This installment of "Europa as History" parts from the detailed, hex-by-hex accounts of previous efforts. Because of the scenario's unit density and length, we limit ourselves to a broad overview of the Battle for Rome, in Europa terms. All hex references are to Map 26.

The Players

Alexander

After first making his reputation at Dunkirk and in the 1942 withdrawal from Burma (he also led Latvian troops in the Russian Revolution), Sir Harold Alexander has been Allied Army Group commander in Tunisia, Sicily, and now Italy. He likes to give subordinate commanders a loose rein, a style that has proved successful, but will backfire with Clark in the Rome battle. He will later be appointed Governor-General of Canada, serve as Minister of Defence in Churchill's last government, and be named 1st Earl of Tunis.

Clark

Lt. General Mark Clark is an energetic, dynamic leader. He has commanded 5th Army since its training in Morocco. He will succeed Alexander as overall commander in Italy later in the year and end his career as UN commander-inchief closing the Korean War. His failure to follow Alexander's instructions in this battle, thereby possibly allowing the escape of the German 10th Army, will dog his reputation forever.

Leese

Lt. General Sir Oliver Leese, commander of 8th Army, is a competent, if unspectacular leader. His laid-back, casual style is in contrast to the vigorous Clark.

Kesselring

A Luftwaffe general, but a former artilleryman, Field Marshall Albert Kessehing has now earned a reputation as a masterful defensive ground commander in Italy. Against all expectations of the German high command, he organized a most successful defense of Italy south of Rome. He is described as "perceptive, flexible, loyal and resolute."

The Plans

The Allied Plans

The most recent effort against Cassino has been in the Mar II 44 turn with the New Zealand Division and 4th Indian Division. That attack failed miserably and resulted in the cadres that show up in the SF Apr I 44 OB.

For the next attempt, Operation Diadem, Allied planners have settled on two Europa scale attacks. Eighth Army will assault Monte Cassino, in hex 2022, with the Polish H Corps attacking from hex 2021. The British 13th Corps will join in this attack by pushing across the Rapido River (too small a stream to show in Europa) and up the Liri Valley below (but in the same hex as) Cassino. Fifth Army's US II Corps and French Expeditionary Corps will attack the Monte Majo massif and the Aurunci Mountains in hex 2123.

A look at Map 26 shows that this is reasonable. These two hexes are the key to further advances up the good terrain in the Liri Valley (1823 and 1923) and lead directly to the Anzio Beachhead. In the Allies' opinion, any attacks further east will only run into more mountains and ravines; a decisive breakthrough will be difficult.

The attack out of the Anzio enclave will wait patiently for the situation to develop, hopefully enticing the German mobile reserves in the area (26th Pz XX in particular) to commit to the southern front. General Truscott and the US VI Corps staff have developed four alternatives for the breakout from the beachhead. They have code-named the plans, from south to north, GRASSHOPPER, BUFFALO, TURTLE, and CRAWDAD. These plans cover attacks into four of the five hexes surrounding the beachhead. Only an attack into the unfavorable terrain of the Lepini Mountains in hex 1924 is not considered. GRASSHOPPER is an attack from hex 1925 into 2024. This plan draws scant favor since there is little to be gained except an early link up with an advancing Fifth Army. BUFFALO is an attack through the town of Cisterna into hex 1824 to cut Route 7, then eastward to capture either hex 1724 or 1823 (the town of Valmontone). This would cut the remaining north-south road, Route 6, trapping large German forces of 10th Army to the south.

TURTLE is an attack straight toward Rome, into hex 1725. It will not necessarily cut 10th Army's escape route.

CRAWDAD is an attack into 1726, but is not favored over TURTLE because the road net through 1725 is actually better, a reality lost at Europa's scale.

Alexander visits Truscott in the beachhead on May 5 and easily chooses BUFFALO over the competing plans. Europa players would likely do the same, although for additional reasons that Alexander possibly did not consider. Europa stacking rules, combined with the hex grid, unavoidably favor an attack from two hexes into one over a one-hex to one-hex attack. BUFFALO is the only one of the four plans that has that game advantage.

