Mission #1 - A Coy/RCR Campaign, Sicily to Ortona, Italy, 1943

[ChappyNS]

Welcome to my SASL Campaign!

This campaign follows the historical path of A Coy, Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) from its landing at Pachino, Sicily, to the bloody streets of “Little Stalingrad” at Ortona, Italy in 1943.

At this point I would like to thank and give credit to Ahriman667 who put a lot of effort into the research, design and play-testing of this campaign. It is solely his campaign - I have just “borrowed” it. Thanks Ahriman667!

The overall campaign structure for the Canadians are as follows:

Unit: A Coy/RCR/1 CIB

Composition: [US# 38/26] Leader x3, 4-5-7 x9, 2-4-7, 1-2-7 x3, LMG x4, 51mm MTR x3, PIAT x3

• On OFFENCE add 1-2-7x1, MMGx1 [US# 40/28]
• On DEFENCE add 1-2-7x1, HMGx1 [US# 40/28]

ELR: 4

Command structure:

Company Commander, Capt. R.G. Liddell

Capt Dillon

Lt M.C.D. Bowman

** Cpl Chapman

**Note: I am additionally using the “Personal Leader Optional Rules” (I think originally found in basic Squad Leader) and so I have added my own personal 7-0 leader to the fray. He gets promoted by securing more elan points (positive actions) than cowardice points (negative actions)

On a personal note, I used to be an officer with the RCR so this campaign holds high interest for me. Additionally, as a student and teacher of military history, I have also visited Sicily and Ortona, in part to help get a better grasp of what our guys went through. Previously in my career, I actually met Captain Dillon (see above), who at the time was serving as our honorary Colonel of the Regiment, and who would be one of the few original regimental officers to survive the war.

If you wish to read more about the Canadians in Sicily/Italy, I highly recommend Mark Zuehlke’s four books.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings

Mission #1 - Pachino Airfield​

Where: Pachino, Sicily

When: 10 July, 1943

Mission Type: Pockets

Enemy: Italians (note that I lack Italian counters so instead I used Axis Minor)

Historical Narrative: At 0400 on 10 July 1943, the first wave of Regimental landing craft pulled away from their landing ship and proceeded towards the dark shores of Sicily. The Operation was broken down into 3 phases, the first being securing the beaches, the second eliminating the coastal batteries and the third was securing the nearby Pachino airfield. The first two phases went surprisingly well as over a hundred Italian prisoners were secured by the Regiment, along with four artillery pieces, without any major resistance – only sporadic and ineffective return fire greeted the assaulting troops.

At the start of Phase III, C and D companies pushed past A and B Coy’s to secure the southern edge of the airfield, eliminating isolated MG nests and infantry positions. A Coy, once word was received that the southern part of the airfield was secured began their assault onto the western half of the objective. They quickly came under artillery and machine gun fire, as they moved to assault the barracks from whence most of the MG fire originated from.


SETUP




Board 14 (airfield) is a given for this historical mission and I randomly generated the hills board as #2. I generated the suspect locations of the Italian forces: two locations on the hills board on the southern approach to the airfield, and one larger location to the east of the airfield. I basically have to eliminate all suspect counters/Italians before time runs out, so this leaves me with a problem: I have 6 turns (or maybe a little more) to cover lots of ground with only one company of infantry. I don’t usually prefer to split up my company, but I fear I have little choice in the matter. I have detached a platoon each to deal with the three Italian locations. Each platoon has a PIAT, at least one LMG, one mortar, and an officer. The left flank is commanded by Capt Dillon (with 2I/C Cpl Chapman), the middle by Lt Bowman, and right flank by the company commander, Capt Liddell who has also taken the MMG team with him.

TURN 1

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On a predetermined signal, the Canadians advanced north towards the airfield. On the left flank, the scouts drew fire from 20 Italians hiding in a house and behind a stone wall. Capt Dillon (8-0) ordered the platoon to advance through a copse of woods and occupy a lone derelict building across the street from the Italians. Cpl Chapman (7-0) ordered the mortar into action but the first round was inaccurate. Small arms fire was exchanged without result.

