Eager to prove the doubters wrong, the Italian King has ordered a decisive offensive that would shatter the Free States: a direct attack through the Ioannina Gate toward Byzantium itself.
After the fall of Tirana, Ioannina was the last defensible position before the Byzantine Heartlands, and thus has been defended with tooth and nail. Since the first probing attacks failed, our forces have fortified the valley and pushed back every Italian attempt to conquer a bridgehead over the Acheronte river. While the front has seen little changes in the last months, combat never stopped and both armies exhausted ammo and soldiers in relentless fights.
Now the Italians have concentrated a critical mass of troops and materials and will try to break through. Hundreds of tanks and assault guns have been spotted on the eastern shore of the Acheronte, as well as large concentrations of artillery. Our first line is manned by seasoned veterans, but many units are understrength. Even our reserves are partially made up of weakened but experienced units. Every town from the river to Ioannina has been fortified. Our layered defenses will allow us to give up terrain in exchange for time: we’ll need to bleed the enemy out in an attrition battle. I will probably have to withdraw to avoid being shelled to death by enemy artillery.
10/3/1942
The enemy predictably opens the battle with a heavy artillery barrage along the entire front, followed by a fording attempt by elite troops around the ruined town of Siatista. The 20° Arditi Brigade leads the way, so I bombard it with my artillery and counterattack the bridgehead with the 59th Hoplitai Division.
Further Northeast several Centurie Regiments are also fording the river and the enemy artillery support has already crippled my troops, so I start retreating some Regiment westward. The 34th Hoplitai Division will be entirely withdrawn from its positions and will move west as well.
South of Siatista the 70° Brigata Arditi has forded the river as well, supported by the 3rd “Caere” Division. Those elite units have shattered the lines of the 155th Hoplitai Division: two of its Regiments have been routed, so I’ll retreat them further west.
The Ioannina Air Defense group masses its Interceptors around the 4° Peltastes Group’s planes: the tight formation hits hard against the Italian penetration south of Siatista and our planes manage to down a dozens or so Italian bombers as well.
11/3/1942
The battle around Siatista goes on: the 59th Hoplitai Division is well supported by artillery and AT guns so it’s still pushing back the fording attempts. Further northeast, however, two Centuria Divisions have broken through my lines and the 20th Hoplitai has been routed. The 21st Hoplitai Division still holds the ground, but the enemy’s strength is overwhelming.
I’m pushing forward my mobile reserves to see if I can ambush some armored vanguard, but for now there are no available targets. The V and VI Hetairoi Corps are itching for a fight.
In the south, the 155th Hoplitai Division has been decimated, but the local fortified area is making the Italians pay for every inch. My air force keeps hitting hard, wiping out two weakened Italian Bomber Wings, and my Peltastes blow up more assault guns of the 22° Brigata Arditi.
12/3/1942
Enemy fighter planes jump on one of my Peltastes Wings and annihilate it; I have to pull back the rest of my air forces to resupply.
Enemy forces have expanded the bridgeheads north of Siatista, even trying to intercept the 34th Hoplitai Division moving west. It’s too late to pull back my artillery units from the front, but I’ll try to bleed the advancing Italians a bit more.
The 1st Katafraktoi Division in the south has stalled the enemy advance, taking advantage of my fortified area’s AT coverage to avoid an Italian armored thrust. A Regiment of the 3rd “Caere” Division that tried to approach the forts were mauled by the defenders and by a counterattack of the Katafraktoi unit.
The V Hetairoi Corps is forming a defensive perimeter to cover the retreat of the remains of the units that defended the Siatista front.
13/3/1942
The I Thema has been destroyed, the few survivors fleeing west. I’m forming two defensive perimeters with the Hetairoi Corps, strengthened by AT Regiment and counterattacking the enemy’s mechanized vanguards. The 2nd Katafraktoi Division pushes back the 11th “Volsinii” Division that was advancing north of Aiani, shattering one of its Regiments.
In the south I have to cede a bit of ground, but the fortified area still limits the enemy’s freedom of maneuver. Some Italian Motorized Divisions are seen moving forward to exploit the breach.
14/3/1942
The V Hetairoi Corps counterattacks the 70° Brigata Arditi and the 11th Clibanarii Division, hitting hard and preventing a wedge separating it from Aiani. The VI Hetairoi Corps is still helping extricate the survivors of the battle for Siatista from the enemy’s grasp, but launches a counterattack against the 11th “Volsini” as well.
Our planes bomb the enemy armored formations. In the north, I’m shuffling the 73rd and 34th Hoplitai Divisions around to establish blocking positions before Ptolemaida.
In the south, enemy artillery units are in range of the fortified area that was helping a lot with my defensive effort in this area. If the shelling intensifies I will be forced to abandon the position and retreat, leaving the southern flank of the V Hetairoi Corps open. I better start withdrawing the last Regiment of the 155th Hoplitai Division toward Orestiko and join the other one already there.
15/3/1942
The V Hetairoi Corps in the south pushes back some Italian Motorized units and finishes off a Clibanarii Regiment that advanced too far. A Regiment of the 1st Katafraktoi Division is still fighting around my crumbling fortified area in the southeast but it’s quite overextended, I’ll probably pull it back next turn.
In the north, the VI Hetairoi Corps is definitely in trouble: Italian armored and mechanized troops are slowly chipping away at the 2nd Katafraktoi Division and the HQ is quite exposed. What’s left of the 21st and 59th Hetairoi Divisions is retreating west so my armor is lacking infantry support. The 73rd Hoplitai Division is taking up defensive positions around a hill northwest of Aiani and I can’t send it forward to support my tanks.
Enemy fighters decimates another Peltastes Wing, now only the 12th Wing can be counted upon to thin out the enemy armored units. My Interceptors are trying all they can to keep the enemy planes away, but it’s not easy and our CAS planes are high-priority targets for the enemy.
