Big Chain of Command AAR: The Fight for Pozillo

Last Saturday, Daniel, Max and I met up again for our monthly CoC game, so we had another Big Chain of Command, which we also used as the final test for our self-designed scenario: Reconnaissance-in-force.

I'll post the scenario on the blog in the next few days, but here are a few key points:

- both sides roll 1D3+6 each for Force Support

- side with the lower number counts as Active Player

- Active player gets 1D3 free moves in the following Patrol Phase

- there is a Reconnaissance Phase where only Reconnaissance unit can act, the duration will be diced for

- both sides try to secure an Objective and at the end of each Turn the Force Morale of the side that doesn't control the Objective drops by -1 (so a ticking clock in the end)

The vanguards of an American and an Italian battle group clashed at Pozillo and both sides tried to secure the small village as a base for further operations, resulting in a fierce battle in which more and more troops became involved.

The scouts on both sides explored the terrain and occupied strategic points that seemed favourable to them, from which the advancing platoons of the two battle groups were to join the battle.

However, the Italians were caught on the wrong foot by the aggressively advancing Americans, who advanced into the village with vigour, denying the Italians even the strong position of the small chappel of Pozillo and thus also the opportunity to bring their platoons into the battle in a concentrated manner.

The battlefield with Pozillo dominating the area.

Pozillo itself looked on from the chappel.

A Scout Jeep accompanied by a M5 Stuart and later joined by a Halftrack-mounted Armoured squad are pushing forward to secure Pozillo.

While the Italians deployed a squad of Solothurn AT rifles into a field to deny the road leading from Pozillo (both AT rifles never fired a single shot though) and advancing cautiously with an AB41.

But the Stuart immediately stopped their advance with some well placed shots!

In the meantime my Armoured squad had dismounted, sneaks forward and occupies some houses to set up a defensive position.

A few shots later the AB41 is out of business.

The Italians deploy their Cannone da 65/17 and try to stop the M5 but to no avail - they later join the Fucilieri to fire at the lone US Armoured squad in Pozillo.

A full squad of Fucilieri deployed in the Olive groove and they soon break the US squad in Pozillo, but the US Armoured will deploy more squads and they can be never challenged to give up Pozillo in the and.

More Italians move up in support on the left of their comrades.

But meanwhile 2 squads of US Parachute Infantry can open up fire on the Italian Fucilieri ...

... joined by my Armoured LMG squad in Pozillo and the 60mm mortar behind the village.

The result: Cannone da 65/17 destroyed and nearly the complete squad of Fucilieri out of action including some leaders. So the Force Morale of this platoons dropped to Zero and they decide to leave the bttlefield to fight another day and with them the Bersaglieri have to withdraw too.

It was another exciting game in which Daniel's perfectly played patrol phase was ultimately the deciding factor:

The Americans controlled the village from the start, but at the same time had denied the Italians the chappel as a jumping-off point for many phases and were able to pin the Italians in their cover.

In addition, Max and his Italians had relied for too long on being able to drive the US Armoured out of the village simply by firing on with one of his Fucilieri squads, albeit very devastatingly, supported by the Cannone da 65/17.

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By Fire and Sword: Two training battles with my Swedes

Last Saturday, Max and I met up for a few games of ‘By Fire and Sword’.

In the first game, my Swedes faced his Imperials and then Max's Ottomans; both games ended in a crushing defeat for me.
Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun as usual, the rules are quick to play and easy to get the hang of and we'll definitely be sticking with it.

We will gradually expand our armies now so that after the ‘Skirmish Level’ we can also tackle the ‘Task Force Level’ of BFaS, but that will take a while until we have painted enough units for that.

Some pictures of our games:

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Chain of Command AAR: Clash of Patrols at Ponte Olivo

Saturday was our monthly CoC game, this time as an introductory game for Stefan, a CoC newcomer.

Max took over a Platoon Bersaglieri, Stefan led my US Parachute Infantry into battle and I took on the role of game master and was on hand to answer Stefan's questions about rules and tactics.

First of all: I didn't have to give many tips.

At dawn, the platoons of US paratroopers and the Italian Bersaglieri meet on the outskirts of a small Sicilian village.

Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and date palm fields, the terrain offers both cover and tactical advantages. Both sides are initially on patrol and try to outmanoeuvre each other.

The Bersaglieri advance skilfully and are thus able to secure the village and take cover in the buildings on the outskirts.

