Infantry Aces Battle Report: Part Two Let The Battle Begin. In this Cassino themed battle report, we present an Infantry Aces game with a twist. Rather than using a pair of Infantry Aces that have been created from scratch, we decided to field Hauptmann Siegfried Jamrowski leading 1. Fallschirmjägerdivision against the 442nd Regimental Combat Team that included Lieutenant Daniel Inouye. In part two, the battle begins.

These Infantry Aces featured in the article Heroes of Cassino: Infantry Aces of the Italian Campaign by Mike Haught in Wargames Illustrated issue 284. Learn more about Wargames Illustrated issue 284 here... Read part one of the Infantry Aces Battle Report here... Read part three of the Infantry Aces Battle Report here...

Terrain

Useful Tips "Before any game of Flames Of War, be sure to discuss with your opponent how to classify each type of terrain that is on the tabletop. This will prevent any disputes that may arise during the game."

Shell Craters The shell craters covering the battlefield are treated as Difficult Going. They provide Concealment and Bulletproof Cover for infantry teams that occupy them. Any vehicles that move in and out of them are required to take a Bogging Check before doing so. Right: An example of shell craters on the battlefield.
Rules Recap "Each time a team needs to make a bogging check for crossing Difficult Going, roll a die." On a roll of 2+ the team continues without any problems. A roll of 1 means that the team has Bogged Down and may not move any further until freed. Tip: Be sure to use a Bogged Down token to identify such teams. Check out the range of Flames Of War Gaming Aids in the online store here...

The Road The road running though the centre of the town is treated as a road (funny that). Trucks and half-tracks travel faster online roads but in this battle report the roads benefit the tracked vehicles by providing a direct path around most obstacles. Left: The road in the town.

Buildings and Surrounding Rubble Buildings like the shell craters provide Concealment and Bulletproof Cover for infantry teams that occupy them. The rubble surrounding each building is treated as Very Difficult Going for Fully-tracked vehicles and Difficult Going for infantry teams. Any Fully-tracked vehicle wanting to cover the rubble must pass a Skill test to do so. Right: An example of a building with some surrounding rubble.

Rules Recap "Each time a Fully-tracked vehicle needs to take a bogging check for crossing Very Difficult Going, roll a Skill Test." If they pass the Skill Test the team continues moving without any problems. If they fail, the team has Bogged Down, and may not move any further until it is freed. Other types of vehicles may not attempt to cross Very Difficult Going. Freeing Bogged Team: Roll a Skill Test in the Starting Step to free a Bogged Down team.

Everything Else The ground between the shell craters and the grass verge surrounding to buildings and areas between those building is classified as Cross-Country. Left: Examples of cross-country terrain on the battlefield.

The Plans of Attack

Hauptmann Siegfried Jamrowski "So far the fighting around Cassino has been defensive orientated; I intend to continue that trend. But given the opportunity I will order a counterattack and even go on the offensive if the conditions are right. There is plenty of anti-tank at my disposal; therefore eliminating the potential treat of the enemy’s tanks will aid our victory greatly. The men are highly motivated and very well led and I can depend on them to do their duty for the Fatherland!" ~ Hauptmann S. Jamrowski.

Lieutenant Daniel Inouye "The men and I well do what we do best; attack. The motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is "Go For Broke" and that's exactly what we intend to do. The battlefield is a moonscape of shell craters so the men and I will be able to leap-frog from crater to crater making the best use of the cover they provide. The building in the town provide the same opportunities. If we can get close enough to their positions, the men are determined to root out the German defenders but I’m sure they are equally determined to hold their positions. It in fact might be a case of an irresistible force meeting the immoveable object." ~ Lieutenant D. Inouye.

Turn One 100th Infantry Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Lieutenant Inouye Says... "I ordered my platoon forward and as planned use the shell craters as cover a. The machine-guns attached to my platoon were ordered to cover our advance..." Below: Lt. Inouye leads from the front as he orders his men forward.

"I looked over to my right and caught a glance of the Stuarts from the Fifth racing up the road followed by the infantry in support."

Below: The Stuarts race forward.	Below: Closely followed by the infantry.
Rules Recap "The M5A1 Stuart is rated as a Light Tank in Flames Of War. Light tanks can move 16"/40cm on Roads or when going Cross Country allowing them to move 32"/80cm At the Double." In this example, the M5A1 Stuarts were able to move up the road far enough to gain line of sight on the Marder II platoon who would otherwise have been out of sight.

"The Stuarts were able to utilise their Stabilisers and score two hits on the enemy’s tank destroyers. One quickly burst into flames as the crew of the other bailed out.” ~ Lieutenant Inouye. Left: The Light Mortars and the 2iC advance forward.

Stabilisers "American tank were the first tanks in the world to be fitted with gyrostabilisers as standard. These stabilisers kept the tank's gun level when on the move; allowing the gunner to stay on target." A moving tank fitted with a stabiliser can: fire its main gun at its full Rate of Fire (ROF), but adds a penalty of 1+ to the score needed to hit. Before shooting, a tank can choose not to use its stabilier and fire at normal rate if that would give it a better chance.

