German Paratroopers struggle to hold the town of Ortona against a determined assault. Hitler has ordered that Ortona be held to the last man. For the men of the Canadian 1st Infantry Division, this battle would mark a second baptism of fire..,.
Attacker: Canadian (Elements of Loyal Edmonton Regiment, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada and 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade's Three Rivers Regiment)
Defender: German (Elements of 1. Fallschirmjager-Division)
7.5 turns
Players: 2 OBA: None Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:20.0 D:10.0
AFVs: A:3
Stuart III(a) Sherman III(a) x 2
D:1
PzKpfw IVH
Guns: A:0 D:1
5cm PaK 38
Misc Rules:
Treat Orchards/Crags as Shellholes. Unpaved Roads. D: FB6, IVH may setup Dug-In
Map Board(s):
60
Overlays:
NONE
Errata (source)
Players wanting to play this game/Request a match:
CASLO 2022 - not a good game for FTF play, counter density was unmanageable. Probably better on VASL, as the scenario itself seemed fun.
2022-02-04
(D) Dave Mareske
vs
Dennis Dowd
German win
While we need to play this again the Germans guessed right falling back to cover a north entrance for the reinforcements. I over bought Booby Traps and the Canadians never rolled an 11 on a TC. Otherwise, the defense worked well, falling back and covering building not allowing the allies to get behind the defense. But the HMG, 9-2 LDR and Panzer IV destroyed the reinforcement group. My opponent gave up, but willing to try again in the future.
2021-09-14
(D) Jeff B
vs
Joe Arthur
German win
My opponent and I basically played this one twice, with the same result each time, albeit one by a much more scenic route. Our fist game didn't even last a half turn. After a sneaky HMG shot eviscerated a big stack of Canadians, my opponent failed his PMC and threw in the towel. So we hit reboot and started from scratch. This one went the distance, and was very tight. Though tight does not always equate to fun, as this is strictly a body-block scenario from the German perspective, and these are some of my least favorite types. Wire, mines, the hill, and rubble, will naturally funnel the Canadians through a small opening. Man the forts, break, fall back, replace, and recycle was a common theme. The biggest advantage the Canadians have are their tanks, If they can manage to get even one behind the German lines I think they win. In our game we had a ton of rubble. 15 hexes to be exact, and the southern route was almost completely cut off. Wire and my Panzer held down the middle, while my gun patiently stood guard in the north. Not to mention the ever-present threat of PFs and CC reaction within the narrow confines of the village. Turn 1 saw a very cautious Canadian approach, and this probably made the difference in the end since they were about a turn short. My opponent was overly concerned about mines and did a lot of searching. It didn't help that he lost his HMG for good at the end of Turn 1. I made what could have been a terrible blunder Turn 3 by allowing him a gap in my southern line that allowed his reinforcements safe entry up into the hills. Had I not been so lax I think the game would've been over far before it was. As it was, with the help of some tunnels, I was able to recover and plug the holes. I lost my HMG for good on Turn 5, but fried the Stuart as it tried to swing around up top. Had it made it it would've been curtains for me. The rest of the game was monotonously like each of the turns prior, until I was able to ring the three required buildings I needed to hold with a wall of bodies.