Panzer Grenadier: Cassino ’44
Developer’s Commentary, Part One
By Doug McNair
May 2009

At long last, I can spill the beans about Cassino ’44! This is, in my opinion, the finest tactical-level study we’ve ever done on a “historical” map (meaning an accurate map of a specific battlefield rather than generic, geomorphic boards). The map itself is huge: 51 hexes north-south by 37 hexes east-west. It’s also thoroughly gorgeous, and when designer Dave Murray presented it to us fully-realized along with the initial game proposal, Cassino got an instant YES vote from me.

The wonderful variety of terrain on the Cassino map is also a big draw. The simplicity and versatility of the Panzer Grenadier system allows designers to add rules for new terrain types as desired, and there’s plenty of that here. Mountain terrain, mountain trails, mountain roads, summits, cliff hexsides, the Gustav Line, flooded rivers and the Monastery of Monte Cassino all have their own terrain rules. The fact that much of this terrain is difficult for infantry to cross and impassable for vehicles means that success or failure for the day is measured in just a few hexes. So, many of the scenarios are very quick affairs lasting eight to 12 turns, with the crossing of a nearby river or the capture of one or two marked summits being all that’s necessary for victory.

But the crown jewel of Cassino ’44 is the campaign game, which adds a whole new level of logistics and resource management to Panzer Grenadier. The campaign game rules divide the map into areas that begin play controlled by the Germans or the Allies, and players must choose which of their battalions and support units to deploy to these areas each campaign day. They then spend Campaign Points to activate their battalions and support units so they can attack enemy areas. Players must keep track of how many step losses the units of each battalion or support unit take, and as they lose strength players will need to spend Campaign Points to replace their lost steps or withdraw them from the board and deploy other battalions instead. Players can also spend Campaign Points to increase the artillery or air support they receive each day, and to increase their side’s starting initiative for the day.

At the end of each campaign day players determine where the front lines have moved, and their Engineer-type units can perform construction tasks like building bridges, creating Mountain Tracks and upgrading Mountain Tracks to Mountain Roads. At the end of the last day of the campaign, players score Victory Points based on steps lost and objectives taken to see who has won the campaign. I’m very happy with how the Cassino campaign game system turned out, and I’ve already used it again to create a campaign game for Beyond Normandy in the soon-to-be-released Campaigns and Commanders Volume II: The King’s Officers.

Scenario One
Bloody Rapido
20 January 1944

The Gustav line protecting the approaches to Rome needed to be breached. The 36th U.S. "Texas" Infantry Division was charged with crossing the Rapido and establishing a beachhead to allow armor to breakthrough into the Liri Valley beyond. Given the lack of American air or armor support, the Texas National Guardsmen did not have high hopes of success.

Conclusion

The Americans were harassed by artillery and small arms fire all the way to the banks of the Rapido. German HMG and artillery fire opened up as they attempted to cross the swollen river and took a terrible toll on the men in their flimsy boats. Most of the boats were destroyed. The US troops pushed on but took terrible casualties, and were finally ordered to withdraw to their starting positions.

Developer’s Commentary

The Texans of 36th Infantry Division were no dummies, and they could tell a bad battle plan when they saw it. They were therefore less than enthusiastic about this attack across the Rapido, and their morale is lower than normal in this scenario to reflect that. I cut the game to 12 turns because the Americans only have to cover about eight hexes to reach their objective (the road west of the Rapido), and they’ll wither under German off-board artillery fire the longer the game goes on. Plus, as of Turn 13 some German reinforcements were scheduled to arrive, and they would crush what few Americans had made it to the west bank anyway.

Scenario Two
Bridgehead on the Rapido
22 January 1944

The U.S. crossing of the Rapido had been a disaster. The 143rd Regiment to the south of Sant’ Angelo had withdrawn back across the Rapido, and while soldiers of the 141st still held the northern bridgehead all their boats had been destroyed. Trapped on the west bank with no hope of rescue or reinforcement, the men of the 141st had to fend off increasingly aggressive German counterattacks.

