FT230 Italian Behemoth - AAR

[von Marwitz]

FT230 Italian Behemoth - AAR

This scenario was in the offering of GRENADIER 2019, but then I did not have the chance to play it. As I had created a VASL file for it back then and now VASL allows the easy updating of counters to the current version, I did this to v6.6.1 and gave it a shot.

What I find interesting about this scenario is that it reflects and captures historical Italian doctrine. A quote from the scenario card:

"At about 0330 on 16. February, the forward sections under Lieutenant Kay heard engines coming towards them. The Italian trucks moving at full speed with lights out, were immediately attacked with machine gun fire, forcing the colonial infantry to seek cover. At about 0515 before dawn, the Italians tried a frontal assault, supported by light tanks."

In a nutshell, Italian doctrine was to move motorized infantry fast and deep into enemy territory before opposition could crystalize. The problem was that the Italian formations were too lightly armed if they ran into serious opposition and then had trouble breaking it - and thus jeopardizing the concept of the 'fast and deep' doctrine.

Trucks are not in play in this scenario, but their parking just offboard can easily be imagined after the Italians being checked in their initial thrust, with the burnt out wrecks more representing Italian Trucks rather than South African AFV.

Despite ETO terrain being in effect, I originally designed the VASL file with DTO colors for the added atmosphere of Abyssinia, where the action takes place. Unfortunately, I found out, that using DTO colors for ETO maps disables the LOS-Tool in VASL. So for our game I switched colors back to ETO and added an extra line of half-hexes to the boards on each side in VASL which are not in play (see dotted lines), because displaying full hexes disables the LOS-Tool as well and I needed the full hexes of the playing area displayed because this could be relevant for Bypass.

After many forewords, now let's get to it!



The Italians are instructed set up onboard on the far side of the depression, while the South Africans sit on the hill with some pickets in Foxholes up front.

The Italians either have to exit 16VP including 6VP of Infantry for an immediate win or Control hex 61H3 at game end with vehicular Control being N/A. The early morning dawn ist represented by a +1 LV Hindrance being in effect at all ranges for Turn 1 and 2. Note, that Light Woods (B35) are in effect, which are a +2 Hindrance for same level LOS, can be more easily traversed by vehicles but are otherwise treated as Woods.

The situation feels like the challenge the Italians must have felt historically. You have to cross that ground but have nothing with which you can really punch the enemy to cover your approach.


Situation at Game Start:



My plan for the Italian attack was as follows:
It was clear that I could not avoid being fired at while moving across open ground - with ASL Italians. Uh-oh... With a Good Order morale of 6 or 7, even Armored Assault would leave my Italians vulnerable. And once broken, not much safe rally terrain around nor leaders to spare, those Italians who broke early would likely never come back.
Thus I planned to avoid being seen as much as possible. By brute force and frontal assault, my Italians would overcome the western flank of the picket line and rush forward to the dubious cover of the Light Woods, taking advantage of any blind hexes created against the dangerous fire from the hill.
The Light Woods on the western flank would provide Rally Terrain for the inevitable brokies. The assault would continue taking advantage of blind hexes as much as possible for an exit in the south-west. If things would somehow go awry, the Italians would switch the objective and capture the victory hex.

What could possibly go wrong?


Situation at End of Italian Turn 1:



The initial Italian assault worked as well as I could have ever hoped.
Key was to overcome the South African HS in 69S10, which duly laid down a Fire Lane right into my path of blind hexes and safety. I sent out one platoon of tankettes against it, just entering its hex, not bogging, and thus cancelling the FL with both tankettes surviving and imposing Target Selection Limits on the enemy HS.

Next it was time for some brave Italian 'volunteers' roughly shoved forward by their officers to draw and exhaust the enemy fire. This cost two Italian squads Casualty Reduced and broken and a third squad broken. Much to my relief, neither the enemy MTR nor the MMG on their Level 2 perches kept ROF and paths were left open without residual FP.

