I solo-played through a biggish
Battlefront WWII scenario, or rather two paired scenarios, over the
past few weeks. It was a scenario I had written and was play-testing
for the first time – extremely difficult terrain to model and play
over, mountainous country on the east coast of Italy in early winter,
1943.
The background goes something like
this:
By
early December of 1943 the 8th Army, fighting up the east
coast of Italy, has crossed the Sangro and pierced the German
winter line. An initial sally on December 3 into the hill town of
Orsogna is rebuffed, but the high command is convinced that the
Germans are in retreat, leaving only small rear guards to delay the
New Zealanders' advance on this part of the front.
However,
slowly the truth emerges that the Germans are preparing to defend
Orsogna and its ridge. It is a few more days before the Division is
prepared to launch a proper attack, and those days are spent by the
Germans feverishly preparing their defences.
The
plan for Operation Torso is for the 2nd New Zealand
Division to seize Orsogna through a direct assault on the town and a
200 yard stretch of ridge to the northeast. It will be a two brigade
attack, with 5 Brigade on the right, attacking the Pascuccio feature
and 6 Brigade on the left, attempting to seize Brecciarola Ridge and
Orsogna. It is vital that the attack on Orsogna succeed in able to
allow a flow of tanks and weapons to reach 5 Brigade once they have
seized their objective. 24 Battalion, supported by tanks of 18
Regiment, is given the task of seizing the town and 28 Battalion will
spearhead 5 Brigade's attack on Pascuccio Spur while 23 Battalion
screens the right flank.
At
2:30 p.m., December 7, 1943, after a morning of air attacks and an
initial barrage that has begun an hour and a half earlier, 24 and 28
Battalions leave their start lines and begin their advance towards
the enemy.
The
paired scenarios divide neatly into two even though I played them as
one. It was a tough one for the Kiwis to pull off, and the game
results supported that assumption.
The Battlefield
.jpg) |
| The game was really two scenarios played as one. 24 Battlaion's attack, supported by tanks of A Squadron, 18 Regt., came in on a narrow front bordering the Lanciano road while 28 (Maori) Battalion attacked along the Pascuccio Spur. |
 |
| Orsogna seen from the south. The NZ attack came along the dirt road from the right. The south side of the town was unassailable. |
 |
| The Lanciano road, an old Roman road that ran along the ridge of a spur leading up to the town, with steep slopes dropping off to the left, seen from 24 Battalion's start line. |
 |
| Pascuccio Spur (right) and the high ground bordered by the paved road and railway line (upper right) which was the Maori objective. The gully down the middle divided the two New Zealand attacks. |
 |
| The track that ran along the ridge of Pascuccio Spur, seen from the Maori start line. |
 |
| Orsogna, viewed from the gully dividing the two attacks. |
Forces
The Attackers - Orsogna
 |
| The four companies of 24 Battalion plus the carrier platoon and attached engineers and bulldozer. Shermans of A Squadron, 18 Regt., which supported the attack and C Squadron, which never come into play. Also Kittyhawk air support. |
The Defenders - Orsogna
 |
Two companies of 26 Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion, with attached pioneers and platoon from 146 Regiment (not shown). Also Pak 40 (KO'd in barrage), quad 20mm flak. Two Pz. IV's and a Flamm panzer of 26th Panzer Regiment in support.
Counterattacking I Kp., III Battalion, 4 FJ also shown (upper right). |
The Attackers - Pascuccio Spur
 |
| Four companies of 28 (Maori) Battalion, with Vickers MG platoon attached. Yes, if you look carefully, three of the companies are repurposed Commandos. Apologies to the purists but I didn't have a second battalion of Commonwealth infantry painted up. |
The Defenders - Pascuccio Spur
 |
| Two companies of II Battalion, 146 Regt., along with I Kp., II Battalion, 9th Pz. Gr. with attached Pak 40. At the back are the two counterattack forces comprised of a third company from 146 Regt. and II Kp., II Battalion, 9th Pz. Gr. supported by elements of 26th Panzer Regt. |
The Battle
The barrage begins
The
Lanciano road to Orsogna (foreground) and Pascuccio Spur (background)
are lit up by the 25 pdrs. of the 4th and 5th
NZ Field Regiments as they commence a creeping barrage. These guns,
part of a massive fire plan, will pave the way to the two objectives.
Advancing towards Orsogna
24 Battalion falls in behind
the barrage, moving forward with B Co. on the south side of the road
and C Co. on the north.
Moving up Pascuccio Spur
28
(Maori) Battalion advance two companies (C and D) abreast on either
side of the spur, also pushing hard against the barrage.
