Welcome to The Few Good Men

Thanks for visiting our club and having a look around, there is a lot to see. Why not consider becoming a member?

Casa Nostra (CMFI AAR)

L

Lt. Smash

Guest
Casa Nostra is a default CMFI scenario. It takes place at 05.25 on 10 July 1943, south of Niscemi. This scenario focuses on action of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. During their 9 July drop, the PIR was scattered. On its descent, A Company received tracer fire from a hilltop position near the drop zone. Quickly, company Captain Edwin Sayre gathered the forces available to attack the position but was turned back by machine guns and fortifications. After assembling more troops, he decided to attack again.

In this scenario, I will play Captain Sayre. My forces consist of 1st Platoon which includes the headquarters unit, two squads, an M1914A4 medium machine gun and a 60mm mortar; 2nd Platoon which includes the headquarters unit, one squad, two M1919A4 medium machine guns and a 60mm mortar; and A Company HQ, the XO team and a bazooka team. None of the squads have a BAR or medium machine gun although one squad from 1st Platoon has a bazooka.

The objective – a fortified house protected by a couple of pillboxes -- is located on a wooded hill on the southwestern side of the map. There are two avenues of approach. The first would take my forces through low ground. While I suspect line-of-sight would be spotty for the Italians, at some point, I would have to face the pillboxes head-on. The second approach is on higher terrain through an orchard. A raised railroad track provides additional cover for an approach. Needless to say, I feel like I have one choice: the higher path that potentially flanks the pillboxes.

(Note: This battle takes place at daybreak. As a result, several of the early screen shots are quite dark.)

Casa-Nostra-01_Plan_zpsf139bdeb.jpg


I plan to keep my forces fairly tight for the attack. I want to pack as big of a punch as I can. I’ll bring all the machine guns and mortars to bear to support my assault. I do not expect the enemy to have any artillery although the Italians may have a few Brita mortars embedded with their infantry.

I need to be alert for both foot patrols and defensive fortifications such as wire and mines. I’m going to send scouts ahead on two paths one that hugs the railroad tracks while the other will go along the southern edge of the battlefield, My goal is to position myself behind the railroad embankment before sunrise. Then, I want to let loose with my support weapons (3 medium machine guns and two 60mm mortars)

The briefing says that I have 15 minutes before the sun rises and that I should get my men in position during that short window. Ultimately, that just puts pressure on me to keep moving. I have a lot of ground to cover in 15 minutes. So, once the scouts clear an area, the rest of my forces will be on their heals quickly.

All is quiet for the first few minutes. There is a small fenced-in field and as I approach it, my troops see one of the two pillboxes. The good news is that I’m already an oblique angle to the pillbox which minimizes the chances of it causing me too much damage, but I can see some trench work extending from the defensive position. Let’s hope there aren’t many enemy troops protecting the flank.

Casa-Nostra-02_Pillbox_zps2979f256.jpg


With the sun coming up, my men are spotted by an Italian headquarters team in the house who lets a few errant shots loose. Now that we’ve been exposed, it is time to move. I quickly setup my machine guns and mortars along the railroad tracks and lay down suppressive fire where I can.

I can see an extensive trench running on the other side of the railroad tracks running past both pillboxes towards the house. There is wire running between the railroad tracks and the trenches. I can see some troops in the trenches but I’m struggling to get LOS on targets. Finally, a mortar and a machine gun take out a handful of troops spread across the trench. A second machine gun takes out at least one soldier in the house.

Casa-Nostra-03_Mortar_zps35f6cab1.jpg


I send a squad through a hole in the wire and into the trenches. Next, I send an assault section from another squad to blow a second hole in the wire. Quickly, I have two squads, an HQ team, a mortar and a machine gun in the trench. Soon, I’m able to bring up a bazooka team and it kills most of the inhabitants of the first pillbox. I send an assault section of a squad up to it and it takes out the pillbox with a couple of grenades.

Further up the trenchworks, I can see the Italians start to retreat. To this point, my losses have been minimal. I’ve taken three casualties. Two from the XO team who found themselves too exposed on the top of the railroad tracks in the first couple of minutes of battle and a third from the assault team that is clearing the trenches.

