The First Virtue

On 12 June, the German commander in Italy was informed that “Elba must be defended to the last man and the last cartridge”. On 14 June, German reinforcements began to arrive on Elba from Pianosa. The decision to reinforce Elba was not known to the Allies, who believed …

1944-06-17

AP127

On 12 June, the German commander in Italy was informed that “Elba must be defended to the last man and the last cartridge”. On 14 June, German reinforcements began to arrive on Elba from Pianosa. The decision to reinforce Elba was not known to the Allies, who believed the naval activity between the island and the mainland was in fact an evacuation. Thus, when landed to secure the island they were expecting rear-area German troops but instead found veteran panzergrenadiers recently transferred from the Eastern Front.

Elba, Italy

The Invasion of Elba, codenamed Operation Brassard, was part of the Italian campaign during the Second World War. The invasion was carried out between 17–19 June 1944 by Free French Forces supported by British and American ships and aircraft. According to the testimony of captured Germans, Allied activity had been observed on Corsica, thus the defenders were aware of the impending invasion 24 hours in advance. They resisted for two days before being given permission to withdraw to the mainland.

French

German

Scenario Type = Standard