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AAR - Mord vs DC - Villa Castelletti ME


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1743 hrs

Along the northern edge of the Orchard, the heroic Pvt Boggs was rescued by S/Sgt Blum’s Ranger team, which advanced to the stone wall at the

edge of the grove; Cpl Lanford also led the remnants of his MMG team back into the Orchard.

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Once more into the breach…

Many of the teams re-entering the original positions of Easy Company’s 2nd Platoon were slowed by the need to tend to the wounded from 2nd & 4th

Easy, who were literally found everywhere due to the chaotic battle of the last hour. At the same time, another German prisoner was taken, hopefully

indicating that the enemy are reaching their breaking point too. To the east, Pvt Young’s team, despite being shaken by their recent experience with

the German halftrack, continue to stand their ground in the face of another attack by a different SPW 250/1. Meanwhile, the enemy AFV on the

eastern edge of the Gully (which has been under observation but silent for some time) decides to open fire on a squad from 3rd Easy, though this

backfires when the gunner takes a wound from the return fire and the vehicle subsequently attempts to retreat. Unknown to the hapless German

driver, who appears to simply be trying to escape the engagement, he stops in direct line-of-sight through the Gully to Cpl Masconi’s Sherman; the

first shot ended his flight.

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An unlucky place to linger…

1744 hrs

The fighting along Route 122 has disappeared for a few minutes, allowing for freedom of movement for the first time (though it is believed there are

still enemy elements that have observation over this sector). Lt Contini has been working his Ranger platoon around the north side of Cipolla Farm,

along the shallow ravine, in preparation for a move on the Villa. On the east side of the Orchard, Pvt Young’s small squad continued to defiantly place

a weight of fire upon the newest AFV threat, forcing this German vehicle to also retreat. At the Gully, 3rd Easy began a slow sweep northwards to

secure the position and were presented with the halftrack that had recently egressed from the Orchard battle; accurate small arms fire has

apparently convinced the German driver that this is not a safe place to hide as the vehicle began to move quickly towards the Bottaro House.

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You're not the first to ask about those.

Mord and I had been talking about releasing a mod that covers the counters.

His computer troubles lately have had an impact on that project.

I am still planning something in the near future.

You mean using them in-game as floating icons? That'd be interesting to see!.

But what I'm thinking right now is to use them for image edition, to create the scenario briefing .bmp files.

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1745 hrs

Along the northern edge of the Orchard, Sgt Bradford re-entered the fray, putting a shell through a hapless German infantryman who had remained

manning the stone wall defences. The Panzer IV which had recently caused so much trouble from the Forested Ridge was believed to have been

spotted at the Villa Castelletti; it was known that it was repositioning from its original position, so this isn’t totally unexpected.

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Targeting the enemy infantry

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I’m willing to bet there’s only a misty memory of this poor guy left…no triage necessary

1746 hrs

The Panzer IV at the Villa let loose with a shot at Sgt Bradford’s exposed Sherman, penetrating the hull through the tracks and shaking up the driver;

with the crew intact but shaken, they were sitting ducks. Fortuitously, the Ranger 60mm mortar team under S/Sgt Stephan was in a good position to

lay direct fire on the enemy tank threat, which they had begun to range shortly before when they first spotted the tank threat. Cpl Fontana’s 81mm

mortar crew also began dropping their remaining supply on the Villa.

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Sitting Duck

The Orchard fighting appears to be winding down, as fewer and fewer German rifles are found to be manning the stone walls at the apex of the

terrain feature. The Gully battle is also entering the final stages, as 3rd Easy systematically moves forward to dominate the depression to the

immediate northeast of their position. Cpl Masconi, led by infantry, spots the first of two halftracks known to have hidden in the low ground and

makes no mistake in laying a shell on the AFV.

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And then there was one (or maybe two)…

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1747 hrs

The mortar rounds must have either spooked or damaged the PzIV at the Villa…it reversed out of the barrage but in its haste it appears to have slid

backwards down the western slope, exposing its rear to fire (though there are no armored assets in firing position). Cpl Masconi continued to press

northwards from the Gully, supported by 3rd Easy, eliminating a Kubelwagen and some scattered infantry as his tank lumbered forward. Trooper

James joined the fight on the eastern slopes of Hill S135.

