Due to vacation and a subsequent wave of work-related stress caused by holiday understaffing, it’s been quite quiet here on the blog for a while—but that is changing right now.
Despite everything, we still found time for a few games, and the battle reports will follow gradually as I find the time to sort and edit the photos, not to mention writing the reports themselves.
Despite everything, we still found time for a few games, and the battle reports will follow gradually as I find the time to sort and edit the photos, not to mention writing the reports themselves.
Today, we kick things off with our primary system, naturally Chain of Command:
The landed US troops attempt to break out of the Gela beachhead against the stubborn resistance of Italian Bersaglieri.
The vanguard of the attack was formed by a Ranger platoon, supported by a squad of Goumiers.
The latter advanced toward the farmstead and dug in, tasked with drawing fire and pinning down the enemy suspected to be in the small village of Ponte Dirillo.
Meanwhile, the entire Ranger platoon was ordered to advance northward under the cover of the olive groves east of the village, preparing to envelop it from that flank.
However, the Bersaglieri had similar ideas, and two of their squads suddenly opened fire from the citrus plantation. But at least a third squad and the anti-tank gun squad were pinned down around the village, and this distance made it difficult for the single Tenente (Senior Leader) to keep track of everything and intervene if necessary, as he was leading from the front "like in the good old days."
The Ranger platoon also deployed out of the olive grove and took up firing positions along its edge and a heavy firefight ensued, in which the Rangers ultimately gained the upper hand.
On one hand, the Bersaglieri struggled with a lack of maneuvering space and couldn't bring their full potential to bear—unlike the Rangers, who also benefited from a Goumier team firing into the Bersaglieri's flank.
Complicating matters further, one Italian leader after another was wounded or killed, causing the Bersaglieri morale to collapse rapidly, forcing them into a retreat.
Not helping matters was the specific "Patrol" scenario rule we were playing: "The first player to lose a Command Dice loses the game and abandons the table."
The area around the village of Ponte Dirillo is defined by agriculture: wheat, olives, and citrus fruits.
The village awakens, cows are driven to pasture—just another normal day.
Morning breaks at the farmstead too, the rooster crows...
..but then all of a sudden the peaceful atmosphere ends as shots rip through the air. Darby’s Rangers have advanced to the attack, their vanguard reaching the edge of the olive grove.
Opposing them, Bersaglieri take up positions along the edge of the citrus plantations.
A squad with 20mm Solothurn rifles takes up position on the edge of Ponte Dirillo.
A Ranger squad is caught in the crossfire from the citrus plantation and Ponte Dirillo—pinned down by suppressing fire and taking heavy hits.
The two Bersaglieri squads lack room to maneuver and have to split their fire between the Ranger squads in the olive grove and the Goumiers—not exactly an advantageous position.
An overview of the situation: Even though part of the right-hand squad couldn't place their shots as precisely as expected of Rangers, the Bersaglieri couldn't withstand the combined firepower of three squads for long, lost their leaders, and finally had to execute an orderly retreat.
Conclusion:
In contrast to me, Max rolled multiple double phases, which theoretically could have left me watching from the sidelines. However, thanks to accumulated Chain of Command points, I was always able to intervene dynamically: on one hand, minimizing higher casualties through "Hit the Dirt," and on the other, using "React Fire" to halt a Bersaglieri push into my positions because they had to duck for cover themselves.
In contrast to me, Max rolled multiple double phases, which theoretically could have left me watching from the sidelines. However, thanks to accumulated Chain of Command points, I was always able to intervene dynamically: on one hand, minimizing higher casualties through "Hit the Dirt," and on the other, using "React Fire" to halt a Bersaglieri push into my positions because they had to duck for cover themselves.
This mechanism of CoC points is truly brilliant. No player is ever genuinely inactive, unlike in other game systems with a rigid "I go, you go" structure; usually, you always have a way to actively influence the action.
And my Ranger list, including the special rule "Rangers Lead the Way," performed exceptionally well once again without upsetting the game balance in the slightest.
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