Hell in the Liri Valley - On the Road to Rome 1944

West of the Minturno-Santa Maria road, SANTA MARIA INFANTE, ITALY, 12 May 1944: To carry on the unfinished mission of the weakened and helpless 2nd Battalion, 3rd Battalion was ordered forward. About 1115 Companies K and I jumped off toward Hill 103. On the battalion right flank the 1st Platoon of Company K—its three squads abreast and deployed in a skirmish line—pushed down the northern slope of the knoll in the face of heavy machine-gun fire from the S-Ridge as well as from the forward slope of Hill 103.

On the platoon’s left, the 2nd Squad advanced under partial cover of terraces across the draw and a short distance up the southern slope of Hill 103, where it was stopped by machine-gun fire from the crest and from the rear. The 1st and 3rd Squads on the right could advance only to the draw at the base of the hill before enemy fire pinned them down. On the left the 2nd Platoon of Company K pushed on down the knoll to the draw south of Hill 103. Hardly had the platoon reached the draw when a machine gun on the northern slope of the knoll started firing on the platoon from the right rear, forcing the men to seek cover. Well-placed snipers on Hill 103 also trained their rifles on Company K.

In visual contact with Company K and on its left, the two leading assault platoons of Company I moved up the western slope of Hill 103 a few yards beyond the farthest advance of Company K; then, enemy fire from mortars, artillery, and machine guns halted their attack. The 1st Platoon, Company I, advancing on the right, also reached the western slope of Hill 103 and suffered much heavier casualties than the other assault platoon. By the time the platoon reached Hill 103 it had barely the strength of one squad. Half an hour after both companies had begun their attack against Hill 103 they were stopped cold.

Feedback says that "Bracchi Hills" was one of the most linear depictions of war at this scale ever published, almost man-for-man and truly a small unit actions kind of module. A close second was CH's Pointe du Hoc. The new edition, HELL IN THE LIRI VALUE continues the tradition with new color die-cut counters, new art, the new layout and some treats in the form of a set of 88th Infantry Division-badged MMC counters to celebrate the feats of this fine unit on the road to Rome during 1944. And since much of the German defense was hinged on pillbox positions, you also receive a set of new, overhead art Pillbox counters to site your MGs from.