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5. Volturno River, Italy [Mission]

This is the fourth mission in a chronological series based on the real actions of the 7th Infantry Regiment throughout North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany, from 1942 to 1945. This map is dedicated to Private First Class Howard I. Yetter, Company G, 7th Infantry Regiment, who was killed at the Volturno River crossing on October 13th, 1943.

Notes:

-I made the map using a heightmap of the real "Hairpin Loop," where the 2nd Battalion, 7th IR crossed the Volturno River. It is geographically accurate, but scaled way down, and I made adjustments to the layout to facilitate better movement.

-Weapons and environment are mostly historically accurate. I will update the mission later with more authentic squads and inventory.

-I am working on updates and new maps. Please let me know if you have any suggestions, friends.


Historical Info:

October 13th, 1943- Crossing the Volturno River

After the fall of Sicily, the 3rd Infantry Division was moved to the Italian mainland, where it participated in the 5th Army's push north to Cassino. After weeks of slow, miserable combat in the Italian mountains and muddy foothills, the division reached a major obstacle- the Volturno River Line. The river crossing was made under heavy mortar and machine gun fire throughout the night of the 12th/13th of October, 1943. It was to be the bloodiest day of the war yet for the 7th Infantry Regiment.

The First Battalion started pulling out of their assembly areas at 0045, the men carrying their guide ropes, rubber pontoons, and improvised rafts. Off in the distance, looming out of the misty, smoke-wreathed valley, was the rocky mass of Mount Majulo (Hill 502), their objective. Slogging across the muddy, plowed fields, they reached the river bank. While carrying parties struggled to ·get the boats and heavy rafts down the slippery bank to the water's edge, assault parties waded and swam the bitter-cold, rushing stream to anchor guide ropes on the far bank. Tracer bullets from enemy machine guns formed a criss-cross pattern of red flashes over the heads of the men as they worked feverishly to shuttle boats and rafts across.

While the First Battalion was crossing on the west side of loop, the Second Battalion, followed by the Third Battalion, crossed on the east side of the loop. The men waded the river holding their rifles over their heads with one hand and clinging tightly to the guide ropes with the other to keep from being swept off their feet by the current. Scrambling up the muddy bank, they went after the enemy machine gunners. In the darkness and confusion of the crossing it was not easy to locate every machine gun nest. Enemy snipers were still firing along the river until late in the morning. Without waiting to mop up these pockets of resistance, the Second and Third Battalions pushed on across the valley toward Mount Majulo, following the general line of the stream which flows south to enter the river at the north end of the loop. By 0800 the forward elements of the Second Battalion had almost reached the mountain, and the Third Battalion, under heavy artillery fire, was working slowly across the fields behind it. Machine gun nests and individual enemy soldiers fighting from irrigation ditches were quickly eliminated, and by 0800 the foremost elements of the lead battalion were at the foot of the hill objective. With good observation of German positions in the valley and on the hill, the infantry called for fire from artillery and tank destroyers. Against slackening resistance, the troops moved up the slope. By noon the advance elements were digging in on the western tip of Monte Caruso, and the rest of the 2d and 3d Battalions were moving up to secure the ground.



ALLIES: As a member of Company G, 7th Infantry Regiment, your orders are to cross the Volturno River and find a way to break through to Monte Majulo.

AXIS: As a member of Panzer-Division Hermann Goering, you must hold the river line against the Americans.


-Mo

Map: Volturno River - 10/13/1943
Gamemode: Operation (8 phases)
Invaders: UnitedStates_allies
Defenders: Germany_axis

Last update: 5/7/2023

Used map: https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2776199125