Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 27th:
Arctic Front Deluxe #40 - Children's Crusade Broken Axis #14 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 3: Sledge Hammer of the Proletariat
Army Group South Ukraine #6 - Consternation Road to Berlin #73 - She-Wolves of the SS
PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > DCor008
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Hell on Wheels
Divisione Corazzata #8
(Attacker) Italy vs United States (Defender)
Formations Involved
Italy 132ª Divisone Corazzata "Ariete"
United States 2nd "Hell on Wheels" Armored Division
Display
Balance:


Overall balance chart for DCor008
Total
Side 1 2
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 2 votes
5
4
3
2
1
4
Scenario Rank: --- of 913
Parent Game Divisione Corazzata
Historicity Historical
Date 1942-10-01
Start Time 07:00
Turn Count 40
Visibility Day
Counters 218
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 1
Maps 2: DR4, DR5
Layout Dimensions 116 x 88 cm
46 x 35 in
Play Bounty 242
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 2
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Urban Assault
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Afrika Korps Counters
Battle of the Bulge Counters
Divisione Corazzata Base Game
Desert Rats Maps + Counters
Elsenborn Ridge Counters
Introduction

Had Italy been able to provide its tankers with better vehicles and more of them, the armored divisions would likely have met with more success in North Africa. That would have sparked increased aid from the United States, including the powerful formation initially scheduled to join the British Eighth Army after the fall of Tobruk.
Conclusion

As the Italian elite divisions are often under-rated by amateur historians, so does the U.S. Army often get short shrift in its initial battles. Second Armored Division had undergone thorough training and would show itself to be an excellent unit over the next four years of warfare. Ariete, however, was one of the finest large formations to fight in any army, if equipped with first-line weapons, would have been a formidable opponent.
Display Relevant AFV Rules
AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
Display Order of Battle
Italy Order of Battle
Regio Esercito
  • Mechanized
  • Motorized
  • Towed
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Mechanized
  • Motorized
Display AARs (1)
Divisione Corazzata, scenario #8: Hell on Wheels
Author JayTownsend
Method Solo
Victor Italy
Play Date 2012-01-04
Language English
Scenario DCor008

Divisione Corazzata, scenario #8: Hell on Wheels

I finally had some space to setup this cool scenario! It pits Americans against the Italians in North Africa with the Italians having upgraded German tanks: PzIIIJ & PzIV or P23/41 & M22/41 according to the Italian renaming of these tanks. These counters come from the Gold Club 2007 counter sheet. I think AP still sells it or offers it in a download form. The battle use two desert maps and it is 40 turns. The Americans must block the Italians from exiting the far side of the map and setup a thin line of Infantry, AT-Guns, Artillery, Mortars, halftracks and other sorted units with some hexes setup open, with only a zone of control or firing lane to block it. The Americans start rolling for a large force of Sherman tank reinforcements as early as turn one.

The game starts with the Italians only entering the map with their two large armor groups, divided into two sections, so the American can’t focus their defenses in one area. The Italian also hold back their huge Infantry, support units and transport units until the Italian armor punches some holes through the American lines, as the American have a large amount of off board artillery to really hurt the Italian soft-skin transports. The Italian armor starts to push through the American line, thus the large Italian un-armored units enter the board to exploit the break thought points but now the American Armor in now entering the map on the far east side and will a take 4-5 turns to even reach the action. The American also pull some of their units out of the line on the far end to help out the hot points further south, so now both sides have loading transports moving around the map and easy prey to artillery & armor units.

The two armored groups from both sides finally make contact but the Italian machine have range on the American machines, so the Sherman have to close with the Italian armor, allowing them to shot first. The Italians also have the higher elevation advantage when they meet. Some of the Italian Infantry and support units get tangled up in the break thought areas with American Infantry and Artillery but rest that made it through try and end around to avoid the armor battle going on and some American units are also doing the same thing but only to setup another defensive area further east. The whole battle seems to be spreading across the two maps now, from one end to the other.

The Italians have found a huge hole to exit many units off the map and they have in inflicted a few more causalities on the American armor then they have received. Remember neither side has armor efficiency in this time period. Both sides have lost loaded transports with units and leaders, which with a battle this size with large spaces that need to be covered and adjusted all the time, it is going to happen! In the end the Italians had a Major Victory but really at any point in this battle it could have been a minor or major for either side.

This was really fun scenario to play and there are not too many Italian vs. American scenarios in PG so far but this one rocks!

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