Conclusion

Throughout the day the German counterattacks became more intense, and after dark the Germans launched a major attack to eliminate the U.S. bridgehead. The U.S. soldiers on the east bank were unable to help their trapped comrades and could only listen to the sounds of combat on the far bank. By 22:00 all sounds of combat had ceased. The bridgehead had been eliminated.

Developer’s Commentary

Here the Americans are stuck with the results of the lousy plan they’d been given, and they have to defend their bridgehead with no support from their compatriots on the east bank. I cut the game to 12 turns because otherwise the Germans could just sit back and shell the Americans into oblivion, and the assault guns that arrive on Turn 13 would just speed the inevitable.

Scenario Three
Red Bull Attacks the Barracks
24-25 January 1944

With the Anzio landings just a few days old, it was imperative that the Germans not be allowed to redeploy any troops from the Cassino area to the Anzio sector. With this in mind, the U.S. 34th Division struck across the Rapido River north of Cassino in an attempt gain a foothold on the Gustav Line.

Conclusion

Flooded farmland and German mines and barbed wire on the east bank of the Rapido slowed the American infantry, and kept their tanks from crossing the river. By dawn, the 133rd had a couple of companies on the west bank, but none of the objectives had been taken and casualties were again very high.

Developer’s Commentary

Once again the American battle plan is not the best, but at least this time they’ve got armor support so that bolsters American morale back up to normal levels. Still, they’ve got to make their way through the minefields of the Gustav Line and then get across the river with too few engineers, so their chances aren’t great. Factors working in their favor are darkness, superior numbers and decent off-board artillery support, and I gave them a full 18 turns to work their way forward and into German lines.

Scenario Four
Red Bull at the Barracks Again
27 January 1944

For two days, the U.S. 133rd Regiment had tried to force its way across the Rapido to the Barracks and the mountain beyond. Each attack had been forced back, but eventually the Americans gained a toe-hold on the west bank of the river. That accomplished, the reserve 168th Regiment with supporting tanks was sent forward in hopes of making a breakthrough.

Conclusion

The 168th was charged with clearing points 56 and 213, and then turning to capture the village of Cairo. Their tank support had difficulty crossing the Rapido, but once across the tanks helped clear a path for the infantry so they could assault both summits. But the tanks were eventually neutralized by Panzerfausts and the terrain, and although Point 213 was taken the company commander decided that the position was untenable and ordered a withdrawal. This became a rout, and all the gains of the attack were lost as the 168th fled back to the Rapido.

Developer’s Commentary

Here the Americans start with some of their units on the west bank of the Rapido, but their tanks are still on the east bank and the Germans have more units in the fight now. I gave the Americans several objectives to choose from because they don’t have overwhelming numbers or higher morale, but I kept the game to 20 turns to keep them acting decisively.

Scenario Five
The 168th Goes In
29 January 1944

After the U.S. "rout" from the Massif on the 27th of January, a further assault was planned. A crossing of the Rapido more suitable for tanks was discovered a little to the north of the previous assault and engineers set to work to create a usable ford. A full-scale regimental assault was planned for the 29th, but not everything was ready on time.

Conclusion

The ford was not ready by the proposed jump-off time, so the infantry went in with no tank support and made very little progress. Most spent the morning pinned down on the valley floor, but by noon the ford was completed and the tanks began to support the assault. The 756th Tank Battalion took huge losses, but their sacrifice allowed the assault to gain momentum. About a dozen tanks made it onto the lower slopes of the massif and gave direct fire support to the assault on Point 213. By nightfall, most of the objectives were in US hands, and the next day the village of Cairo fell. The U.S. at last had a firm foothold on the Massif.

Developer’s Commentary

This is a much larger version of Scenario Four, with the differences being that at the start of the scenario the Americans are trying to construct a ford across the Rapido that will get their tanks to the other side. Successful completion of the ford is vital to American prospects, since they have plenty of tanks to throw into the fight while the Germans have only a few. The Germans do have some powerful AT guns that will make mincemeat of any Shermans that break cover at close range, so the Americans will have to let their infantry lead the way and then commit their tanks to assault combat only when the AT threat is eliminated.

