Description

Ortona: The Advance through Italy, Dec. 1943.

In December 1943 the Allied advance up Italy was stalling. To regain momentum on the Eastern flank the 1st Canadian Division was given the task of capturing the strategically important city of Ortona. Resistance was expected to be light. However torrential rain turned the countryside into a quagmire and the Allied artillery maps proved inaccurate. The Germans had dug in along the length of a gully outside Ortona and were reinforced by the elite 1st Parachute Division. The battle for the gully lasted 10 days with Germans fighting for every inch of ground and inflicting severe casualties before falling back to Ortona. Once again the Germans dug in.

Ortona is an operational game of the Allied drive on the city of Ortona in December 1943. The Allied player must attack two heavily fortified positions manned by excellent troops. The German player must conserve his small force, and time retreats and counterattacks with skill."

Turns are 1 day long, units are company sized, and each hex is 170 meters across.