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Oxi Day

A few days early, but we played our OXI day scenario in honor of the battle. We had two teams, with three commanders each. The players came up with their own collaboration methods, and changed their approaches as the game progressed.

We are using 15mm figures with each figure representing about 100 troops.

The opening gambit reflected the history of the situation. A few, scattered Greek troops occupied the major towns and awaited a large Italian landing force.

The Italians surged most of their forces to the South and quickly threatened the first Greek town. Even though the Greeks were able to raise conscripts, the Italians were able to wear them down over a few turns.

The Action in the North was less intense. A small Italian contingent harried the Greeks and a small reinforcement landed and assisted. With all the levied troops in the South this town fell quickly, with the Greeks falling back to the East.

The Italian commanders are gloating and planning their continued sweep East while the Greeks are falling back from the initial assault and reforming.

In the South, the Italian advance gets a surprise. Leaving only a few troops behind, the Greeks pulled off another recruitment of militia to retake the town. Remember, these Greek "civilians" were no strangers to struggle in their homeland.

Now the Italians were stranded between two towns ...

With no promised reinforcements coming from the Nazis, the Italians advance with a small force. It's still a match for the small garrison in the Northeast, but not if aided by the other towns.

Pulling the troops from the west up toward the North paid off. The Greek commanders augment this strategy with posturing and trash talk.

The Italians are able to take the far Eastern town, but with the other Southern town retaken and the Greek levies closing in from the West, it will not hold long.

A few turns later, the South of the Pindus is secured and the Italians die pinscered between the the forces garrisoned in the town and those sweeping up from the South.

The historical result has been achieved, but no one was sure until the end of the game.

From the scenario, we were playing with one of the more randomized set ups, so it was possible for the Italians to get significant reinforcements. This did not happen in real life, but playing the Italians, they don't know what reinforcments they will get until it is over. This also rewarded a risky strategy for the Greeks, in pursuing the Italians pressing East. If more Italians had landed on the coast, the Greeks could have easily become the ones who were surrounded.