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Army Group South Ukraine #6 - Consternation Road to Berlin #73 - She-Wolves of the SS
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Road to Tirana
Legions of Zog #4
(Attacker) Italy vs Albania (Defender)
Formations Involved
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for LZog004
Total
Side 1 3
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 4 votes
5
4
3
2
1
3
Scenario Rank: --- of 913
Parent Game Legions of Zog
Historicity Historical
Date 1939-04-08
Start Time 06:00
Turn Count 30
Visibility Day
Counters 63
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 1
Maps 2: 89, 91
Layout Dimensions 56 x 43 cm
22 x 17 in
Play Bounty 178
AAR Bounty 165
Total Plays 3
Total AARs 2
Battle Types
Delaying Action
Exit the Battle Area
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Road Control
Conditions
Reinforcements
Scenario Requirements & Playability
An Army at Dawn Counters
Conquest of Ethiopia Maps + Counters
Legions of Zog Base Game
Introduction

The Royal Albanian Army kept its greatest strength around Tirana, the capital. Three full infantry battalions surrounded the city to guard against rural rebels marching on Zog’s palace, while a Royal Guard battalion of four companies drawn from loyalists in all corners of the kingdom protected his royal person. Those defenses would also protect Tirana from an Italian advance. In theory, anyway.

Conclusion

The heart of the Royal Albanian Army did not beat for Zog; once their king had fled, his troops melted away rather than fight. Without their Italian instructors and officers, the Albanian infantry milled about and then went home; the Albanian crews apparently couldn’t operate their tankettes without Italian support. Even so the Italians came prepared for a fight, or at least as prepared as they came for anything in April 1939, with sufficient troops to overwhelm the Albanians. Tirana was spared death and destruction, and least for a time; there would be no Battle of Tirana until 1944.


Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable

Display Order of Battle

Albania Order of Battle
Army
  • Mechanized
  • Towed
Italy Order of Battle
Regio Esercito
  • Mechanized

Display Errata (1)

1 Errata Item
Scen 4

The Italians get 2 x Tank Leaders, the Albanians Reinforcements enter on the East edge of the map not the West and there is no river in this scenario. Also you will need to find 2 more 81mm counters to fill the requirements.

(JayTownsend on 2022 Sep 04)

Display AARs (2)

Legions of Zog: Albania 1939: scenario #4: Road to Tirana
Author JayTownsend
Method Solo
Victor Italy
Play Date 2022-09-04
Language English
Scenario LZog004

Legions of Zog: Albania 1939: scenario #4: Road to Tirana

I like the unique subject of the conquest of Albania and the maps from Conquest of Ethiopia are some of the best in the series and this scenario looked interesting, so I had a go at it.

First let me state, there is some errata: The Italians get 2 x Tank Leaders, the Albanians Reinforcements enter on the East edge of the map not the West and there is no river in this scenario. Also you will need to find 2 more 81mm counters to fill the requirements.

In my battle the Albanians setup defensively about the middle of the two maps, dug-in around the east-west road with some reserves dug-in further east along the tree-line in case the Italians broke through their first line. It Italian have a much bigger force and went right in to clear the east-west road of Albanian units.

After about ten turns the Albania reinforcements were triggered and enter the map but are not that strong and settled in reinforcing the second line of defense, as the first was taking a beating and wouldn’t last much longer.

After the Italians conquered most of the east-west road, they refocused their attack on the second Albania defensive line and clearing the last section of the far eastern road. It took most of the 30 turns but the Italians cleared all of the East-west road, easily exited 10 or more units off the eastern edge of the map and had no problem eliminating a 2 to 1 advantage in step lose. The Italian achieve a Major Victory!

I think the best chance to maybe have a better result for the Albanians, is to set all the units back to the forest/road area of map 89, the far eastern area, which would trigger their reinforcements right away and not defend anything west of the forest on map 89. If I ever played this scenario again, I would try this.

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Swamped 'em again!
Author Grognard Gunny
Method Solo
Victor Italy
Play Date 2023-11-10
Language English
Scenario LZog004

Not much hope for the Albanians once the Italians got rolling. Flanking them with the tanks and an enhanced attack Leader on either end of the action kept the Albanians running until the last ditch hold out in the woods.... but even that could not stop the Italians. King Zod had to hit the bricks!

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