Slitherine

The British Commonwealth has joined the war in full, opening a second front in Portugal, and the Italians are now in big trouble. We want to capitalize on their confusion and take back the Kanina region in Epirus which was lost in the last days of 1941. This province is poor, but it has been occupied to guard the right flank of the Italian front at Arta.

The British, aside from attacking in Portugal, have leased us thousands of their old M3 “Duke” heavy tanks that they are phasing off in favor of newer models. Those tanks are still a threat on the battlefield thanks to their heavy armor and decent gun, and they are a welcomed addition to our armored formations. We’ve been able to outfit entire new armored divisions with them, and we are ready to test them in battle.

In addition, the British have deployed numerous strategic bomber squadrons on our airfields, ready to cripple the enemy logistics. Three of those Squadrons will be available for this operation: their task will be to destroy the enemy supply depots in Kanina.

The local infrastructure around Kanina is bad, our forces are already struggling with supplies, so we’ll have to decide whether to strike directly at Kanina or to take some of the Italian supply depots.

The LIV Thema and the VII Hetairoi Thema will lead the primary offensive, while the XXXIII Thema will launch a diversionary attack on the eastern flank.


11/11/1942
Our forces move forward without taking contact with the enemy lines but getting a good look at them. The Italians have second-rate units in this region, but they are well entrenched and decently supported. I spot an artillery formation without AA cover in their lines and I promptly send my aviation to attack it, destroying around 20 medium guns.

The 1st Allied Armored Division’s advance is stopped by a minefield NE of Olympe and loses 5 tanks. Further east, three minefields are preventing any flanking move against the enemy line so I pull up my Engineers and concentrate my armor on this side. The LIV Thema is approaching the enemy defenses on the western flank, but its lightly supported infantry isn’t going to break through on its own so I bring a Regiment of the 2nd Allied Division there. The 34° and 38° Varangian Brigades are assigned to it as well.

The XXXIII Thema starts crossing the river. In front of it, the 142nd Limitanei Division is holding fortified positions in favorable terrain; that’s terrible news.

Enemy Bombers try to stem the Byzantine tide, but they lack fighter cover, and I use my Interceptors to bring down dozens of them. Combined with the ground units’ support, this concentration of AA fire annihilates an entire Bomber Wing and severely cripples another.


12/11/1942
The enemy forces stand and fight around Olympe, but my Engineers clear the minefields in the east and the entire VII Hetairoi Thema starts flanking the enemy lines.

The LIV Thema tries to push against the enemy’s left flank but it’s stopped by determined enemy resistance. The 34° and 38° Varangian Brigades push against the 25th Limitanei Division defending Olympe, but they make little progress.

Further East, the XXXIII Thema is still crossing the river, and starts engaging the 142nd Limitanei with artillery fire. One of the Regiments of the 79th Hoplitai Division has been targeted by enemy artillery and suffered an infantry counterattack, suffering heavy losses.

13/11/1942
With the support of my artillery’s precise targeting of the enemy’s anti-tank positions, the 1st and 2nd Allied Divisions can crush a Limitanei Division and break the enemy lines. The 87th Katafraktoi Division rushes through the breach and threatens to encircle the entire enemy line, but fails to break through the 75th Limitanei’s positions. Two Koursorses Divisions (255th and 256th) exploit the gap as well.

The LIV Thema supports the attack, as do my four Varangian Brigades, but the enemy fights valiantly around Olympe and a full breakthrough is averted. The enemy’s XX Coorte’s HQ is captured.


14/11/1942
The XXXIII Thema keeps struggling against the entrenched enemy positions in front of it.

The VII Hetairoi Thema’s armored forces swarm south of Olympe while the 256th Koursorses Division encircles and ultimately conquers the town itself. The enemy’s 25th and 75th Limitanei Division fight valiantly against overwhelming odds, but are rapidly collapsing. Southwest of Olympe, the town of Onchesmos seems well defended: the 99th Limitanei Division has entrenched itself on the outskirts and appears supported by plenty of AT guns. I’ll avoid it, advancing on its eastern flank.