Below: The Stuarts score two hits...	Below: ...destroying one and bailing out another.

1. Fallschirmjägerdivision

Hauptmann Jamrowski says... "The Americans have started to advance; and I intend to meet them halfway in an attempt to prevent them from getting in sight of their objective, weaken them and before advancing towards our objective. While on the other flank, I gave orders to dig-in and hold until further orders. If somehow they manage to fight their way through my boys; what little will be left of them will have to contend with our heavy machine-guns."

Below: Digging in on the objective.	Below: Trying to beat the Nisei to the punch.

"The 7.5cm PaK40s open fire on the enemy light tanks in order to extract some revenge for their fallen comrades. But alas, in their lust for revenge the eager gunners were only able to hit and destroy a single tank." ~ Hauptmann Jamrowski. Left: The 7.5cm PaK40 open fire.

Below: One Stuart down, two to go.

Turn Two 100th Infantry Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Lieutenant Inouye Says... "The infantry platoon continues their advance in the town and after surviving a close shave with the enemy's anti-tank guns, the Stuart platoon scoots around and the side of some buildings."

Below: The infantry in the town keep up the advance.	Below: The Stuarts scoot out of sight of the PaK40s.
"I spotted an opportunity to flank the enemy and ordered the boys towards the large shell crater that dominated the middle of the battlefield. But the terrain proved difficult; the men did their best to scramble out of the holes but could only make it so far."
Rules Recap "Since Lieutenant Inouye platoon is in rough terrain they are unable to move At the Double."
Below: Lieutenant Inouye attempts to flank the enemy.

"Spotting the Germans bunched up and in the open, the commander of our mortar platoon orders a barrage."

Rules Recap "If an Artillery Bombardment is only being fired by Mortar teams, you may re-roll the first failed attempt to range in. If it still fails on the re-rell, you still have two more ranging attempts left as normal.The mortars do not get a re-roll on their second and third attempts."

Below: Germans in the open! Fire for effect!

Below: The tubes heat up...	Below: ...pinning the advancing Fallschirmjäger platoon.

"A loud explosion then caught my attention; I turn just in time to see the second German tank destroyer turn into a ball of flames." ~ Lieutenant Inouye.

Stabilisers "The Stuarts were able to take out the last Marder II due to their Stabilisers. Remember, stabilisers allow a moving tank to shoot at full ROF but with a 1+ penalty to hit."

Below: The Stuarts open fire!	Below: The destroyed Marder II platoon.

1. Fallschirmjägerdivision

Hauptmann Jamrowski says... "The aggression of the Americans had to be commended. But only time will tell if it will pay off. In the face of this aggression, I ordered the men to keep their heads down and wait for further orders."

Below: The HMG platoon hunkers down in the shell craters.	Below: As does Hauptmann Jamrowski.

Rules Recap "Enemy teams that are Concealed and did not move or shoot in their own turn are Gone to Ground. For infantry teams of the 1. Fallschirmjägerdivision this means crawling into the deepest hole they can find, trying to get as much of their body under their helmets as possible."

"Not needed to be told their duty, the men dusted themselves off and continued to advance once the mortar barrage was over. They are able to take up a defensive position in large impact crater."

Below: The looming Stuart force the Fallschirmjäger to go to ground.	Below: The advancing Fallschirmjäger platoon consolidates their position.

"The light tanks of the enemy were able to elude the gun sights of the Pak40 platoon. But with the infantry in front protecting their flank and the anti-guns block any movement towards the other flank; they were force to wait for infantry support in order to press on with their attack."

Below: The 7.5cm PaK40 platoon is unable to obtain a line of sight on the American Stuarts.

"Unable to target to Stuarts, the gunners turned their attention to the American infantry advancing up the road; they quickly duckws for cover as a hail of high explosive shells bursted around them." ~ Hauptmann Jamrowski. Right: The 7.5cm PaK40 target to enemy infantry with high explosive shells.

Turn Three 100th Infantry Battalion / 442nd Regimental Combat Team

Lieutenant Inouye Says... "Facing a stand-off with the enemy anti-tank guns, the Stuarts awaited the infantry who continue to hustle forward despite the hail of enemy shells that fell around them."

Below: The infantry hustle up the road.	Below: Making to best use of the cover available.

	"While waiting for the infantry, the Stuarts kept busy by trying to soften up a dug-in and determined enemy. But the shells impact harmlessly around the well protected and concealed infantry." Left: The Stuarts attempt to soften up the enemy position.
Rules Recap "The Stuarts need to roll a six to hit the Fallschirmjager who are rated Veteran (hit on 4+), concealed (+1 to hit) and gone to ground (+1 to hit)."

"It's now or never! If we didn't eliminate the threat posed by the enemy infantry they would have simply walked onto their objective and the battle will be lost." ~ Lieutenant Inouye.

Below: Is this the end for Lieutenant Inouye?!?

Join Us Next Time When....

Lieutenant Inouye is heard to say...

...and a villian is revealed.

To Be Continued...