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Presented with a nice side-rear shot but no AT assets in range

1748 hrs

All other events become subordinate to the maneuvers taking place between the opposing tanks at the Villa and the Orchard. The Panzer IV now at

the Villa has been deadly to the American armor present on this battlefield throughout the engagement, either directly or indirectly responsible for at

least a platoon worth of knocked out Shermans and various other casualties and vehicle damage; this single German vehicle has dominated much of

the tactical direction of the battle to this point. In the Orchard, the Sherman medium tanks commanded by Sgts Bradford and Naranjo have been

attempting to gain sight confirmation on their Aryan foe. Sgt Bradford and his crew, miraculously the only completely intact crew left in the entire

company, have been truly heroic in the execution of their duty, almost single-handedly turning the tide of the battle along Route 122 and at the

Orchard; their kill count includes several enemy AFVs and an assault gun. Sgt Naranjo’s tank was initially struck and abandoned during the initial

German armored assault on Hill S135, and though the crew eventually rallied and re-mounted their M4, all weapons systems were inoperable; they

have since played the dangerous game of being an armored scout and may yet have a role to play.

As the German panzer maneuvered itself back into attack position, Sgt Bradford frantically shouted targeting information to his gunner and prayed for

an accurate strike; the shot struck and penetrated the panzer directly through the turret, though the extent of the damage was not apparent and no

follow-on shots were possible because Sgt Naranjo’s Sherman reversed directly into their path, locking them both in place. A few tense seconds of

grinding metal later and the danger had passed, as the crew of the now-confirmed-KO’d Panzer IV abandoned their tank.

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A lot is riding on this single shot...

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We have Penetration!!!

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Get outta the way!

Amidst the skirmishing, Easy Company is still pushing forward in the Orchard and have consolidated their original outpost line positions. A PSW 222

armored car was spotted near the apex of the Orchard, supporting the remnants of the German infantry tenaciously holding their line at the stone

wall. Approximately 80% of the American casualties, mostly from 2nd & 4th Easy Platoons, have been recovered and evacuated. From the Gully,

3rd Easy has begun to push for the Bottaro House and the jog in Route 122, supported by Trooper James (who took up a dominating position on the

eastern approach to Hill S135) and Cpl Masconi (who moved northwards with the infantry).

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1749 hrs

It is apparent that the Germans are now attempting to withdraw their remaining forward troops to the relative safety of the Villa Castelletti; their

defences in the Orchard are dwindling, though they are still fighting tooth and nail. On the eastern slope, the two Shermans advanced until they

out-paced their infantry. James’ tank got spooked and released some smoke before retreating, while Masconi’s tank located the errant SPW 250/1

and dispatched it, before reversing under heavier calibre machine gun strikes to their superstructure; the tank crews cannot be faulted for being

jumpy at this point, having both been damaged and taken casualties. The Germans also dropped smoke rounds on 3rd Easy, which caused a few

superficial wounds and forced a squad to pull back temporarily.

1750 hrs

A German Protze 70 truck attracted bullets like flies to honey as it moved from the copse of trees around Castelletti Hill to the Villa; Sgt Cowen’s

Priest moved into position and provided accurate .50 Cal, though the main gun was sighted much too high. More SPW 250/1 halftracks appeared at

the Villa, with one rounding the northern slope of the position and a second appearing from the center of the Villa compound itself; a mortar crew was

spotted jumping from one of the AFVs. Meanwhile, Lt Contini’s Ranger platoon has navigated their way along the shallow ravine north of Cipolla Farm

to the foot of the hill. Resistance around the Orchard itself is crumbling, with the American infantry cautiously but steadily moving forward. A

German truck was spotted by Trooper James’s Sherman and quickly blown to smithereens.

