ChappyNS
Senior Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2019
- Messages
- 271
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- 377
- Location
- Halifax, NS (Canada)
- First name
- Mark
- Country
Welcome to Mission #2 of my SASL Campaign! Mission #1 was successful for the Canadians, as they eliminated the shocked Italians from the Pachino airfield in southern Sicily. This next mission will be a new test for the Regiment: different terrain and a new enemy!
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 again 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:
Capt. R.G. Liddell (A Coy Cmd)
Capt Dillon (A Coy 2IC)
Lt M.C.D. Bowman (Pl Cmd)
** 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 continued ramblings!
Where: Valguernera, Sicily
When: 18 July, 1943
Mission Type: Take the Highway (5)
Enemy: Germans; specifically elements of the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
Historical Narrative: The next seven days after the landings, the RCR were”…eating dust – breathing dust.” as they pursued the fleeing enemy forces across the island. The Commander of the 1st CIB leap-frogged his battalions through a series of objectives, until finally at Valguarnera the Royals ran into the Germans, engaging them throughout the slopes and wooded knolls. Communications became a problem as the deep ravines and gullies played havoc with the wireless communications of the Regiment; the forward companies would eventually lose contact with their BHQ and thus be unable to call in supporting artillery fire.
On the morning of the 18th, the Royals found themselves situated on a razor-backed ridge, overlooking the road leading eastward into Valguernera. Between them and their objective (Valguernera) lay a series of small hills and knolls and a troublesome enemy platoon that was holding up the advance. At 1030 hrs, the Battalion CO, L.Col. Crowe, decided to put pressure on the Germans by ordering the attack to go ahead, with A Coy leading (B Coy followed closely behind) down the high feature.
SETUP
All three boards are randomly generated, although the two western boards had to be hills and the eastern board had to be a village (boards 15, 2, 12). I have also developed a random overlay generator so you will additionally see a copse of woods, a marsh, a pond, and an open ground hex spread around the three boards. I also generated the suspect locations of the German forces based on the "Take the Highway" mission and based on the shortest road network from the FBE (in this case the southern edges of boards 15 and 2) and the EBE (eastern edge of board 12).
Basically, I have to clear the road network of all suspect counters/Germans before time runs out, probably turn 11 but maybe later. Looking at the map, the longest portion of the road network runs between the two ridges, yet the possible enemy locations are sparse. Near Valguernera, the road network passes through a small village, and Canadian reconnaissance has determined that there is a large enemy presence in this village.
I have determined that I will detach #2 platoon (Capt Dillon/Cpl Chapman) to clear the road between the ridges. Concurrently, #1 platoon (Capt Liddell) and #3 platoon (Lt Bowman) will advance towards the western portion of the village and clear it towards the east. #2 platoon will rejoin A Coy once they have completed their task. Each platoon has a PIAT, at least one LMG, one mortar, and an officer. Capt Liddell has also taken the MMG team with him. Turn #1 will follow hopefully tomorrow...in the meantime, enjoy another view of the battlefield below...
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 again 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:
Capt. R.G. Liddell (A Coy Cmd)
Capt Dillon (A Coy 2IC)
Lt M.C.D. Bowman (Pl Cmd)
** 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 continued ramblings!
Where: Valguernera, Sicily
When: 18 July, 1943
Mission Type: Take the Highway (5)
Enemy: Germans; specifically elements of the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment
Historical Narrative: The next seven days after the landings, the RCR were”…eating dust – breathing dust.” as they pursued the fleeing enemy forces across the island. The Commander of the 1st CIB leap-frogged his battalions through a series of objectives, until finally at Valguarnera the Royals ran into the Germans, engaging them throughout the slopes and wooded knolls. Communications became a problem as the deep ravines and gullies played havoc with the wireless communications of the Regiment; the forward companies would eventually lose contact with their BHQ and thus be unable to call in supporting artillery fire.
On the morning of the 18th, the Royals found themselves situated on a razor-backed ridge, overlooking the road leading eastward into Valguernera. Between them and their objective (Valguernera) lay a series of small hills and knolls and a troublesome enemy platoon that was holding up the advance. At 1030 hrs, the Battalion CO, L.Col. Crowe, decided to put pressure on the Germans by ordering the attack to go ahead, with A Coy leading (B Coy followed closely behind) down the high feature.
SETUP
All three boards are randomly generated, although the two western boards had to be hills and the eastern board had to be a village (boards 15, 2, 12). I have also developed a random overlay generator so you will additionally see a copse of woods, a marsh, a pond, and an open ground hex spread around the three boards. I also generated the suspect locations of the German forces based on the "Take the Highway" mission and based on the shortest road network from the FBE (in this case the southern edges of boards 15 and 2) and the EBE (eastern edge of board 12).
Basically, I have to clear the road network of all suspect counters/Germans before time runs out, probably turn 11 but maybe later. Looking at the map, the longest portion of the road network runs between the two ridges, yet the possible enemy locations are sparse. Near Valguernera, the road network passes through a small village, and Canadian reconnaissance has determined that there is a large enemy presence in this village.
I have determined that I will detach #2 platoon (Capt Dillon/Cpl Chapman) to clear the road between the ridges. Concurrently, #1 platoon (Capt Liddell) and #3 platoon (Lt Bowman) will advance towards the western portion of the village and clear it towards the east. #2 platoon will rejoin A Coy once they have completed their task. Each platoon has a PIAT, at least one LMG, one mortar, and an officer. Capt Liddell has also taken the MMG team with him. Turn #1 will follow hopefully tomorrow...in the meantime, enjoy another view of the battlefield below...
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