The paratroopers advance on their right flank and take up positions on the hills at the edge of the village. Two squads take cover in the vineyards and orchards, while two 60mm mortars take up positions behind the hills.

And here are pictures of the US Boys looking towards the village (these two pictures were shot by Stefan):

Supported by the two mortars and a bazooka team, which is soon eliminated by the Bersaglieri, the US soldiers concentrate their fire on one of the three Bersaglieri squads entrenched in one of the buildings on the edge of the village.

This concentrated fire puts the Italian troops in dire straits.

The first Bersaglieri squad quickly loses several men when grenades explode in the houses. The squad's sergeant is wounded several times and finally killed.

Shortly afterwards, the commander of the Bersaglieri platoon is also seriously injured as he attempts to take command of the battered squad and restore order.

After the loss of two commanders and the ever-increasing losses in their ranks, the survivors of the Bersaglieri squad lose their nerve, break and run away and shortly after the whole platoon has to beat retreat.

The US paratroopers were thus able to capture the village and secure a strategically important point on the edge of their beachhead, which could make a direct Axis attack on it more difficult or even impossible.

Conclusion:

The US paratroopers were able to decisively weaken the Bersaglieri through concentrated fire, even if they themselves also suffered considerable losses. However, these losses were distributed among their squads, which did not significantly weaken their fighting strength.

Max once again underestimated the unpredictability of CoC and, trusting that he could hold out for one more phase, did not take the battered squad out of the firing line ... Unfortunately, this was followed by a double phase for the US Boys.

Stefan played cleverly, focussed his fire to achieve maximum effect and also had the ‘Pabst in his pocket’ (i.e. some really incredible luck with the dice) like this burst with one of his LMGs 😎

But the most important thing was: he had fun and this was his first, but not his last game of CoC - a perfect day for us too!

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Italian Bersaglieri Platoons: CoC Army Lists for the operations in the Mediterranean 1942-1943

I must confess that the research on the Bersaglieri was the most exhausting and contradictory so far for our CoC army lists.
So many reorganisations, some of which were only ordered but never implemented, requests for changes from the divisions based on their combat experience, which were usually, but not always, granted, and so on.
Or as my mate Max said so aptly when I held him up-to-date during the research: In principle, one needs to draw up a separate list for each month and each division 😅

However, here are the lists for the motorised platoons and for the motricycle company of a Bersaglieri regiment - the latter was mainly used for reconnaissance.

The Bersaglieri were not only the equivalent of the Panzergrenadiers in the Armored Divisions of the Regio Esercito, but also part of the motorised infantry divisions, or, as in Sicily, part of the Mobile Groups.

Late 1941 the Bersaglieri regiments adopted the North Africa TO&E originally specified for the

Trento and Trieste Motorized Divisions, the only difference being that the armored cars of the motorcycle companies were AB.39 models (armed with machine guns) in the motorized divisions and AB.41 models (with 20mm guns) in the armored divisions.

Initially the intended Bersaglieri rifle platoon organization was two rifle squads each of two sections, so the same like most of the Fucilieri -> Standard Fucilieri Platoon outside Africa Settentrionale

But as mentioned it was requested to change this because it was found to be too inflexible and cumbersome, and the divisions wanted instead three 13-man squads each with a single light machine gun. The loss of one light MG per platoon would be offset, they argued, by the addition of a medium MG to the company's machine gun platoon.

On 18 August SMRE gave in and authorized reconfiguration of the Bersaglieri rifle platoon to three rifle squads and its AT section, and further to the creation of proposed scout elements in the Bersaglieri units, although personnel for the latter were to come from existing strength.

For the complete list just click on the picture of the list above.

And as usual - comments, suggestions and amendments are always welcome!

Sources

• "Tactical Structure in World War II. Italy. Armor"; Leland Ness; 2023
• "Tactical Structure in World War II. Italy. Infantry"; Leland Ness; 2023
• "Storia della fanteria Italiana"; different authors; 2018
• TME 30-420 Handbook on the Italian Military Forces; 1943
• "LE SQUADRE DELLA FANTERIA"; Scuola di applicazione di fanteria", Turin 1943

Additionally these websites have been used:

• http://www.regioesercito.it/index.html
• https://comandosupremo.com/ -> don´t miss the forum of this site!

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US Armoured Rifle Infantry Platoon: CoC Army List for the operations in the Mediterranean 1942-1943

This list has been compiled for the combat operations in the Mediterranean region in mind, i.e. ‘Operation Torch’ and the subsequent fighting in Tunisia until the surrender of the Germans and Italians, ‘Operation Husky’ and the conquest of Sicily, up to the landing on the Italian mainland.

