Introduction

"Soft Underbelly" is a Europa campaign scenario for Second Front covering the Allied landings on Sicily, Sardinia, and Mainland Italy and the corresponding offensive operations against the Axis powers. The scenario begins with the Allied player turn of the Jul I 43 game turn and ends with the completion of the Allied player Jun I 44 game turn.

Background

By July 1943, Pantelleria (the "Gibraltar of the Central Med") and North Africa have been secured by the Allies. The Allied Command has established limited objectives for the Mediterranean Theater Forces. Capturing Sicily, Naples, and the Foggia airfields will be a satisfactory outcome before poor weather conditions set in throughout Central and Southern Italy. After all, with Allied Intelligence reporting Italian surrender as eminent, Italy is anticipated to collapse with the Allied invasion of the Italian mainland.

However, Allied Command expects that any major offensive operations to gain the Po River line will require more troops than will be available for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Without debate, Generals Marshall and Eisenhower require that Operation OVERLORD remain the primary Allied thrust against the Third Reich and for it to be launched as planned in the spring of 1944.

For the Allied Mediterranean Commanders in the summer of 1943, the question is how best to utilize their resources and manpower in the Mediterranean Theater, without adversely affecting the OVERLORD timetable, all the while still maintaining offensive operations, avoiding any major defeats, and forcing the Germans to deploy as many German units as possible to the MTO.

Components

All components needed to play this scenario can be found in Second Front.

Prepare For Play

Set Up. Set up Maps 26 and 27. Play is limited to all full or partial hexes of Map 27 to all full and partial hexes of Map 26 with the exception of the following areas, which are out of play:

• all hexes in Albania, Greece and/or Yugoslavia;
• all hexes of Istria, (the small portion of Italy that appears on map 26 to the east of the Adriatic, including Trieste);
• all Adriatic islands.

Off-map holding boxes used in this scenario are the same as for Second Front where applicable.

Units

Allied and Axis players use:

• all ground and naval units as shown for the Second Front Initial Forces, JUL 143, South and MTO Theaters;
• reinforcements and replacements as shown for the South and MTO theaters;
• Axis air units as listed for the SF South TAC air order of battle;
• Allied air units as listed for the MTO TAC Air OB and MTO Antiship Air OB.

Units may begin the game broken down.

Deployment

Deploy as shown under Initial Conditions in the Second Front Initial Forces JUL 1 43 OB. The Axis sets up first and must place 15 Italian Regimental Equivalents aside which represent forces deployed off-map. The Allies deploy second and must plan amphibious operations for the initial and following game turn. Players may build airfields and forts within the limits of their resource points and the SF rules. Units may deploy embarked. Once the Allies have deployed and planned their amphibious operations, the Axis may redeploy up to 10 ground units and 10 air units. Finally, there is not a special "pre-game" Allied movement phase as stipulated in SF Rule 4 1 A, Initial Deployment.

At the start of play, the Allies own all hexes in Africa, as well as the islands of Pantelleria, Lampedusa, Gozo, and Malta. The Axis owns all other hexes.

Rules Of Play

Unless stipulated by specific rules of this scenario, all Second Front Rules (as amended with most recent official SF errata), including Advanced Rules, apply to this scenario.

Special Rules

Strategic Air Forces. The Germans may use Strategic Air assets just as if they control the West Theater. However, the Gen-nans may only "call up" their Strategic Air assets for one game turn in 1944 instead of five game turns as in 1943. The Allies may use the MTO Strategic Air assets per SF.

Supply Sources. In addition to normal SF sources of supply, the Axis may use rail lines to trace to full supply sources located off the north edge of the map. All port hexes in North Africa function as Allied full supply sources.

Reinforcements and Replacements. Both sides receive reinforcements and replacements per the Second Front Order of Battle. The Axis reinforcements which arrive from other theaters arrive on a rail line using operational or strategic rail movement as follows:

• Greater Germany - arrive hex 26:0122 or 26:0123 and have moved 12 rail hexes
• West - arrive hex 26:0129 and have moved 12 hexes
• Southeast - arrive hex 26:0123 and have moved 12 hexes
• East - arrive hex 26:0122 and have moved 30 hexes
• North - Arrive hex 26:0123 and have moved 90 hexes

Off map Naval Movement. Naval units moving from the ETO to Algers have moved 119 hexes.

Special Operational Boundary. In addition to those hexes exempted from play in the scenario set up, Trieste and hexes 0113 - 0115, 0213 - 0215, 0313 - 0316, 0414 - 0415, and 0515 are also out of play for purposes of this scenario.

Optional Rules

Static/Coastal Divisions. Static/Coastal divisions have no ZOC.

231st Inf X. The British 3-8* Inf X (231) may make an amphibious landing as if it did not have heavy equipment. In the next combat phase treat the unit as unsupported. It automatically becomes supported in the ensuing exploitation phase.

82nd Airborne Divisional Transport. Any (or all) regiment(s) of the US 82nd Airborne XX may use a movement allowance of 8 when spending the entire phase stacked with the 82nd Abn HQ unit. The HQ unit must be on its 8 MP side.

Exploitation Phase Airdrop. Units may execute an air drop in the friendly exploitation phase, but only into a friendly owned hex. Transport air units may fly an air drop mission in the exploitation phase. An exploitation phase airdrop must be planned normally in the initial phase of the turn it takes place.