Scenario Six
Point 771
3 February 1944

The U.S. 133rd Regiment had been continuously in contact with the enemy for 31 days, and morale was falling as casualties mounted. The U.S. 168th was also being worn down by the enemy and conditions on the Massif, so the U.S. commanders decided to commit the 135th and renew the attack. Third Battalion was charged with taking Monte Castellone and then turning south to Colle Sant’ Angelo. In heavy fog, elements of the Battalion attacked Point 771.

Conclusion

The swirling fog aided the men of the 135th Regiment in their assault. After a short intense fight, the 135th took control of the summit. The Germans launched a series of counterattacks but the Americans held and Point 771 was secured.

Developer’s Commentary

The first scenario that takes place entirely in mountain terrain, this is a quick assault on a mountaintop that’s made more interesting by varying visibility each turn due to fog. The American player wins if at the end of play Point 771 is under American control. Any other result is a German victory.

Scenario Seven
Once More Forward
7 February 1944

A week after capturing Point 213 and Cairo, the 168th was called upon to make another major assault, this time against the monastery itself. The 135th were to attack towards Albaneta Farm to occupy the Germans there and prevent flanking fire. There was a great belief that one last U.S. push would gain the monastery.

Conclusion

The attack started with the knowledge that the covering attack by the 135th to the west had already failed. Nevertheless, 1st and 3rd Battalions reached Points 444 and 445 twice, but were forced back on both occasions by vigorous German counterattacks. They didn’t know it at the time, but this was as close as the U.S. soldiers would ever get to the monastery.

Developer’s Commentary

This is the first Allied encounter with the elite Fallschirmjägers at Cassino, made more difficult by the fact that the Germans have plenty of defensible terrain up on the mountain. The Americans will to have a hard time getting anywhere without superior numbers, so I upped American numbers a bit and dropped German numbers to give the Americans a better shot. Even so, the 9/8 Morale German paratroopers will be very hard to dislodge.

Scenario Eight
Hang On!!!
7 February 1944

The 135th was ordered to attack the Albaneta Farm to cover the 168th’s assault on the Monastery. However, just before the attack went off the Germans launched a counterattack, and it was all the 135th could do to hang onto their starting positions.

Conclusion

The intensity of the German attack briefly caught the 135th off guard, but they quickly rallied and held their ground. The Germans tried several times to capture the important Point 593 but failed with high casualties, and they eventually called off their attack. But the 135th were in no position to counterattack, and with the failure of the 168th to capture the monastery all sides had reverted to their starting positions.

Developer’s Commentary

I shortened the game to 12 turns since the two sides start right in each other’s faces and the fight is over such a small piece of land. Here the attacking German troops are regular Wehrmacht and not the higher-morale Fallschirmjäger, so they will have a tough time dislodging the Americans from the tough mountain terrain. I therefore upped German numbers a bit to give them better odds and to compensate the German player for the increased American numbers in the last scenario.

Scenario Nine
Chaos on the Massif
7 February 1944

This scenario combines Scenarios Seven and Eight into one large battle.

Developer’s Commentary

Here both sides have lots of units and plenty of objectives from which to choose, so it’ll be a short-range slugfest with victory determined by who gets the upper hand on which summits.

Scenario Ten
Counterattack on Point 593
10 February 1944

Realizing that Point 593 was crucial to the defenses of the Cassino Massif, the Germans probed U.S. positions there for a couple of days before launching an attack to retake it.

Conclusion

The 135th made the Germans pay for every inch of Point 593. But eventually the Germans got the upper hand and the surviving U.S. forces withdrew along the ridge back to Point 603..

Developer’s Commentary

A little breather after the huge clash in Scenario Nine, this is a small scenario with just one hex as the objective. I shortened it to nine turns; a bit longer than I otherwise would make it because the Germans don’t have overwhelming numbers and will need some time to wear the Americans down. The German player wins if at the end of play Point 593 is under German control. Any other result is an American victory.

Order Cassino ’44 today!