German Panzers vs Italian Infantry in Dust Up

Italians advance on the hardened Germans

This weekend the Duelling Grounds in Toronto held a Nationals preparation event. So it was 1500 EW without allowing Japanese.  I am not a big fan of early war so I basically raided my various armies to see what I could cobble together and settled on German medium tanks. My first game was against Jay and his Italian Infantry.

Big Willie's Panzers
OC and 2IC in Panzer IV Ds
2 x Panzer IV Ds
2 x Panzer IV Ds
Full Armoured Pioneer platoon with supply truck
2 x Nebs
2 x 8-Rads
3 x 2 cm SP AA trucks

Jay's Italians
OC and 2IC
Full infantry platoon
Full infantry platoon
Barsigliary (sp?) platoon
Engineer platoon
4 x AT guns
4 x mortars
4 x 75mm guns
4 x 100mm guns
2 x AA trucks

Set Up

Objectives are in the field far right and on the road right of centre, by the bend in the road centre of the picture and behind the building far left

Italian Guns, infantry and Pioneers hold both objectives

German Panzers ready to advance while Pioneers hold the objectives

Half-tacks guard the flank from Italian reinforcements

View from the lead Panzer

Italian gunners find a target rich environment

Turn 1

a 75mm gun is knocked out by a long range Panzer shot!

'Deadeye' one of the 75mm guns knocks out a Panzer! The OC uses the burning hull as cover

Turn 2

The Panzer IV Ds with the 2IC bombard the Italians when combined with the direct fire from the OC and knock out a gun and 2 infantry stands

The return fire from 'Deadeye' takes out the remaining Panzer in the platoon

Turn 3

Panzers again bombard this time directed at the 100mm guns

The Nebs arrive from reserve and take out an observer

The Italian infantry extract their revenge by taking out the platoon commander

The Italian guns are ineffective against the heavy German armour

Turn 4

Elite Italian troops arrive from reserves and use the grape fields to advance in cover

AA trucks arrive from reserves but have little effect on the Italians in the buildings

Turn 5

The half-tracks pull back from the ridge line after knocking out 2 antitank guns

AA guns pour on the fire and knock out an infantry team

Turn 6

Now that both the 75mm and 100mm guns are knocked out the Panzers move up

The Italians arrive in a horde and surge forward

Italians surge forward ready to take on the 8-Rads and AA trucks but decide that discretion is the better part of valour

When time expired I had knocked out 2 of Jay's platoons and he had knocked out 1 of mine leaving us with a 3-3 tie. Jay and I talked about what we could have done differently and Jay talked about switching up the 100mm guns for the AT guns and I would have pushed harder on the other flank. A great game and introduction to the gaming community in Toronto.