In the centre, Lt Bowman ordered his platoon up the ridge where a group of Italians was discovered hiding amongst some trees. Fire was exchanged, including a mortar round that propelled the unlucky Italians into action: they bolted upright and charged uphill, seeking to impale a section of Canadians on their bayonets. The Canadian section saw them coming and stealthily crept away to join the remainder of the platoon, drawing aim against the confused Italians who couldn’t find their prey.

​

On the right flank, the company commander, Capt Liddell, blew his whistle and his platoon began a slow jog, skirting the woods, and discovering the major east-west road. His MMG team cursed him between heavy breaths as they laboured with the company MG.

Unfortunately, Capt Liddell received a situation report from neighbouring B Company. Italian reinforcements were on the way and heading south directly at his force (note: on the first turn I unfortunately rolled the Italian Random Event number (#34), and so the yellow suspect counters you see in the pics are coming towards me in Advance Attitude. Just my luck!) Turn 2 to follow...

 

[Ahriman667]

Pro Patria

 

[BigAl737]

Oh this is awesome already ?

 

[ChappyNS]

TURN 2

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Cpl Chapman looked through his binoculars at the Italians defending the wall to the front - they were in a good position…all that was needed was one well placed mortar round. The first one was wildly inaccurate….he paused, called a minor adjustment and yelled, “Fire!”. The low thump sound of the mortar bomb echoed in the trees…he waited….whomp! The bomb missed again but it was closer this time. Meanwhile, the Italians emerged from hiding and let forth a volley of fire into the wooden house, unnerving one of 1st platoon’s sections. They picked up their LMG and ran out the back door and into the woods. Cpl Chapman intercepted them and quieted them down, but they were not yet ready to get back to the fight.



In the centre, Lt Bowman’s 2nd platoon had the broken Italian squad penned against a cliff. They were going nowhere. The Italians dropped their weapons and raised their arms, marching out to be taken prisoner. The war was over for them.




On the right, Capt Liddell set up his platoon to take full advantage of the advancing Italian reinforcements. After a minute everyone heard the Italian voices getting louder, coming from the small copse of woods to the platoon’s front. Everyone watched…and waited. The scouts emerged at the edge of the treeline, completely oblivious to what was about to happen. “Fire!” A platoon worth of weaponry opened up…rounds smacking against tree trunks and a few striking flesh. The Italians dropped to the ground, turned and fled through the other end of the woods and kept running. Capt Liddell expected more opposition, but so far the scouts were the only enemy in sight (game note: there were three other activation checks but they were all dummies. There are still some more in the area though). Capt Liddell ordered the assembly of the MMG and the platoon mortar. The expected Italian defences were just ahead, screened by the woods.

 

[ChappyNS]

TURN 3A (Canadian)

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Cpl Chapman calmed his men and got them back into action. Sheepishly, they grabbed their PIAT, adjusted their gear, and took up positions in the woods. Chapman somehow knew that they would have a large role to play in the coming minutes.

The left flank was at a standstill. As he looked at his watch, Capt Dillon realized that something positive would have to happen fast if he was to achieve his platoon’s mission. He glanced back to his mortar crew and signalled them to ignore their limited mortar bomb supply and go for it. The Italians behind the wall were not flinching as their fellow countrymen did on the beaches today. The mortar crew gave the “thumb’s up” and let four bombs fly (yup, 4 ROF rolls). The first three bombs came close, but it was the fourth and last bomb that destroyed the resiliency of the Italian squad, their interest in this battle over. Capt Dillon noted the change in the skirmish and then glanced at the other Italian squad in the wooden house adjacent to the cowering Italians. “Smoke out!” The section commander of the lead section lobbed the grenade onto the street in front of the enemy house. It was well placed, and the grenade exploded with a large puff of smoke. After the smoke was given a chance to thicken, the platoon scouts crept into the street, drawing the attention and fire from the house. While so distracted, the lead section charged the stone wall to the right, where the cowering Italians were. At the wall, the Canadians drew the fire from a new group of Italians - another stone wall loomed 40 meters away, where an Italian officer was pointing and giving orders to about 20 Italian soldiers. Where did they come from? This was indeed an Italian strongpoint of some measure, and Capt Dillon became worried.

