Stretched Thin at Altaville

After the conquest of Sicily and the ouster of Mussolini, the Allies invaded Italy proper at Salerno to begin their long slog up "the boot". Needing to expand the beachhead and deny the Germans good artillery observation points, the Americans secured the unoccupied village of Altavilla and the surrounding …

1943-09-13

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After the conquest of Sicily and the ouster of Mussolini, the Allies invaded Italy proper at Salerno to begin their long slog up "the boot". Needing to expand the beachhead and deny the Germans good artillery observation points, the Americans secured the unoccupied village of Altavilla and the surrounding heights against little opposition. The ease of this accomplishment, however, seemed to signal that the Germans were focused instead on the British sector, and General Mark Clark was worried enough that he reinforced the British, leaving the newly-won heights and town thinly held. Having made its way north from Calabria, Panzergrenadier-Division 29 was finally set to counterattack. During the night, the Germans infiltrated the Altavilla heights without being spotted, the broken ground providing cover. At dawn, the grenadiers opened fire on the Americans at close range.

Altavilla, Italy

The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place on 3 September 1943 during the early stages of the Italian Campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group and followed the successful invasion of Sicily. The main invasion force landed around Salerno on 9 September on the western coast in Operation Avalanche, while two supporting operations took place in Calabria and Taranto.

German

American

Scenario Type = Starter Kit