15/11/1942
The British have offered us the opportunity to use a special Bomber Group to strike at the Italian supply depots at Kanina. It will cost us 50 resources, but crippling the enemy supplies is a tremendous opportunity so I choose “yes” and receive the Bombers immediately. The 54th, 55th and 56th elite Bomber Wings appear in the western part of the map, and I send them over Kanina. One of the supply depots is blown up immediately, with the other almost destroyed as well. Their flight path reveals a powerful Italian formation: the IX Coorte Meccanizzata. It’s mostly comprised of motorized troops, but it also boasts the powerful 12th Centuria “Fufluna” and the 14th Clibanarii Division. The 201st Limitanei Division is also spotted moving north toward Artichia.

Olympe has fallen, the VII Hetairoi Thema advances toward Kanina, while the LIV Thema eliminates the remnants of the 75th Limitanei Division north of Onchesmos.

The XXXIII Thema keeps pushing against the enemy lines northwest of Hekatompedon, with high losses and little success.


16/11/1942
The VII Hetairoi Thema is concentrating northeast of Artichia; the Italian IX Coorte Meccanizzata still hasn’t moved from its positions. Meanwhile, the British Bombing Group has destroyed the last supply depots in Kanina.

The XXXIII Thema is finally cracking the resistance of the 142nd Limitanei Division.

17/11/1942
The enemy surges forward and stops my advance, forming a solid line in front of the VII Hetairoi. I had pulled up enough artillery to immediately launch some probing strikes, several of which are concentrated on a Regiment of the Italian 14° Clibanarii Division. The target armored unit is shattered after a battle that lasts the whole day.

Enemy bombers try to stall my advance, but they are too few and my AA brings some down at every run.

The Italian forces at Artichia and Onchesmos are not moving out of their fortifications, but I have to secure my right flank with the 255th and 256th Koursorses Divisions nonetheless to protect my support and artillery Regiments as well as my advancing HQs.


18/11/1942
The fight toward Kanina is a battle of attrition that is slowly grinding down my units as much as the Italians’, but the sheer number of tanks I’m fielding is guaranteeing a favorable casualties trade. The “Fufluna” Centuria has tried to break through my southeastern edge but it has been beaten back after some artillery preparation and two armored counterattacks. I have three artillery regiments supporting the push, and three support regiments to deter enemy armored counterattacks. I believe another three days at most before the enemy line collapses.

Meanwhile, the 169th Hoplitai Division is trying to encircle Onchesmos with the help of the 38° Varangian Brigade.

In the northeast, the XXXIII Thema keeps pushing against the crumbling 142nd Limitanei Division, but the enemy has brought forward reinforcements and the attack has stalled again.


19/11/1942
Onchesmos is encircled, and the battle is still raging east of Artichia. Losses are mounting on both sides but the Italian infantry is taking the brunt of the bloodletting. The 12th “Fufluna” is launching counterattacks from all sides trying to stabilize the front, but it’s depleting its ranks.


20-21/11/1942
Accurate artillery fire has deteriorated the enemy anti-tank capabilities, so a coordinated push from the 1st and 2nd Allied Divisions manage to shatter the Italian positions in the southern part of the front. It’s still early to exploit the breach, but it’s a promising situation. The “Fufluna” Division is decimated and will probably be forced to withdraw from the battle soon.

The defenders of Onchesmos try to make a sortie to break the encirclement, but are repulsed.

The XXXIII Thema keeps engaging enemy forces in the northeast, using its two assigned Engineer Battalions as shock troops. Despite suffering heavy losses, the Italian 142nd Limitanei Division is receiving a constant stream of reinforcements and it’s still holding the line.


22/11/1942
Elements of the 87th Katafraktoi Division reach Kanina and assault the airfields. The Division has broken through the enemy lines and is approaching the objective, supported by the 255th Koursorses Division and the VII Hetairoi Thema’s HQ.

