We continued our Greece 1940-41 theme by playing the Battle of Vevi Pass, using Flames of War V.4 rules.
In the portion of the battle that we played, elements of the 2/4 Australian infantry battalion along with elements of “The Rangers” British infantry battalion, supported by New Zealand machine guns and Australian antitank guns, and off-table British Royal Horse Artillery, attempted to hold the eastern flank of the Vevi Pass. They were attacked by elements of the LSSAH Motorized Infantry Division.
A good historical account of the battle can be found at this link:
Terrain: Using the map in the link, plus Google Earth, we set up a 12’X5′ table with the long axis running east-west. The western end of the table was flat, open fields, with a road running north-south. An antitank minefield runs east-west across the front of the defenders on this part of the table. The other nine feet of the table was covered by a very large range of connected hills, ascending toward the east. (We’ve started using coir doormats to add extra layers to our hills.) The hills were generally covered with low scrub.
Objectives: There are four objectives on the table. One in the center of each of the eastern, central, and western hills, and one at the southern exit of the road in the western valley. The side that controls the majority of the objectives at the end of the game will be the winner.
Defending Commonwealth Forces (all Confident Trained):
- Eastern Hills: One platoon of Australian infantry with one attached New Zealand HMG, plus one infantry platoon in reserve.
- Central Hills: Three platoons of Australian infantry with company HQS and two attached New Zealand HMGs.
- Western Hills: Three platoons of Australian infantry with company HQS and one attached New Zealand HMG.
- Western Valley: Three platoons of British infantry with company HQS and two 3″ mortars. One platoon of New Zealand HMGs. Two batteries of Australian 2-pdr. antitank guns.
- Off-table Artillery Support: One battery of 25-pdr. artillery.
Special Rules:
1. All defenders on the hills must be deployed on the forward (northern) slopes.
2. The hard and stony ground on the hills makes it impossible to dig in the during the game. Any defenders in the hills may start the game in sangars, which are permanent features of the table and which provide bullet proof cover from direct fire similar to a low stone wall. Although sangars do not provide bullet proof cover from bombardments, we ruled that any teams adjacent to a sangar are one pip harder to hit when under a bombardment. Teams on the flatlands in the valley may dig in normally.
3. The Commonwealth forces have no forward observers for the off-table 25-pdr battery, but company commanders may observe from their command posts, linked by telephone wire. Also, the Australian 2/4 Battalion HQS, located just off-table to the southeast, may observe targets on the southern side of the hills.
4. The British company in the West, (the Rangers), received an erroneous order to withdraw during the battle. To represent this event, this company will take a motivation check every turn, and will remove one platoon whenever the check is failed. This rule does not apply to the New Zealand machine guns or the Australian antitank guns.
Attacking German Forces (all Fearless Veteran):
- Eastern Hills: One company of SS infantry, with three infantry platoons, two attached HMGs, one scout platoon, and one FO.
- Western Hills: One company of SS infantry, with three infantry platoons, two attached HMGs, one sniper, and one FO.
- Western Flatlands: One company of SS infantry, with a platoon of four HMGs in trucks, a platoon of two StuG.III D assault guns, and one FO (in very delayed reserve — awaiting a late arriving player).
- Off-table Artillery Support: Battery of four 8.0 cm mortars. Battery of two 7.5 cm infantry guns. Battery of two 15.0 cm infantry guns. In addition to the Forward Observers (FOs) attached to each infantry company, the Germans may observe the forward (northern) slopes of the hills from off-table.
Moves:
The game began with two SS companies entering the table from the north, advancing toward the eastern and western hills. The Germans tried to use smoke screens to block the defenders’ fire, but only one battery ranged in, and screened part of the eastern hill.
On the eastern hill, despite the effect of the smoke, the small arms and artillery fire from the defenders was accurate, and the Germans lost a few infantry teams and were pinned down. However, the fearless SS quickly unpinned, and their fire, along with some supporting artillery fire, pinned down the Australian platoon defending the crest of the hill. This created an opportunity for an SS infantry platoon to assault and eliminate the defenders’ machine gun team, which had become somewhat isolated. The SS recon platoon followed up this assault by assaulting the remainder of the Australian infantry and forcing them off the crest. The Australians swiftly counterattacked in their turn, before the SS could bring more men forward. Despite the SS defenders being too weak to halt the assault, the SS prevailed in the close combat! Over the next few turns, the SS consolidated their hold on the crest, while the two Australian platoons withdrew out of range to the south, and called for artillery support.
On the western hill, the Germans approached through the scrub, losing a few teams as they advanced. The defenders were deployed in depth in this area, but the SS nevertheless managed to assault and pushed back the forward line of defense. The SS then came under fire from the British mortars in the valley, and pulled back slightly to avoid a repeat bombardment.
At this point in the game, both of the attacking SS companies had lost the equivalent of a platoon of men, and the momentum of their attacks was slowing. Their commanders were anxiously asking — where is our third company???
Although the third SS company would not appear for some time, the British forces on the valley floor were rapidly diminishing. Three straight failed motivation tests had resulted in the three British infantry platoons being withdrawn. The company HQS and mortars remained in the fight for a while longer, but they too were eventually withdrawn, leaving only the New Zealand machine guns and Australian antitank guns to hold this end of the table.
At that point the third SS company finally entered the battle. Two SS infantry platoons moved onto the table and breached the antitank minefield. German mortar fire was shifted from the hills to bombard half of the defenders in the valley while the two StuG.IIIs bombarded the other half, with little effect at first. One SS platoon tried to advance, and was nearly wiped out by machine gun fire. The German company HQS went forward to try to bolster the morale of this stricken platoon, and it too was wiped out by the deadly machine guns. However, the sustained bombardments eventually eliminated the New Zealand machine guns. This enabled the remaining two SS infantry platoons to move forward with impunity and overrun the remaining antitank guns. The road to the objective on the southern baseline was open.
The German advance in the valley was the signal for the SS to renew their attack on the western hill. The SS exploited a gap in the Australian defenses between the western and central hills, to turn the defenses in the west and roll them up. Combined with assaults from the front, the SS eliminated the defenders on the western hill, seizing that objective.
With the objective on the central hill still in Commonwealth control, the result of the game would be decided by the contest on the eastern hill. If the Australians could retake the summit, they could achieve a draw. The Aussies made a gallant effort, but their dice failed them in the close combat, and their assault was repulsed, leaving the battered SS survivors in control of the third objective for a German victory!
Conclusion: Historically, the premature withdrawal by the British in the valley enabled the SS to outflank the Australian defenses in the hills. The Australians were able to hold the hills until nightfall, and then they were ordered to withdraw.
- TJ