Publisher—Simulations Canada
Designer—P.L. Hollinger
Components—

Single 22"x27" Map, 255 Counters, Four Page Rulebook, Boxed game

Game Scale: Units are company level. Map: 170 meters per hex
Time: one day per Turn.

Introduction

ORTONA is a forgotten gem from the Simulations Canada (SimCan) stable. As in SimCan's previous, highly successful "Dieppe," this one deals with the exploits of the Canadian Army, the 1st Canadian Division, to be exact. In late 1943, it acted as the spearhead of General Bernard Montgomery's drive up the eastern coast of Italy. Facing increasing opposition and tough weather, the Canadians were ordered to capture the strategically important city of Ortona.

Components

The components are standard SimCan--good, crisply printed counters in red (for the Canadians) and field gray and light blue for the Germans (Wehrmacht and paratroopers, respectively). The map sheet is no riot of color, but blends its browns and blues in a pleasing way. The rulebook appears to have been printed with an early generation laser printer--the small print in block paragraphs can cause some squinting. At a time when many publishers were beginning to experiment with more color and flashier graphics, SimCan was a bit behind the curve here.

Historical Background

The year 1943 saw the Allies invade Sicily in July and the Italian mainland in September. Although the Italians had left the war, German troops had quickly occupied the peninsula. What started as a strike at the "soft underbelly" of the Axis alliance now became a grinding, step-by-step, river-by-river drive up the Italian peninsula against an enemy who proved to be masterful in the defense. ORTONA deals with one of the many failed attempts to break through the German defensive positions and reestablish mobility in the Italian theater. The attacking Canadian 1st Division encountered German forces dug in in a gully outside of Ortona--a natural obstacle that the Germans had considerably strengthened with mines and strongpoints. Casualties among the attackers were heavy; rains soon turned the battlefield into a swamp; and, worst of all for the Canadians, British maps of the countryside turned out to be wildly inaccurate. The battle was the Italian campaign in microcosm.

It dragged on for 20 days of heavy fighting, as the Germans, reinforced by a paratroop division, fought fiercely for every inch of ground. The Canadians, with heavy armor support, finally pierced the gully. The Germans retreated to Ortona, and dug in there. Another week was required to dig them out of the town. Facing a still unbroken front, and with his assaulting Canadian troops mauled, Montgomery would have to try again in 1944. The German High Command considered a counterattack at this point, but the plan was squashed by Hitler himself, who considered it suicidal in the face of Allied superiority in the air power.

Game System

Published in 1983, ORTONA was a state of the art system for its time. In the game turn, the player first determines the weather (it will usually rain, hampering the mobility of armored forces); he then bombards (with artillery and air power, both of which run the risk of scattering and even landing on friendly troops) and moves his units (with risk of armor breakdown).

At this point, the non-phasing player gets a defensive fire segment (mandatory between adjacent units), which can retreat, disrupt, and destroy units arrayed for the attack. The phasing player than attacks, and finishes his turn with a second movement phase for armor. Most units are infantry companies, limited to one-hex range for their fire. There are, however, supporting units in the form of both heavy weapons and armor companies, who get to fire at range (seven hexes for most tanks, for example). If you get such ranged units into the front line (i.e., one-hex range), their already considerable firepower is doubled!

The use of one's support weapons is the difference between victory and defeat in ORTONA, as it was with the real war being simulated. Another feature highlight: at any combat odds, a favorable outcome is never a certainty. An example: the Canadians push a powerful attacking stack up against the gully; a weak German company deployed in the gully fires defensively at the attacking stack. Even at 1-3 odds, there is still a one-in-six chance of an exchange (the Canadian stack eliminated, along with the German unit). The result is very little "factor counting" and almost no real predictability about the combats. No one escapes unscathed.

You will find yourself thinking in terms of support weapons, terrain, and firepower, and praying for clear skies to allow launching of your air strikes: again, more "war" and less "game". Scenarios allow you to game the first 10 days ("The Gully"), the last week ("The Fight for the City"), as well as the entire campaign. Finally, the designer provides the players with a real bonus: all the German troops that had been earmarked for the aborted counteroffensive. We are not talking a handful of extra counters here, but 56 (in other words, more than the German get in the whole historical battle). SimCan certainly went the extra mile on this one.

General Play Description

Game play reflects quite well with published works on the battle. The Canadians launch the 2nd Brigade into the teeth of the gully position at the game's outset, and get themselves well and thoroughly battered. In the process, they eliminate just enough German troop strength to turn every German Player Turn into a crisis. It's a "thin gray line" holding the gully, and every turn seems to get a little thinner. The Canadians are soon reinforced with the division's other two brigades (1st and 3rd), plus a whole host of support units, while the Germans get the 1st Parachute Division. The attackers will pierce the gully eventually, but will they still be strong enough to storm Ortona? The defenders will destroy a large percentage of the attacking force, but will they be strong enough themselves to hold the town at the end of the game? This game is a real nail-biter.

Summary

While the Italian Campaign has had its share of game designs, this one is unique in focusing on the British drive in the east, rather than the Americans in the west. Even better, it gives us something genuinely rare: the Canadian Army. There is something irresistible, for this gamer at least, in pushing the units of "Princess Patricia's Light Infantry" and the "West Nova Scotia Regiment" around the map. Play proceeds smoothly, both players are involved, and best of all, it "feels" like Italy.

(With permission from www.consimworld)