The Attack on Monte Lucedelsole : opening shots

Having put together some basic WW2 forces to contest some mostly imaginary parts of sunny Italy, 1943-44, I thought I'd give 'Badgerforce' and 'KampfGruppe Von Kleist' their first encounter.  A simple attack/defence scenario, with Colonel Badger of the West Suffolks tasked with taking the small hilltop farm at Monte Lucedelsole, dug in around which are a detachment of Oberst von Kleist's force.

Here is the battlefield, looking North, with von Kleist's little force ready and waiting:

Von Kleist awaits..

The picturesque ancient farm of Monte Lucedelsole sits on its modest hill overlooking  the road to the nearby administrative hub of Cittagrande. What armies may have tramped this dusty highway since it was built, for the long-passed Roman Legions?  Now the British are known to be heading this way. Von Kleist is ready to slow their progress with the following small force - denominated in Strength Points (SPs) for Bob Cordery's rules from 'The Developed Portable Wargame' for the Early and Mid-20th Century:

    Commander: Oberst Von Kleist.  6 SP
    Two Infantry units @ 4 SP each = 8 SP
    Two Machine-Gun units @ 2 SP each = 4 SP
    One Mortar unit @ 2 SP
    One Field Gun ( 105mm ) unit    @ 2 SP
    One Medium Anti-Tank Gun  ( 75mm PAK 40 )  unit @ 2 SP
    One Medium Tank ( Pzkpfw IV ) unit @ 3 SP
    Three grid areas Fieldworks @ 1 SP each = 3 SP
    Three grid areas Barbed Wire @ 1 SP each = 3 SP
   
A total of 9 units with 33 SPs, with Exhuastion Point at a loss of 11 SPs. All units rated Average.

Von Kleist places a 'first line' of outposts in the woods South of the farm, with No.1  MG unit in West Wood and No.1  Infantry unit in East Wood. Behind West Wood and close to the road, Infantry Unit No.2 is dug into fortifications, and on the hill are stationed ( left to right )  the A/T gun, Mortar unit, MG unit No. 2 and the Field Gun unit, with the mortar and MG behind fortifications and Von Kleist himself directing the mortar team. Finally the Pzkpfw IV lurks at the foot of the hill,  behind East Wood. Two barbed-wire entanglements were placed in front of the hill to slow down any direct assault, and the third to obstruct the passage around the far side of West Wood. 

Rumbling up the Via Lucedelsole come the British of Badgerforce, unnder orders to secure the little hilltop farm and ensure safe passage of the road.  They are equipped as follows:

    Commander : Colonel Badger,  6 SP
    Four Infantry units @ 4 SP each = 16 SP
    One Machine Gun unit @ 2 SP
    One Mortar unit @ 2 SP
    Two Armoured Motorised Transport ( M3 Half-track ) units @ 3SP each = 6 SP
    One Field Gun ( 25-Pdr ) unit  @ 2 SP ,

    and one Motorised Transport ( Quad Tractor ) @ 2 SP
    One Light Anti-Tank Gun (6-Pdr) unit @2 SP,

    and one Armoured Motorised Transport (Bren Carrier) unit @ 3 SP
    Three Medium Tank ( two Sherman M3 , one Valentine ) units @ 3 SP each = 9 SP.

    A total of  16 units with 50 SPs, Exhaustion Point at a loss of 17 SPs. All units rated Average.

 
Badger doesn't know for sure that there will be opposition at the farm, but is taking no chances, leading his column with his Sherman tanks, followed by the M3 half-tracks carrying two of his infantry units.

To give a little variation in the command sequence I used a variation on Bob's card-driven solo play option from 'The Portable Wargame' : each turn the British would draw a card from a pack containing only cards of value 7, 8 or 9  ( half their number of units, plus and minus one ), allowing them to activate 7, 8 or 9 units; and the Germans would draw from their pack containing only cards of value 4, 5 and 6, allowing them to activate that number of units. Moving a transport unit with infantry unit on board, or towing a gun, would count as two activations.
Initiative - i.e who went first each turn - would be decided by a simple opposed  dice roll. On turn one, the British would automatically go first, to enter the table. 

Without further ado, on Turn One (Badger having drawn an 8 card) 'Badgerforce' leading elements arrived from the South via the road: Sherman 'A' and M3 'A' (Carrying infantry unit No.1 ) straight up the road, and Sherman 'B' and M3 'B' ( carrying Infantry unit no.2 ) moving East  from the road, towards East Wood. MG unit No.1, accompanied by Badger himself, arrived on foot and occupied the walled enclosure ( which you may notice has slightly changed shape, sorry! ) , to support any move on East Wood. In the absence of 'spotting' rules, I decided the British would not fire at any units in cover on Turn One - and no other units were in range.

Enter 'BadgerForce'

 
Von Kleist in his turn drew a 4 card, and moved his tank forward, just behind East Wood, from where Infantry unit No.1 opened the firing, aiming at the British MG - and missed. He took no other action - his MG unit in West Wood could not do any damage to the looming Sherman or M3 at the current range. And so, let battle commence..