It ends with the year 1943.

This CoC Army List for a Rifle Platoon of the Armoured Divisions is based on original sources like the ToE T/O 7-27 and documents like FM 17 - 71 which describe how an Armoured platoon acts in battle, be it in attack, defence, or on the march, etc.

Here, for example, it is also stated that at least the drivers usually stick to their half-tracks, in defence in any case. It also states that in such cases the co-driver mans the machine gun.

Accordingly, my version of the list for a US Armoured platoon includes neither the driver nor the co-driver.

The options include the support units that are possible and typical for the period and the Mediterranean region.

For the complete list just click on the picture of the list above.

Suggestions, comments and corrections are always welcome of course.

Used and recommended sources:

• FM 17-40 Armored Infantry Company
• FM 17-42 Armored Infantry Battalion
• FM 17-71 Armoured Command Crew Drill for Half-Track Vehicles
• T/O&E 17-37 Detailed Organization American Armored Division Reconnaissance Company for Armored Regiment or Armored Reconnaissance Battalio
• T/O&E 7-27 RIFLE COMPANY, ARMORED INFANTRY BATTALION
• CORG-M-198. The Evolution of the Armored Infantry Rifle Squad
• CMH Pub 2-1 THE ORGANIZATION OF GROUND COMBAT TROOPS; Kent Roberts Greenfield, Robert R. Palmer  and Bell I. Wiley
• World War II US Armored Infantry Tactics; Gordon L. Rottman, Elite 176, Osprey Publishing

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US Parachute Infantry Platoon: CoC Army List for the operations in the Mediterranean 1942-1943

The standard Platoon of US Parachute Infantry, as it was used during ‘Operation Torch’, ‘Operation Husky’ and after the landing on the Italian mainland too.

They belonged to the 82nd Airborne Division and were organised into two squads which would only change with ‘Operation Market Garden’ (from then on, they switched to 3 squads per platoon)

I have included the option to play them as Elite, even if the first missions were not brilliant, especially during ‘Operation Torch’ as most of the paratroopers were simply captured by the Vichy French and some even by the Spanish in Spanish Marocco (they were released just months later).

This changed completely with ‘Husky’, where the paratroopers, although mostly scattered and fighting in small groups, fought hard battles against the Axis forces.

The list itself matches that of the US Parachute Infantry from the rulebook, but the options are adapted to the time period and the mediterranean theatre of operations of course.

For the complete list just click on the picture of the list above.

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Project Livorno in 15mm: squadra Mortaio d'assalto Brixia Mod. 35

As I wrote in my Blog posts regarding the CoC Army Lists for the divisione "Livorno" (https://utgaards-blog.blogspot.com/2025/01/project-livorno-chain-of-command-army.html) and the standard organisation of the Metropolitan Fucilieri platoons (https://utgaards-blog.blogspot.com/2025/02/project-italy-ww2-chain-of-command-army.html), depending on the mission, the Brixia M35s could be assigned individually to the platoons, but were primarily intended to operate as a squad to concentrate their fire on a single target.

Either to prepare an assault or to defend a position.

So I needed not just one model of the Brixia M35 of course but three of them - including 3 fucilieri acting as additional loaders and a sergente (Junior Leader for CoC) to command this squad.

Models are 3D printed ones, STLs made by 3D Breed. As always, I not only re-scaled them to 15mm, but also adjusted the proportions so that they don't look so cartoonish and fit in better with the other 15mm figures from the usual manufacturers.

The completed squad.

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Chain of Command AAR: Reconnaissance-in-force

Max and I used our monthly CoC game last Saturday to further refine our self-designed scenario.

It is roughly based on a reconnaissance-in-force in which a central object has to be captured - in our case a farm dominating an important crossroads.

A normal patrol phase is played, followed by a reconnaissance phase of variable duration in which only light troops, scouts and motorised squads may be deployed, the number of which is secretly determined by both players (but the more troops are deployed, the more difficult it becomes to bring reinforcements into play).

All other troops then appear in the normal game following this phase.

Max took over a platoon of US Parachute Infantry (Elite), which was reinforced by a squad of Goumiers and a 57mm Anti-Tank gun.

Opposite them was a platoon of Fucilieri of the ‘Livorno’, reinforced by a squadra esploratori, a squad of Brixia mortars, a FIAT 3000 and a SPA AS.37, in which one of the Livorno squads embarked, and I had also allowed myself a Red Dice ... 2 wasted support points, as it turned out ...

