Background
On Mark Clark’s U.S. Fifth Army front U.S. VI Corps was pushed up the coast along highway 1 and U.S. II Corps along highway 2 towards Viterbo. To their right British Eighth Army’s British XIII Corps headed up highway 3 towards Terni and Perugia whilst V Corps advanced up the Adriatic coast.
Between 4 June and 16 June, whilst maintaining contact with the advancing Allies, Albert Kesselring executed a remarkable and unorthodox maneuver with his depleted divisions, resulting in his two armies aligning and uniting their wings on the defensive positions on the Trasimene Line. Remarkable though this was, he was probably helped by the confusion caused in the Allied advance by the relieving of II and VI Corps (substituted by U.S. IV Corps and the French Expeditionary Corps). British X Corps had also been brought into the line on XIII Corps’ right whilst V Corps had been relieved by Polish II Corps.
By the last week of June the Allies were facing the Trasimene positions. Joachim Lemelsen’s Fourteenth Army had Frido von Senger und Etterlin’s XIV Panzer Corps facing IV Corps on the west coast and Alfred von Schlemm’s 1st Parachute Corps facing the French Expeditionary Corps beside them”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasimene_Line
Situation
American and British troops are racing up from Rome on parallel roads to prevent the Germans from consolidating a defensive line in Central Italy. Allied Victory Objective: Penetrate the thin German Fallschirmjager positions and seize several key towns before reinforcements arrive. German Victory Objective: Prevent the Allies from achieving their objective.
Terrain
The terrain consisted of typical Italian features: two parallel roads with dividing steep hills between them; a river next to the Allied jump off line; woods, vineyards and orchards spread around; with a number of towns and small villages along the route. In reality, the two roads were spread apart by about 10 kms.
The Game
Scenario Special Rules
- Play was lengthwise (Northwest – Southeast) on the table.
- All forces on both sides were determined by the Game Master. There were roughly 4,000 points on each side.
- The Axis Fallschirmjager started on the table, with mobile reserves from the Herman Goering Division arriving on random entry points on turns 4, 5 and 6.
- The Allied troops started on the table.
- The river could be crossed at bridges or difficult going elsewhere.
- Neither side received Air Power.
- The Allies received the first move.
Forces
The Germans consisted of a Fallshirschjager Company (3 platoons of Fallschirmjagers, one FJ Pio platoon, 80mm Mortar platoon and a Marder II platoon deployed along the front line and in the two villages behind. The FJ had three sections of 2 AT guns each in ambush (could only deploy behind the first road). The mobile troops from the Herman Goering company included two PzGrenadier platoons in trucks, a Wespe battery, a sdkfz 231 section, a Semoventi 75/34 platoon and a Semoventi 105 platoon. The FJs were rated as Fearless Veteran and the HG troops were rated as Confident Veterans.
The Allies consisted of an American Medium Tank Company consisting of: two platoons of M$ Shermans, a M5 Stuart platoon, an armored infantry platoon, armored recce platoon, M-21 Mortar section, a 105mm Priest artillery battery and Engineers (with an armored assault bulldozer!). Additionally a British Tank Company of two M4 Sherman platoons, a Stuart REcce platton, two platoons of motorized infantry, a carrier recce section and medium mortars. The Allies troops were rated Confident Veteran.
Narrative:
On Turn One began with both allied companies beginning the attack off the march. The allies movement was somewhat stymied by the river across their front and contented themselves with trying to blast there way through the forward FJ platoons.
Over the next four turns the brave Fallschirmjagers held out against hope in the finest traditions. The allies threw all their firepower at the Germans slowly whittling down the FJs.
By Turn Six, out of frustration, the British threw a Sherman troop across the river to assault the Germans, only to lose the entire troop in a hail of Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck rockets! The Americans had better luck, finally grinding down and clearing the flank of one of the Fallschirmjager platoon only to find themselves in a long range duel with Marder IIs and Pak40 AT guns.
By Turn Eight, the German reinforcements were arriving at the second line preparing for the eventual allied breakthroughs. The Americans R took the worst of their AT dual, losing most of their armor. The British finally managed to overcome the FJs and move toward the next town that was anchoring the German second line defense. In the exchange of fire, HG lost their Semovente 105/25 platoon, but was able to hold off the Brits from charging into the town.
By Turn Ten, the main Allied units were attrited and the German holding their second line of positions were safe. The Game Master called the game at this point as a counterfactual German victory. Historically, the German rear guards were unable to hold back the Allied advance to the Trasimene Line in late June.
– Manteuffel