Briefing 9: 2nd June 1944 - S of Rome

The Germans south of Rome are falling back and many are surrendering to the advancing Allies. It is a confused & chaotic situation.

The German garrison of nearby Vallentin has communicated that it is ready to surrender however its barracks in the middle of the town is surrounded by a mob of angry Italian civilians. Naturally they wish to surrender to Allied forces rather than fall into the hands of the mob. Your mission is to push on to Vallentin and accept the surrender.

Phase 1 Journey to Vallentin.

The road winds through rolling fields & orchards. Occasionally civilians will pass or look up and wave excitedly to the convoy.

German patrol.
Moving north. When they see the convoy they will
1-2 Run away
3-4 Come forward to surrender
5-6 Take positions & Open fire

Tiger tank.

Spotted stationary on the road ahead. Hatch open & appears abandoned.
The tank has been hit by air attack & its engine & main gun are disabled however the coax & bow mgs are functional. The SS crew have spotted the convoys approach and are lying in wait. 1 crewmember is out of action and one other is inside the tank on the bow mg. The other 3 have taken positions outside with smgs & pistols.

Aircraft may be spotted overhead- if unlucky they will attack regardless of nationality.

Vallentin.

The town is undamaged & spreads across a ridge. The approach is uphill. All is quiet on approach although the church bells can be heard pealing. Civilians wave & blow kisses and will gather around the convoy if it stops.
Close to the town square the crowd is thicker & more ugly. Partisans wave rifles but all are glad to see the Americans. The German barracks is situated adjacent the town square. The square itself is deserted but the angry mob is only in cover and are baying for blood & occasionally potting shots towards the building which still bears the Nazi flag. There is no sign of life from the building, the garrison has locked & barricaded themselves inside & are keeping low. Blood marks the square, it is clear that people have been shot but their bodies removed- they are in the hospital.
Despite translation difficulties it becomes apparent that since the initial surrender, a column of Germans passed through the town & temporarily reinforced the barracks however they left after a while and it was at this time that they opened fire on the civilians outside before speeding away. Some Germans are left however and the mob wants vengeance on them.

With a white flag the Lt will be able to approach the barracks. Indeed, the Germans inside do still want to surrender but only if their safety from the mob is ensured.
To placate the mob the Lt will have to-
1. Remove the Nazi flag from the building.
2. Talk to the partisan leader- take him on board.
3. Make a speech declaring the surrender of the Germans and the freeing of the town.
4. Make clear that the Germans will not be harmed as they are now POWs.

After this the mood of the crown will change to one of celebration.

When interrogated, the German CO will reveal that the column which lately came through was SS retreating north. The Commander demanded men to accompany him on a mission which he would not reveal the nature of. They almost came to blows until the Whermacht CO suggested he take the POWs which he duly did ordering 8 of them into the trucks outside and driving off with them leaving 10 others with the garrison.

The SS squad is removing stolen loot & art treasures and intends to hide it in caves in nearby hills. They need manpower to carry the loot & secure the cave but in order to maintain security they will kill the persons who know of its location ie the POWs.
They were spotted by locals leaving the road up a track which leads to the Goldbach Falls.

If the squad pursue they will encounter 3 trucks and a kubelwagon parked up near the mountain slopes. There are 2 guards. Tracks can be seen heading up the slopes and shooting will alert the SS up the hill. There is a large sloping pasture leading up to a crest & a tree line then a quarter mile of woods ending in rocky slopes. The trail is hard to follow here but the group may get fired upon from the rocks.
There are 7 SS including an officer + 11 POWs. The SS recover suppression with +1 mod.

A small cave is being used to stash the loot. Raised about 15 ft from the ground it is only about 3 ft high but opens up inside and goes back 20-25 ft. Stacked up at the far end and to one side are ammo boxes & sacks. These contain silver & gold items- candlesticks, religious icons, cutlery, art objects, jewellery boxes, watches & statuettes. Some boxes are stuffed with bank notes & coins including gold. There are paintings well wrapped in sacks & paper. The prisoners are in the process of blocking up the cave with cement & rocks.

The SS squad has a m/gun trained on the POWs which will be used to attack Edges squad. Having been warned by the sound of firing they will be in good positions in the rocks including on the flanks and will open fire when the time is most advantageous. If a lucky roll is achieved, surprise may be lost by the SS by a shouted warning. If the squad distract the SS enough, the POWs may attack their guards.

It is known that Allied POWs are kept in the town therefore you are to locate & liberate them also.

You are then to hold the town until relieved.

Available to you are a jeep, a halftrack & 4 trucks.

BandofBrothers9.doc