Between 4 June and 16 June, whilst maintaining contact with the advancing Allies, Kesselring executed a remarkable and unorthodox maneuver with his depleted divisions, resulting in his two armies aligning and uniting their wings on the defensive positions on the Trasimeno Line.
By the last week of June the Allies were facing the Trasimeno positions. On 22 June, a U.S. armored attack near Massa Marittima was defeated by a German tank platoon under Oberfähnrich Oskar Röhrig from Heavy Tank Battalion 504. The German Tiger I's knocked out 11 Sherman tanks, while the terrified American tank crews abandoned another 12. The Germans suffered no losses.
Heinrich von Vietinghoff's 10th Army had Traugott Herr's LXXVI Panzer Corps facing XIII and X Corps and Valentin Feurstein's The toughest defenses were around the lake itself with XIII Corps' British 78th Infantry Division experiencing fierce fighting on 17 June at Città della Pieve and 21 June at San Fatucchio.
The U.S. IV Corps also found progress slow but by 1 July had crossed the river Cecina and were within 20 miles (32 km) of Livorno. Meanwhile, the French Corps had been held up on the river Orcia west of Lake Trasimene until the parachutist defenders withdrew on 27 June allowing them to enter Siena on 3 July.
In rough terms, due to the occasional misstep of the advancing armies (viz the inability to quickly take Citta della Pieve), and a well organized fighting retreat, the German forces were able to set up a massively strong defensive line, part of the Albert Line, in the five mile gap between Lake Chiusi and Lake Trasimene. In the middle of June, the 78th Division were asked to lead a strong thrust to unhinge the strongly held defenses between the two lakes, with the South Africans stuck on their western side. The perceived difficulties were such that it was even said that General Keightley had the idea of landing an amphibious landing (by DUKW) behind the German rear !!
After strong resistance had been encountered by the 11th and 36th Brigades, which thwarted the initial assault, the British 38th, Irish Brigade, with their supporting armored support the 11th Canadian Armored Regiment were called forward on the 21st June to seek to outflank and attack the strongly held village of SanFattuchio from the rear.
Sufficed to say, the next few days were desperately difficult with tales of vicious hand to hand fighting, acts of great attacking endeavor, and stubborn defensive actions and counter attack. In one instance, the Lancashire Fusiliers telephoned the Irish Brigade's HQ to praise the way the London Irish Rifles' (LIR) attack had gone in on the morning of the 21st June, a very rare occurrence of such praise being conveyed between battalions in different Brigade units. But, after many days of great difficulties (an understatement), the Albert line was eventually unhinged by the end of June - unfortunately to lead to even more hardship further north.
This scn is a combination of days for playability. The size of the map is so that it can be used in additional battles beyond the days represented. I have limited the visibility to 8 due to rain. The reserve South African armor is fixed until turn 5 to represent the armor that was bogged down and could not join the brutal hand to hand fighting in Chuisi that led to the capture of so many brave men.
Isn't it amazing to think that people are still using the tools included with this 25-year-old game to create more custom scenarios to play. Good ones, too.
Thanks Majog!
Dave
Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tinny blasts on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us. --Walt Kelly
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