CSIR (Italian) Bridgehead

[manchildstein (ii)]

CSIR Bridgehead: Play as Axis against Soviet AI

Default (1st time) or Free Setup

12 Sep 1941

South, Dry, Warm

30+ Turns

20 Large, 20 Small Flags

Meeting Action

Large: 2k x 2k, ~3000 points per side

This morning on your situation maps you found a rail/road bridge which runs past an isolated munitions factory on the far bank of the Dniepr.

Your Italian Mech Spearhead has been hampered all day by Soviet Air Attacks. Due to a snafu your units have been without AA protection en route to the bridge.

Despite the air attacks, your vanguard has reached the bridge and taken it by a "coup de main," managing to get a toehold with some light tanks and a few mixed Companies of infantry across the river.

Your crippled truck fleet is picking up reinforcement infantry at about a Battalion per trip. Your Semoventes and Heavy Weapons are also en route. You need to hold out for about a half hour before the first wave of reinforcements (not included in this scenario) arrives. Your job is to expand the bridgehead into the high ground on the left, and to keep the factory area and thus the far end of the bridge under Axis control.

As your first assault wave situates itself on the other side of the river - on the approaches to the high ground on the left and in the factory area around the bridge - you can hear Red tanks from the nearby scattered trees.

From the engine sounds there are Soviet vehicles adjacent to all of your current positions. This is the moment of first visual contact.

Your vanguard is made up of:

1 Pioneer Company (9 FT)

1 Bersaglieri Company

13 Breda MMG (10 from "Brigade," 3 attached to Bersaglieri Co.)

5 Sharpshooter

5 Solothurn AT Rifle

5 Marosczek AT Rifle

Tankette Company:

11 Tankette (Carro Leggerro)

Light Tank Battalion:

23 Light (20mm) Tanks (Carro Armato L6/40)

Due to earlier combat and enemy strafing, the Infantry Companies have already taken casualties; the tankette and tank units are understrength.

THOUGHTS:

1) Those 20mm light tanks are well-suited to this type of terrain. They can work in platoons to outmanuever the disorganized Soviet tanks and hit them from the sides and rear.

2) If you come across T-34s or KVs, you will probably need to either avoid them altogether or close assault them with your infantry.

3) Your infantry are numerically weak for the dual mission, but for an overwhelming victory you will need to take the high ground on the left in addition to maintaining your hold on the Factory area and Bridge.

4) Watch out for more Soviet air attacks.

[manchildstein (ii)]

Eric Norseth, thanks for the review... i will definitely take your feedback into consideration when revisiting the design of this for 'version 2'

[Shades]

Manchildstein II,

Had a good time with the scenario and will have to try CSIR II.

Eric Norseth,aka Shades