In this much hoped for 'now or never'-moment, the Italians rushed forward and most reached the safety of blind hexes. The South African HS+LMG in 69S10 was overcome in CC. Unfortunately, the Italians destroyed the LMG in the process. Also unfortunately, the MA MG of one of the tankettes had malfed on its first shot.


Situation at End of South African Turn 1:



Luckily for my Italians, nothing bad happened to them during South African Turn 1. The MTR attempted to dig in and did not fire, the MMG could not harm anything nor could the other pickets. Having reached the safety of the blind hexes paid off.


To be continued in a subsequent post...

von Marwitz

 

[von Marwitz]

Situation at End of Italian Turn 2:



During Italian Turn 2, my legionnaires consolidated in the Light Woods and Brush on the western flank, preparing their jump-off to the next wood to the south, some advancing beneath the second platoon of tankettes in preparation for an Armored Assault. The first platoon of tankettes charged forward, staying out of LOS as much as possible, to pose a threat - at least that's what my Italians hoped...

Despite the best efforts of almost the entire Italian Good Order force, I could not break the picket HS in its Foxhole in 69V9. This was irritating, because it sat in a very upleasant spot for my further progress and needed to be eliminated as a threat in my back, especially since Light Woods do not block but merely hinder LOS.


Situation at End of South African Turn 2:



During South African Turn 2, the luck for the Italians seemed to hold: The MTR did no harm and had no ROF. The MMG changed position to a very threatening spot. A lucky shot by the one tankette which could fire rolled a 2,1 for a 1MC on my opponent's most important stack, breaking the 9-1 Leader - and 'Heat-of-Battling' the squad to Elite and creating a Hero, and triggering a Sniper that CR'ed and re-DM'ed one of my broken squads. That was bad... Of the pickets, the 8-0 Leader, 447+ATR retreated onto the hill. Once more, the almost the entire Italian force was incapable of such much as scratching the picket HS in 69V9.


Situation at End of Italian Turn 3:



First, I moved one platoon of tankettes to neutralize the South African squad and leader in 61N3. The weaponless tank not only survived entering the hex but the Bounding Fire of its platoon buddy broke the squad which rolled boxcars on its MC. The leader, however, rolled snakes to Battle Harden to become an 8-0.

What did I say? 'What could possibly go wrong?'

Emboldened by their prior success, my Italians attempted to get their Infantry forward with much esprit, but it was a disaster. This time, both the enemy MMG and MTR kept ROF, thus literally dashing my hopes of exhausting their fire and move through the gaps of Residual Fire Power with my remaining force. One squad reached 61O6, another 61N5, a third one Pinned on 61N5, so two of them were set up for the MTR in Final Fire which had kept ROF. After the Italian 7-0 got pasted by the MMG - which kept ROF - my remaining Infantry determined all of a sudden that it would rather be safer to stay where they were and that they were way too busy to deal with the enemy picket HS in their back. One squad assault moved ADJACENT, only to be promptly broken by the picket. Now I thought about what to do with the second platoon of tankettes: To provide cover for crossing the strech of Open Ground between the two patches of woods, they would have to stop, making these vulnerable things much more easy to hit. I briefly pondered to use them CE in the next turn in an attempt to find vehicular smoke grenades. In the end I found that to be too risky an idea, so to build up some pressure on the hill, I moved the platoon up there but out of harm's way for the time being.

During Advancing Fire, the felt '8 Million Bayonets' of almost all my Infantry once more failed miserably to effect that picket HS at all. Instead, this dreaded enemy picket in 69V9 was now costing me '8 Million Nerves' as it single-handedly screwed up my Routh Paths. Well, at least I did not need to worry about some Routs any longer, since the MTR had scored a 2 KIA on the two Italian squads in N5 in Final Fire...

The Italian Infantry assault had been stopped cold with 2 squads killed, 1 squad and 1 leader broken and the rest in a weaker position to get forward than before.


Situation at End of South African Turn 3:



The South Africans used their Turn 3 to redeploy on the hill. My chances to get across the open space from L7 to O9 seemed to deteriorate. The dreaded HS picket had re-DM'ed a squad, another was shot up in O6 from the hill.

