Hello, and welcome back to the Dark Ages for our second Combat Mission battle! This one will occur in September of 1943, between the Canadian Army and Italian Army, over a small Italian pass. It is dawn, and there is light snow falling and gathering on the ground. Here is my mission analysis :
MISSION
Canadian Forces are to move forward and seize Castelleti Pass to enable future forward movement of the Canadian Corps.
ENEMY
The enemy will be an unknown size force of the Italian Army, likely moving in to secure Castelleti Pass against Canadian advance.
TROOPS
1 Recce Squadron (+), augmented with Sniper Teams for each troop, designated TRPs (Target Reference Points), and fire support from off-map provided by a medium mortar battery and a destroyer just off the coast. 1 Troop (-) has also traded its 3rd section for a Sherman V, for some additional firepower.
TERRAIN
The terrain we will be fighting on - The North edge is down
Observation - The map is strongly broken up by the ridgeline the orchard sits atop, and the hill Castelleti Villa rests on. Observation from these points will be largely unobstructed, though the South end of the valley, from which the Italians will approach, is fairly well-wooded. In the South-west of the map, a large hill is located right next to the Italian deployment. This will provide them good observation opportunities if occupied. No visibility will be afforded from our starting positions.
Cover and Concealment - The orchard, villa and hill each have relatively good cover and concealment, though the orchard is the least covered. The South of the valley is heavily wooded and has a few orchards leading right up to the ridgeline. These provide the Italians good covered approaches to the objectives. It is also worth noting that the time of day and falling snow may impede spotting, though I don't know to what extent.
Obstacles - The terrain offers no major obstacles to movement, though the varying altitudes and hilly terrain will make movement more difficult for armoured vehicles. No positions appear impassable. The tight, wooded/built-up nature of the objectives makes them optimal for infantry occupation.
Key Terrain - I identify the three objectives, Villa, hill and orchard as KT 1, 2, and 3, for their objective value and their value as observation and fire support positions across the valley. The extension of the ridge to the West is KT 4, for its position overlooking and enfilading the orchards along the Italian approach, and its ability to cover the hill in their deployment. The hill to the South-West in the Italian deployment is KT 5, and is of particular risk as we will likely not be able to occupy it, but rather will have to control it by fire.
Avenues of Approach - Our main avenues of approach are via the valley floor (AoA Valley) and along the ridge (AoA Ridge). The valley floor will be quickest and give easier access to KT 1 and 2, while the ridge offers more tactical superiority and easier access to KT 3 though the time it takes to scale it may give the Italians time to cover it. The likely Italian AoAs are the slope to the South of the Villa (AoA Slope), or one of the two orchards on their valley floor (AoA East and AoA West).
The Map, annotated in accordance with my Terrain analysis
TIME
1hr30 mins
CIVILIAN CONSIDERATIONS
nil
DEPLOYMENT AND SCHEME OF MANEUVER
TRPs are designated on all determined Italian AoAs, as well as on the Villa and KT 5, to suppress enemy fire positions there if necessary. Strongpoints will be the Orchard and the Hill, with the option of falling back out of the villa if under pressure and reducing attacking Italian forces with precise fire from the destroyer or mortars before counter attack. The Hill, KT 2, is key to covering the dip in the valley located between it and KT 3 and avoiding Italians slipping straight through our centre.
4 Troop, the assault troop of rifles and M5 halftracks, will stand in reserve just behind KT 1 and 2 for this purpose.
1 Troop, with the Sherman V, will move aggressively to KT 4 and set up the Sherman in a hull-down position to observe enemy AoAs, holding fire and maintaining concealment until enfilading fire will have the best effect. It will be backed up by 2 Section's dismounted scouts, while HQ and 1 Section's armoured cars push to the Orchard.
2 Troop will push to KT 2, dismounting 2 and 3 sections to occupy the woods on the hill and establish observation, with elements of 1 Section's armoured cars covering the low ground from the rear.
3 Troop will move to the Villa, with 1 Section covering the flanks while 2 Section occupies the buildings and 3 and HQ sections standby to follow up on anticipated 4 Troop counter-attack.
Snipers will operate alongside their Troop's advance, establishing vision over enemy AoAs and engaging where possible.
Forward Observer of the Squadron will head towards the orchard and standby to direct fire on the TRPs as required.
Tune in next time to see how the first few minutes of the action pan out!
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