The 166th and 167th Hoplitai Division are attacking Onchesmos, where the encircled 99th Limitanei Division is still determined to fight. Supplies and ammo are now scarce, but the defenders aren’t quitting yet.

The 34° and 38° Varangian Brigades force the remains of the 12th “Fufluna” to surrender in the northwestern woods of Artichia. The town is still heavily defended by the 87th and 89th Limitanei Division and hosts a supply center, so it can’t be encircled and starved.

Enemy units are counterattacking east of Artichia, and my overextended lines have been fractured. I have to use my artillery units to stave off an advance by the remains of the Italian 34th Divisione Motorizzata.

In the northeast, the XXXIII Thema seems to have finally ground the 142nd Limitanei Division down enough to achieve a small breakthrough toward Hekatompedon.

The 33rd Peltastes Wing keeps hitting the 14th Clibanarii Division, which is still receiving reinforcements and trying to counterattack. One of its Regiments had just received 40 new tanks when the Byzantine dive bombers wrecked most of them.



23/11/1942
The 33° Varangian Brigade reaches Kanina, but I don’t start the assault yet. I have a week to complete its conquest so no need to rush a tired unit into urban combat. The city seems to be defended just by an Auxiliary Regiment and the XI Legione’s main HQ. The airfields have been conquered, and the 87th Katafraktoi Division is available for the attack as well.

Around Artichia, the fighting is very intense: the enemy is throwing new infantry units into battle and losses are high on both sides. The 1st and 2nd Allied Divisions counterattack most of the enemy penetrations and with the help of my artillery the enemy is mostly pushed back. The 34° and 38° Varangian Brigades’ advance toward Artichia has been stalled by the 201st Limitanei Division northwest of the town, but Onchesmos has been conquered and the scattered Italian defenders will probably surrender in a day or two.

The XXXIII Thema has decisively broken through the enemy lines near Hekatompedon, but the town is defended by the rest of the 31st Limitanei Division with AA and AT Support. Maybe it would be wiser to turn southwest and attack Baiake instead of Hekatompedon: the former is a secondary objective, while the latter was only useful as a distraction. With Kanina at hand, there’s no need to keep pushing toward Hekatompedon.

The Italian 60° Squadrone Bombardieri tries to slow my advance toward Kanina but it’s jumped on by several Anachaitistis Wings and almost wiped out.

24/11/1942
The 1st and 2nd Allied Division have all but wiped out the Italian troops between Artichia and Kanina. The LIV Thema is pushing on Artichia from all sides but the enemy is well entrenched and supplied so it’s not going to be easy. The protected AT positions right behind the enemy front will make armored assaults costly; I’m using artillery to specifically target those positions, and I ordered the 2nd Allied Division to crush one such Regiment that was advancing in the open before it could retreat behind its infantry.

The 87th Katafraktoi and the 255th Koursorses Divisions are surrounding Kanina; led by the 33° Varangian Brigade they launched a preliminary attack on the city center, inflicting some losses on the enemy AT and AA units.

The XXXIII Thema has scouted the terrain toward Baiake, but the town appears well defended by the enemy’s 29th Limitanei Division. A frontal assault isn’t going to work there. I’ll keep using the Thema as a distraction fighting around Hekatompedon.


25/11/1942
Kanina falls to a combined arms assault: the enemy’s XI Legione’s HQ is still resisting but it’s encircled and essentially doomed.

The LIV and VII Hetairoi’s Thema have crushed the Italian units outside the Artichia defense perimeter and have now surrounded the town. I have three artillery Regiments in range of the defenses so I’m now quite optimistic. A lone surviving Regiment of the 75th Limitanei Division is still tying up the 166th Hoplitai Division at Onchesmos.

In the northeast, the 29th Limitanei has beaten back an Engineer Battalion I sent scouting toward Baiake. The rest of the XXXIII Thema is still pushing toward Hekatompedon, now enjoying a 3-1 numerical advantage as well as a 20-3 advantage on artillery guns.


