Gustav Line, Italy, January 12th- March 23rd 1944 Story: As the German 10th Army could not contain the Allies after their landings at Salerno, Tarento and Reggio, they withdrew to prepared positions which ran across the width of central Italy, from the mouth of the Sangro River in the east, through the Abruzzi mountain region to the mouths of the Rapido/Garigliano Rivers on the west coast. This defensive position was to be known as the Gustav line and within its defensive line stood the town of Cassino. Less than a kilometre west of Cassino town stood Monte Cassino towering 1700 ft above the town below and it became the hub of the Gustav line because it dominated the surrounding countryside, including the Liri valley that ran through the mountains to the north and Route 6, the main highway linking the south to Rome. Monte Cassino was surrounded by other peaks and hills, Castle Hill or point 192, Hangman's Hill or point 435, Calvary Hill or point 593, Snakeshead Hill or point 445 to name a few. The First Battle The first allied assault on the Gustav line came on the 17th January 1944 to coincide with the landings at Anzio planned for the 22nd. Just before that, on the 12th January the French Expeditionary Corps makes contact with the German defences. After 4 days of fighting, General Juin’s corps is forced to a halt. The initial plan for the first battle included that the British 10th Corps was to cross the Garigliano River west of Cassino and try to outflank German positions around the Liri Valley. The French Expeditionary Corps was to move through the mountains in the east and complete the flanking manoeuvre. In the centre, the US 2nd Corps would cross the Rapido river a few miles south of Cassino town and enter the Liri Valley from the front. Both the British and the French had limited success, they never managed to complete the flanking manoeuvre. They met heavy resistance and all they could do was dig in around the hills and mountains behind Monte Cassino. The American 36th Division was supported by artillery who bought shells down on the German defenders dug in on the opposite bank. As the 36th approached the opposite side their artillery stopped and the murderous German fire started. Some elements of the 36th reached the other side of the river and attacked German positions. During the night, engineers constructed bridges to reinforce the men on the other side, but as daylight came artillery was brought down on them from Monte Cassino. The Americans on the German side found themselves surrounded. Through the next night, more bridges were built across the Rapido to reinforce the small bridgehead, but still they were held at bay. The order to pull back was given on the 22nd, not before the 36th had suffered heavy casualties. On the 24th January, the US 34th Division crossed the Rapido east of Cassino to try and outflank German positions. Over the next few days they moved around the hills and mountains until they came within a few hundred yards of Monastery Hill. They took heavy casualties in the process and were unable to get close to Monte Cassino. They started to dig in. This first assault on the Cassino front of the Gustav line had not been very successful, with only pockets of allied resistance dotted around the slopes of surrounding hills and mountains. They had been unable to penetrate the excellent German defences, whose positions dominated the surrounding area. Anzio (Not simulated here) On the 22nd January, British and Americans of the US 6th Corps carried out a successful landing on beaches at Anzio, 60 miles north of Cassino. This landing behind the German lines was designed to draw German forces away from the Cassino front, making the penetration of the Gustav line a bit easier. Then the forces on the Cassino front could head north and link up with the US 6th Corps, before advancing on their goal, Rome. Instead of this, parts of the German 14th Army were rushed to Anzio. The 6th Corps soon consolidated a beachhead but made the mistake of not breaking out to engage German forces. Instead, the German 14th Army contained the beachhead. Stalemate set in at Anzio. The Second Battle The next assault on the Cassino front was planned for the 15th February. The allies had decided to bomb Monte Cassino and surrounding German positions with heavy bombers. The monastery was pulverized. What the allies had not expected was that the bombing had turned the monastery into a fortress. The walls had been up to 15 ft thick and the ruins made an excellent strong point. After the bombing ceased, the infantry attack began. Men of the 2nd New Zealand Division attacked south of Cassino town to try and take the railway station, which had become an important part of the town’s defences. The New Zealanders assault was met with fierce tank and artillery fire from men of the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division, which forced the Kiwis back across the Rapido River, suffering heavy casualties in the process. Men of the American 34th and 36th Infantry Divisions had managed to secure Snakeshead Hill a few days