Kittyhawks go in
As the barrage advances Kittyhawks go into action
over Orsogna, bombing the town. Heavy weather curtails their action
after a half hour or so of bomb runs, depriving the New Zealanders of
the expected continued air support.
Downed!
A German
quad 20mm AA gun downs one of the planes as it comes in for its
run.
Big guns zero in
As the bombing abates the 5.5”
guns of 111th RA take over, firing a series of
concentrations in and around the town. Although most are focused on
Orsogna itself a few concentrations land on the reserve company dug
in in the olive orchards west of town. A standing barrage by the 75mm
howitzers of the 1 Airlanding Regiment hammers the approaches to the
west and north of Orsogna, hampering any attempts to move in German
reinforcements.
C Co. Shelled
The German FOO in the
Orsogna church tower spots the NZ infantry moving along the north
side of the Lanciano road and calls down the 105's.
24
Battalion's commander watches the advance from the cover of an olive
grove
“A” Squadron moves forward
18 Regiment's “A”
Squadron moves cautiously up the road to Orsogna, leaving space
between themselves and the advancing infantry in order not to draw
down artillery and mortar fire on the more vulnerable troops
B Co. moves up through gully to Orsogna
The German artillery
drives the NZ infantry off the road. As the barrage out
paces B Co. and moves into the town itself, they make their way slowly
along the steep slopes south of the Lanciano road, advancing
unnoticed towards the southeast side of the town via a wooded gully.
Pascuccio Spur shelled
Meanwhile, on the NZ right flank, the RA medium
guns work their way methodically down either side of the
Orsogna-Ortona road, in a seres of concentrations, towards the
graveyard that marks the mid-point of the Maoris' objective.
Maori D Co. Approaches Pascuccio via escarpment
D Co. swings to
the left, following the barrage as they make their way towards the
base of the escarpment that parallels the Orsogna-Ortona road
southeast of the graveyard.
Maori C Co. storms over the
ridge line
As the 5.5” guns blast German positions beyond the
paved road, C Co. storms over the ridge, sweeping aside opposition in
this sector, but taking casualties in the process.
Barrage
rolls over Pascuccio's defenders
Overview of attack on
Pascuccio
So far things have gone more or less as planned on
Pascuccio, with D Co. forming up at the foot of the escarpment on the
left in preparation to attack this segment of the high ground while C
Co., pushing hard against the barrage begins to make inroads on the
right flank.
Flamm Panzer watches as Orsogna is lit up
ahead of the attack
Back on the Orsogna front, from high ground
just north of the town, a German Flamm Panzer watches as the barrage
rolls through Orsogna.
Barrage rolls over Orsogna
Between
the air attacks, medium concentrations and standing and rolling
barrages, the defenders have suffered about 25% casualties before the
Kiwis even make contact, including the loss of a Pak 40 guarding the north side of the town. In the distance can be seen the concurrent
attack on Pascuccio Spur.
Armour advance stalls
A
Squadron halts its advance short of the town as they realize that a
Pz. IV is positioned at the entrance to Orsogna. With minefields and
soft ground to either side of the road it is difficult to move into a
postition where the Shermans can bring superior fire power on the
lone German tank. So they sit back under cover hoping that B and C
Cos. can clear the way.
Demolition!
After the first
troop of tanks has moved forward the Germans activate a demolition
creating a second crater that blocks the way (another is at the
entrance to the town itself) and disorders the third tank in the
column. A Squadron is now effectively severed, with minefields either
side of the demolition stopping the following tanks from circumnavigating the
crater.
A Squadron presses in
A second Panzer IV
appears on the lane north of Orsogna (top right). As the two lead
Shermans are brassed up by the German tanks and a third stays mired
by the demolition. Another turns to slog its way around the
minefields and over the sloppy slopes. In the foreground New Zealand
engineers cautiously approach to try and clear the minefields.
B Co. cautiously approaches the town
Still unobserved, B Co. makes
its way through woods and the steep ravine on the southeast. The sun
has now set (impacts command and control, spotting and fire). The
Flamm Panzer, moving into town after the
barrage finishes, takes up position unobserved along with troops in the houses
and lanes bordering the woods.
Flamm Panzer
counterattacks
B Co. briefly gains some lodgement on the east side
of the town, but a vicious counterattack with Flamm Panzer and German
engineers drives them out again.
26 Pz. Recce Battalion's
second company reinforces Orsogna
The second German company in
this sector moves in from its positions west of the town to reinforce
the battered first.