General Clark is not at the Alexander-Truscott meeting and he resents what he considers British meddling. He is also developing a fixation on the capture of Rome in the upcoming operation and thinks he detects a British plan to enter Rome with 8th Army by diverting 5th Army's axis of attack away from Rome via BUFFALO. Clark's fixation on the city only increases as the days go by, and will eventually grow into the major historical issue of the campaign.

The Battle

May I - Allied Turn

The Allies launch their assault on May 11. The Polish attack on Monte Cassino is repulsed yet again with heavy losses. The Germans voluntarily withdraw from the mountain and monastery proper only after being outflanked by the British XIII Corps gains in the Liri valley just west of Cassino below the mountain, and by the French breakthrough at Monte Majo to the west. The Poles occupy the monastery on May 17.

This is best represented in Europa by an 'EX' result, resulting in the loss (to cadre) of a Polish division and 4th British Inf XX. All the defending units are lost.

The attack by the French and Americans on 2123 scores a 'DR,' eliminating 71st Inf Cadre and reducing 94th Inf XX for retreating into an enemy ZOC (hex 2023).

The Allies advance into both hexes, but there is nowhere to exploit because of the reserves at Frosinone and Gaeta, occupying the "Senger Line," a switch position several miles behind the original Gustav Line.

May II - Axis Turn.

The German 10th Army reestablishes itself along the "Caesar Line" running from along hexes 1924, 1923, 1922. (This is admittedly a liberal interpretation of the Caesar Line.) The remainder of the German line stays in position, but, to simulate the later German withdrawal, would probably have to give up hexes 1921 and 1922 in this turn.

26th Pz XX moves from its reserve position behind the Anzio Beachhead to shore up the southern front at Frosinone. 29th PzG XX follows. The Ist Parachute Cadre is rebuilt in Roma (to a 4-5-8* Para-Inf Cadre). It head south also, to 1823. The Hermann Goring Division also activates and heads for the front (the actual date was May 23; one can argue for the Axis Jun I turn), but is delayed by Allied air harassment attacks. It reaches a backup position in 1624. Kessehing is hopeful that with these reinforcements he can contain the Allied gains, but is still worried about a possible Allied landing further north.

May II - Allied Turn.

36th Inf XX moves to Anzio using naval transport. The US VI Corps launches Operation BUFFALO against 1824 on May 22; it features the entire force in the Anzio bridgehead. The British troops make a diversionary assault against 1726 in Operation Hippo, a scaled- down CRAWDAD. This can be interpreted as actually assisting in the attack on 1824, gaining an odds column but also a -1 die modifier for inter-contingent attack. The Allies roll a 'DH' and advance into the hex. Troops from the south link up with the beachhead.

The Canadian I Corps, along with the British 6th Arm XX, South African 6th Arm XX, and British XIII Corps attack and seize Frosinone (1923). 26th Pz XX retreats into 1823.

The US II Corps and the French CEF attack into the Lepini Mountains, scoring a 'DR.' This reduces the 715th Inf XX and 362nd Inf XX for a retreat into a ZOC.

In the Allied exploitation phase, hex 1724 lies vacant or at least overrunable. Clark, however, abandons the hex as an objective of BUFFALO, deciding that TURTLE is now the best operation. He declines to take 1724, preferring to maintain his position for an attack into 1725 next turn. This is the most noteworthy operational decision of the campaign. The British will later charge Clark with ruining the whole campaign by failing to cut Route 6, thus blowing a chance to bag most of 10th Army south of Rome.

Clark will rebut by denying that cutting the road would have trapped the Germans; there were plenty of alternative routes available. The argument still goes on, but most historians seem to lean to the British point of view. Clark wanted 5th Army, his army, to be the first to enter an Axis capital and he wanted to accomplish the feat before the D-Day landings in France. To achieve this date, he traded any chance at a major victory for a publicized entrance to the Eternal City, an objective that was bound to fall at some time in the ongoing offensive.

