CAOS News

Let’s dive into the scenarios coming in the CAOS: Operation Husky free update! Some of these scenarios will receive their own deep-dive dev blogs closer to release, but today we’ll take a look at each of the scenarios, their scope, and victory conditions. We have a lot in store for you!


Axis forces hold a tenuous perimeter ahead of the Allied advance on D+5. The 1st Fallschirmjager Division will stabilize the line south of Catania, but it won't hold forever.

[h2]Operation Husky – Historical Allied Invasion of Sicily[/h2]
Date: July 10-August 16, 1943.
Background: The Allied Invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky, was one of the largest amphibious invasions in history, consisting of seven assault divisions followed by two full Allied armies. After determined Axis counterattacks on July 10 failed to crush the beachheads, Allied reinforcements poured into Sicily unabated and any chance of containing the landings quickly faded. By July 18, Patton’s 7th Army had completely broken out of the landing zones, overrunning western Sicily in a mere five days while Axis forces retreated toward the Etna Line. Meanwhile, Montgomery’s 8th Army faced the unenviable task of clearing German fallschirmjager, panzergrenadiers, and armor from the river lines of eastern Sicily and then the slopes of Mount Etna. Even after the twin allied armies brought their full might to bear against the Etna Line after the fall of Palermo on July 22, progress remained slow in the face of Axis delaying actions and the implacable mountainous terrain of northeastern Sicily. After over three weeks of bloody combat on the slopes of Etna and the Messina peninsula, Allies forces finally entered the port of Messina itself, only to find that Axis forces had already completed their withdrawal in good order. Operationally, the Allies failed to annihilate Axis forces in Sicily, but the invasion was still a valuable Allied strategic victory. Operation Husky precipitated the collapse of Fascist Italy and the subsequent diversion of German forces into Italy and the Balkans, troops sorely needed on the Eastern Front. Operation Husky was an imperfect Allied victory, but a victory no less; the question is, can you do better? Can you lead Allied forces to a decisive victory in Sicily? Or perhaps you’ll turn the tables and defeat the invasion entirely at the head of Axis forces on the island?

Victory Conditions: Axis: Highest victory point score accumulated through controlling objectives for as long as possible and by withdrawing units to the mainland.
Allies: Control Palermo, Syracuse, and Messina, and possess higher victory point score than the Axis at the end of the game.

[h2]Operation Husky – Dynamic Allied Invasion of Sicily[/h2]
Date: July 10-August 16, 1943.
The Dynamic variant of Operation Husky allows the Allies to choose their invasion beaches and allows the Axis to deploy their mobile forces freely before the game starts. Likewise, instead of following a fixed historical reinforcement schedule, both sides purchase reinforcements from a unit pool, much like the custom scenarios. With total control over the Allied landing beaches or the Axis mobile forces can you do better than your historical counterparts? Can you create a perfect invasion or infallible defense?


All of the selectable initial invasion beaches in Dynamic Husky marked in blue above, versus the historical landing zones of the US (in green) and Commonwealth (in red), below. Go nuts! You've got plenty of options!


Victory Conditions:
Identical to historical Operation Husky.


[h2]Operation Brimstone – Hypothetical Allied Invasion of Sardinia.[/h2]
Background: The concept of an Allied Invasion of Sardinia, later dubbed Operation Brimstone, was originally proposed at the January 1943 Symbol Conference as a smaller May 1943 alternative to the massive Operation Husky. The concept was revisited again as an alternative to the September 1943 Operation Avalanche landings at Salerno by US 5th Army. In both cases, Operation Brimstone enjoyed the advantage of attacking a softer target than Sicily or the Italian mainland. However, all incarnations of Brimstone also called for much smaller invasion forces than Husky or Salerno and were further from existing allied air bases. Historically, Operation Brimstone was turned down in both its May and September variations, and Sardinia subsequently came under Allied control regardless following the Armistice of Cassibile. In CAOS, Operation Brimstone presents an exciting historical what-if scenario to enjoy in three different forms!

The basic Brimstone (May) selectable landing beaches are marked in blue, additional July beaches in green, and additional September beaches in purple.

[h3]Operation Brimstone: May[/h3]
Date: May 21-June 21, 1943.
Background: Brimstone (May) models a hypothetical Allied invasion of Sardinia consisting of one corps landing and one corps in reinforcement. While Axis defenses in Sardinia are comparatively light in May, Allied invasion forces face several limitations that make the battle surprisingly evenly matched. First, many veteran Allied divisions in North Africa are unavailable because they are absorbing replacements in the aftermath of the Tunisia campaign. Second, the Allies have a more limited selection of invasion beaches in May than later months due to lighter air cover. Third, the smaller initial landing force is unlikely to overrun the island before significant German reinforcements arrive. In a May Brimstone, both sides are relatively weak and a well led Axis defense can create a bloody stalemate.

