Return to the Isonzo: Orders and recce

 Before playing the floor game, the campaign was played online, with taskings and orders and aero recce;

Italian Briefing

Situation -

You are commanding a Brigade of Mountain troops - the Arditi and Alpini are rated excellent, the Infantry average.

OOB 

HQ

1 x Arditi Battalion – 2 x Independent Coys

1 x Alpini Battalion – can scale the flanks

1 x Infantry Battalion

1 x Battery light artillery – 2 x light gun with mules

3 x turns of heavy artillery pre - bombardment including gas – 4 tubes in total

1 x turn of bombardment after Zero Hour

 OBJECTIVE

 To capture 'The Table' and hold it.  If possible - capture HILL 103.

 Intelligence assessment

 The SOFA is held by a Battalion of the KUK.  There is a possible local reserve and artillery support.  The enemy is entrenched, and holds ‘The Table’.  He also has depth positions which are entrenched and which cover the flanks.  The flank below HILL 103 is scalable for the Alpini.  

 The attached photo is taken from Copse B - your current forward HQ and viewpoint.

 TASKINGS

 1.   Please nominate three photographs to be taken by aviation tomorrow.  

 when received, please nominate 

 2.  Preliminary bombardment targets

 3.  Please provide orders for the Brigade, and your own initial position and future intent.

 

Austrian Briefing

Situation

You are commanding a Battalion of Mountain troops, supported by a Platoon of Assault troops - all are rated excellent.

Italian start line

OOB 

HQ – currently at HILL 103

1 x Battalion – currently 1 x Coy at the TABLE, and 1 x Coy on the ridge line HILL 103 – HILL 130

1 x Assault Platoon – in Reserve

1 x MG Coy – 2 x mg – in bunkers below at HILL 103 and HILL 130  - connecting with the first and second Company.

OP – at HILL 130 with comms to the Artillery and all positions

 2 x Heavy Artillery – behind the lines + OP

 2 x turns of disruptive fire including gas – 2 tubes in total

1 x turn of bombardment after Zero Hour

 OBJECTIVE

 To defeat the Italian advance and hold 'The Table'.

 Intelligence assessment

 The Italians have built up their forces along the wood line A – B - C. An offensive is imminent.  Intelligence assesses the enemy to contain elite Alpini and Arditi units.

 The attached photos are taken from HILL 130 and HILL 103 - your personal current HQ and viewpoint.

 TASKINGS

 1.   Please nominate three photographs to be taken by aviation tomorrow.  

 when received, please nominate 

 2.  Preliminary bombardment targets

3.  Please provide orders for the Battalion, and your own initial position and future intent.

 

 

Return to the Isonzo

 Winter Quarters in FLW land is filled with the Campaign books and other editing questions, but there is room for a winter game or two.  In 2020 we played a game set in the 'immobile' front; the Alps in 1916/1917.  And the hope is to return again, in the coming weeks.

The original game was a mini campaign, and TG and JW faced off (virtually) as the Italian and Austro Hungarian armies.  Like many of our 'Big War' (HG's description of the Great War) it was palyed in three phases;

• Aviation recce
• Bombardment
• Attack

The sceanrio.  

Winter, 1917, and the stalemate continues on the immobile front.  The Italian army is expected to launch an offensive to capture the SOFA mountain - peaks 130, 103 and 113, a fortified mountain peak that would allow the Italian army to have an undisputed field of fire towards the Austrian road network beyond the mountain below. 

The Italians have the men, the Austro-Hungarians the summits.

The Austrian front line

The Front runs from HILL 130 – across the valley to the feature called ‘the Table/La Tavola/Der Tisch’ and runs up to HILL 113 at the south of the perimeter.  HILL 103 is on the opposite side of the valley to HILL 13O, and is the central high point of the mountain.

 

Please note HILL 130 &c are 130cm above floor level.  SOFA montain is a sofa.  The Table is so called because it is a table. The tree line stops here.

 

View from 130

View from 103

The Italian Front Line

 The Italian front line runs along the tree line A – B – C.

View from 'B'

The briefing will follow ...