Author	wleonard1
Method	Solo
Victor	Ethiopia
Play Date	2020-08-20
Language	English
Scenario	COOE004

And like any party, everyone arrives at different times. Three Italian battalions – one of irregulars, one of colonial troops, and one of regulars – are trying to clear a hill and a trail. And the air corps is scheduled to pay a visit. The initial opposition is a small group of dug-in local irregulars, but there are two battalions of the Imperials on their way. The Bande close up to the local Ethiopian irregulars in the hill; initial assault is delayed by some timely direct fire. The second hour sees the assaults finally go in on the Ethiopian positions on the hill. Losses are even, morale on both sides is terrible and gets worse, and then Italian air support hits the fleeing demoralized Ethiopian units. The Bande have broken the local Ethiopian irregulars, but their own morale status is too bad – only one good order platoon left - to finish clearing out the hill or set up a defense.

So, what started out as an assault to take a hill is now turning into something closer to a meeting engagement, as the Colonial battalion enters from the east edge and races for the hill before the Ethiopian Imperial irregulars arrive. They reach the north-south trail - the one that the victory conditions say needs to kept clear from Ethiopian direct fire - just before two battalions of Imperial Irregulars arrive in a human wave along the south edge. And fifteen minutes later, a battalion of Italian regulars arrive on the east edge.

The colonial battalion is in a hedgehog in clear terrain. The hedgehog formation was intended more for command-and-control/chain activation purposes, but it offers the temptation of staying put, opening direct fire against the Ethiopian right flank, and hoping the reinforcements arrive before the Ethiopians convert their 5-2 manpower advantage into Italian casualties. The alternative is to quickly pick up and move out of range toward the hill, which is an objective and more defensible terrain. The Colonial Capitano takes stock of the situation, glances at his 7-0-0 leader rating, overrules his two much higher rated Tenentes, and retreats his battalion toward the hill. The Ethiopian forces pursue north along the hill/ridge and the trail. As dusk falls, there are two new assaults in progress, 3 steps of Fanteria in the graveyard, but the Italian regulars are now in contact.

Now it becomes an assault slugfest. I often had six simultaneous assaults going on. An hour later, The Italian regulars are engaged along the trail and have moved halfway down the ridge from the north. But the Ethiopians still have dug-in reserves at the south end, and one irregular is still holding on the north end after three hours in assault combat. Italian Bande are still ineffective with only two good order units left, and the Colonial Fanteria is mostly demoralized as well. Step losses are 16 Italian, 9 Ethiopian. The last hour will be up to the regulars. And they just don’t have the strength to dislodge the Ethiopian positions on the hill. The losses start piling up quickly in the assaults, and Ethiopia finishes with a 4-1 advantage in step losses. Ethiopia retains a strong position on the hill, and can bring plenty of direct fire on the north-south trail, resulting in a major Ethiopian victory.

Most Valuable player? The Ethiopian provincial irregular platoon and Amsa Aleqa who came under assault on turn 5, and were not eliminated until turn 20.