At the gates of Orsogna
The Pz. IV,
positioned at the entrance to the town and safe behind a massive
demolition, KO's the lead Sherman while two more try to make their
way around the slopes north of Orsogna. Meanwhile minefields to the
east and north of the town hold the NZ infantry at bay.
28 Battalion D
and C Cos. clear out battered defenders
Back at Pascuccio Spur,
the Maoris continue to clear out the German defenders on this flank.
These are lower quality troops, making their job easier, but C Cos.
casualties start to mount as they attack an orchard to the right. In
lower left A Co. moves up behind in support.
Defenders
begin to break on Pascuccio
Elements of 146 Regiment break under D
Co.'s attack up the escarpment and flee from the graveyard and over
the railway bed.
Maoris consolidate their position on
Pascuccio
With only a bit of mopping up left to do southwest of
the graveyard, the New Zealanders begin to consolidate on their
objective. C Co. (reduced to platoon strength) takes over abandoned
German positions in the orchard, facing north along the road in
expectation of a German counterattack, while A Co. reinforces behind
them and along the rail track as the sun goes down.
Bulldozer moves forward
Back at Orsogna, under cover of darkness
the engineer's bulldozer is brought forward to fill the first
demolition. But as it draws closer it is spotted by the FOO in
Orsogna and repeated artillery strikes stall its progress.
Busting down the door
The NZ infantry finally force entry into the
eastern edge of the town and blow up the Panzer IV at the gates
before it can withdraw.
German machine-gun nest
A
platoon of 146 Regt. infantry, under command of the recce battalion,
move into Orsogna from their positions north of the town to bolster
the thinning defences.
A second Sherman brewed up
The
Squadron command vehicle is KO'd by the command panzer north of
Orsogna as it joins the rest of the squadron in their attempt to
circumnavigate the town. Even with the Pz. IV at the entrance
destroyed, the demolition blocks their way into town from that
direction until the engineers can fill it.
Shermans push
around north side of Orsogna
In an attempt to bring increased fire
power on the remaining German Pz. IV, the surviving Shermans brave
bogdowns and minefields to bring support to the struggling
infantry.
Orsogna overview
On the left the NZ tanks can
be seen pushing their way around the north side of the town. Lower
left shows A Company following up B Co. in their attack along the
steep wooded ravine leading right up to the town. At centre right is
the bulldozer, stalled out as it comes under enemy artillery fire,
while the carrier platoon (dismounted) and D Company, committed much
later, come under fire as they make their way up through the orchards
north of the Lanciano road. Unseen, beyond the Shermans, is the
battered remains of C Co., which was torn up by the German defence on
the north flank as they tried to circumnavigate the town.
Panzer counterattack
Back on Pascuccio, soon after nightfall, the
expected German counterattack comes in. A reduced company of Panzer
IV's supported by a company of panzer grenadiers from the 9th
PG Regiment enter along the Orsogna-Ortona road from the north. As
the approach to Pascuccio was too difficult to get any AT support up
to the spur, the Maoris are limited to their Hawkins mines, PIATs and artillery and mortar fire to stem the assault.
“Murder”
A “Murder” target
is called in by the NZ FOO, bringing all of the regiment's guns and
the RA mediums in an intensive concentration. But it has little
effect other than to slow the advance.
Second
counterattack goes in on Pascuccio
Shortly afterwards, a second
counterattack by the reserve company of II Battalion 146 Regt. goes
in, targeting D Company (now bolstered by B Co.) on the left flank
of Pascuccio and just north of Orsogna. The Kiwis are still involved
with mopping up the remnants of the original defenders and are taken
by surprise, but these new German troops are rated “raw” as a
result of the night fighting, and pose less of a threat.
Fallschirmjaeger arrive to bolster Orsogna's defence
As the New
Zealanders begin to make inroads into the east end of Orsogna, German
paratroops arrive form the west, crack troops from the 4 FJ Regt.. As
they go into town they pass by the first of the recce battalion
defenders exiting the battle.
Overview of German
position
On the lower left German paratroops can be seen entering
the town. The Flamm Panzer still holds fast and most of the town
remains in friendly hands, but the first few buildings around the
eastern entrance have now fallen to the attackers.
Orsogna
Pz. IV KO'd
The remaining Pz. IV is KO'd by a Sherman as it
attempts to withdraw into town and gets bogged down on the northern
slope.
24 Battalion begins to consolidate in east end of
town
As German defenders move into the woods on the eastern slope
to engage the enemy, A and B Cos. continue to push men into the edge
of town, strengthening their foothold. But the minefields and
demolition continue to hamper the attackers' advance.