Unopposed Movement. During the movement phase (only), a unit may use unopposed movement. A unit using unopposed movement may expend movement points equal to 1.5 times its printed movement allowance. A unit may only use unopposed movement if it meets the following conditions:

• the unit must be in general supply as judged during the initial phase;
• the unit does not enter a hex adjacent to an enemy occupied hex unless the intervening hexside is impassable to all enemy units in the enemy occupied hex. (Note that the unit may begin its unopposed movement adjacent to any enemy occupied hex.)
• the unit does not expend movement points for any other purposes except land movement (such as engaging in overrun, naval transport, rail movement, or construction).

Unopposed movement may not be combined with administrative movement.

Non-cm Exploitation. All units may move in the exploitation phase. All phasing combat motorized units may spend movement points equal to their movement rating. All phasing non-combat motorized units may move up to one-half their movement rating in the exploitation phase. Unlike in the movement phase, units without sufficient movement points to enter one hex in the exploitation phase may not do so. Engineer units may not utilize any construction abilities during the exploitation phase.

Optional Overrun. Use the following overrun rule in conjunction with Rule 13, SF. Phasing units may overrun enemy units in the movement and exploitation phases. The phasing player performs an overrun by moving units into a single hex adjacent to the enemy units to be overrun; the overrunning units may not exceed the stacking limit of the hex being overrun. German c/m units must have a total attack strength sufficient to achieve at least 5:1 odds against the enemy units; all other units must have a total attack strength sufficient to achieve at least 6:1 odds. Overrun odds are computed in the same way as combat odds, taking all terrain, supply, stacking, and support modifications into account. Naval units may not provide NGS, air units may not fly GS missions in support of overrun attempts or DAS missions in support of units being overrun.

Overrunning units may use the road movement rate when executing an overrun if all other considerations for road movement are met. Overrun movement point costs are summarized below.

Overruns at 10: 1 odds or higher succeed automatically and the defending units are totally eliminated (even if the units have cadres). Resolve overruns at 9:1 or lower odds as if they were attacks and shift two columns to the left on the CRT. Roll on the CRT, applying all modifiers due to terrain, fortifications, and armor effects, and implement the result. (Note: Divisions reduced to cadre by this procedure may retreat) If the hex being overrun is cleared of enemy units, all overrunning units must advance into the hex. If the result obtained is any except 'DE' the overrunning units must immediately end their movement for that phase and take losses as if they had suffered an 'HX' result. If the result is 'DE,' the overrunning units may continue moving and perform additional overruns if they have sufficient MPs remaining.

A unit with a defense strength of 0 may be overrun at no MP cost by any unit with an attack strength greater than 0.

A unit that may retreat before combat may use this ability when enemy units overrun the hex it occupies. When the overrun is announced, these units may immediately retreat, using the retreat before combat rule, at the owning player's option. The overrun odds are then recalculated (if necessary), and the overrun resolved. If all units in a hex being overrun retreat before combat, then the overrunning units do not pay the overrun MP cost for the overrun attempt, but must advance into the hex and pay all other NIP costs.

Overrun Summary
Overrun Odds	German C/m mps	AH others MPs	OverrunResult
12:1 or more	1	2	Total Elim
10:1, 11:1	2	3	Total Elim
9:1 - 5:1	3	4	Use GCRT
Less than 5:1	N/A	N/A	N/A
NOTE: Odds less than 10: 1, attacker shifts two columns to left. (Ex. 5:1 odds down 2 columns = 3:1)

Victory Conditions

Game Length. The game begins with the Allied player turn of JUL 143 and ends with the conclusion of the Allied player turn of JUN 144. Victory is determined by comparing the Allied accumulated victory point total to the corresponding total on the Level Of Victory Table for this scenario.

Victory Conditions. Only the Allied side scores victory points as described per Rule 42 SF and the SF Victory Chart and as described in the Victory Point Awards Table for this scenario, below.

Victory Point Awards Table (used in addition to normal SF VP awards)

Event : VP Award

For every 3 pts of Foggia Airfield capacity captured by the Allies + 2 VP
Axis own Naples Dec 1143 Allied initial phase - 10VP
Axis own Naples Oct 1143 Allied initial phase -3VP
Axis own Rome Jun 144 Allied initial phase - 10VP
Allies occupy Naples by end of Allied Sept 1143+ 10vp
Allies occupy Foggia by end of Allied Sept 1143+ 10vp
Allies occupy Taranto by end of Allied Sept 143+ 10Vp
Allies occupy Salerno by end of Allied Sept 143 +5VP
Allies control Straits of Messina* by end of Allied Aug 1143 + 10 VP
Allies control Straits of Messina* by end of Allied Sep 143 +5VP
Italy has not surrendered by end of the Dec 1143 game turn - 10Vp

*Control of the Straits of Messina requires ownership of Messina (26:3823), Reggio di Calabria (26:3923), and Villa son Giovanni (26:3822).

Level Of Victory Chart

Level Of Victory : Victory Point Requirement

Allied Decisive Victory greater than 110
Allied Substantial Victory 91-110
Allied Marginal Victory 80-90
Draw 70-79
Axis Marginal Victory 60-69
Axis Substantial Victory 50-59
Axis Decisive Victory less than 50