Introduction

"Battle for Rome" is a Europa battle scenario for Second Front covering the Allied offensive in Italy codenamed Operation Diadem. It begins with the Allied player turn of the May I 44 game turn and ends at the completion of the A11ied player turn of the Jun II 44 game turn. The scenario abstracts the detailed SF naval and air activities to shorten setup and playing time.

Background

By the spring of 1944, the "soft underbelly" of Europe had instead revealed itself as an impenetrable tortoise shell. The slopes of Monte Cassino and the remainder of the German Gustav Line had defied all Allied efforts. The attempt to outflank the line at Anzio had resulted in the flanking forces themselves becoming besieged. The Italian Front had become a diversionary effort, intended primarily to draw German forces away from northwest France.

The Allied forces in Italy would have one chance at redemption before the launching of Operation Overlord. Their previous attempts at finesse having failed, the new attacks would take a pure sledgehammer approach. Operation Diadem planned for 15 divisions to overwhelm the German Gustav Line, destroy 10th and 14th Armies, and capture Rome...

Components

All the components needed to play "Battle for Rome" can be found in Second Front.

Prepare for Play

Set up Map 26. You can fold the map so that only the northwest quarter of Map 26 shows. This quarter of the map equals the entire playable area for the scenario. All hex references in the scenario refer to Map 26.

Both players use all units listed as "Initial Forces" in the "Battle for Rome" orders of battle. The Allied Player sets up first, placing all his units except for units of the Canadian I Corps. The Axis Player sets up his units second. Then the Allied player sets up the Canadian I Corps. Either player may establish overstacks in the initial setup, using any corps markers available in the counter mix. Note that the Allied Player must establish overstacks in hexes 1825 and/or 1925, 202 1, and 2122.

Unlike SF campaign scenarios, there is no redeployment or pre-game movement phase.

At the start of the game, the Allied player owns hexes 1825, 1925, and all hexes on or south of the line 1719-2020-2021-2222. The Axis p1ayer owns all hexes not owned by the Allied player.

Special Rules

Operational Boundaries. Play is limited to full or partial hexes in the northwest quarter of Map 26. The creases in the map define the "northwest quarter." Any ground units that are forced to exit the map are eliminated and permanently removed from play.

Air Units. Do not use air units. Instead, the Allied player has tactical bombing factors (TBFs) available each player turn, which he can apply as he wishes for GS, DAS, and harassment missions. The air availability table below gives the number of TBFs available each player turn. Each TBF can be assigned to one air mission per player turn. The Allied player must keep track of the number of T`BFs used each turn to ensure he does not exceed the allotment.

For GS and DAS, the Allied player may allocate up to 4 TBFs for each non-artillery RE in an attack or defense. TBFs allocated for DAS are halved in strength.

TBFs are immune to antiaircraft fire and/or interception of any kind.

TBFs can be allocated to harassment missions up to eight hexes away from a supplied Allied unit, or up to eight hexes away from Bastia (0732). Any TBFs allocated to harassment during the Axis player turn are unavailable for allocation in the following Allied player turn.

The Axis player has no air capability of any kind.

Air Availability Table
Game Turn	TBFs Available
May I 44	100
May II 44	75
Jun I 44	75
Jun II 44	50



German Reserve Activation. The Axis order of battle designates certain units as "Reserves." These units may not move until they activate. Reserve units activate in two ways:

• When an Allied unit moves adjacent to a reserve unit, the reserve unit immediately activates.
• In each Axis initial phase (after the Allied player has flown harassment missions), the Axis player rolls one die, modifying it according to the table below. The Axis player may immediately activate up to that number of reserve units.

Activation Modifiers
DRM Event
+1If either unit of the US IV Corps (36th Inf XX or IV Art X) has moved from Naples.
+2 The Allied player has executed an air drop.

Activated units move and fight normally. Once a unit activates, it remains activated for the rest of the scenario.

