Anzio (game)
Encyclopedia
Anzio is a board wargame
published by the Avalon Hill
game company first in 1969
and again in 1971, 1974, and 1978. The title is misleading as the game is not an operational-level treatment of the Battle of Anzio but is in fact a strategic level game covering the entire Italian theater of operations
in World War II
from the autumn of 1943 to the end of the war in Europe.
of Italy's southern regions are not shown.
are depicted in a wide variety of colours. Luftwaffe
units are shown in a separate shade of blue, German Army in grey, and Waffen SS units in black. U.S. forces (including a Brazilian division) are shown in yellow, while the cosmopolitan 8th Army includes British, Canadian, Indian (red), Polish (pink), South African and New Zealand (pale blue) units, as well as a Greek and a Jewish brigade. There are also several Free French units (dark blue). Some U.S. and Free French forces are removed from the game in the summer of 1944 to take part in the Dragoon
landings in the south of France.
The counters represent divisions, but the game also contains numerous extra counters for divisions to reduce in strength as they take combat losses or else break down into their component regiments.
In a review in "The Best of Board Wargaming" (1981) Tom Oleson praised the game's "satisfying realism", while criticising some points of obscurity on the map (eg. roads which nick the corner of a hexagon), the crudeness with which the Allied "thermonuclear" airstrikes of May 1944 are simulated and an anomaly whereby weak enemy units left near the front line can be destroyed in combat, thus generating extra exploitation movement for the victorious attacker.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
published by the Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
game company first in 1969
1960s in games
This page lists board games, card games, and wargames published in the 1960s.-Significant games-related events in the 1960s:* Parker Brothers is bought by General Mills ....
and again in 1971, 1974, and 1978. The title is misleading as the game is not an operational-level treatment of the Battle of Anzio but is in fact a strategic level game covering the entire Italian theater of operations
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from the autumn of 1943 to the end of the war in Europe.
Map
The playing surface consists of two mounted mapboards placed end-to-end, with major terrain features including the mountains and rivers which in reality impeded the Allied advance. The heel and toeCalabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
of Italy's southern regions are not shown.
Counters
Combat unitsCounter (board wargames)
Boardgame counters are usually small cardboard squares moved around on the map of a wargame to represent armies, military units or individual military personnel. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on cardboard counters and hex-board maps, was Tactics, invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952...
are depicted in a wide variety of colours. Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
units are shown in a separate shade of blue, German Army in grey, and Waffen SS units in black. U.S. forces (including a Brazilian division) are shown in yellow, while the cosmopolitan 8th Army includes British, Canadian, Indian (red), Polish (pink), South African and New Zealand (pale blue) units, as well as a Greek and a Jewish brigade. There are also several Free French units (dark blue). Some U.S. and Free French forces are removed from the game in the summer of 1944 to take part in the Dragoon
Operation Anvil
Operation Anvil may refer to:* the original name for the August 1944 World War II Allied landing in southern France, Operation Dragoon* the military control of Nairobi, Kenya by British security forces from April 24, 1954 in an attempt to sever rebel supply lines during the Mau Mau Uprising*...
landings in the south of France.
The counters represent divisions, but the game also contains numerous extra counters for divisions to reduce in strength as they take combat losses or else break down into their component regiments.
The game
The time frame of the game begins with amphibious landings of the U.S. 5th Army, which may take place at Salerno as in reality, or else at any of another set of initial landing areas (the permissible size of force which may be landed varies for each area), while the British 8th Army forces enter the map from southern Italy. The German player has a chance to build fortifications, which may well cause the line to solidify for some months across the narrowest part of Italy, i.e. the Gustav Line through Monte Cassino, which the Allies may eventually break with airstrikes. The Allied player also has the chance to conduct a second invasion (the Anzio landing in reality).Critical reception
The original game was criticized for poor box art and research; later versions received higher praise.In a review in "The Best of Board Wargaming" (1981) Tom Oleson praised the game's "satisfying realism", while criticising some points of obscurity on the map (eg. roads which nick the corner of a hexagon), the crudeness with which the Allied "thermonuclear" airstrikes of May 1944 are simulated and an anomaly whereby weak enemy units left near the front line can be destroyed in combat, thus generating extra exploitation movement for the victorious attacker.