Mission #6 - A Coy/RCR Campaign, Sicily to Ortona, Italy, 1943

ChappyNS

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TURN 5 (CDN)

13124

Sgt Chapman ordered the continued firing of the mortars and MMG at the Germans in the woods. Through his binoculars he saw approximately another ten Germans killed by his soldiers' fire. The MMG kept firing, then suddenly jammed. The team fervently tried to clear the breech while Chapman looked on with concern.

Capt Dillon was unnerved by the approach of the flamethrower a minute ago, and he was indecisive in what to do next (panic). His men refused to move as well, and they sat to the side of the street, wasting away the initiative.

1 Pl wanted to return fire against the small group of paras, but they were lacking guidance and failed to engage the enemy (panic). So much panic this turn!

Capt Bowman grabbed one of his sections and crept up the hill and into the brush beside the MG42. Immediately they were engaged by enemy fire, coming from the foxhole area (5aK15) which effectively pinned them. They were fire upon again, but the firepower was less, yet Bowmans section was still pressing their bodies into the earth. At this point the remainder of 3 Pl crept up the hill...one joined Bowman and the other moved beside him, about 30 meters away. Bowman ordered 3 Pl to fire at the foxholes, but from what he saw there was no harmful effect on the paras.

Maj Liddell, with the section helping him along, moved up onto the peak and finally saw 1 Pl to their front. Creeping forward, Liddell joined the platoon together, and they took up firing positions.

Very little was achieved this half turn due to the amount of panic


TURN 5 (GER)

13126

Sgt Chapman smiled when his boys were able to clear the jam quickly - the MMG was back in action. The smile soon left his face, however, when he glanced through his binoculars and saw the flamethrower squad compose themselves. The paras with the weapon of terror moved out from the woods in an attempt to attack Capt Dillon and 2 Pl from the flank. As the paras entered the brush (50G7), Chapman heard a low "thump" coming from the hill northwest of him. Mortar team B, 2 Pl's mortar (5aO9), saw the paras as well and fired a bomb at them. The Germans stopped in the brush (pinned) and looked around in some concern. Unfortunately, the mortar team drew the ire of the vicious German sniper, and they were broken and afraid. Abandoning their mortar, they moved downhill into some woods for protection. Meanwhile, Chapman ordered his firebase to engage the flamethrower squad with everything. Both mortars missed, but the MMG was very accurate, and caused the paras to break and begin to run back to the woods where they started.

The German NCO ordered his soldiers to move into the wooden house (50G10), escaping the punishment from the Canadian mortars on the hill and also attack the Canadians on the street on the other side of the house. Capt Dillon saw the paras occupy the house nearby. 2 Pl engaged the paras but they had good cover now and the bullets didn't find their mark. But suddenly, the sound of propeller blades drew near, and Dillon looked up at the sky. The first Hurricane approached from treetop level, firing its MGs into the house, and wounded several paras. This caused the enemy some panic and they fled from the house back to their leader in the woods. Dillon watched the second Hurricane swing around, looking for the flamethrower team, but things went very wrong. The pilot mistakenly thought that Dillon and his men were Germans and fired the plane's MGs along the entire approach. 2 Pl was pinned to the ground as the RAF pilot did his best to kill them...several men from 2 Pl were wounded, and one soldier lost his cool and fired his rifle after the plane's passing.

Friendly fire, isn't.

At the other end of the battlefield, the small group on paras on the peak fired at Liddell and his men to no effect. 1 Pl fired back with all of its firepower, causing the half squad to break and run downhill into some woods.

The wounded German NCO in the foxholes, saw a whole platoon assaulting towards him. Some were very close, and the remainder successfully grabbed his MG42 and turn it around , the business end facing towards him. "Spray fire at both targets!" he yelled in German. His men did the best they could, but their fire was halfhearted and failed to hit their mark. Bowman ordered 3 Pl to engage the foxholes with everything, including their newest toy - the captured MG42. The firepower was extremely intense, and Bowman saw the NCO and his men flee from the foxholes towards the rear, moving downhill into a gully.

A much better second half of the turn for the Canadians. They have the paras on the run right now and as long as the RAF remains out of the battle the Canadians should be OK :)
 

ChappyNS

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TURN 6 (CDN)

13144

Capt Dillon noticed through his binoculars that half of the paras in the woods (50H10) succumbed to their wounds from a previous firefight. It was time to move. He ordered the scouts and his PIAT section to swarm the copse of woods, defended by a lone NCO and his small group of paras. As they moved off, Dillon grabbed the remaining section with the bren and run uphill in pursuit of the flamethrower squad (50H8). He encountered them in close quarters and his men fired, eliminating them all when the flamethrower receiver a round and exploded all over the paras. As they rolled around on the ground in flames and screaming, the Canadians put them out of their misery. Meanwhile, the group of paras surrendered to the scouts. The German NCO resisted, and when the section moved into his location to engage him in hand to hand combat, the NCO hid and snuck away (ambush withdrawal). Finally, yet another sniper shot was heard impacting near the broken section who were even more unnerved and rendered useless by fear.