Two Axis units in Army Detachment "Zangen7 were actually stationed off-map (188th Res Mtn XX in Verona and 356th Inf XX in Genova). For purposes of this scenario, they begin on-map. When these units activate, they begin the following movement phase having already expended the number of movement points shown on the Axis order of battle.

Hermann Goring Withdrawal. In the Jun I 44 Axis initial phase, the Axis player may choose to withdraw the "Hermann Gbring" Panzer Division [18-10 Pz XX (LW)] and "HG B" Regiment [2-3-10 PzG III (I.W)] to reinforce northwest France. He scores victory points for this withdrawal. To exercise this option, the HG units must not yet have activated. Withdrawing the units does not count against the Axis player's activation capacity.

Operation STRANGLE. Recent Allied air strikes (called Operation STRANGLE) have severely damaged the Axis rail net. No Axis unit may use rail movement in the scenario, except units with an "R" movement rating. All "R" movement units may use operational rail movement at half their normal movement rate. The Axis may trace supply by rail normally.

Rome. No German unit other than the Rome Garrison (as designated in the Axis order of battle) may end its movement or exploitation phase in Roma (1625). If forced to do so, the unit is eliminated. Units may move through and retreat into the hex freely. The Allied player may not fly a harassment mission to the Roma hex.

Parachute Drop. The Allied player may plan and execute one 1 RE air drop in any hex within 8 hexes of a supplied Allied unit or Bastia (0732). It may be carried out in the daytime. There is no AA fire. The air-dropped unit is always in supply. The drop uses an "intrinsic" air transport unit.

Supply Sources. Naples and any rail hexes on the south edge of the playing area function as full supply sources for Allied units. Any rail hexes on the north edge of the playing area function as full supply sources for Axis units. All units are in supply during the May I 44 Allied initial phase.

Reinforcements and Replacements. Both sides receive reinforcements and replacements per the "Battle for Rome" orders of battle. Note that the Allied player receives reinforcement units on the initial (May I) turn of the scenario, but no replacements on that turn. Both sides accrue special replacements normally.

Weather. The weather is "Clear" on all turns.

Overstacking. Use Second Front Rule 43C2.

Unit Breakdowns. Both players may break down units to the full extent allowed by the SF counter mix.

Naval Units. There are no naval units in the scenario. Instead, the Allied player has a permanent naval transport capacity of 15 REs. He may use this capacity to move units and supply points by sea in each Allied movement and exploitation phase. Arriving reinforcements count against this capacity. Ignore effects of danger zones.

Example: The Allied player receives 3 REs of non- c/m reinforcements in Naples, then moves 6 REs of non- c/m units and 24 supply points from Naples to Anzio in the movement phase. In the exploitation phase, he moves 3 REs of c/m units from Anzio to Naples, and 36 supply points from Naples to Anzio.

Miscellaneous. Ignore rules for garrison requirements, occupation zones, and partisans. Do not use SF optional Rule 44A1 The French government cannot relocate.

Victory

Game Length

"Battle for Rome" begins with the Allied player turn of May I 44. Victory is evaluated after the completion of the Jun II 44 game turn. A complete game is three and one half game turns long.

German Strategy.

In the midst of this battle, the German command faced a critical strategic decision. They could continue their forward defense of Rome and risk heavy losses, or withdraw northward, yielding a territorial victory to the Allies, but hopefully saving their army for the defense of the northern Apennines.

In the Axis Jun I 44 initial phase, the Axis player must declare his strategy for the remainder of the scenario. He declares his strategy to be either "Hold" or "Withdraw." The strategy chosen greatly affects the awards of victory points and assessment of victory.

Victory Conditions

Only the Axis player scores victory points, as shown in the Victory Point Awards. Track strength point elimination as it occurs. Award other VPs at the end of the game. The Axis scores VPs for ownership of a hex only if that hex is not isolated at the end of the scenario.