before the bombardment, a kilometre or so behind Monte Cassino, which gave good observation of the monastery. This success was planned to be exploited by a flanking manoeuvre. The Americans on Snakeshead Hill were relieved by men of the 4th Indian Division on the 13th, who found that US troops had been badly mauled during the assaults they had made on Calvary Hill over the past few days. When the bombing started the Indian troops were dug in around Calvary hill and suffered many casualties from mis-dropped bombs. They attempted to assault Calvary Hill, which was being held by the 3rd Parachute Regiment, but were almost decimated in the process. Men from the Ghurkha Regiment also tried to get close to the rear of the monastery but were cut down in heavy cross fire from German positions in the monastery above. The assault was called off on the 19th February. The surviving Indians and Ghurkhas dug in around Monte Cassino and kept observation on German positions, some only yards from German dug-outs. On 20th February, the 1st Parachute Division relieved the men of the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division. The Fallschirmjägers fortified their positions in Cassino town. They began strengthening the cellars and strong points of the town’s buildings, they laid mines in the debris covered streets, turning places such as the Hotel Continental into fortresses. The Third Battle Then on the morning of 15th March in fine weather, another bombardment began. The Fallschirmjägers took shelter below ground ready to emerge and take up defensive positions when it ceased. When the men of the 2nd New Zealand Division advanced, they were met with fierce resistance from the survivors who emerged from the ruins to meet the attack. Tanks were sent in but got bogged down in shell craters and mud and could only be used as static artillery. Men from the Ghurkha regiment made a dash for Hangman’s Hill, which looked toward Monte Cassino but were partly destroyed in the process. The survivors dug themselves in on the slopes of the hill. British troops managed to get a toehold on Castle Hill above the town. Smoke was laid on the slopes of Monte Cassino to blind artillery observers who were directing fire onto the Kiwi’s who were in the process of building a Bailey bridge across the Rapido in Cassino Town. The Kiwis managed to capture large parts of the town but some isolated pockets still remained in German hands. These were turned into fortresses. House to house fighting took place over the next few days, which slowed down the advance. On the 16th, German reinforcements got into the town to bolster the Fallschirmjägers hold on their small pockets of resistance. The monastery was again bombed but the defenders remained un-scathed in their underground bunkers. The Ghurkhas stranded on Hangman’s Hill could not be relieved due to heavy German resistance from the surrounding high ground, so supplies were air dropped. Some of these supplies were dropped on the monastery, some containing blood supplies, which were welcomed by the medical teams in the monastery. On the 19th March the Allied high command ordered another push to take German strong points in the town and a frontal assault on Monte Cassino from Hangman’s Hill by the Ghurkhas who would be reinforced by men from Castle Hill, who in turn were to be relieved by Indian troops. It was hoped that tanks, which were being brought in on a newly carved track north of Cassino, would back up this assault. The advance on the town was kept at bay by determined German resistance who were using tanks which they had half buried in the house ruins. The Indian troops were late relieving the defenders of Castle Hill and the frontal assault on Monte Cassino was delayed. In the morning of March 19th, the German 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, who was dug in at the base of Castle Hill, counterattacked the defenders in the castle above en masse, which was now being held by British & Indian troops; a fierce hand to hand battle ensued, causing heavy casualties on both sides. The attack was unsuccessful and the Fallschirmjägers had to withdrawal. When the tanks appeared from the north behind Monte Cassino, the dug-in Fallschirmjägers started to knock them out with antitank weapons. The knocked out tanks at the head of the column held up all those behind who became easy targets for nearby entrenched Germans who used grenades and mines to disable them. By the afternoon of the 19th the frontal assault was called off. The allied troops once again dug themselves in around Monte Cassino. Most of Cassino town was now in the hands of the Kiwis, reinforcements had managed to get through to the beleaguered defenders of Castle Hill overlooking the town. General Heidrich started to become concerned over whether his men could continue to hold their small pockets of resistance in Cassino town. In the meantime German artillery kept up their relentless barrage on allied positions. On the 23rd March the allied attack was called off. Nearly 3000 men had been lost since the 15th March.

Allied units: British 10th Corps: • • •

HQ 2 5.5 inch Gun + 1 Humber + 1 Engineers + 1 M4 Sherman + 1 MG Crew 5th Infantry Division 2 Rifle Platoon + 1 25 Pdrs Gun + 3 Veterans 56th Infantry Division

•

2 Rifle Platoon + 1 3 inch Mortar + 3 Veterans 46th Infantry Division 2 Rifle Platoon + 1 6 Pdrs AT Gun + 3 Veterans

U.S. 2nd Corps: • • • •

HQ 2 155mm Gun + 1 Jeep + 1 Engineers + 1 MG Crew Elements of the 1st U.S. Armored Division 1 M5 + 1 M4 Sherman 36th Infantry Division 2 Rifle Platoon + 1 MG Crew + 3 Veterans + 1 81mm Mortar 34th Infantry Division 2 Rifle Platoon + 1 MG Crew + 3 Veterans + 1 81mm Mortar

Corps Expéditionnaire Français (CEF): • • •

HQ 1 155mm Canon + 1 105mm Canon 3ème Division d’Infanterie Algérienne 3 Goumiers + 2 Fantassins + 1 60mm Mortier 2ème Division d’Infanterie Marocaine 3 Goumiers + 2 Fantassins + 1 60mm Mortier