Needless to say that yet again despite all Good Order Italian Infantry fired at the 69V9 HS picket, they had no effect and were just laughed at when they broke an LMG on top. Out of 12 Italian squads, I only had five left in Good Order, one of them way back in 69Z5.

At this point, I thought I had lost the game as it appeared inconceivable how these remaining squads could ever reach the board edge or capture the hill, which was now squirming with South Africans.

To be continued in subsequent post...

von Marwitz

 

[Cpl Uhl]

Your right Andre. The DTO colors provide better atmospherics. But maybe it's the rainy season?

 

[von Marwitz]

Situation at End of Italian Turn 4:



Because things looked grim, I decided for a repair attempt of the malfed tankette's MG. Bad idea, it was disabled and the tankette thus under Recall, enhancing my troubles with regard to platoon movement. None of the Italians rallied as was to be expected.

Since I could not afford to lose any time, I sneaked my remaining Italian Infantry forward to remain in blind hexes from fire off the hill, but surely I did not know how I would conceivably get any further from there without being shot to pieces. The 'dreaded picket HS' was now in my back, so breaking there would be a disaster. I managed to move the tankettes to form a single platoon atop the hill, exposing it to fire there - but what else was left to the Italians to do? Bounding Fire did break a South African squad, but in turn, one of the tankettes was Shocked. From 69Z5, a lone Italian squad that had somehow contrieved to self-rally in the previous Italian turn now moved forward in the hope of being ignored for irrelevance.


Situation at End of South African Turn 4:



No South Africans rallied. No Italians either. The tankette did not recover but flipped to 'Unconfirmed Kill'.

My Italians were lucky that the South African Prep Fire did not harm my tankettes. During Movement, the 'dreaded picket HS' gleefully emerged from its Foxhole to go running about re-DM'ing my Italian brokies in the area.

Most importantly, though, one of my tankettes blazed a glorious shot at 61G5 with the enemy 9-1, Hero, 458+MMG, lethally wounding the Hero and breaking the 458! If this menacing position would remain neutralized, maybe, just maybe some opportunities would open up for the desperate Italian Infantry next turn...


Situation at End of Italian Turn 5:



What happened next is recounted by the Italian veterans of this action ever since with great gesture and most lively intonation.

Most importantly, the South African 9-1 could not rally the broken 458+MMG. Moreover, my 'Unconfirmed Killed' tankette recovered.

This opened up opportunities for my Italians. The single platoon of three tankettes valiantly charged forward into the South Africans for a double Overrun into hex 61G5 where it Casualty reduced the broken 458+MMG and into 61F3 where the ATR fire was ineffective but in turn the 7-0 Leader and the 447+ATR were broken! One could really say that 'the cavalry' had arrived...

Now, the South Africans only had the MTR and one 447+LMG to defend the approaches of the hill against my remaining infantry. First, I sent in the 346, suddenly no longer irrelevant at all, to E9 ADJACENT to the MTR. The crew held its fire having my more juicy infantry in mind. Then I sent up a 'volunteer' 346 from 61K8 right into the face of the 447+LMG, which eventually did draw fire - and survived! As an Italian tankette was ADJACENT to that 447+LMG, my infantry now had freedom of movement. I did not need to worry about the MTR, because my Italians cunningly selected a path 5 hexes distant from the MTR, which kept it both closer than the minimum range of the MTR of 6 hexes and further than the maximum range of its crew of 4 hexes. Conti and his men charged up the hill and gained Control of the Victory hex. Barbieri and two squads followed up to 61J4.

The South African brokies had to rout away from the Level 2 portion of the hill and I could even advance Conti and his squad ADJACENT to keep them under DM if they would not rally in their next turn.

All of a sudden, the situation had completly turned around from pretty much hopeless for the Italians to quite promising!


