WWPD's Italy Campaign Comes to a Close!

The Axis hold Rome!

After a series of stunning victories, counterattacks, and fighting withdrawals, German and Fascist Italian forces have claimed 'victory' in Italy.

The Allied stalemate in Italy has forced Churchill to capitulate his desire to win back the Mediterranean, as US, French, Polish, and Commonwealth forces reorganize and redeploy to support the effort in Normandy. Operation DIADEM proved to be too costly in terms of manpower, material, and political will. Britain's ability to influence Allied High Command has been damaged significantly, perhaps beyond repair.

Sad, Sad Churchill

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Snakehead Ridge US 36th Infantry Division Vs 1st Fallschirmjager Division

By John Desch and Eric Lauterbach.

Flames of War is great tournament system, but it's even better at historical battles.   Our job was to take the idea about a battalion size fight of the Cassino battle area and make it ready for the gaming table.  In this particular fight the US 36th Infantry Division (Guard troops from Texas) was tasked to hold its hard won gains on Snakehead ridge, northeast of Montecassino against a night counter-attack of the elite German 1st Fallschirmjager Division.  This was an all infantry fest designed for about six players on Eric's mountain terrain.

Our approach in building the forces was to keep it simple and put out full strength platoons as a representation of a larger force.  The Americans, for example, represented a reduced battalion, so we put out a full strength single company with supporting arms.  The Germans had two multi-platoon parachute companies and, as a last minute addition, a Gebirgsjager company.  (The Gebs weren't there in the battle, but it was a golden opportunity to showcase the pretty figs in John's collection. Sean Mackintosh did a masterful job with the basing, as ya'll can see!) Each force was supported with artillery, mortars, recoilless rifles, heavy machine guns, and in the case of the Americans, a reserve platoon of Combat Engineers. We classified both sides as veterans, with the Gebs and the Americans being confident, and the FSJ fearless.  We did not count up the points.

The American deployment

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Doom and Goum

Introduction
By Tom "Le Crotch" De Mayo

 A Goum sharpens his knife. Wikipedia.

Jon and I got together for a Flames of War Italy Campaign battle from the new Italy books. I decided I'd play my Goum army. My Goums are a funky side army I've had for a while. Way back when the first French PDF was released, and there were no BF models, I converted a Goum company using Resistant Roosters US greatcoats.

I did some headswaps and putty work to make the Djellabas and painted them up stripey.  Back in the day, Goums had no tank support at all -- this changed in Dogs and Devils, where they got actual BF models too. This was my first outing using the new Italy lists.

Goum Infantry Company (Tom)


HQ
3x Goum Infantry Platoon
Support with 2x HMG, 2x LMG
French Spahi Stuarts x5
US M10 Tank Destroyers x4
US 105 Artillery x4

Jon brought this weird company made mostly of armored artillery.  Most significantly for me, it had two units of Breakthrough Guns, capable of ignoring infantry armor saves.


Hermann-Goering Heavy Recon (Jon)

HQ SMG Faust X2

Pioneers in Trucks w/Supply Truck

4x Wespe with Observer

3x Hummels w/Staff and Observer

4x StuH

2x 8-rads

1x Tiger I E

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Game Vault Italy theme tournament 2014 AAR

By Eric Lauterbach

Photos by Eric, Sean and Maurice

Another good time was had at the late war Italy theme tournament at Game Vault in Fredericksburg.  The tournament was 1650 point lists from only Road to Rome and Fortress Italy with the restriction of only one Corps Support box of Artillery. Naval Gunfire was banned and will be from pretty much here on out in all I-95 tournaments (ed: Can't wait for a healthy debate on that...). The boards did have a fair amount of impassable terrain that the players were warned about.

For this tournament impassable cliffs and hills were open ground to all mountaineer rated troops and non mountaineer rated could cross them on a skill test. If the cliff was more than 4" high only mountaineers could cross it on a skill test. We had a almost 50/50 split of Allies and Axis with a good mix of British, Polish and American allies; the Germans had one Italian with them as well. In the end Sean Mackintosh and Eric Rhia tied for first place with 3 wins each and the same battle score as I-95 scores "Wins" first and then points. Thus, with better "power of opponent" scores (meaning the tie was broken on the score of the opponents the two players faced off against) Eric Rhia won and Sean came in second. Ed Leland and Steve MacLauchlan played the last round for the win but had a draw allowing Eric and Sean to jump over them.

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Italy News: Invaders paying heavily against resolute defenders!

Frontline Report Patrick Gribble once again brings you the news from the front!
Here is die news for May 15th. Troops of the Tenth Army in Italy have continued their valiant defence of southern Italy, aided by loyal Italian forces. Our troops are described as using the terrain to their fullest advantage, with casualties to the invaders estimated to be very heavy.

Italian armor in German Service

Our troops have continued to hold Snakehead Ridge in accordance with their orders, throwing back every attempt to push them off the ridge and in the process destroying numerous armoured vehicles.

Troops around the town of Cassino have successfully completed their withdrawal to the Hitler Line. Infantry forces, fighting from prepared positions and backed by units of the Herman Goering panzer division, have inflicted heavy casualties on large enemy infantry formations. In addition, local counterattacks have prevented enemy forces from attempting any pursuit.

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Italy Campaign Announcement and How To

The Italy Campaign Begins May 11th! Click here to see how the system works.

The launch of the WWPD campaign coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Allied Armies in Italy (AAI) launch of Operation DIADEM on May 11th, 1944. On June 4th, the AAI claimed the prize of Rome. Our campaign will run no later than Mid-June.

The campaign page can be found at http://italy.wwpd.net

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