2nd New-Zealand Corps: • • • •

HQ 2 5.5 inch Gun + 1 AEC III + 1 Engineers + 1 MG Crew 2nd New Zealand Division 2 Rifle Platoon + 1 3 inch Mortar + 2 Veterans 4th Indian Division 1 Gurkhas + 1 Rifle Platoon + 2 inch Mortar + 2 Veterans 78th British Infantry Division 1 Rifle Platoon + 1 6 Pdrs AT Gun + 3 Veterans

U.S. 12th Air Force: 2 B-25

Mediterranean Strategic Air Force: 1 Baltimore, 1 B-26

German units: 14. Panzer Korps: • • • • • •

HQ 1 15cm Gun + 1 10.5cm Gun + 1 StuG III + 1 Panzer IV 94. Infanterie Division 2 Veterans + 2 Rifle Platoon 1 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar 71. Infanterie Division (1 regiment) 1 Veteran + 1 Rifle + 1 MG Crew 15. PanzerGrenadiers Division 3 Veterans + 1 Panzergrenadier + 2 sdKfz 251 1 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar + 1 Platoon leader 29. PanzerGrenadiers Division 2 Veterans + 1 Panzergrenadier + 1 Cargo Truck 1 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar 90. PanzerGrenadiers Division 2 Veterans + 1 Panzergrenadier + 1 sdKfz 251 1 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar

51. Gebirgs Korps: • • • •

HQ 2 10.5cm Gun 44. Infanterie Division 2 Veterans + 2 Rifle Platoon 2 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar 5. Gebirgsjäger Division 4 Gebirgsjägers + 2 MG Crew + 1 5cm Mortar + 1 Platoon leader 1. Fallschrimjäger Division 4 Fallschrimjägers + 3 MG Crew + 1 Panzerfaust + 1 8cm Mortar + 1 Company CO

Scenario rules: Use the optional rule Mortars as support weapon. The battlefield consists of CL (Clear), CI (City), SW (Swamp), HI (Hills), VI (Village), MO (Mount).

MO01 CL07 SW13 SW19 CL25

German 10. Armee Headquarters CL02 CL03 HI04 HI05 MO08 CL09 MO10 MO11 MO14 VI15 CI16 MO17 CL20 CL21 CL22 MO23 HI26 CL27 HI28 MO29 5th U.S. Army Headquarters

MO06 MO12 MO18 MO24 MO30

CI16 – Cassino MO10 – Monte Cassino MO17 – Monte Belvedere MO18 – Monte Bianco

VI15 – Sant Angelo

MO14 – Monte Juga

1.

Turns 10 Turns. Each turn represents around a week.

2.

Supply The U.S. player receives 35 points at start and 5 supply dices until the end of the game. The German player receives 20 points at start and 4 supply dices until the end of the game. Supply points remain hidden during the game.

3.

Special cards Each player has a 40 special cards deck (2 identical cards max.). He must choose them according to the deck restrictions of annex 1. Each player draws 1 free card each turn with the possibility of buying only one other card at the cost of 6 points. Each player takes randomly 5 cards from this deck before the game begins.

4.

Headquarters The British 10th Corps Headquarters is south of the CL25 – HI26 line. The US 2nd Corps and the 2nd New-Zealand Corps Headquarters (when it arrives) are south of the TO27 – HI28 line. The CEF Headquarters is south of the MO29 – MO30 line. The German 10. Armee Headquarters is north of the HI01 – MO06 line. Each HQ has no stacking limit. Units can not move from one friendly headquarters to another. A unit that is not connected to its HQ by friendly units controlling a zone attacks with a doubled cost in supply points and can not refit.

5.

Gustav line Place the following obstacles at the beginning of the game: - MO17: 1 Pillbox - VI15, CI16: 1 Fortified building (in each zone) - CL07, VI15, CI16: 1 Barbed wire, 1 Mixed Minefield (in each zone)

6.

The Garigliano & Rapido rivers If the attacking units had to cross a river to assault an enemy zone, the defending units fire first in the first round.

7.

Massive bombardment At the start of turns 5 and 9, General Alexander, head of the 15th Army Group gives his approval for a massive bombing raid. The Allied player receives the following reinforcements: Turn 5: 1 Baltimore, 1 B-26 and 1 B-25 Turn 9: 2 B-25 They must be used immediately against Sant Angelo (VI15), Cassino (CI16) or Monte Cassino (MO10). Any combination is possible. After the raid, the bombers are discarded (they don’t count for victory purposes). If Sant Angelo or Cassino were bombed, replace their Terrain card with a Ruined City card.

8.