26/11/1942
Artichia falls suddenly: after my artillery strikes essentially removed the AT threat the 1st and 2nd Allied Divisions rolled forward and crushed the defensive lines around the city, allowing a Regiment of the 169th Hoplitai Division to take the town. A couple Italian units are still fighting, the rest surrendered.

The XXXIII Thema advances toward Onchesmos. Kanina is secured after the surrender of the XI Legione’s HQ; the 87th Katafraktoi Division is now advancing on Baiake from the south, trying to take the city by surprise.

A Regiment of the 256th Koursorses Division seems confident that there are no defenders around Photike, so it has started advancing on the town. Another Regiment of the same Division has advanced toward Aulon, but has spotted the 77th Limitanei Division in entrenched positions around the city. A surprise attack seems out of the question and thus the secondary objective of occupying the entire region seems out of reach.


27/11/1942
Resistance around Artichia ceases. I push the 1st and 2nd Allied Divisions toward Aulon and the 87th Katafraktoi Division toward Baiake hoping in a decisive battle that awards me a Decisive Victory in the scenario. The Italian positions look very solid, especially around Baiake, but it makes sense to give at least an honest try. The XXXIII Thema will try to pin the 29th Limitanei Division in place north of Baiake while my tanks attack its southern outskirts and the bridge.



28/11/1942
The battle around Aulon rages on as my tanks try to break through the 77th Limitanei Division’s lines; the old “Duke” tanks roll forward and try their best to navigate the field fortifications and the defenders’ fire but progress is slow and costly. The enemy’s few AT guns are mostly harmless from the front, but the crafty defenders have hidden dozens of them in strategic points, waiting for the British behemoths to expose their flanks before firing and disabling them. The 256th Koursorses Division is trying to put its weight into the battle, but there’s simply not enough infantry to clear the trench lines properly. Artillery is on the way, will it make it in time?

The 140th Limitanei Division south of Baiake chose to meet the 87th Katafraktoi Division head on in open battle. My tankers are exhausted and their efficiency is not optimal. The battle is furious and despite inflicting heavy losses I’m unable to break through. The XXXIII Thema is still fighting north of the city. The 255th Koursorses Division and the 33° Varangian Brigade are also advancing toward the battlefield.

29/11/1942
Aulon falls to a determined and bloody attack from the 1st Allied Division supported by the 256th Koursorses! The 77th Limitanei Division has been pushed out of the town but it’s still fighting fiercely on the outskirts. The fall of the supply center puts the rest of the Italian troops on the battlefield in trouble.

The double pincer on Baiake keeps grinding down the defenders, but I’m losing tanks and troops at a high rate with no end in sight: the 33° Varangian Brigade is in sight of the bridge that is the final objective of this battle but they are exhausted and there are enemy units still in fighting shape nearby: four enemy infantry Regiments could counterattack their penetration at any time.



30/11/1942
The 87th Katafraktoi Division decisively defeats Baiake’s defenders, and the 256th Koursorses Division is able to take the bridge. The enemy forces are trying to counterattack but the 140th Limitanei Division has been stopped southwest of the objective and doesn’t look like it could retake the bridge. The 29th Limitanei is too busy stopping the XXXIII Thema’s advance north of the city so can’t help either; the battle has further worn down the Thema, but it has made the conquest of the objective possible at all. My aviation is making bombing runs on every unit that tries to relieve the defenders.

Around Aulon the 77th Limitanei has lost the will to resist further: a new series of artillery strikes and armored attacks have forced most of the Division to surrender, with only a few companies fleeing southwest.

Meanwhile, the 98° Varangian Brigade has taken Photike from the 53rd Limitanei’s remaining defenders


1/12/1942
A surprise attack from the south strikes at Kanina! Triggered by the fall of Baiake, a Limitanei Division advances right into the city center and attacks the garrison I left behind. The move could have turned the tide of the battle, but comes too late: with all the objectives secured, the Byzantine forces have already scored a Triumph!