Battling it out in the dark
While engineers attempt to clear the
mines at the entrance to Orsogna, German mortar fire thins their
ranks. Two failed attempts to detonate add to the misery.
Orsogna defenders flee
As the paratroops push into town most of
the original defenders break and flee.
Carrier platoon
infiltrates along Orsogna's north edge
The carrier platoon begins
to infiltrate along the north edge of town, by-passing the
minefields, but its slow going through the gully. German defenders
take up new positions along this side of Orsogna, while, with the
last Pz. IV knocked out, the remaining Shermans brave the minefields
and push through in support of the infantry. It's slow going but all
pass unscathed.
Overview of Orsogna
Most of the
buildings on the east and northeast of the town (bottom and bottom
right) have now fallen to the Kiwis, but the Germans are still
well-entrenched in the rest of the town. Shermans move along the
north slope towards the northern entrance (upper right, blocked by a
burning Pz. IV), while the bulldozer, having filled the first
demolition, makes its way towards the second (lower right).
Flamm Panzer up in flames
The Flamm Panzer erupts in flames as it
falls in close assault to NZ infantry.
Third Sherman KO'd
in close combat
A third Sherman is KO'd in close combat by German
fallschirmjaeger as it moves in towards the northern town entrance.
But pressure mounts as the carrier platoon infantry close assault the
adjacent houses, driving out the defenders.
Hail
Mary
Trapped in the woods east of town and surrounded by enemy, a
German company commander calls in an artillery strike directly on his
position. Sadly, the only casualty is himself.
Fallschirmjaeger commander in tower
The FJ commander takes over
the vacated OP (the FOO fled with the rest of that company) but with
the cat among the pigeons there are few artillery and mortar targets
left. In the upper right can be seen the German company commander
singing his swan song.
Final demolition filled
The
final demolition is filled, paving the way for 18 Regt.'s C Squadron
to pass through to support the Maoris on Pascuccio Spur once the town
has been cleared. But it turns out to be too late in the game, as
time has run out for the attack and a slim majority of the town is
still in enemy hands.
Meanwhile, back on Pascuccio
In
the meantime the battle has been raging on Pascuccio. Repeated
artillery strikes, called in by a FOO hunkered down unseen in the
foreground, thin the ranks of the panzer grenadiers but only succeed
in slowing the panzers.
C Co. remnants surrender as
Germans seize orchard
The remaining elements of 28 Battalion's C
Co., taking the brunt of the attack, are forced to surrender as they
are cut off and surrounded in an orchard.
Seesaw battle at
southwest end of Pascuccio
At the other end of the Maori attack, a
seesaw battle erupts, with the German counterattacking infantry
driven out of an orchard, only to have them return with a vengeance
in counterattack. They prove sticker than expected and are still
harassing this flank at game's end.
Panzer grenadiers make
slow progress
At the north end the panzer grenadiers make slow
progress, as they are continually battered by NZ artillery and small
arms fire. The Maoris manage to block the road with an improvised minefield made up of Hawkins grenades, but by this time the Panzer IV's have abandoned the road and are mulling about on the soft ground either side.
End of the battle
For Pascuccio Spur the
Germans win a minor victory as there are still German units active
within 10” either side of the graveyard at either end, not giving
the Maoris firm control over this section of road.
In
Orsogna the defenders also squeeze out a minor victory, holding 17
built up sectors to the New Zealanders' 16. However, with the German
armour in Orsogna eliminated and both demolitions filled, it was
probably just a matter of time before the defending paratroops would
have been ousted and C Squadron could have pushed through to
Pascuccio. And on Pascuccio Spur the German panzers, although
unharmed, had had their infantry support stripped away while at the
other end of the ridge it was unlikely that the 146th infantry would stay put for long. But there just wasn't time for the
NZ forces to make either of those possibilities come to fruition in
the allotted 15 game turns.
Knocking
it down
I thought some might be interested in seeing all of the terrain bits incorporated into this board, photographed as I knocked it down.
1. The Americans
advance through the woods
2. Germans open fire
3. C Co. moves along north flank through
woods
4. German MG's
spotted
5. Pak attack!
6. First assault goes in against Sanatorium
7. Sdkfz. 251/9 KO'd
8. View from the high
ground east of the Sanatorium
9. Sherman KO'd as attack breaks
down
10. Overview
11. Second Sherman
KO'd
12. Reinforcements arrive
13. Sprinting to
the Sanatorium
14. Tank-hunting party
15.
Counterattack overview
16. B Co. rejoins
the attack
17. A fourth tank down
18. And Jackson goes up in
smoke
19. American command tank
KO'd
20. End game
21. Battle's
conclusion
