SoN2 - Criniti's Escape

In December 1935 three Ethiopian armies counterattacked the invading Italians. Among them were Maj Criniti and his men who found themselves surrounded. The opposing forces: The Italians have 5 L3/35s, 3 trucks, 13 squads, 3 lmgs, and 4 leaders. Three of those squads, mighty 336s enter mounted. The Italians main advantage is their speed. They must cross 3 boards with assorted hillocks a small deir and some sand and exit > 31 CVPs to claim the victory. The Ethiopians have a wall of bodies to throw in front of this force. 22 x 237 squads ( yes squads) and 2 x 337 w/ 3 lmgs and 4 leaders of there own. They also have a hero which acts like a Japanese tank hunter hero. They must stop this horde from escaping.

The Italian attack plan: Speed is the Italian main advantage so they will pick a point in the line and use the brute force of over runs and cavalry charges to accomplish the mission. Then drive the trucks through the hole. If needed the Italians have 2 x 337 squads and a lmg in each truck. While I've never actually seen a truck over run the mechanics are in the book.

The Ethiopian Defense: Setup in four groups 2 board widths back and try to determine where the point of attack is going to be. Then throw as many bodies as possible in the Italians way.

Red Rover Red Rover send Criniti on over.

The AAR:

Turn 1: The Italians enter and come straight up the middle. The Ethiopians sit tight. The Italians still can pick a point of attack over a large area.

Turn 2: The Italians stay on the track. The Ethiopians start pulling men off the left flank to help form the wall. The Ethiopian hero starts his two hex run for a tank but is gunned down by snakes from 2 x 347 w/lmg in a truck in motion. 

Turn 3: The Italians tack back to the right. This should effectively leave five Ethiopian squads out of the fight. However the point of attack must now come over the central hillock. The Italian is commited. Some 1 - 2 shots ring out one Italian squad breaks, another CRs and breaks another ELRs and the fourth goes beserk!. During 3B: The ELRd squad goes beserk on the rally roll! Turn 4. Beserker one rushes forward shruging off 2 - 2 shots the Ethiopian squad it is rushing breaks on a FPF shot. Beserker two rushes forward and once again the Ethiopian breaks a squad on a fpf shot. Next the cavalry charges forward. Cavalry squad one dies after a K/1 Break and bailout break for the half squad. The second squad breaks but survives the bailout. The third squad turns into the squad from hell! He loses his horse on a fpf shot but survives the morale check and goes beserk as a result of the bailout roll. So now the Italians have three beserk squads ready for CC.  The Italian L3/35s now engage in OVR attacks using platoon movement. They break four more Ethiopian squads. The gate is wide open and the trucks drive up over the hillock and across the final board after shrugging off 10 1 and 2 fpf attacks. Ethiopians couldn't hit a tire or radiator for their life. 15 CVP are in the bag. The Ethiopians can't hang in the ensuing H to H either and lose three squads.

The rest of the story: Though the game is slotted for seven turns the Ethiopian realizes he can't win but surrounds and slaughters the Italian Infantry purely out of spite. The armour is to far forward to help his trailing comrades so they just drive off the board for the win.

Final Thoughts: The Italian dice were red hot and the Ethiopian dice only average. But I think the "run them over with brute force" method works wonderfully for the Italian in this game. Of course if a truck or two can be stoped then the whole game changes very quickly. For the Italian the fun level was about a six. For the Ethiopian the fun level was about a two.

Mark