Monte Cassino The player who controls Monte Cassino receives the following bonus: an artillery unit adjacent or in Monte Cassino has +1 Inf and +1 Arm. Before turn 5, the Allied player can not assault (but he can bomb with artillery) Monte Cassino (MO10) and the German player can not have more than one unit (Infantry or Mortar) in Monte Cassino. These restrictions are lifted after turn 5.

9.

Others Only assaults and refits need supply points, reinforcements are free and come in play as indicated below.

Set up and reinforcement: Turn 1: START. The Allied player begins the game. German: The 14. Korps HQ deploys in CL02, CL03 and the 10. Armee HQ The 94. Infanterie Division in CL07 and MO14 (dug in) The 15. PanzerGrenadiers Division in the VI15 and CL09 (dug in) The 51. Gebirgs HQ in HI04, HI05 and the 10. Armee HQ The 44. Infanterie Division in CI16 and MO10 (dug in) (See scenario rules 8) The 5. Gebirgsjäger Division in MO17 and MO18 (dug in) Allies: The British 10th Corps HQ in the British 10th Corps HQ The 5th Infantry Division in SW13, SW19, CL25 and the British 10th Corps HQ The 56th Infantry Division in SW13, SW19, CL25 and the British 10th Corps HQ The 46th Infantry Division in CL20, HI26 and the British 10th Corps HQ The U.S. 2nd Corps in the U.S. 2nd Corps HQ The Elements of the 1st U.S. Armored Division in the U.S. 2nd Corps HQ The 36th Infantry Division in CL21, CL27 and in the U.S. 2nd Corps HQ The 34th Infantry Division in CL22, HI28 and in the U.S. 2nd Corps HQ The FEC in the CEF HQ The 3ème Division d’Infanterie Algérienne in MO23 and MO29 The 2ème Division d’Infanterie Marocaine in MO24 and MO30 Turn 2: German: The 29. PanzerGrenadiers Division in the 10. Armee HQ The 90. PanzerGrenadiers Division in the 10. Armee HQ Turn 3: Allies: The 2nd New-Zealand Corps in the 2nd New-Zealand Corps HQ The 2nd New Zealand Division in CL27, HI28 and the 2nd New-Zealand Corps HQ The 4th Indian Division in MO29 and MO30 Turn 4: German: The 71. Infanterie Division in CL03, HI04 and the 10. Armee HQ

Allies: The 78th British Infantry Division in CL27, HI28 and the 2nd New-Zealand Corps HQ

Turn 8: German: The 1. Fallschrimjäger Division in CL03, HI04 and the 10. Armee HQ Turn 10: END (at the end of the turn)

Victory Both sides receive victory points equal to the value of enemy troops destroyed plus the value of objectives held at the end of the game. • 10 points for CI16, MO10 (Cassino & Monte Cassino) • 15 points for CL03, HI05 (Route 6 that goes to Rome) The side with the highest point total wins.

Multi-players (optional) Four players: Three Allied corps commanders and one commanding general (15th Army Group): Corps Expéditionnaire Français British 10th Corps U.S. 2nd Corps + 2nd New-Zealand Corps who is also the commanding general (15th Army Group) One German Korps commander who is also the commanding general (Armee Grupp C) The commanding general rolls the supply which is then parcelled out to the field commanders as he sees fit. He also decides where the aircrafts will go.

Historical reference points Turn 2: Turn 3: Turn 5: Turn 9:

1st Battle for Cassino. Anzio landings. 2nd Battle for Cassino. 3rd Battle for Cassino

Annex 1 Below are written the special cards that players can not use in their deck. ALLIED Weather related cards Cards with the word Hitler written on it Obstacle related cards Conscripts desert Espionage George Patton Manpower shortage Omar Bradley Partisan activity Railhead Reinforcements Russian offensive Sabotage Traffic jam Troop convoy Sabotage ammo Assault boats

GERMAN Weather related cards Cards with the word Hitler written on it Obstacle related cards Fortification related cards Baseplate Blow dam Channel storm Demolition Divisional reserve Erwin Rommel Espionage Monty throws a fit Overextended Railhead Reinforcements Supply strike Pontoon bridge

Bazooka team DUKW Flamethrower MG Crew Pontoon bridge Airborne drop Divisional reserve No retreat Critical sector Nude resistance Supplies Supply cache Divisional reserve Armorer’s miracle Sabotaged ammo Colossus (British) Universal PIATs (British) SAS Jeep (British) Montgomery (British)

Waffen SS Ferry Flamethrower MG Crew Panzerfaust V2-Strike Wurfrahmen 40 Armorer’s miracle Critical sector Luftwaffe purge Supplies Supply cache Traffic jam

Credits Gustav Line 1944 for The Last Crusade was created by Florent Coupeau.