“2 section forward! Take the house!” The second section crept forward and joined the scouts in the street, still covered by smoke. They too drew inaccurate rifle fire which allowed Dillon to make his final play: “Chapman, left flanking!” Cpl Chapman assembled his just-rallied men and they began to sprint along the left of the woodline, across the street, and into the woods to the left rear of the Italian occupied house. Chapman was surprised: not only had they successfully out flanked the house defenders, but they also had a clear line of fire to the Italian officer and his 20 soldiers hugging the stone wall. Opportunity indeed.

Dillon instructed the scouts and the two sections to concentrate their fire against the Italians in the house. This drew instant success: the white flag went up and the Italians walked out of the house, hands in the air. The cowering Italians along the stone wall also threw down their weapons and joined their countrymen in surrender. Capt Dillon realized that this was the opportunity he needed to crack open the Italian strongpoint…so far so good.

Meanwhile, Lt Bowman was now halfway up the ridge, but he needed eyes on the other side, for the mission reconnaissance report stated that suspect Italian OPs and defensive positions were on the other slope. He instructed one of his section commanders to proceed to the top of the ridge with his section. The soldiers clambered up the hill and crept forward across the crest. Instantly they drew sporadic rifle fire from enemy soldiers in a treed location below. This was exactly what Lt Bowman expected. He gathered his remaining two sections and his mortar team, and they moved cautiously forward along the bottom of the cliffs, around the high point of the ridge. Advancing uphill, Bowman’s flanking force brought the enemy into view. He now had a firebase with a height advantage, and a flanking force that outnumbered the opposition. The odds looked good…

​

Capt Liddell advanced his MMG and mortar team into the vacant woods to his front, where they took up a defensive position with good observation and lines of fire. He next deployed one section to move around the right side of this wood, and the other two sections to move around the left side, using the wheat field as cover. There were still suspected Italians advancing towards his platoon, and he wanted to make sure he could ambush them and deal with them before tackling the main Italian defensive objective.

 

[ChappyNS]

TURN 3B (Italian)

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Half of the Italians behind the wall were now panicked. Some of them fired towards Cpl Chapman and his men to no effect. Chapman’s section fired back, as did the entire platoon, and 5-6 Italian soldiers lay dead. The Italian leader ran away and entered the wooden house to the rear, and his soldiers quickly followed. Unless Capt Dillon was in for a surprise, the Italian strongpoint was, for all intents and purposes, eliminated.

In the centre, Lt Bowman had his entire platoon engage the hapless Italians, who broke and ran. His men would be hungry to pursue and pursue they will.

​

Capt Liddell suspected some enemy were hiding in the brush to his front, so he had half his platoon spec fire at the area. He was correct; there were Italians there, some twenty or so and they had a mortar. Liddell tasked the MMG and mortar to also engage the brush area to no noticeable effect. This would be problematic, but he expected these things.

 

[ChappyNS]

TURN 4

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Cpl Chapman noted a prime opportunity to assault the house quickly while the broken enemy was still confused and unwilling to fight. He charged across the street with his PIAT section and then advanced up to the house. The Italians realized their plight and quickly withdrew from the house into the woods behind it. Capt Dillon advanced the remainder of the platoon into the house so recently defended, as well as the stone wall. More Italians succumbed to their wounds while in the woods, and a scout reinforcement showed up at their location too late to make a difference. Cpl Chapman directed his squad to fire, wounding the Italian officer and eliminating all remaining Italian soldiers. The officer crawled away onto the road, bleeding profusely from his wound, trying to escape capture by the Canadians.

In the centre, Lt Bowman was struggling to get his orders out, but at least one squad advanced down the hill, crossed the road, and took up a position in the wood. They surprised an Italian squad marching southwest, attempting to reinforce the collapsed Italian strongpoint. Engaged with accurate fire from the Canadians, the Italians broke and ran back into the wood line.

​

Capt Liddell’s troops continued to bring fire down on the Italians in the brush, causing some ten of them to break ranks and flee towards the rear. Unfortunately, a new threat appeared in the woods to the left front; Liddell spied an Italian HMG being set up, while an enemy scout team tried to outflank his platoon. He glanced to the right where his lone section was advancing and noted that they snatched up another five prisoners of war. The company commander glanced at his watch and noted that the CO would soon be breathing heavily down his neck…

Note: all reinforcing S? have now been removed as dummies or replaced with the enemy and only five original S? counters remain in Liddell’s area

 

[BigAl737]

These are fantastic! ??