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The main objective is tantalizingly close…

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A medium mortar team hastily exits their bullet-magnet

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Fiery Carnage at the Orchard

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After 50 minutes

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1751 hrs

Both Priests have moved into a supporting position and began to lay fire on the Villa, which knocked out the truck and forced the halftracks to

reverse to safer positions. The troops moving along the northern edge of the Orchard began taking fire from soldiers hiding on the Castelletti Hill,

though Sgt Bradford has maneuvered clear of Naranjo's Sherman and into a position to cover the advance, at least partially; 1st Easy, which had

been held in reserve and will be tasked with clearing Castelletti Hill, has begun moving up to a position closer to the Hill, parallel to the highway.

With the Gully completely secured, 3rd Easy followed their scouts and the tanks to the Bottaro House, tightening the pincer on the remaining

Germans in the Orchard.

1752 hrs

A number of German soldiers were spotted moving among the trees on the Castelletti Hill, scrambling for cover from the 105mm HE shells from Sgt

Cowan’s Priest detonating in their vicinity. The Orchard is minutes from being secured, with only the PSW 222 and a few weapons team soldiers

left south of the highway.

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The western approach to Castelletti Villa and Hill

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The PSW 222 at the Orchard

1753 hrs

A 105mm shell from Sgt Cowan’s Priest finished off another SPW 250/1, then the two SP artillery vehicles continued to plaster the area around

Castelletti Hill with high explosives. Lt Reece’s Ranger platoon, which had advanced into the fields at Cipoplla Farm, was held up at a stone wall

due to small arms fire, the source of which was pinpointed as coming from the upper levels of the buildings at Villa Castelletti. The northern edge

of the Orchard is steadily being consolidated by 2nd/4th Easy, supported by Sgt Bradford’s Sherman. The eastern edge of the Orchard is proving

to be much tougher to lock up, as there is still tenacious enemy resistance here, centered upon the last remaining German AFV. Cpl Masconi briefly

had sight of the SPW 222, but his crew is still so jumpy after the preceding battles that they reversed out of position before properly acquiring a

firing solution. Trooper James has moved his Sherman closer and may get a shot on the vehicle soon, which is imperative, as 3rd Easy HQ took

casualties when the vehicle spotted them near the Bottaro House.

The tactical problem is as follows: the German AC is in such a position that the terrain and trees continue to impede the Shermans from gaining

sight on it, and even when they can, the surrounding trees have blocked their shots; 3rd Platoon will be cut up if they advance into the facing

AFV’s machine guns; and the infantry along the northern edge of the Orchard cannot flank it due to considerable enfilade fire they would endure

from the Villa and Hill. 1st and 3rd Easy are also being ear-marked for the assault north of the roadway, so casualties are not desired during this

portion of the operation. All of this makes it slow going to finally secure the Orchard, though it is inevitable.

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1754 hrs

Having navigated their way along the shallow ravine, right to the doorstep of the Villa, Lt Contini’s Ranger platoon begins to advance up the hill

and into assault positions. The Priests have shifted their focus to the westernmost building in the Villa compound, hoping to dislodge their German

occupants. The only German resistance left at the Orchard is a solitary infantryman who has refused to leave the side of his wounded comrade;

the armored car was finally spotted and dispatched by Trooper James’ Sherman, which had moved to almost point blank range in order to gain sight

on the AFV. Another kubelwagen was also spotted reversing quickly in the direction of Route 124.

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Rangers, Lead the Way

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3rd Easy drawing a bead on the last German defender at the Orchard

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The PSW 222 finally comes into view

1755 hrs

The battering of the enemy positions at the Villa and Hill continues; it is hoped that the ‘softening up’ of the defenders will save some American

lives in the next phase. With Lt Contini’s Rangers edging closer to the Villa, Sgt Bradford is slowly repositioning his Sherman to support their coming

assault. The final German defender at the Orchard wall decided he’d had enough and tried to make a break for it but one of the Easy squadmates of

a recent victim of this enemy soldier pitched a grenade at the retreating panzergrenadier, which bounced along behind him and took him out with the

blast. 3rd Easy is making their way forward on the eastern slopes. The enemy presence south of Route 122 is believed to be a single soldier hiding

near the orchard and the distant kubelwagen making for Route 124.

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You won’t get away that easily…

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The grenade ruins his day...

