A Nice Morning For A Ride

After the night assault seized the bridge and a thin lodgement north of the Simeto, problems were experienced communicating to follow on units that the bridge had been captured. As the companies holding the lodgement began to come under increasing pressure, the message finally got through. Elements of the …

1943-07-16

J097

After the night assault seized the bridge and a thin lodgement north of the Simeto, problems were experienced communicating to follow on units that the bridge had been captured. As the companies holding the lodgement began to come under increasing pressure, the message finally got through. Elements of the 44th Royal Tank Regiment and the 6th Durham Light Infantry Battalion rushed forward to exploit the opening. As the lead elements of this force reached the north end of the bridge, a previously undetected "88" opened up and quickly brewed up two Shermans. As the British Light Infantry and supporting tanks attempted to push forward and clear the vineyards north of the river, they faced stiff opposition from German fallschirmjagers.

Primosole Bridge, 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.

British

German

Scenario Type = Standard