Operation Avalanche - The Matrix Games version of West Front

Salerno, Italy - Operation Avalanche saw two British infantry divisions and one American infantry division land on the 30+ mile long gulf of Salerno. At 0330 the British landed ten miles south of Salerno with heavy naval support. Simultaneously the Americans landed ten miles south of the Brits with no support in an attempt to achieve surprise in the more remote sector by the ancient Greek village of Paestum. The Italian armistice was finalized just one day earlier and Field Marshall Kesselring scrambled to disarm the Italian coastal divisions and replace them with the crack 16th Panzer Division. The 16th had been destroyed at Stalingrad and was rebuilt as a fully mechanized division in Italy with a full compliment of armor, grenadiers, artillery, and support. In the wake of the armistice the 16th was solely responsible for the defense of the entire Salerno coast until help could arrive from Calabria, Naples, and Rome. The task of the British troops was to secure the hills overlooking Salerno and the bay and to seize the Montecorvino airfield. The Americans were to seize the southern hills and push inland towards Altavilla. The superior numbers of the allied invaders would face a defender with superior positioning, strong artillery support, and a decided advantage in mobility. The german troops must slow the allied push inland and set them up for a decisive counter strike once reinforcements arrived from all over the southern Italian boot.