Need your help - The Italian Front

[ChrisND]

Hey folks,

I have a campaign that is in 50% completion covering the forgotten front: the Med from 1943 to 1945, starting in June-July 1943.

I'm having problems finding anything other than superficial data however, for order of battles and especially troop, air fleet, and naval dispositions for the Axis and Allies in the Med campaign as of June 1943.

If anyone knows of a useful source with detailed information, I'dd really appreciate it. I am looing for brigade/division scale, along with major ships and combat air wings/squadrons.

[Liam]

http://movies.ign.com/articles/036/036062p1.html

there is a new movie comming out about the Italians exploit with their frogmen on British Ships in Port Alexandria in '41

Looks as if the movie will be another recreation of WW2 forgotten daring missions. I cannot wait.

Confusing time Summer of '43 for the Italians that was pretty much the end game for the Italians.

[Moonslayer]

These May help:

Axis OOB

This is a clipping from Military History Online

On June 7, 1943 Eisenhower outlined his plan for the invasion of Sicily to the War Department. In addition to the elaborate air plan, which called upon each of the various air commands in the Mediterranean area to contribute to either the build-up or the invasion itself, Eisenhower described a series of simultaneous seaborne assaults, assisted by air landings, to capture the seaports of Licata and Syracuse and the airfields between these cities, in order to lay the groundwork for operations against the airfields at Gerbini, Catania and Augusta. Patton's Seventh Army would be aboard the ships of the Western Naval Task Force, commanded by U.S. Admiral Hewitt, while the Eastern Naval Task Force, commanded by British Admiral Bertram Ramsay, would convey Montgomery's Eighth Army. The latter was to operate in the eastern sector, and had as its objectives the port of Syracuse and the airfield at Pachino. Its XIII Corps was to land south of Cap Murro Di Porco with 5th Division on a two-brigade front, 50th Division on a one-brigade front and 3d Commando. XXX Corps would operate on three sides of Passero, where the 231st Brigade, 51st Division would advance on a one brigade front, while Canadian 1st Division would do so on a two brigade front, next to the 40th and 41st Royal Marine Commandos. XIII Corps was to move on to the port and airfield at Augusta, thence to the airfields at Catania and Gerbini. XXX Corps would effect a junction with the right flank of U.S. Seventh Army. This American force was to land at Cap Scalambri, Scoglitti, Gela and Licata. II U.S. Corps, comprising the 1st Infantry Division and 45th Infantry Division, would take the fields at Biscari, Ponte Olivo, Gela and Comiso. At the same time, 3d Infantry Division and an armored Combat Command from 2d Armored Division would capture the port and airfield at Licata, the rest of the 2d Armored Division remaining in reserve. Admiral Hewitt later reported that the placing of the 1st Infantry Division and 45th Infantry Division (corresponding to CENT and DIME landing forces respectively) under II U.S. Corps command created "many difficulties".

This also looks interesting here.

[ March 04, 2007, 03:50 AM: Message edited by: Moonslayer ]

[ChrisND]

Thanks guys,

I had already gone through those sources in detail . Unfortunetely they either skimp on necessary details, or go into too much detail on the wrong things.

One major problem is finding a source that just gives the disposition of forces in the Med at the time; where air bases where and what units were stationed there; where naval power and what ships where, the locations of garrison units, etc.

The info on where units would attack is useless, because I want the SC 2 player to make up his own mind .

[ChrisND]

Also, the map is at about 75% construction. It extends laterally from Madrid to the east end of Crete, and longitudinally from Munich to Tripoli. It is very detailed and the weather and climate patternes have been particularily looked into.

Once this campaign is complete, the map will serve as a perfect springboard for a multitude of scenarios taking place in the MED, and I will thus expand the map to encompass the entire med and Iberian Peninsula.

Some scenarios I am looking into with that map:

The Med WW2 front, from 1939 onwards.

The hypothetical Allied invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

[Hubert Cater]

Wow, this is sounding very impressive Normal Dude... looking forward, as always, to seeing another sample of your work in action