Background
The “Huzzah” Friday Afternoon Gamers met officially for the first time since the easing of COVID restrictions on 21 May ’21. As the cadre pursued their vaccinations early, they were able to game with a degree of confidence for the first time in over a year.
The scenario involved elements of the 3rd Panzer-Grenadier Division trying to open the road to Rome from the Northeast after the Italian armistice with the Allies in 1943. Although the Italians fought German forces for only two days from 9-10 September in the defense of Rome, they put up more of a resistance than anticipated and fought well on the first day. However, typical of the failure of Italian senior commanders throughout the war, they were incapable of the decisive, timely and coordinated action of their opponents.
La Storta was selected for its defensible terrain straddling the Via Cassia just north of Rome and forces typical of the northern fight were used in the battle. It was intended as a representative battle vice an actual refight.
The Game
The German player selected 100 points from the Fortress Europe card set which were matched by the Italian Player’s 100 points from the Avanti card set. Command cards were not in play as both players were rusty and really did not think about them during game set-up. The German forces included:
- Panzer-Grenadier Company HQ + SD KFZ Half-tracks with 3 x Panzer-Grenadier Platoons + SD KFZ Half-tracks
- SD KFZ 221 & 222 Light Scout Troop
- 10.5 cm Artillery Battery (Off Board)
- STUG Platoon (2 x StuG G (7.5cm) + 1 x StuH (10.5cm))*
- Panzer IV Platoon (x5 Pz IV’s)*
The Italian forces consisted of:
- Berseglieri Weapons Company HQ
- 3 x Weapons Platoons with the 47mm guns replaced with 75mm Pak 37/98s
- 2 x 47mm AT Platoons
- 1 x Breda MG Platoon
- 1 x 81mm Mortar Platoon
- 1 x 100mm Howitzer Battery
- 1 x Assault Engineer Platoon in ambush
- 1 x AB41 OP (Observation Post)
- Italian delayed reserves:
- 1 x Semovente 75mm SP Battery (6)
- 1 x M14/41 Tank Platoon (5)
- 1 x L6/40 Light Tank Platoon (5)
- 1 x AB41 Armored Car Platoon (4)
- 1 x AA Platoon (Autocannone 20mm)
The Italians deployed as dug-in occupying the ridge line and forest edge. The German objective was to clear the woods and ridge of all enemy forces to open the road to Rome for follow-on elements. A bonus objective was a gas refueling station towards the Italian rear on the via Cassia. The German PZ IVs and StuGs deployed interlaced across the central part of the battlefield looking to engage the Italian heavy AT tank guns on the ridge and soften up resistance. Two German Panzer-Grenadier platoons deployed dismounted behind the concealing tree lines—which obscured but did not block line-of-sight– along the stream bank with their company commander. One Panzer-Grenadier Platoon remained mounted and off board with the 105mm battery.
The positioning of the tanks and flexibility of the reserve Panzer-Grenadier kept the Italian right flank locked in position for most of the game to deny the Germans one of their objectives. The German artillery was unable to acquire a target in the opening round and German tank and StuG fire at long range was also ineffective.
By contrast, the Italian 100mm Battery was able to target the German platoons on the stream bank and lay down an effective barrage pinning both platoons and killing the German company commander and his 2IC. Only one of the Italian 75mm AT guns was at effective range and scored two hits on the PZ IV platoon but saw the rounds bounce off the enemy. The 75mm in the woods was out of range and the third at distance stayed gone to ground. The Italian mortar platoon failed to acquire targets throughout the game.
Only one German platoon subsequently unpinned and was able to charge the nearest Italians forcing them from their building but taking casualties in the process. Additional fire from the nearby Italians effectively wrecked the Panzer-Grenadiers as they were whittled down to only two stands which never-the-less stood fast until the second platoon rallied and came to their relief along with the machine-guns of their transports. Italian fire along the ridge was effectively suppressed by the now active 105mm battery and the gradually moving forward German armor now with the remaining mounted Panzer-Grenadiers committed to the assault on the ridge. The Italian company commander also fell to artillery fire as the Germans zeroed in on the building he and the remnants of a weapons platoon were defending against the second wave of attacks.
Italian armor began to dribble in but could only be effective by getting flanking shots and attempted to deploy to both sides of the ridge coming in from the south on the via Cassia. Time worked against the Germans as the battle of the first day wound down and the Italians had held on long enough to deny them one of their objectives. The Italians suffered heavy casualties in the unequal battle of heavier caliber tank guns and thicker armor but denied the Germans their objective of clearing the road to Rome for a lightening blitz.
Italian losses:
- Berseglieri Weapons Company HQ
- 2 x Weapons Platoons with the 47mm guns replaced with 75mm Pak 37/98s
- 1 x 47mm AT Platoons
- 1 x Breda MG Platoon
- 1 x 81mm Mortar Platoon
- 1 x 100mm Howitzer Battery
- 1 x L6/40 Light Tank Platoon (5)
- 1 x Semovente SP and 2 x M14/41s
German losses were far less, being the company HQ and one Panzer-Grenadier platoon.
Historically, in bloody clashes, Italian units of the “Cavallegeri de Lucca”, 6th Squadron of the II Group, and the 8th Squadron of the III Group “Lancieri di Vittorio Emanuele II” of division “Ariete II” blocked the 3rd Panzer-Grenadier unit repulsing attacks throughout the day but keeping resources from reinforcing Rome proper. They were supported by the 18th Berseglieri Regiment.
3rd Panzer-Grenadier consisted of:
- 3 PZ III command tanks
- 42 StuG III 75mm
- 8 Wespe’s
- 10,000 men
- and wheeled and armored panzer-grenadiers.
- Kamfgruppe “Bussing”:
- 30 PZ IIIs
- 60 PZ IVs
- 24 artillery pieces
- 20 20mm AA guns
- 2,200 men
1/ The primary source for background information is “The Armored Units of the Royal Army and The Armistice 1st Volume, Witness to War series, Paolo Crippa, Soldiershop Publishing available through Amazon in English and Italian versions.
– Milwaukee Jay