Jon suggested we do a game with US troops for Veterans Day (Nov 11), and since I had no US 6mm minis he would supply them. So I stole another scenario off of Rob Avery's Vis Lardica site that would be a simple set up. For variety I wanted a game that was in Italy so the Highway 7 scenario from the Anzio pack looked good.

The scenario takes place on January 31, 1944 with units of the US 3rd Division trying to expand the Anzio beachead out through the dug in Herman Goering Panzer Division.

Battlefield looking towards the US lines

View from the US edge

The game called for a pretty featureless table. The main item is a railway in a cut which is too vertical of a drop for armor to cross. Otherwise just a few farm houses, a stream and some leafless copses

From the east edge

The US must take the four fortified farmhouses on the left side of the railway cut. They have no artillery, but they do have a 5-vehicle Sherman platoon and two M10s. Their infantry company is green and has two MMG teams, a 3-tube light mortar group and five bazookas.

HG div positions

I was going to be the defender for this one. I didn't have a lot of troops but they were all vets and could all be dug in.

I had five infantry sections, four MMG teams, one PaK 38, and a 75mm Infantry Gun. My armor was a pair of StuG IIIs.

I placed a MMG team in all the farmhouses and the infantry sections in and around the three forward houses. One section was back to the right on a low rise with the Pak and IG.

US left flank

Rob took the armor and Jon had the infantry. The armor moved on the left flank and went hull down quickly. The three infantry platoons spread out across the front.

US right side

As it crossed the stream I started shooting with the IG and one of the MMG teams. I really wanted to hold fire and not give away my positions until I had targets with 18 inches.

Receiving some HE

The light mortars and armor returned fire on the MMG team on the German left.

StuGs moving out

Once I saw the US tanks I deployed my StuGs

Coordinating the advance

Jon wanted his infantry to use the M4s as advancing cover.

StuG shooting at the troops heading for the railway cut

Managed to hit the platoon CO as they moved into the cut.

Targeting some Shermans

One M4 was KO'ed

Right hand platoon in the cut

You would think they would be easier to hit with those green bases. Jon hadn't had a chance to break out his 6mm stuff in years so was happy to get them on the table.

Center platoon

Used the cover of the M4's smoke to move up

Infantry dropping off in a drainage ditch

Still not many target for the US as I held most of my units in check.

Smoke across the front

One of the Shermans is smoking also. I wasn't getting many hits on the Americans at this point.

GIs in the trees

I had one infantry section and one MMG team around this house in addition to the StuG.

Left flank advancing also

Some of the left side platoon made a break for the railway cut near the bridge. The US players had been told the bridge could be mined. This was what they had seen on previous crossing. So Jon wanted to check it out before running any tanks across.

Center platoon in the cut now

The right hand platoon just tried to get to the fortified house on the German left and were stomped pretty well. They slunk back to the copse minus their leader and a dozen men They had one effective squad left there.

Charge from the center

The center platoon gets a fantastic move out from the railway cut and overwhelm the defenders, eliminating both the MMG and infantry section. The StuG attempts to pull back but is hit by a bazooka rocket and is immobilized.

German center now taking damage

The StuG at this building did KO one Sherman and immobilized another but some back to back hits with boxcars destroyed it.

The blinds are a dug in German section

US tanks break for the bridge

Jon had a squad and a big man check out the bridge for explosives and managed to disarm it after the charges failed.

Meanwhile the Pak 38 is down to two men and the IG has been wiped out. The US troops in these trees have taken a few casualties.

Right side of the German line

Another fortified house with a MMG team and an infantry section

German center under mortar fire

No casualties taken though.

Tanks on their way

And this is a good time to call the game as I was out of AT weapons. No ‘fausts or ‘schrecks. Both StuGs gone and the Pak 38 down to 2 crew.

Overall casualties for the US were 29 out of 90 with a couple of Big Men down. As green troops their activations would be 0 when down to 4 men/squad. At this point they had one good platoon in operation.

The Germans lost one full section and 1 MMG team and 2 other men along with the IG. Fun game with some challenges for the US players.

Mark Luther