Salerno - American Landings - The Matrix Games version of West Front

Salerno - American Landings - (Human Opponent) Operation Avalanche, the invasion of the Italian mainland, commenced in the predawn darkness on Sept 9, 1943. The American 36th Infantry Division ("Texas") was to land on four beaches codenamed Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue at an ancient Greek settlement called Paestum. To enhance the element of surprise, there was no naval bombardment for the 36th at Paestum, unlike that of the British 10th Corps at Salerno just up the coast line. The first troops hit the beaches at 0330, an hour before daylight. As the landing craft approached the sand, flares went up from German positions and a hail of fire from machine guns and mortars hit the troops hard. German reconnaissance planes had been monitoring the allied armada as it traveled from Africa and the landings were anything but a surprise. The Italians had just surrendered and this left significant gaps in the axis coastal defenses. The 16th Panzer Division, rebuilt from its destruction at Stalingrad, was sent to defend the Salerno plain and to fill the gaps left by the Italian divisions. Although spread out across a 20 mile front, the 16th still presented a significant threat to the initial landings of the 36th. The sloping Salerno plain was backed by high mountainous ridges that had a commanding view of the entire area. For the American VI Corps, it was imperative that these mountains be taken quickly to remove the artillery threat and set up a secure beachhead. The 142nd and 141st Battalions were selected to lead the assault with the 143rd arriving a few hours later. Their mission was to seize Paestum and assemble at the railway to the east, then to break out and seize the hills. It was to be a very difficult mission, but one that was critical to a successful landing.