Casa-Nostra-03A_Retreat_zps3f455eaa.jpg


While the bulk of my forces are moving through the trenches and putting fire on the house, I sent a squad on a flanking maneuver along the railroad tracks. On the west side of the house, there is a sunken road which I hope to use to trap any Italians that try to run. Unfortunately, this squad runs into a German unit that is sitting in the back half of the house and some Italians holed away in a building behind the fortified objective. I end up getting trapped in the sunken road causing me to lose two men and retreat.

My men in the trenches continue to clear the line. Soon, the second pillbox is taken out and I have most of 2nd Platoon less than 50 yards from the house. I’m getting reports of a third pillbox further down the trench line but I do not expect it to be a factor at this point (it turns out that it is a concrete bunker but, as suspected, it is pointing the other direction and is no factor).

With the trenches largely clear, I am more comfortable moving a squad from 1st Platoon and the HQ team towards the fortified house. After catching their breath, I send them into the southern wing of the house. I know there is a German unit in the two-story western wing. Unfortunately for my squad, there is more than just one German unit in the rear of the building. There are at least two plus the remnants of the Italian HQ that fired the first shots. Within seconds, my squad is cut down, loosing four of nine men before they retreat.

Casa-Nostra-03B_Assault_zps2b96ff5b.jpg


I work to position most of my support assets on the north side of the building in hopes of suppressing the force that remains in the house. Meanwhile, I have all my squads and HQ units waiting on the east side of the building to make a final assault.

The final assault begin with my paratroopers rushing in from two entrances. Distracted by the machine guns firing from outside, the enemy takes heavy casualties. Those that can, flee the building and start sprinting across the field to escape.

Casa-Nostra-04_Assault_zpsb66fc655.jpg


Casa-Nostra-05_Results_zps915eb339.jpg

With 3 minutes left, the Italians surrender. The results are very lopsided. I was glad I took the high approach to the objective. The terrain, railroad, vegetation and time of day kept me hidden. Keeping my troops together, helped maximize the firepower I could put on the enemy.

My primary mistake was sending the squad to flank the objective. This caused unnecessary casualties and, ultimately, caused my initial assault on the house to fail since I had only one squad available. Had I kept the flanking squad with my main force, I would have had more firepower. I’m not saying that I would have come out without a scratch but I suspect my casualties would have been less and I might have ended the fight a few minutes sooner.

Casa-Nostra-07_End_zps59ca8e88.jpg
 
Nice AAR.... has anyone actually won this as the Italians... seems a very hard battle to win as the Axis. I have played it a few times H2H as the Italians and always found it very hard.

I don't see how it is possible. The Italians are too weak -- both in terms of number of men as well as fitness/morale -- to stand up to the US paratroopers. I played through it this afternoon and found my Italians breaking as soon as the paratroopers crested the berm of the railroad tracks.
 
Actually, I did win this as the Italians/Germans in H2H.

A total victory, no less. But I have to say that it seems to be quite dependent on the approach your opponent chooses.
In my game, all the paratroopers were concentrated on what is called the highland here. So i could counter-concentrate my forces (also emptying the bunkers) and this worked quite well.
 
Wow. I am impressed. Did you stay in the trenches or go up the railroad berm, firing on the attackers?
 
Haven't played this one as the Axis but it was a good fight as the Paratroopers. You really get to appreciate the lack of firepower American squads have in this earlier time period compared to 1944.

I took a similar approach and got a major victory I think. A few more allied casualties than you Smash on the approach.
 
Wow. I am impressed. Did you stay in the trenches or go up the railroad berm, firing on the attackers?

I did stay in the trenches, except for a small scout party of Italian infantry. They died .. horribly.

Like I said, I think my opponent played into my cards by just attacking from one point, so I could counter-concentrate my forces.
Even then, it was quite close and it was difficult to keep the Italians in a good enough state to be useful for anything. Usually they were shaken / panicking.

I think if you attack from at least two angles it should be close to impossible to win this as the Axis.
 
Back
Top