Historical Background: To capture the city of Catane, Montgomery had to take first two strategic bridges : Malati Bridge and Primosole Bridge. N°3 Commando under the command of lieutenant-colonel J. Durnford-Slater was in charge of the capture of the first bridge. British commandos should landed near the village of Agnone in the night then advance to the bridge crossing San Léonardo river and take it until the arrival of 13th Army Corps from Syracuse. After a landing under enemy fire, the Commandos advanced and captured the bridge easily. But the German troops counter-attacked quickly. A Tiger tank coming from Lentini fired on British commandos entrenched around the bridge. Because of very high losses, n°3 Commando couldn't keep the position and withdraw in the morning. Malati Bridge was recaptured in the evening of the same day with the arrival from Syracuse of 5th Battalion East Yorks. The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Briefing: Allied player [United-Kingdom] : 6 command cards, you move first. Axis player [Germany/Italy] : 4 command cards.
Conditions of Victory: 5 medals. Malati Bridge is a temporary medal objective for the Allied player.
Special Rules: - Use "BCF Command" rules (Nation 5) to all Allied units. - Use "Italian Royal Army" rules (Nation 6) to Axis units with Italian badges. - Use "Specialized Units" rules (Troop 2) to all Allied units. Badges are not required. - Use "Tiger" rules (Troop 16) to the Axis armored unit. - Use "Special Weapon Assets" and "Mortar" rules (SWA 4 & 6) to the Axis unit with Mortar badge. - Use "Night Combat" rules (Action 19). - San Leonardo river is impassable (Terrain 8) except by the bridge and the ford.
Scenario Bibliography: - "Commando" - John Durnford-Slater. - "La Sicile, débarquement surprise" - M. Blumenson - Ed. Marabout. - Militaria Magazine hors-série n°36 - Objectif Messine.
Remember, see the Commonwealth war graves in Catane.
Warning: Please note that this scenario was not approved by Richard Borg or Days of Wonder, so you have to check yourself about playability, potential gaming issues, etc.
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