively across the bridge as the Italian Infantry move up to try and cross. Unfortunately for the Greeks once again they fail their command roll!

The mighty Italian tankettes move forward over the bridge.

The Italian Infantry try to get close enough to move across the bridge.

The end of Turn 8. A similar Turn once again, as the L3/35 Tankettes push forward and as the Italian Infantry move, they come under desultory mortar fire as the Greeks withdraw towards their own lines (off table).

A minor move by the Italian tankettes.

The Italian Infantry still on the wrong side of the river.

The Greeks retreat and live to fight another day

End of the Game

Despite early losses the Italians put up a good show, inflicting enough casualties on the Greeks to make them make and orderly withdrawal, leaving the Field of Mars to the Italians. However the Italians lost an Infantry Company and the Greeks only an Infantry Platoon. Certainly a tactical victory for the Greeks, but the Italians still have more troops on the way.

Post Game Thoughts

As always great to get in a game of BKCII and of course just a game in itself, as for multiple reasons, games have been in short supply this year. Some musings on the game in no particular order:

• The opening Turns of Night and Dawn worked well once again, with its limited visibility and command penalties. Simple but rather effective in game terms.
• The mixed Italian CV's reflected nicely the poor Italian C&C during this campaign, as well as replicating some of the issues related to the terrain. 
• It's not often that one can say that the appearance and firepower of the L3/35's helped turn the game slightly in the Italians favour. Great when this happens though!
• I was not expecting much from the Italian Artillery, given the FAO's CV of 6 and the fact that the 75mm guns only had two dice each, but they did just enough to limit some of the Greek firepower and an important part of the game.
• Any side with on table Mortars can be a force to be reckoned with, and this was certainly the case here. Even one more successful command roll could have caused real problems for the Italians, but 'twas not to be. This does reflect the fact that the Greek Mortars and Artillery dig inlfict significant losses on the Italians, as they were dug-in and somewhat hidden in the mountainous terrain.
• The Greek Border Guards did well and had enough firepower to put up a fight, but not too much for the opening moves of this Campaign.
• This made for a great solo game but I'm not sure how much fun it would be for a two player one. This is the advantage of solo games and also narrative campaigns, in the fact that you can play rather assymetric engagements but still have fun doing so.

What Next?

Well I would like to paint up some Italian Mountain Guns for the next scenario, so that is high on my priority list. Then of course there is the small issue of sorting out the next scenario in the mini-campaign, so back to reading my books so I can scribble down some ideas to mull over.

As always thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed the AAR, so any comments greatly appreciated!

TTFN.