On the other side of the battlefield, Maj Liddell ordered a section forward to the edge of the peak and looked down but nothing was there (dummy in 5aN12). Since there was no threat, Liddell took 1 Pl and raced downhill, then back up the next peak, advancing slowly into a woods at the crest. Looking down, they saw a German squad with a panzerschreck; the paras noticed them, and their leader gave hasty orders to take cover and train their weapons uphill.

Meanwhile, Bowman advanced 3 Pl to the recently occupied foxholes and the gully behind it. They encountered the wounded NCO and his soldiers (5aL15), gunning five of them down, and once again the NCO had escaped danger. He limped and fled into the woods beyond, joining another five paras who were hiding out in terror. (5aM15) The NCO seemed indestructible!


TURN 6 (GER)

13145

Mortar team B was able to finally get their act together after a sniper had ruined their day.

The German leutnant barked out fire orders and his squad responded by firing uphill at Maj Liddell. But the Canadians were taking good cover positions and most of the rounds flew high over their heads. The Canadians responded which included the captured MG42, and the para officer was riddled with bullets, his men cowering in fear. Grabbing their panzerschreck, the squad fled downhill, jumped a wall, and occupied a house. (5aO15).

Capt Bowman and his platoon were adjacent to the wounded NCO and his men. Several grenades later, there was no one left alive there. He had finally met his end.

The last German leader on the battlefield moved quickly into the copse of woods for protection (50J10), but Capt Dillon and his men fired at him accurately, causing him to drop to the ground...he continued to flee further into the woods and out of sight.

Unless the Germans get a wicked RE, this one is over. I will work out the remaining two turns next time....
 

ChappyNS

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TURN 7 & 8

13162

A Coy rounded up the German stragglers and added them to their POW collection that would be sent back to higher HQ for interrogation.

The Hurricanes waggled their wings and then sped off to their airfield, wherever that was. Capt Dillon raised his middle finger as they flew off; he and his platoon had almost met their deaths from their "friendly fire". Dillon looked at his wounded company commander and said, "Hey boss, how are you doing?" "Well, fortunately that was a shitty sniper, haha!" The company joined in with laughter, relieved that the battle was over and they were in one piece. Maj Liddell had been hit twice, and the docs may have him sit out the next couple weeks. He was placed on a stretcher and carried off to the ambulance where his wounds would be attended and the medics would make their call on his condition.

A Coy was successful again, although there were moments when disaster could have happened. San Marco has been secured and the brigade would leapfrog through them as had happened many times in the past.

Post battle: Unfortunately A Coy has to give up the MG42. Good news, Maj Liddell's wounds were superficial and he is able to carry on with his command. No officers were promoted. However, Sgt Chapman earned enough elan points to be promoted. Liddell spoke to the CO and it was agreed that Sgt Chapman would undergo a field promotion to Lieutenant (8-1). Now a junior officer (subaltern) in the Regiment, he shed his old life for a new one. Chapman was also awarded a "Mentioned in Dispatches" for his influence in this battle when directing the firebase against the opposition.*
Squad seasoning: the last rifle section in A Coy is now elite. A Coy is now completely elite except for the company scouts.

*I created my own British & Commonwealth Awards table (and Russian as well). I have the German and American ones I found somewhere, and so I based the British one loosely after those as follows:


DECORATIONS
A leader may be awarded a decoration if he achieves a high point total in one scenario. If the required total is met, the leader may make a DR , with 11+ required to receive the award. A
DRM of +1 per point over the required total applies.If the highest possible award is not received, the leader may make a DR for each lower award until all have been unsuccessfully rolled for,
or one is awarded.

BRITISH & COMMONWEALTH AWARDS

Victoria Cross (VC) 20+
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)* 15+
Military Cross (MC)* 11+
Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)** 15+
Military Medal (MM)** 11+
Mentioned in Dispatches 7+

*officers only; for DSO usually Maj+
** other ranks only

Chapman earned enough points for a Military Medal, but was given the lesser award instead. Nonetheless a nice achievement.

A Coy will soon be transported further north for their next battle at Busso, a search and destroy mission.

Thanks for watching!
 
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