It's a Long Way to Tipperary Tournament - Round 3 - S43 DIME Beach

[Steel God]

Situation at the end of Turn 12  – 0200 July 11th 1943

Brain’s forces were modestly active during the first night turn.  Some artillery and attritional fire on units in contact, killed a few more of the beleaguered 82nd paras, and pushed hardest where I am weakest which is in the gap I’m trying to fill with the 45th ID in between Piano Lupo and Ponte Drillo.  I survived an assault by one of his Grenadier companies despite being already disrupted and taking 40 losses to his 6, he luckily disrupted and didn’t push them back.  Small victories are hard to come by, so I’ll take them when they’re presented.  I did notice one of the bridges got detonated up by Ponte Olivo which makes me suspect he’s pulling his forces east of the Gela River, which essential means he’s writing off any attempt at taking Gela proper and it’s 150VPs.  Wouldn’t it be funny as shit if we were both playing for a Draw?

Some good news, 2 undisrupted battalions from the 18th regiment of the 1st ID landed at Gela, added to the similar battalion landed last turn that gives me a full fresh and undisrupted regiment that can stabilize the center at Piano Lupo if they can get there before he pushes me off the crest.  Also joy of joys I actually got an artillery unit to set up, even though it’s only a crappy 6 gun pack howitzer battery from the 26th Regiment I will take all the help I can get.  Gambling a little by leaving just the Rangers and the 2nd Armored Stuarts near Gela and sending the Engineers across the River to help where it will matter if he is indeed blowing all the bridges across the Gela.  Pulled the 82nd and 45th troops east of the Acale back again, will continue that slow withdrawal.  Got some ATGs set up in the Pillbox atop Piano Lupo, and rushing all available troops to the center.  Still have weak spots though.  Damned bad luck but one of my 82nd detachments on the extreme northern end of the map ran into the HG Divisional HQ of all things, which I had assumed would have made a perfect garrison for Caltiagrone and now I wonder if he left that empty, no way, he's too good to have done that.  I suspect my curiosity will remain until game end when I either see or he tells me.  We’ll know soon enough, if there’s a real combat unit about it will come smash those Paras…..unless maybe he thinks there’s more than one about.