Dev Blog 7: Enter Sardinia and Future Scenario Plans
As promised, Sicily won’t be the only island getting invaded in CAOS: Operation Husky!
We are happy to announce that in addition to the historical Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, Operation Husky will also include hypothetical Allied invasion scenarios set in Sardinia and Corsica. In future dev blogs we will showcase the Operation Husky: Sardinia alternate history scenario in more detail, including the orders of battle, Allied landing beaches, and Axis evacuation ports. For now, let’s take a look at the island itself.
[h2]Enter Sardinia:[/h2]
Size: Unique (27x60)
Terrain: valleys, rolling hills, forests, mountains
Sardinia boasts the most varied terrain of any map in CAOS. The island consists of sweeping valleys ideal for mechanized combat, flanked by rugged mountains and forest uplands that are nearly impenetrable to armored forces. Mechanized spearheads dominate the valleys, but poor bloody infantry must expel defenders from their mountain bastions to the flanks and rear of the advancing tanks. While Sardinia’s rugged terrain often favors the defender, a clever attacker can leverage the road network to cut off entire swathes of the island and starve formidable defensive bulwarks into submission. Sardinia boasts rugged terrain, but it still favors battles of maneuver.
Naturally, Sardinia will be playable in both alt-historical scenarios and in custom games. So even the beaches in eastern Sardinia that are largely irrelevant to a prospective Allied invasion may see battle in custom scenarios.
[h3]Northern Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for Full Northern Sardinia Preview
Northern Sardinia consists of rolling hills and open plains in the west, counterbalanced by rugged uplands and forests in the east. While invading forces landing near Porto Torres face little difficulty seizing the cities of Sassari and Alghero, the path eastward to the crucial port at Olbia is fraught with difficulty. The mountain passes at Tempio-Pausania (Tempio in game), Oschiri, and Pattada, are easily held by entrenched infantry with minimal support. A successful push on Olbia usually requires a simultaneous offensive from the south.
[h3]Central Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for Full Central Sardinia Preview
The western reaches of central Sardinia mix open plains where tanks roam free, with mountains, plateaus, river valleys, and the occasional forest. Naval invasions at Oristano threaten to quickly advance south toward the crucial airfields at Cagliari and occupy or isolate a significant portion of the island. However, the poor east-west road connectivity in central Sardinia, combined with the extremely rugged mountain and forest terrain on the island’s eastern half makes a rapid bisection of Sardinia by an invading force moving out of Oristano difficult. Likewise, the mountain passes near Cuglieri and Macomer present formidable roadblocks to advancing forces moving north. Consequently, while a blitzkrieg maneuver from Oristano to Cagliari in the south is likely, the drive north often requires brutal siege warfare at Bolotana, Orani, and Nuoro, as attacking forces attempt to outflank even more formidable defenses in the northern mountain passes.
[h3]South Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for full south Sardinia Preview:
South Sardinia hosts the island’s capital, at Cagliari, and the bulk of its airfields. Invaders will typically attempt to seize Cagliari and its airfields as quickly as possible and trap defenders guarding the southwest beaches in a pocket from Iglesias to Santadi. The open plains north of Cagliari are perfect for mechanized breakthroughs, but the uplands toward Muravera and east-central Sardinia offer ideal escape routes for retreating defenders to withdraw northwards to fight another day.
[h2]Future Dev Blogs:[/h2]
We have spent the last week internally playtesting Sardinia in custom scenarios and we have thoroughly enjoyed it as one of the most dynamic and unique maps in the game. We look forward to sharing with you in Operation Husky!
Our next series of dev blogs will showcase: 1) The Allied order of battle which will be shared with some variations across the Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, scenarios. 2) The Axis orders of battle for Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. 3) A map showcase for Corsica. After that we will begin a new series of dev blogs detailing the individual scenarios themselves. Stay tuned for more Operation Husky news!
We are happy to announce that in addition to the historical Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, Operation Husky will also include hypothetical Allied invasion scenarios set in Sardinia and Corsica. In future dev blogs we will showcase the Operation Husky: Sardinia alternate history scenario in more detail, including the orders of battle, Allied landing beaches, and Axis evacuation ports. For now, let’s take a look at the island itself.
[h2]Enter Sardinia:[/h2]
Size: Unique (27x60)
Terrain: valleys, rolling hills, forests, mountains
Sardinia boasts the most varied terrain of any map in CAOS. The island consists of sweeping valleys ideal for mechanized combat, flanked by rugged mountains and forest uplands that are nearly impenetrable to armored forces. Mechanized spearheads dominate the valleys, but poor bloody infantry must expel defenders from their mountain bastions to the flanks and rear of the advancing tanks. While Sardinia’s rugged terrain often favors the defender, a clever attacker can leverage the road network to cut off entire swathes of the island and starve formidable defensive bulwarks into submission. Sardinia boasts rugged terrain, but it still favors battles of maneuver.
Naturally, Sardinia will be playable in both alt-historical scenarios and in custom games. So even the beaches in eastern Sardinia that are largely irrelevant to a prospective Allied invasion may see battle in custom scenarios.
[h3]Northern Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for Full Northern Sardinia PreviewNorthern Sardinia consists of rolling hills and open plains in the west, counterbalanced by rugged uplands and forests in the east. While invading forces landing near Porto Torres face little difficulty seizing the cities of Sassari and Alghero, the path eastward to the crucial port at Olbia is fraught with difficulty. The mountain passes at Tempio-Pausania (Tempio in game), Oschiri, and Pattada, are easily held by entrenched infantry with minimal support. A successful push on Olbia usually requires a simultaneous offensive from the south.
[h3]Central Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for Full Central Sardinia PreviewThe western reaches of central Sardinia mix open plains where tanks roam free, with mountains, plateaus, river valleys, and the occasional forest. Naval invasions at Oristano threaten to quickly advance south toward the crucial airfields at Cagliari and occupy or isolate a significant portion of the island. However, the poor east-west road connectivity in central Sardinia, combined with the extremely rugged mountain and forest terrain on the island’s eastern half makes a rapid bisection of Sardinia by an invading force moving out of Oristano difficult. Likewise, the mountain passes near Cuglieri and Macomer present formidable roadblocks to advancing forces moving north. Consequently, while a blitzkrieg maneuver from Oristano to Cagliari in the south is likely, the drive north often requires brutal siege warfare at Bolotana, Orani, and Nuoro, as attacking forces attempt to outflank even more formidable defenses in the northern mountain passes.
[h3]South Sardinia:[/h3]
Click for full south Sardinia Preview:South Sardinia hosts the island’s capital, at Cagliari, and the bulk of its airfields. Invaders will typically attempt to seize Cagliari and its airfields as quickly as possible and trap defenders guarding the southwest beaches in a pocket from Iglesias to Santadi. The open plains north of Cagliari are perfect for mechanized breakthroughs, but the uplands toward Muravera and east-central Sardinia offer ideal escape routes for retreating defenders to withdraw northwards to fight another day.
[h2]Future Dev Blogs:[/h2]
We have spent the last week internally playtesting Sardinia in custom scenarios and we have thoroughly enjoyed it as one of the most dynamic and unique maps in the game. We look forward to sharing with you in Operation Husky!
Our next series of dev blogs will showcase: 1) The Allied order of battle which will be shared with some variations across the Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, scenarios. 2) The Axis orders of battle for Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. 3) A map showcase for Corsica. After that we will begin a new series of dev blogs detailing the individual scenarios themselves. Stay tuned for more Operation Husky news!