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Epilogue:

As the Rangers made their way cautiously along the northern flank of the Villa Castelletti, they found that the position had been hastily abandoned by their Axis foes; evidence pointed to a hurried evacuation of the remaining German soldiers through the vineyards and away to the northeast, falling back towards Enna along Route 122. After their hour of hard fighting and chaos, there was only general mopping up and casualty recovery for the exhausted troops of Task Force ‘Easy’; though nothing is ever easy for Easy Company. Casualties, especially among the men of the 2nd and 4th platoons were heavy and cannot be immediately replaced. The attached armor, ‘A’ Company of 70th Tank Battalion, was reduced to less than platoon strength, and all Shermans remaining in action are damaged to varying degrees; also, 9 of the Shermans are beyond recovery, including 5 that became fiery coffins. Ultimately, Task Force ‘E’ was successful in pushing aside the enemy resistance to their drive on Enna but the casualties incurred will force a significant pause to reorganize and the loss of so many tanks will reduce the effectiveness of the task force when it resumes the advance. The thrust towards Enna will continue but it has been blunted.

Casualties (Killed & Wounded)

4th Ranger Battalion (US 7th Army)

2x Sniper teams (4 men)

‘Dog’ Company (Rangers)
(2 men)

1st Platoon
(3 men)
[Lt Reece]

2nd Platoon
(4 men)
[Lt Contini]

1st Infantry Division (US II Corps, US 7th Army, 15th Army Group)

II Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment

‘Easy’ Company
(6 men)
[Capt Lorentzen]

No1 Infantry Platoon
(2 men)
[2Lt Gage]

No2 Infantry Platoon
(29 men)
[2Lt Bridge]

No3 Infantry Platoon
(5 men)
[2Lt King]

No4 Weapons Platoon
(25 men)
[Lt Wade]

Company ‘A’, 70th Tank Battalion (US 7th Army)

Company HQ

Sherman M4 (Coy HQ) [Capt Gable]
KO’d/Destroyed

Sherman M4A1 [sgt Miller]
Damaged

+ attached
No1 Section, No 2 Battery, 58th Armored Field Artillery Battalion

M7 Priest [sgt Cowen]
Good

M7 Priest [sgt Egert]
Good

1st Medium Tank Platoon

Sherman M4 (Plt HQ) [Lt Neubert]
KO’d/Destroyed/Brewed up

Sherman M4 [s/Sgt Hess]
Damaged

Sherman M4A1 [sgt Contini]
KO’d/Destroyed

Sherman M4A1 [sgt Rogers]
KO’d

2nd Medium Tank Platoon

Sherman M4 (Plt HQ) [Lt Melo]
KO’d/Destroyed

Sherman M4 [s/Sgt Rexford]
KO’d/Destroyed

Sherman M4 [sgt Mannering]
KO’d/Destroyed/Brewed Up

Sherman M4 [sgt Naranjo]
Severely Damaged

3rd Medium Tank Platoon

Sherman M4A1 (Plt HQ) [Lt Sabo]
KO’d/Destroyed/Brewed up

Sherman M4A1 [s/Sgt Horner]
KO’d/Destroyed/Brewed up

Sherman M4A1 [sgt Bradford]
Damaged

Sherman M4A1 [sgt Zieger]
KO’d/Destroyed/Brewed up

Final.jpg

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It was an interesting battle. Mord had me reeling and desperate for quite a portion of the battle, especially when his attack came over the hill and broke into my staging area. I felt better after the desperate charge stabilized my situation but I lost so many tanks that I was forced to be more cautious and reactive than I wanted to be initially. There were several points in the battle where I felt it could have gone either way.

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That was very interesting and entertaining.

I find it interesting that despite your early losses, the couple of tanks that survived eventually obliterated almost his entire armour force.

It appears that he went for a historical orbat containing a lot of light armour which became nothing more than targets for the surviving Shermans.

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We were going for a historical-ish feel on both sides.

We had agreed that we would both have at least a company of infantry, and the bulk would be free-purchase (though the feeling was we would both probably also have a company of armour).

There seems to be more variety to choose from in the German OOB than the American OOB (where its pretty much just plain Shermans).

I think we also learned a little bit about armour employment in the game (at least I know I learned a few things).

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