In the distance, the Italian village of Scarpiello was spread out over a hill with a commanding view of all below it. What we could see was several multistory residences and a large church with a steeple that had to be an ideal place for a spotter and perhaps a machine gun. Recon had confirmed activity in nearly every structure and had spotted a number of Italian tanks, which apparently the Germans had commandeered after Italy's capitulation. If there was any good news, it was the fact that no heavier German armor had been observed.   

Although there was a two lane road running straight into the village, I decided it would be better to launch the attack from the cover of woods, that bordered both sides of the road. Six infantry squads, three on each side of the road, cautiously moved across the gap between the woods and the first set of houses expecting at any minute to hear the staccato whine of German machine guns. Instead distant metallic thumps then explosions ripped through the line of troops. Mortars caught the troops in the open, immediately eliminating four squads and suppressing the two other squads, sending them scurrying for what little cover there was to be had. 

There was no choice, I had to send the tanks forward.   The first wave of Shermans emerged from the woods. Immediately, German 50mm and 28mm "squeeze-bore" anti-tank guns opened up from the houses. Our tanks frontal armor was too thick for the outdated German guns. The Sherman 75s and tank machine guns quickly eliminated them.   

A spotter for our own mortars had worked himself into a position where he could see most of the town and called in smoke in hopes of obscuring the view of the German spotter, at least long enough to move troops forward. One of the Shermans also began firing at the church steeple, just in case that was where the spotter was hiding.   

More Shermans entered the fray and began blowing holes in the houses in order to eliminate guns and troops that remained. Several tanks began moving forward. Fire erupted from Italian M13/40 tanks hidden in woods that bracketed the town doing little damage other than knocking off the paint of the heavier Shermans. It did not take long to remove them from the battle. Italian Semovente, SP guns opened up with their low velocity 75mm guns and were also quickly eliminated with no damage to our tanks. Perhaps this was not going to be that difficult after all.   

More American troops tried to move forward only to come under another devastating barrage of mortar fire. We have to eliminate that spotter or it is going to be a very bloody day indeed. Suddenly on our right flank a large caliber gun opens up on one of the advancing Shermans. At first we thought it was a German 88, which we really did not want to see, but it turns out to be an Italian "Lancia" 90mm AA self propelled gun. It fires several rounds leaving one Sherman burning then ducks back into the shelter of the woods. We definitely need to keep an eye out for that one. I order the mortars to lay several rounds into the woods where we last saw the gun, hoping to get lucky.   

A number of the Shermans have made it to below the houses. No fire was coming from the houses so perhaps the German's first line of defense had been nullified. But it could not be that easy. A huge explosion rips the ground beneath one of the tanks flipping it on its side like a child's toy. Later reports indicated that the Germans had planted several 250 pound bombs with trip wires connected to them. We lost several tanks to them and it made further movement a more cautious affair.   

Our troops were still trying their best to cross over the killing fields, but mortar shells continued to rain down on them. And a few die-hard Germans who had managed to survive the tank's guns also opened up on our troops with machine guns and small arms fire from the houses that the tanks had pounded. Casualties were mounting rapidly, seriously putting the chance to win this battle in jeopardy. A company of American Rangers had worked their way around to the right flank of the Italian village and into the woods that bordered the town. They immediately ran into the Italian 90mm gun and eliminated it then moved further into the woods. Small arms and German machine gun fire began to rip into the trees around them. The Rangers had run into a company of very determined SS troops. Equally determined, the Rangers returned fire and eliminating or suppressing several of the German squads. For several minutes the firefight raged, doing little more damage to either side. A Ranger squad near the North edge of the woods reported hearing tank engines and troops heading their way. The Germans were bringing reinforcements, including armor. The Rangers had to move towards the town and it had to be now!  The order to rush the SS troops was given, but the Germans were too well entrenched. Machine guns, flamethrowers and fanaticism threw the Rangers back with heavy losses. There was no way that they were going to make the town.   

By this time, six Shermans and a Wolverine tank killer had made it to the edge of the Allied side of the woods. The decision was made for the few remaining Rangers to move towards them and support them in their advance.  German PzIVs with troops in support entered the woods from the North. A German 20mm AA gun also had moved into position between the town and the woods effectively shutting the door on any attempt by troops to move from the woods to the town. Virtually none of the squads that had participated in the original assault had survived and no reinforcements were available. Even if there were reinforcements, the German mortars were still dropping shells at will. On the left flank an Italian 90mm self-propelled gun had emerged from the woods, catching a couple of the Shermans with side and rear shots. Italian tanks keep popping out of the woods like jack-in-the-boxes, doing little damage but making life harrowing for the advancing Shermans and Wolverines. They did manage to knock out at least one of the thin-skinned Wolverines before the battle ended. A number of close assaults by German troops against the tanks also occurred with varied success. A couple German Marders also showed up to add their nasty high velocity 75mm to the fray. Without close troop support our tanks were in deep do do.   

It became obvious that our objective could not be taken and the decision was reluctantly made to withdraw from the field of battle. Monty had offered some reinforcements, and though the armor would have been welcomed, the reality was we needed a lot more troops than was available. The next day, American bombers and artillery reduced the once beautiful Italian village to rubble. The Germans moved a few miles North to set up a new line of defense and the war continued. The American commander was demoted to supply sergeant and spent the rest of the war shipping needed supplies like condoms to the front.   

Note* This scenario was played on one of the last cold days of the year (for Florida), in a friend's garage. The game was designed by Doug and Paul who are known for coming up with unusual twists (booby-trap bombs) and scratch-built equipment such as the Italian 90mm AA gun and a 90mm Semovente SP gun. A number of pictures were taken, as well as video, and will be included in hopefully the near future.