Retribution

Early on the morning of 11 July, Lt.Col. John Heintges’ 3rd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment crossed the Palma River and advanced westward along Highway 115. As the GIs approached Palma di Montechiaro where Italian forces were know to be, white flags blossomed from its buildings, prompting the …

1943-07-11

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Early on the morning of 11 July, Lt.Col. John Heintges’ 3rd Battalion of the 7th Infantry Regiment crossed the Palma River and advanced westward along Highway 115. As the GIs approached Palma di Montechiaro where Italian forces were know to be, white flags blossomed from its buildings, prompting the Colonel to send a patrol to accept its surrender. Unfortunately, the flags had been put out by civilians, and the troops defending the town opened fire as the patrol approached. The Americans, enraged by what seemed to be a vile trick, reacted swiftly. Heintges led ten men across the open field to place demolitions on the ground floor of a building from which heavy fire was emanating. After withdrawing a short distance they blew up the house, signaling the start of the assault. .The battle of the 6 morale troops. A strong force of US squads have to clear a force of Italians out of a village of stone buildings.

Palma di Montechiaro, Sicily

The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II, in which the Allies took the island of Sicily from the Axis powers. It began with a large amphibious and airborne operation, followed by a six-week land campaign, and initiated the Italian Campaign. To divert some of the Axis forces to other areas, the Allies engaged in several deception operations, the most famous and successful of which was Operation Mincemeat. Husky began on the night of 9–10 July 1943, and ended on 17 August. Strategically, Husky achieved the goals set out for it by Allied planners; the Allies drove Axis air, land and naval forces from the island and the Mediterranean sea lanes were opened for Allied merchant ships for the first time since 1941. The Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, was toppled from power in Italy and the way was opened for the Allied invasion of Italy. The German leader, Adolf Hitler, "canceled a major offensive at Kursk after only a week, in part to divert forces to Italy", resulting in a reduction of German strength on the Eastern Front. The collapse of Italy necessitated German troops replacing the Italians in Italy and to a lesser extent the Balkans, resulting in one fifth of the entire German army being diverted from the east to southern Europe, a proportion that would remain until near the end of the war.

American

Italian

Scenario Type = Standard