"Battle for Rome - Victory Point Awards
Hold	Withdraw	Event
+50	0	Axis owns Rome (26:1625)
+40	0	Axis owns Monte Cassino (26:2022)
+30	0	Axis owns hex 26:2123
+20	0	Axis owns Frosinone (26:1923)
+10	0	Axis owns Pescara (26:1619)
+20	0	Axis owns Civitavecchia. (26:1427)
+40	0	Axis owns Velletri (26:1825)
+40	0	Axis owns Anzio (26:1925)
+20	+30	Withdrawal of both "HG" unit- on Jun I
0	+1	Each non-isolated Axis attack SP in play located on or north of hex row 1300
+1	+1	Each Allied attack SP eliminated

"Battle for Rome - Levels of Victory
VPS If "Hold"	VPS If "Withdraw"	Levels of Victory
140 or more	NA	Axis Decisive Victory
120-139	NA	Axis Substantial Victory
90-119	260 or more	Axis Marginal Victory
85-89	245-259	Draw
70-84	220-244	Allied Marginal Victory
50-69	170-219	Allied Substantial Victory
49 or less	169 or less	Allied Decisive Victory

Variants

Free Setup

Deploy forts as described in the "Battle for Rome" orders of battle.

Allies: Place units of the U.S. VI Corps as designated in the "Battle for Rome" order of battle. Disregard other specific designated hexes. Place all other Allied ground units anywhere south of the following line of hexes: 26:1719-2020-2021-2222.

Axis: Place all units listed as "Reserves" as shown in the "Battle for Rome" order of battle. Disregard the other specific hexes in the order of battle. The Axis player must place at least 5 defense strength points in each fortified hex (except LaSpezia). Place other Axis ground units anywhere on or north of the following line of hexes: 26:1619-1921-1922- 2123.

House Rules for "Battle for Rome"

Unlike many of the battle scenarios I've done, "Battle for Rome" doesn't list any optional rules. It just didn't seem to need any to bring it to its best form. I did try a single solitaire playing with several commonly used Europa house rules. For what they are worth, here are my conclusions.

Incremental Odds (see TEM #26)

doesn't have much of an effect, because the Allied player can usually apply TBFs in a GS role to exactly achieve the next higher odds ratio. One playtester suggested that incremental odds would help the Germans since they might actual1y be able to squeeze out a decent counterattack using this rule.

Variable Overruns (see TEM #40)

obviously he1p the Allies, but the effect is relatively minor. The mountains soften the effects, but without variable overruns there are no overruns at all. In my game, variable overruns only occurred in the exploitation phase, with Allied armored divisions attempting to overrun newly retreated cadres.

"Forward March" Movement.

Duane Romfoe's liberalized movement rules (see TEM #10, #13, #15, #36) make the German withdrawal strategy much more viable (and the Germans' historical withdrawal rate attainable) if you allow unopposed movement when starting in a ZOC. They also make the Allied offensive more powerful because of the limited infantry exploitation movement. I felt it best to prohibit a "mimimum move" during the exploitation phase, which kept the brakes on infantry exploiting in the mountains through ZOCs.

Halving GS in River Attacks (see TEM #41 EXchange)

ensures that few will try to repeat the successful historical Allied attack southwest of Cassino.

Credits

About Frank Watson

Frank Watson is a 35-year old engineer and veteran wargamer. "Enter Rommel" his first scenario for TEM, won a Charles Roberts award for the Best Historical Article of 1990. Since then Frank has provided readers with many other exciting scenarios, variants and articles, including the widely-acclaimed "Europa as History " series.

Battle for Rome Operation Diadem: May - June, 1944

Europa Scenario
Order of Battle: Allies
Order of Battle: Axis
Designer Notes
Playtest Report Charts (very slow: 343K)
Europa as History: Battle of Rome
Playing for Real? Cheat!
Civitavecchia: Smile When You Say That
Play Aid Charts