Unfortunately, Clark's change of direction does not translate well to Europa. Hex 1725 is unassailable in the exploitation phase, and saying that 1st Arm XX declines to enter 1724 during the exploitation phase ignores the actual maneuver of turning toward Rome. After their turn toward Rome, VI Corps did not actually control hex 1725 until about June 3, so possibly this is not too bad a compromise.

One alternative model is a big switch of major US VI Corps units into 1825 and a direct attack into 1725, capturing the hex in the May R Allied turn. However, the units defending in this case would be very wrong, and the "feel" still not right.

June I - Axis Turn.

Kesselring reluctantly decides he cannot hold the Allies south of Rome, and orders a general withdrawal through a series of delaying lines in central Italy, until Army Group C will occupy the Gothic Line in the northern Apennines.

The first of these delaying lines is the Dora Line, extending from Orbetefio in hex 1128, through hex 1126, southeast to Terni thence to the Adriatic. The German infantry and mountain troops extricate themselves from a dangerous situation without any Europa-scale encirclements.

June I - Allied Turn.

The US VI Corps realizes Clark's objective, entering Rome on the night of June 4/5. VI Corps continues to Civitavecchia (1427), capturing the town on June 7, and CCB of 1st Arm XX entering Viterbo (1326) on June 8. IV Corps now formally enters the line, assuming control of the Tyrrhenian coastal sector with 36th Inf XX and 361st Inf III (a breakdown unit of 91st Inf XX, arriving piecemeal).

By the end of the movement phase, both 5th and 8th Armies have drawn up to the Dora Line with their lead units. IV Corps captures hex 1128 (San Stefano and Orbetello) from 20th LW Inf XX and 162nd Inf XX (ET) with a 'DR' result.

In the center of the peninsula, the British also keep up the pressure on the Germans retreating up the valley of the Tiber. 13th Corps is on the left with 6th SA Arm XX and 6th Arm XX To their right is 10th Corps with 8th Indian and 2nd NZ XX In the process of their advance, they reduce the 44th HuD Inf XX to cadre, representing more of a gradual attriting of that unit over the past weeks than any single battle.

British 5th Corps, now under Army Group control because of communications problems caused by the mountains, advances up the Adriatic coast, occupying ground abandoned by the Germans but not applying a great deal of pressure. Pinched out of its axis of advance by other units, the Polish Corps moves to the Adriatic coast to aid 5th Corps in moving on Ancona.

June II - Axis Turn.

Kesselring withdraws to his next delaying position, the Frieda Line, extending from Piombino southeast to Perugia, then to the Adriatic.

June II - Allied Turn.

Two regiments of the French 9th Colonial Division land on Elba. Because of the rapidity of the Axis retreat, Clark cancels a parachute drop by the 517th Para III in the German rear.

The main Allied units hammer on the German delaying positions, but without any significant success. IV Corps takes Cecina by scoring 'DR' against XIV Pz Corps in 0728, but the presence of 16th RFSS PzG NX prevents any exploitation. The French roll an 'AS' in their attack on Siena, held by the tenacious I Parachute Corps. The British X and XIII Corps push 76th Pz Corps back around 0925 and 1024 in a series of actions usually called the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

None of these actions produce breakthroughs. The German line is beginning to stabilize just in time to prevent the Allies from breaching the Gothic Line before it solidifies. The scenario ends with an Allied marginal victory against a German "Withdrawal" strategy. The remainder of the summer will see hard fighting as 5th Army pushes over the Arno River and 8th Army shifts its attack to the Adriatic coast. The 8th must fight hard to take Ancona and cross the Metauro. The withdrawal of the French CEF Corps and the US VI Corps for operation ANviL takes away the extra punch from 5th Army that would be needed to break into the Po Valley, and the war in Italy settles down for another winter, this time with the Allies facing a new set of mountains.

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