 

[ChappyNS]

TURN 5

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Capt Dillon observed the collapse of the remaining Italians on the left flank and decided to take hasty, pursuit action. He sent Cpl Chapman to surround a squad of broken enemy and who promptly surrendered. The wounded Italian officer was captured as well. The left flank was totally cleared of enemy and it was time to move quickly to join the company commander.

Lt Bowman was still having communication problems. His platoon was spread far and wide, and it was difficult to get the proper orders to his sections. Fortunately some section commanders took the situation into their own hands and moved forward quickly, with his lead section occupying the house near the woods where Capt Liddell had just revealed an enemy HMG.

​

The company commander ordered the MMG to engage the Italian HMG. The rounds impacted amongst the Italian leader and squad, both of whom broke under the intense fire, leaving the HMG unmanned. But just when things started to look good, two separate 81mm harassment missions started coming down, although fortunately the rounds impacted just out of range of his soldiers…but for how long? (Note: Italian RE #33 was rolled)

 

[ChappyNS]

The Battle for the Pachino airfield is over and it has ended with a Canadian victory! The battle went to turn #6 where there was negligible exchange of fire and lots of advancing by the Canadians. The Italians were reduced to a skeletal force which would have been doomed if there were two more turns. As it was historically, Capt Liddell was successful in capturing the first enemy airfield for allied operation during Operation Husky!

The Italians suffered about 25 KIA and 45 POW. The Canadians suffered no casualties.

The Italians had two favourable RE's: #34 (reinforcements) and #33 (harassment arty). The Canadians had no RE results. The Italians had one good sniper shot on turn #6, breaking a section. The Canadian snipers were silent.

The VP totals were:

Canadians: 32 (casualties and POWs)
Italians: 12 (2 x S? remained) plus units on board at battle end

No FRIENDLY leader was promoted, although Cpl Chapman (using the Personal Leader Optional Rule) gained 5 Elan points and is now halfway to Sergeant.

Two Canadian sections upgrade to elite (4-5-8)

Summary: The "Pockets" mission can be difficult because, as I found in this battle, the enemy location areas can be spread far apart, thereby forcing you to separate the company over great distances. The mission in this case becomes a race against time. The Canadians fought well and persevered.

Mission #2 will probably begin on Sunday night and I will simply create a new thread for it.

Thanks for watching!

 

[BigAl737]

I’ve played the first mission and it ended very similar to yours. Much fun. That was over a year ago. Would like to get this on the table again. Till then, I’m thoroughly enjoying “playing” vicariously through your sessions. You’re a good story teller. Thanks again for posting them. Have fun on Sunday.

 

[ChappyNS]

I’ve played the first mission and it ended very similar to yours. Much fun. That was over a year ago. Would like to get this on the table again. Till then, I’m thoroughly enjoying “playing” vicariously through your sessions. You’re a good story teller. Thanks again for posting them. Have fun on Sunday.

Thanks Big Al! It would be cool if we ran two campaigns side by side and see what happens.

 

[von Garvin]

Great reading!

Pro Patria!

 

[thedrake]

Great narrative. Mind if I ask why using Axis Minors for Italians? Or do you just not have Italian counters?

 

[von Garvin]

He says up top that he doesn't have the Italian counters.

And agree: this is great reading!

 

[thedrake]

Missed that,thanks.

 

[ChappyNS]

Missed that,thanks.

Thanks for reading. If I had started doing these on VASL like I am now, this would not have been an issue!

 

[von Garvin]

Thanks for reading. If I had started doing these on VASL like I am now, this would not have been an issue!

One of the prize packs for CASLO is LFT 14, which has two counter sheets of Italians. Who knows? Maybe you'll win?

 

[ChappyNS]

One of the prize packs for CASLO is LFT 14, which has two counter sheets of Italians. Who knows? Maybe you'll win?

Any chance you have a copy of "Hollow Legions" up for the winnings?

 

[von Garvin]

Any chance you have a copy of "Hollow Legions" up for the winnings?

Unfortunately, no, I don't. I do have an empty box. LOL