** My First Skype Game Which Was Also Played Cross-Atlantic**

South Of Milan 26th April 1945

Scenario completed : 29th August 2010

The Italian Blackshirts in the area just south of Milan set up in two small villages that they would be required to hold. There were another two tiny outlying hamlets too, but the Italian troops decided that these would stretch their forces too thinly and thus abandoned them. The Slovak force advanced from the east around 0700 hours and sent a single platoon of men on bicycles to claim the abandoned two hamlets. Meanwhile, the rest of the Slovak battalion pushed forward through the cultivated fields and the heavily wooded areas in front of one of the towns. Having been on the march around an hour, the Slovaks received a rude awakening when a platoon of Blackshirt skirmishers cut down half of one Slovak infantry platoon. Battle had now been joined in earnest.

The Slovak battalion now deployed with the intent to overrun these skirmishers, and deftly filed up to and also through the woods. Once close enough, the Slovaks used their numbers to overpower them having initiated close assaults and inflict casualties. However, these particular platoons of Blackshirts were not done yet and they also cut down some of their enemy. Fifteen minutes later, more Slovaks attacked yet another platoon of Italians, inflicting yet more losses. Other Slovak infantry sidled up near the main town and met a furious hail of defensive fire from enemy rifles and MG’s that instantly caused disruption and demoralization amongst their ranks. Despite this, a small force of Slovak infantry forced themselves into the built up area and began to contest the town. Furthermore, the cyclist platoon they had ridden like the wind to claim the hamlets had also reached the southside of this town and were holding onto a corner of it.

As the Slovak force recovered from its initial set-backs, they had by 0930 begun to get the upper-hand. Very aggressive attacks and pressure on the Blackshirts in the towns were forcing the Italians very fragile morale to desert them. As the loyalists to Mussolini began to break and flee the town, Slovak fire cut many of them down, and in a 30 minute period another 130 Italians had been accounted for.

From 1000 hours onwards, with a third of the built up areas in Slovak hands, a third in Italian and a third being contested, the Slovaks began some outflanking moves to the north in order to stretch the few remaining meagre Blackshirt troops. Seeing the writing on the wall, the Italians threw in the towel at 1030 hours and the Slovaks had finally earned their victory. Casualty totals came to 65 Slovaks and 180 Italians.

My Final Thoughts I rated this as a 3, but it is a GOOD STRONG 3. Not classic enough to grab a 4 result and I would have preferred to give it 3.5

Why ? Its interesting as both sides are quite poor troops and therefore you can not ask too much of them without running the risk of seeing them crumble ! Playing head-to-head also adds to the game as it always does.

Judging by the previous AAR from Jay Townsend, we have now seen 2 x plays of this scenario (his solo and this skyped head-to-head) where the Italians have set themselves up in the towns and in general allowed the Slovaks to come on. If you try this scenario yourself, give thought to the following. Place 1 x B'Shirt platoon in each of the 1 hex hamlets and then with the rest of the forces, have them play a fall-back defence from the woods and fields in the north in front of the towns and THEN have them filter back into the villages. This will slow the Slovaks in only a 16 turn game where they have to get a move on and also force them to consider sending more of their very slim forces to grab those hamlets which are now defended. Even if just 1 blackshirt in each, the Slovaks will probably need at least 3 platoons to ensure grabbing them ... maybe more ?