07.2024 Orange Blossom: The Royal Canadian Regiment’s Capture of the Cider Crossings

Publisher/Date:
Lone Canuck Publishing (2024)

Product Type:
Mini-Scenario/Map Pack

Country of Origin:
Canada

Contents:
4 scenarios on cardstock, 1 linked-scenario campaign game (Orange Blossom)

Commentary:

Orange Blossom is a mini-scenario pack (four scenarios) that were originally designed for the 2024 Canadian ASL Open (CASLO) tournament, which was held in Victoria in British Columbia in May 2024 where a good time was undoubtedly had by all except for the poor dice rollers.  The pack primarily features efforts by a battalion (the Royal Canadian Regiment) within the First Canadian Division to break through German defenses in eastern Italy south of Ortona in December 1943. One scenario features another battalion, the 48th Highlanders, instead (and some scenarios also feature armor support).

One of the interesting pleasures of ASL is the ability to game actions that units of one’s own country–perhaps even one’s own grandfather or great-grandfather–fought in. However, the range of environments available can vary greatly depending upon what country one talks about.  A Chinese ASLer wishing to play scenarios featuring Chinese units, for example, is limited to actions in China and Burma, although admittedly China was a huge theater of war with a lot of different settings.  A Polish ASLer, on the other hand, can pick from scenarios set in Poland (either in 1939, in 1943-44 featuring partisans, or in 1944-45 featuring Polish units in the Red Army), France (1940 and 1944), Norway, North Africa, Italy, and Germany.  French and Italian ASLers would have similarly broad offerings, while a Russian ASLer would have only East Front action (admittedly huge and diverse), Finland, and Manchuria.  Canada, alas, is one of the nations with a more paltry array of theaters and environments, as Canadian forces fought only in Sicily, Italy, Hong Kong, and a thin trail along the coast of Northwest Europe from Normandy to Germany (this includes Dieppe in 1942).  Canada’s contribution to the Allied cause in the war was quite significant, but geographically comparatively limited.  As a result, if you are an ASLer, Canadian or otherwise, wishing to play a scenario featuring Canadians, you pretty much have to be happy with Northwest Europe and Italy–which takes us back to this product, set in Italy, which is not the favorite theater of war for most ASLers but which does nevertheless feature a lot of interesting combatants and some interesting actions.  Though the Italian front was a long-lasting sideshow, one of the advantages of combat on the peninsula from 1943 to 1945 is that there are many potentially interesting tactical actions that took place.

Though released at a tournament, the scenarios are not necessarily all “tournament-sized.” Two of the four scenarios included seem rather too large to play in an average tournament setting. As is typical for scenarios designed by George Kelln, the orders of battle overflow with support weapons; forces typically have at least one support weapon for every two squads, and often more.

The actions included are:

• OB1 Morning Glory. 6.5 turns. Boards 4, 11, 17, 61. One overlay (OW1). Canadian attack with 13 squads and 6 tanks against 10 German squads with a ton of firepower (including 4 Guns) and fortifications.  Canadians get a creepy–I mean creeping–barrage.
• OB2 Orange Blossom Disaster. 6.5 turns. Boards 90, t. Six overlays (O3, O4, RR2, G2, RR1, OW1). Canadian attack with 24 squads (and 14 SW!) and 4 tanks against 9 German squads and 5 Guns, plus lots of fortifications. Canadians get OBA.
• OB3 The R.C.R.’s Redemption. 6 turns. Boards 16, 90. Five overlays (OW1, RR2, RR1, O2 ,O5). Canadian attack with 19 squads and 4 tanks against 9 German squads with 4 Guns and–you guessed it–lots of fortifications.  Canadians get OBA.
• OB4 Securing Cider Crossroads. 5.5 turns. Boards 16, 57. Four overlays (RR1, RR2, O2, O5). German attack with 10 elite squads armed to the teeth and 2 StuGs against 12 Canadian squads and 2 Guns, along with fortifications.

 

Essentially, if you don’t like fortifications, this pack is not for you.

The product also includes victory conditions (but no additional rules) for a mini-campaign based on linking the scenarios together. Nothing really exciting there.

 

Back to Top