| The Italians had a chance but their luck, and time, ran out!!!! |
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This is a great introductory scenario for the Italians. It is a little bit boring for a British player who is attempting to play it smart - the King's African Rifles (KAR) has a reinforced company of Soldiers. The set-up has the KAR restricted to the bottom 44% or the map with instructions to hold the town. Instructions are not clear, but I think it is the Farm/Orchard Space (0415) and a Field (0315) are supposed to be used as the town (it is the one thing that makes sense). The Italian Colonials need to set up in anywhere in the top 17% of the Map. The British drew poor leaders. Of the two leaders drawn, the Sergeant had the higher morale (8-0-1) but the British Major was not too helpful (7-0-0). As such I wasn't in a risk taking move and decided to set-up a more conservative defense. I set-up in the town in the southern end of the map. It was the best defensive terrain available, and allowed the Brits to observe the entire map excepting any limiting terrain. Basically, any Italians moving south of limiting Terrain from 0503 through 0704 can be observed. The only exceptions would be any Italians moving into Rocky Terrain 0810,0910, and 0911 would be temporarily obscured. The three other rocky hexes further south don't really factor. The KAR put the majority of their forces into two town hexes with the machine gun platoon in 0413. It postured itself to maximize defensive terrain and minimize effects of enemy firepower through the passive defensive technique know as dispersion. It placed a single dug-in IN platoon in 0515. Its defenses created an Engagement Area including hexes 0313-0314, 0412-0414, and 0513-0514. The flanks, especially the eastern (right) flank was weekly held. The Italians seeing the KARs set-up decided against going directly south into the prepared defenses. The Italians drew stronger leaders with a Capitano (8-1-0) and a Tenente (9-0-1). The organized their forces into two equal reinforced companies, each with a MIT (mistake number 1), and arrayed their forces as a Battalion in Column, Company in Column, with platoons in column. They were placed with no more than two platoons in each Hex in hexes 0600, 0601, 0602, and 0702 (mistake number 2). The Italian plan was solid. Attack with one reinforced company south into the eastern half of the engagement area to fix British forces while maneuvering the second Company around the eastern flank using the roads. The attack would be coordinated to begin when the eastern column closed with the town. Once the Italians came within range of the town the (hexes 0513, 0613, 0714, and 0715) the KAR was able to disrupt the one of the first Italian FAN platoons in range through opportunity fire. The KARs inability to combine fire of multiple hexes hurt their overall defense. The Italians quickly demoralized the dug in platoon on the exposed eastern flank. The position also masked the fires of a significant portion of the British against the flanking Italians. After recovering its morale, the dug in platoon repositioned to 0316, and remained in a critical position as the Company reserve throughout most of the rest of the fight. Turns 11-16 characterized the by Italians closing on and assaulting British positions. The Italians massed fires on hex 0415 and over the next few turns the Italians and KAR exchange fire with little effect. The Italians decided to close on the hexes adjacent to the town - 0414, 0515, 0615, and 0616. The first units to move were the two FAN Platoons into 0414. Opportunity fire from 0315 and then from 0415 (Brits couldn't combine fires) crushed the morale of the troops that entered but drew fire and allowed the Italian MIT and FAN platoons to close to 0515 and 0516. Italians who up to this point rarely got the initiative actually got it did a chain activation, recovered morale of forces in 0414, massed fires into 0415 from MIT and FAN platoons in 0515 and 0516 reducing one step of a KAR INF, demoralizing it, and disrupting the remaining platoon in Hex 0415. The subsequent recover attempt caused reduced INF to flee the hex alone, leaving only a reduced MG and a disrupted leader in the hex. The KAR reinforced with platoon from 0316. The next turn the Italians Assaulted hexes 0315 and 0415. During the assault the Italians never again took the initiative. The Italians lost a platoon to a rare 2x role in 0315, in what was basically an even odds fight. The Brits HMG was demoralized and routed from 0415 leaving only a leader an an IN Platoon holding. Unfortunately for the Italians, no mater how well they rolled, the Brits kept getting the initiative and were able to recover their morale prior to each assault over the next few turns. The occasional good roll forced the Italians to rotate a few platoons Into the fight as well. In the end the Italians lost three steps, the British one step. The British had three platoons in the two town hexes, and the Italians had five. But the important thing was that the British held both town hexes which meant a British victory. The Italians came close to taking one of the town hexes while contesting the other (that would have been a draw). I am convinced that with similar leadership, and a few more turns, the Italians would have taken one town hex and may have just had enough to take the other.Lessons learned Italians- 1) Effective use of time - Time is always your enemy, and while four hours seems like a lot of time it isn't. Agressively, attacking would have gotten the Italians to the town in 5 moves with all their FAN and MIT provided they used the road to 0508. The maneuvering around the flank took three additional, and precious turns. 2) Task Organization is Critical - Part of the problem was how I task organized my forces. The key is to think what the Task and purpose you want for each unit, and then organize the force to achieve that mission. I should have put all my MIT and half of my FAN into the fixing force that pushed due south. I could have then rushed the remaining FAN along the road at the intersection. The fixing force could have closed within rifle range (2 hexes) in five turns and the flanking forces would have arrived a turn after. That would have provided three additional turns. Also, having a larger fixing force could have set conditions better for the flanking force. 3) Maneuver. Think about how you want to maneuver before crossing the line of departure. Overall the maneuver went well, with a few hiccups caused mainly by my erroneous task organization. 4) Concentration of forces - It is ok to have three platoons per hex when the enemy has no credible indirect fire capability or when you are outside observation/in limiting terrain, or outside direct fire range. It is also Ok to concentrate during an assault. Don't tie yourself to dispersing forces unless and until you have to. Sometime concentration of forces can facilitate better command and control and movement when you have fewer leaders. British - 1) Don't be afraid to adjust your plan. Plan never survives contact with the enemy. I observed the Italians maneuvering on the flank. I could have moved the platoon that was dug In at 0515 to 0516 or 0416 and dug them in, in the time that it took the Italians to close with my battle position. That would have opened up the fields of fire and made more effective use of terrain. I could have also maneuvered a second Infantry platoon to join them and dig in to the same position. The right flank was being threatened and not the left. Since there was no Italian indirect the town hex didn't give me much additional advantage, and I would have gained first fire advantage during every assault turn had the British forces dug in instead. Basically, I was lazy with the British and could have done more to counter Italian flanking attempts. 2) Keep a Reserve - Reserves give the defending force flexibility - so don't put everything into the front line. Moving that one platoon from the front line into the reserve proved critical. When the Italians getting ready to assault a much reduced British force 0415 (a disrupted MG which would have defended at 2 since it was disrupted and an MG without any IN support in a town), It rapidly moved into the town and bolstered British staying power in that town hex. Had it not moved into the town when it did, the Italians would have taken the hex and earned at least a draw. By my calculation disrupted 8-4 MG defended at a combat power of 4, in a town without IN support drops it dropped to a 2. With the undemoralized leader that would have put it in the 3 column. The IN changed the calculus to a Disrupted MG (4) and IN (4) and a undemoralized leader now defending at the 9 column. This when facing an assault from 2 x MIT, a FAN and an undemoralized leader with a combat modifier 18+1 = 19. 18 column +1 for undemoralizeed leader and - 2 for attacking a unit defining at town hex adjusted to a 13 column. 3) Concentrations - Keeping the company in close proximity allowed the Brits to mass effects more effectively than had I dispersed their combat power. Overall, a fun game with lots of lessons learned. Italians came close to a draw and may have eeked out a victory, but fortune (Italians only won three initiative rolls our of 16) and time favored the KAR. |
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