Italy ’43

About this board game

Italy ’43 is a 1–2 player historical campaign game with an approximately 360-minute play time, depicting the U.S. Fifth Army’s advance from Naples to the Gustav Line between October 2 and December 31, 1943.

Picking up where Salerno ’43 ends, the game includes four scenarios: Across the Volturno, The Barabara Line, The Mignano Gap, and the full Campaign Game. Players use the same map and unit scale as Salerno ’43 and Normandy ’44, while improved rules and new options expand the system.

Core mechanics include ZOC Bonds, Determined Defense, Extended Movement, and a straightforward Combat Results Table. New rules cover the construction of defense lines, Mountain units, and two attack options: Prepared Offensives and Sustained Attacks.

• Time scale: 2–3 days per turn
• Map scale: 3.8 km per hex
• Unit scale: Battalion, Regiment, and Brigade
• Included scenarios: four, including a full campaign

Italy ’43 gives players a detailed game and order of battle for understanding how a depleted German army slowed and then stopped the Fifth Army at the Gustav Line. The campaign is presented on a paper map measuring 25.5 by 22 inches and includes a countersheet, rules booklet, setup and reinforcement cards, scenario cards, player aids, and two six-sided dice.