The farm that needs to be secured

The Battlefield, the Italians will enter it from this side.

Just another small village on Sicily.

My squadra esploratori could enter the farm first even though it had to take its first losses.

First squad of the US Paras take defennsive position at the edge of an Olivie grove.

While a squad Fucilieri disembarked from their transport and entered some buildings within the village and not to soon, as just a few moments later a squad of Goumiers appears.

Suddenly a bazooka team of the Paras appears and the transporter turns into a smoking wreck.

After another squad of Paras is deployed, devastating crossfire hails down on the isolated squad of Italians in the farm and the losses take on disastrous proportions.

My squad of Brixia mortars ...

... in combination with a squad of Fucilieri was able to distract one of the enemy squads and inflict heavy losses on it,

but could not prevent the attack on the few remaining defenders of the farm by the other squad of Paras.

The Paras try to mitigate the fire of the mortars with smoke grenades.

The farm has been captured by the Paras, the commander of the Italians has fallen together with the defending squad and the rest of the platoon is now hastily retreating from the battlefield.

Conclusion:

The Red Dice failed me completely, only once it showed a usable two - otherwise the whole game only fives/sixes, exactly the two numbers that don't count with it ...

Above all, however, I made some fatal mistakes and therefore deserved to lose:

I should have let the motorised Fucilieri squad disembark at the farm instead of sending them into the village.

This would have allowed me to better mitigate the losses and hold the farm together with the scout squad, but above all it would not have been completely isolated there, as was the case in the village.

Because of this isolated position, I was forced to activate the squad in the village at all times - on the one hand to reduce shock, which accumulated over time, and on the other to be able to return fire from the Goumiers and the bazooka team.

And in the end, it were exactly these orders that I lacked elsewhere, for example to bring my reinforcements into play.

Max, on the other hand, played it smart, focussed his fire on the few defenders in the farm and therefore deserved his victory.

Congratulations!

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Italian Fucilieri Platoon outside Africa Settentrionale (North Africa): CoC Army List for the operations in the Mediterranean 1942-1943

After my CoC Army List for the different structured platoons of the "Livorno", "Superga" (and later "Friuli") was ready it's now time for an Army List for the remaining Metropolitan (in Italy itself, or stationed in Albania, Greece and so on) divisions.

This includes the fanteria costiera (Coastal Divisions) and camicie nere (Blackshirt).

In contrast to the organisation of the British, Americans and Germans, it is much more difficult and time-consuming to obtain reliable information for Italian army units, the sources I have used are listed at the end of this post.

In 1943 there was a reorganisation of many of the infantry divisions outside Africa Settentrionale (North Africa) but without touching the structure of the infantry platoons itself - they stayed with two squads per platoon.

But as now there were much more SMGs available, the fucilieri were issued 3 SMG per squad - one for the leader and two for the riflemen.

For the information regarding the historical support weapons used please look at:

https://utgaards-blog.blogspot.com/2025/01/project-livorno-chain-of-command-army.html

For the complete list just click on the picture of the list above.

Used and recommended sources

"LE SQUADRE DELLA FANTERIA"; Scuola di applicazione di fanteria", Turin 1943

Official document of the infantry schools dating from 1943, containing the structure and deployment of an infantry squad.

„Tactical Structure in World War II. Italy. Infantry“; Leland Ness, 2 May 2023

Firstly he used original Italian sources that were captured by Germany 1943 and in turn captured by the Americans who microfilmed the sources before being returned to Italy.

And secondly he visited the Ufficio Storico, the Italian Army's historical office located in Rome.

For up-to-date information regarding the weapons of the Regio Esercito I strongly recommend:

„Le armi della fanteria italiana“; Filippo Cappellano and Nicola Pignato.

Colonel Dr. Filippo Cappellano is the chief of the Italian Army Historical Branch (Ufficio Storico SME) and his detailed description of the Brixia M35 mortar, its handling technical data, but also information on its tactical use in combat was very enlightening.

A good starting point too is the handbook based on the gathered informations by the US Military, dating from August 1943, which is freely available as PDF:

"TME30-420. Handbook on the Italian Forces."

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Project Livorno in 15mm: Fucile controcarro Solothurn da 20 mm (Solothurn S-18/1000 Anti Tank rifle)

Next Support Option ready to fend off enemy armor ... at least a light weighted one 😎

These are 3D printed with the STLs coming from 3D Breed.

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