Strategy In 'Bitter Victory'
Scenario One: 'Operation Husky'
Part 4: Strange Defeat
By Doug McNair
December 2006

The question “Whose offensive is it, anyway?” finally gets answered in today’s episode of my Bitter Victory replay.

As July 18th, 1943 dawns, the infantry of the American left is still holding out against three Axis mechanized and motorized divisions. This holding action has allowed General Patton’s 2nd Armored Division plus several British tank and infantry brigades to smash the Axis center, pushing it to the west bank of the river two hexes northeast of Piazza Armerina.

Meanwhile, British infantry brigades have massed on the banks of the river south of Catania, the British 2nd Airborne Brigade has dropped in behind Axis lines north of the river, and the Royal Navy has gathered its ships offshore. Each side has a chance to smash a hole in the enemy lines and grab the momentum for the next several turns.

Turn 4: July 18 – 20

Initial Segment: The weather stays clear — good news for the Allies, who have captured enough airfields to raise their air point total to 4 as opposed to the Axis 1.

The Allies receive one tank replacement, which they don’t need since Patton’s judicious use of cannon fodder has kept the tanks of 2nd Armored Division undamaged. The Axis recieve one Italian infantry replacement, which goes straight to the 108th Motorized Infantry Regiment across the river from General Montgomery.

The Brits land two supply points on their Port counter at Augusta, and another on the LST north of Avola. The Americans land supply points at Gela and the LST to the east.

The first of the two regiments of the German 29th Mechanized Division arrives at Messina, while one British and one American HQ plus the French 4th Mountain Battalion arrive in the Allied Units Available box. The Allied player lands the British XXX Corps HQ on the LST east of Avola and the Canadian 1st Tank Brigade on the LST at Syracuse. The American HQ and French unit stay in the Units Available box. The Allied player then moves his LST on his beleaguered western flank out of the danger zone. He sends it to Syracuse, where it flips to its Port side so it can bring in more supplies next turn.

The Allied player spends two SPs to put Patton’s and Monty’s HQs in supply (the XXX Corps HQ is automatically in supply since it landed this turn). All British units are in supply except for the airborne brigade behind Axis lines (it’s Isolated). All American units are in supply except the three infantry regiments pinned down on the beaches on the extreme western flank (they’re also Isolated). A few far-flung Axis units are Out of Supply, but all units on the line are supplied.

The Allied player wants to see how this turn’s amphibious landing pans out before planning more, so players put all their chits in the cup, and the first one drawn is:

AMPH/PARA: The U.S. invasion one hex east of Palermo goes in. The hex is empty so there’s no landing combat, and the units take no losses from landing disruption. The Americans move in a destroyer to provide fire support, and the three landing units (one infantry regiment and two tank battalions) immediately attack Palermo.

The Italians hold morale, and the half-strength attack (all attacks on the landing turn are half-strength) goes in at only 3/2 after all modifiers. But it rolls a 5, scoring one hit per side. The Italians can’t retreat — doing that would let the Allies take Palermo, and every Italian unit on the line would be in danger of surrendering (even elite units like motorized infantry). So the Palermo coastal defense division dies (–1 VP), and the U.S. infantry regiment takes a step loss.

Tanks can’t move in the Mechanized Movement Phase of the turn they land, but reinforcements can land, so the U.S. Provisional HQ lands on the LST to support the Palermo invasion.

Italian XVI Corps: The northern half of the Axis river line activates, and the latest reinforcement dashes south from Messina. Said reinforcement uses strategic movement along the highways to move in behind the Axis center, and then Mechanized Movement to enter the line and reinforce the center against Patton’s offensive. Corps HQ pulls back northwest behind another river, the Italian 6th Infantry Regiment moves east of it to screen it from the British paratroopers.

Then 6th Infantry, 135th Italian Armored Division and the Fallschirmjägers all attack the paratroopers behind the Axis lines. The 135th has divisional integrity, so that plus the paratroopers’ Isolated status makes for an attack at 10-1 odds. Sixth Infantry doesn’t surrender, and the Brits are surrounded by ZOC, so they can’t retreat and are eliminated (+4 VPs). Sixth Infantry advances through the vacated hex and into the line with the Fallschirmjägers.

U.S. II Corps: Patton tells his late-arriving paratroopers to the northeast to hold still, then leapfrogs his tanks over them and into the Axis lines. He attacks the two Italian regiments holding the line right across from Monty, pulling the other paratrooper regiment out of the American lines to the west and bringing it up behind to raise his base odds to 8-1 after addition of an air point and supplies. But . . . he only rolls a 1, doing two hits and taking one in return.

The late-arriving airborne unit dutifully takes the hit, and the Italian 108th Motorized Infantry is again reduced. It and the accompanying Recon unit retreat northeast and adjacent to the Fallschirmjägers.

