Scenario version 2.36 ..updated to TOAW 3.4: Download Scenario (external link)
The most significant changes from version 2.02, which is included in the 3.4 patch but actually was done with the 3.2 version of TOAW, are:
- Changed Allied shock levels for the ‘historical opening’. They are now 90% on turn 3 and 95% on turn 13.
- Expanded the map some hexes east of Valmontone. Might add to better playability when it comes to fighting for this vital objective.
- Added American Anti-Aircraft units: 433rd, 451st, 536th AW Bns and 216th AAA Gun Bn. Most of these are in garrison around Anzio/Nettuno/X-Ray Beach.
- Attrition Divider set to 20. Maximum Rounds per Battle set to 3.
- To further adjust to the 1 km scale: Readiness and supply cost for movement set to 40. Combat density penalty set to 200. Engineering Build Rate set to 150, Entrenchment Rate set to 70 due to the muddy ground conditions.
- Fixed a bug that caused the re-occupation event for EEV locations to trigger when the German player took back such a location in the same turn he lost it to the Allied player.
- Used the new supply level for supply points. Anzio is now 110%, X-Ray Beach 90% and Peter Beach 50%. The supply point for the Allied turn 1 airdrop has now a 75% level.
- 4.FJ Division TO comes now with a small VP penalty. This is 1 VP each 2 rounds for each TO until the historical arrival date of the formation. I have done this to prevent some sort of gamey use by players. It was fortunate to release all formations already on turn 3 and bring them in better supply so that they can build up faster, no matter if one needed the units or not. I didn’t want this, so I introduced this small VP penalty related to the time of activation. The earlier a TO is used the more the German player has to pay. Note that the FJR 10 option is the potentially most expensive TO as the loop will end on turn 30. As a compensation I added a reward for not using a TO. Any unused TO rewards the German player with 10 VPs.
- Beach supply had to be reworked. Under the new supply rules it’s no more possible to trace supply over a broken bridge/superriver in deep water. The broken bridge hex had to be made a land hex (modified arid terrain to look like deep water) and the supply units now start on turn 1 already in position. Replacement supply units will appear at the according beaches.
- 3. PzGren Division now enters the map in the Valmontone area as it was send from 10th Army’s front.
Scenario Map:
At the end of January 1944 US VI Corps executed an amphibious assault behind German lines at the city of Anzio, just 50 km south of Rome, in an attempt to break the stalemate at the Gustav Line. To achieve this VI Corps was to advance onto the Alban Hills, a key feature dominating the southeastern approaches to the eternal city, thus cutting off German 10th Army’s lines of communication and forcing a retreat from the Gustav line. Despite total tactical surprise a combination of over-cautiousness, hesitation and willingly ambiguous orders failed to exploit the situation. The Germans reacted swiftly and brought in substantial forces to not only contain the beachhead, but also to release a determined counterattack. After the climax of the battles by mid February the beachhead front line came to a stalemate with neither side having achieved its operational objectives.
The scenario covers the initial landings and the opening phase of “Shingle” (the codename for the operation) until mid-February with the possibility of an earlier end. It also incooperates some small what-ifs. More historical background and scenario information can be found in the extended briefing document.
Date: January 22nd, 1944
Location: Anzio/Nettuno, southeast of Rome
Map scale: 1km per hex*
Turn length: 6 hours
Unit/Formation scale: Company/Battalion
Length: 40 – 120 turns
*The scenario uses a special equipment file with adjusted artillery ranges for a 1 km per hex scale. To further adjust to the scale the following editor parameters have been set:
MRPB: 3
Attrition Divider: 20
Readiness Cost for Movement: 40
Supply Cost for Movement: 40
Combat Density Penalty: 200
Engineering Build Rate: 150
Allied Movement Bias: 235
German Movement Bias: 230
Entrenchment Rate: 70 (due to ground conditions)
Playtesters: Erik Nygaard, Marc Custer, Dierk Walter (Heldenkaiser), Nick (Olorin4), Ogar
Thanks to J.M.Serrano & Bob Cross for helping with some US TO&Es, thanks to Derek Weichs for his WWII equipment database.
Special thanks to Erik Nygaard and Marc Custer for major contributions to version 1.8.
The TOAW Beachhead 