Situation at End of South African Turn 5:



The South Africans in 61H1 did not Rally, which boded evil for them. Lieutenant Lawrence in 61C7 did inspire his men, though. Furthermore, the reinforcement in the form of an Marmon Herrington III armored truck was due to arrive.

By now, the South Africans had merely the MTR with which their Prep Fire could affect the Italians, whose luck held, as it did no damage to Conti and his men in 61H2. Lt. Lawrence and his men proceeded up the hill again, not being able to affect the 346 next to the MTR later in the AFPh. Due to the Truck type MP expenditure, the Marmon Herrington could not really get anywhere meaningful after having entered on 61O8, re-DM'ing two Italians brokies in the area.

During Defensive Fire, my Italians encircled the MTR but did not manage to break its crew. Nor could Barbieri direct his men to dispose of the armored truck with MGs. Things were now looking grim for the South Africans.

To be continued in a subsequent post...

von Marwitz

 

[JoeArthur]

Played this one - a fun scenario.

I was the Brits and had the MTR in the same place but the machine guns were on ground level to produce firelanes. The MMG broke on the first shot and the Italians ran.......

 

[lionelc62]

Great AAR - Thanks !

 

[boylermaker]

Nooooo, what a cliff-hanger!

 

[von Marwitz]

Situation during MPh of Italian Turn 6 - Game End:



No Italians managed to rally. But finally at long last the South African squad in 61N0 did. However the 7-0 in 61H0 did not, spelling doom on all units there for forseeable Surrender/Failure to Rout.

Conti moved ADJACENT to 61H0, sealing the fate of the South Africans there. Then, the platoon of tankettes continued their charge atop the hill, with the first one Overrunning Lt. Lawrence and his infantry, surviving a shot by the LMG but not having any effect with the Overrun. In Reaction Fire thereafter, the South Africans did manage to Immobilize the tankette triggering the Italian Sniper which killed the South African Leader in 61N0 and Casualty Reduced the just rallied squad due to a LLMC. On the same OVR expenditure, the two other tankettes used Bounding Fire - both of them rolling snakes (!). This broke the 1.5 squads there and wounded Lt. Lawrence.

The only remaining South African unit that was at this point theoretically able to reach the victory hex was the MTR crew. At this point, my opponent conceded.


For sure, this game had a dramatic turns. It started well for the Italians but then turned grim when the advance of the Italian Infantry was stopped cold in the 61N9 area with about two thirds of it out of commission at that time and in a seemingly hopeless position to get anywhere without being shot to pieces by the South African defenders atop the hill. Then, the 'cavalry' in the form of the three tankettes made all the difference with a good measure of fine DRs mixed in for good measure. All of a sudden, an opportunity arose for the remaining Italian Infantry to charge up the hill for control of the Victory hex. The Italians could then consolidate their position atop the hill, again primarily due to the platoon of tankettes.

ROAR has this now (as of 3. December 2020) at 11 to 4 in favor of the Italians. I find this quite surprising, as I believe I have been quite lucky with the 'survival' of my Italian infantry. For sure, it has been a challenge to play the Italians on the attack across much open ground, since I have not much experience with that nationality.

I seem to remember having seen the scenario played on VASL where the Italian player attacked through the middle and eastern flank. I did not watch the entire game but I think the did reach the hill despite the terrain offering much less cover there. I have no idea how that might have worked. The effect of Light Woods makes this interesting, as this makes any left-over South African pickets in the back of the Italians extremely dangerous with regard to inhibiting Rout possibilities. The South African MTR can be a most evil killer against Italians in Light Woods - well, basically anywhere... If the South Africans can contrieve to take out one or two of the tankettes early, then I think the Italians are in trouble.

von Marwitz

 

[laurent closier]

Thank you very much for your report .

 

[BattleSchool]

Did the Italians use Armored Assault? It's unclear from your otherwise excellent report.

I tried Armored Assault, although I put the 7-0 with a pair of 3-4-7s to avoid LLMC--not that it helped. The 8-1 stack didn't fair any better, and the scenario was over on Turn 1.