This really ticks Patton off. He was all set to overrun Italian XII Corps HQ in the Mechanized Movement Phase, but since the retreating Italians are still exerting ZOC he can’t do that. He doesn’t advance; staying in place pins down the Germans and Italians to his left and leaves the door open for the Brits to the right.

British XIII Corps: Monty says “thank you” and charges through the door with the Canadians and the 23rd Tank Brigade, hitting the retreating Italians again. Several more infantry brigades hit the Fallschirmjägers to the east while 4th Tank and three infantry brigades hit the Germans and Italians on Patton’s left.

Monty’s attack on the fleeing Italians goes in at 6-1 after adding in air power and extra supplies, and Monty rolls a 3 for two unanswered hits. The Italian 108th Infantry dies (–2 VPs), and the remaining Recon unit retreats northwest to protect XVI Corps HQ while Monty advances northeast across the river.

The attack on the Fallschirmjägers has one overarching goal: get the Italian infantry with them to surrender. But the Italians just barely hold morale, so the Allies have to spend their last air and supply points to keep the attack from being a disaster. They bolster it to 2-1 odds and it roll a 5, scoring an unanswered hit. The Italians die bravely (–2 VPs) and the Fallschirmjägers hold the line.

The British attack west of Patton is unsupported and crosses a Minor River, so it goes off at 1-1. The Brits roll a 1 and take two unanswered hits, both of which they take as step losses so they can keep guarding Patton’s left flank against possible attacks from the Axis mechanized divisions to the southwest.

Italian XII Corps: The Axis player can’t bring himself to call off the flank attack on Patton’s infantry (those LSTs and supply point counters are so close . . . ), so he sends some of his rear-echelon Italians northeast to plug the breach Patton and Monty just made, and sends others to the relief of Palermo. Then the Italian 4th Motorized sets about destroying the isolated Americans on the beach, while 15th Mechanized and Hermann Göring Division gang up on the nearly-exhausted grunts two hexes west of Caltagirone.

The Italians close in on the isolated Americans on the beach . . . and half of them surrender! The general commanding the Italian 4th Motorized Division goes apoplectic as the 207th coastal division (–1 VP) and the 29th Infantry Regiment (–2 VPs) drop their weapons and run to greet their good American friends (“Hey, do you know Frank Sinatra?”). His second-in-command orders the general (and himself) a stiff drink and presses the attack.

The Americans have fire support from a light cruiser, so the attack goes in at 4-1. It does well, rolling a 6, but 4th Motorized still takes a step loss (that’s what the $@%&*#! coastal division was for . . . ), and with the surrender of the Italians on the Axis right flank there’s nothing to keep the reduced-but-surviving Americans from escaping two hexes west. With the landing of the Provisional HQ on the northwest coast, they’ve got a supply line now and won’t be Isolated next turn. Even Out of Supply, they’ll be loose in the Axis rear and a danger to XII Corps HQ. The Axis right flank has been breached, not by Allied attack but Italian capitulation!

The fate of the Axis offensive rests entirely with the two German divisions. They’ve got to break the Americans now and sweep into the Allied rear, or the entire Axis right flank will have to pull back and go on the defensive. The 15th Mechanized and Hermann Göring Division attack the four American regiments at 8-1 odds . . . and roll a 3, scoring three hits to the Americans’ one. One American infantry regiment dies (+3 VPs), and the other three retreat two hexes. A German infantry support battalion dies (–3 VPs) and the German divisions are unscathed, but the retreating Americans still exert ZOC so there’s no point in advancing.

The Brits on the German left are too close, and you can’t move from enemy ZOC to enemy ZOC, so 15th Mechanized can’t get to the fleeing Americans for an overrun. The Axis divisions won’t be able to breach the American lines and destroy the Allied LSTs and supplies, so with their own right flank breached and the Americans establishing a supply base in their rear at Palermo, they’ve got to start the long retreat north to Messina.

In the Mechanized Movement Phase, Hermann Göring division pulls out of Piazza Armerina and drives north and east to join XVI Corps HQ two hexes north of Patton. Fourth Motorized and 15th Mechanized head north to block the Allied approaches from the south and west. Fifteenth is still just within range of the Palermo beachhead, so if it gets the jump next turn there might be just one more Axis offensive . . .

But that’s a story for next time. British XXX Corps HQ activates and moves west to take command of the British southern advance. Canadian 1st Tank Brigade moves in with it to bolster the Brits, and the turn ends.

As it stands, the VP total is –32, and the only way the Axis can win now is by making the Allies pay dearly for every hex won, but keeping control of enough of northern Sicily to win on points at two VPs per hex at the end of the game.

But if Palermo and Catania fall, most Italian units will be close to deciding they’ve had enough, and the Germans may soon have the island all to themselves (and the Allies . . . ). Will the dying dream of a new Roman Empire keep the warrior fire alive? Tune in next time and find out!

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