Set up: quick
Game time: medium
Solo play: suitable
Historical Background:
On the 10th of July 1943, during operation Husky (Allied landing in Sicily), the harbour of Gela was captured by US Rangers units while the 1st US Infantry Division (the Big Red One) landed on the beaches around the city. The Axis reacted quickly and Italian general Guzzoni at once sent troops against the US beach head. At 09:00, Italian Mobile Group E, equipped with French R-35 tanks, made a counter-attack, followed by infantrymen of the Livorno division. The Italian attack was a menace for the US supplies depots created on the landing beaches and in the harbour. The battle was fierce all day and ended in a street fighting where US Rangers destroyed several Italian tanks with bazookas and grenades. At the same time, Navy gunfire inflicted heavy losses to the Italian troops on open ground. The counterattack failed and the Italian troops withdrew. Gela stayed in US Rangers hands.
Briefing:
Axis 5 cards move first. Allies 6 cards,
Conditions of Victory:
6 Medals.
The two supply depots in Gela are each a permanent medal objective for the Axis.
Special Rules:
Royal Italian Army rules (Nation 6) for all Axis units.
Specialized Units rules (Troop 2) for the three US Rangers units and US Airborne unit.
Destroyers rules (Troop 12).
Scenario link:
Report
Set up time 15 minutes, playing time 50 minutes.
A relatively easy scenario to set up and play - no complex rules or terrain.
This really looked like an American victory from the start - they began with great cards (Their Finest Hour, Behind Enemy Lines, Close Assault) while the Italians just had Assault
cards. And the Italians kept throwing poor dice! Their Amour Assault failed due to this and the tanks were picked off by the Rangers.
It was soon 2-0 to the Allies, but the Axis fought back to 2-3. The US units on the left moved towards Gela to support it; one of them played Behind Enemy Lines but only destroyed 1 tank.
The Navy did score some good hits, but Medics and Mechanic saw an Italian unit in the town go back to full strength. At 4-4 the game became a street fight, with the Italians taken a permanent medal and being just 1 dice from victory! But suddenly they had no good cards left, the Navy destroyed another unit, and the Allies had Air Power. But it failed, and at 5-5 two Italian units managed a last Assault on Gela to take the victory.
In the end it was a really good game, but I was actually getting a bit frustrated halfway through at the Italians bad luck with cards and dice. They could have won it much earlier.
RULES PARADOX
The set up clearly says Axis (Italian) 5 cards, but it also says to play Italian Royal Army Rules. The latter states ‘’Italian High Command: Start with 6 Command Cards’’.
So how many cards should the Italians start with?!
Start of game:
End of game - not much left!