Victory Conditions: Axis:Achieve highest victory point score by controlling objectives for as long as possible or by withdrawing units to Corsica. Or control 51% of objectives on the map at the end of the game.
Allies: Control Cagliari, Oristano, and Olbia, and possess higher victory point score than the Axis at the end of the game.

[h3]Operation Brimstone: July[/h3]
Date: July 10-August 10, 1943.
Background: Brimstone (July) assumes the Allies chose Sardinia instead of Sicily for the Operation Husky landings, and three corps drawn from the US 7th Army/UK 8th Army are tasked to overrun the island. The Allies must move quickly to secure airfields and ports to bring in additional reinforcements because the longer the Axis holds onto these key objectives the more reinforcements they will receive. If the Allies delay too long, they may find themselves facing formidable SS, Fallschirmjager, and Alpini units shipped in from Corsica and the Italian mainland.

Victory Conditions:
Identical to Brimstone (May).

[h3]Operation Brimstone September:[/h3]
Date: September 9–October 9, 1943.
Background: Brimstone (September) presupposes Operation Husky was a success, but the Italian Fascist state has not collapsed. Thus, the US 5th Army consisting of US 6th Corps, a UK 10th Corps, are tasked to invade Sardinia instead of Salerno in September 1943, and all Italian units on the island remain combat ready. Allied forces enjoy firepower superiority and a wide selection of potential invasion beaches, but these advantages are tempered by Sardinia’s geography and the Axis ability to gain victory points by withdrawing units from the northern ports. The Axis defender’s primary objective is to delay as long as possible and then withdraw to Corsica in good order; they don’t need to hold the island to win the game.

Victory Conditions:
Identical to Brimstone (May).

[h2]Case Axis (Sardinia): German Evacuation from Sardinia[/h2]
Date: September 9-18, 1943.
Background: Following the Armistice of Cassibile and the final collapse of the Italian Fascist state on September 8, 1943, German forces in Sardinia withdraw first to Corsica, and then to the Italian mainland. Historically, the Germans were able to withdraw from Sardinia with little difficulty due to prior agreements between German and Italian commanders on the island, and the limited mobility of Italian forces present. This scenario simulates a German withdraw from Sardinia in the face of staunch Italian resistance from the start. The German player must utilize their high mobility and armored superiority to punch through the Italian lines, secure an evacuation port, and withdraw from the island before time runs out.


The rough positions of the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division and the various German fortress battalions at the start of Case Axis, versus the Italian mobile units opposing them. The German player will have to make tough judgement calls about which fortress battalions to save and which to sacrifice while planning their retreat.

Victory Conditions: German: Evacuate majority of forces from the island.
Italian: Prevent German evacuation.


[h2]Operation Firebrand – Hypothetical Allied Liberation of Corsica[/h2]
Date: September 20-October 4, 1943.
Background:Operation Firebrand was a proposed follow up operation to the September variant of Operation Brimstone, to be executed primarily by French forces following Sardinia’s capture. Historically, Operation Firebrand was never enacted, instead Corsica was liberated by French forces operating in tandem with the former Italian garrison against the retreating Germans on the island during Operation Vesuvius in September/October 1943. This scenario assumes that Operation Brimstone was completed in mid-September, and the Free French Expeditionary Corps has been tasked to wrest control of Corsica from the Axis. Corsica’s rugged terrain naturally favors defenders, and French forces will need to leverage every advantage of their Moroccan Mountaineers and air supremacy to dislodge determined Axis resistance.


Moroccan and Algerian mountaineers of the French Expeditionary Corps slog their way through lower Corsica after successful landings at Ajaccio and Propriano, but even more rugged terrain awaits them further north.

Victory Conditions: Axis: Achieve highest victory point score by controlling objectives for as long as possible or by withdrawing units to the mainland. Or control 51% of objectives on the map at the end of the game.
Allies: Control Ajaccio and Bastia, and possess higher victory point score than the Axis at the end of the game.


We look forward to seeing these new scenarios in action when CAOS: Operation Husky releases later this fall! And remember, the orders of battle for most of these scenarios will also be available to play in custom scenarios, so in addition to the new scenarios you’ll get plenty of chances to put historical force compositions to the test in head-to-head matches with other historical orders of battle. For now we’ll get back to hammering away on the new scenarios and we’ll bring you another order of battle blog for Axis forces in Sicily soon!

Welcome to anther CAOS dev blog! Today we will explore our first multi-national order of battle which will appear in historical/althistorical scenarios and be available to play in custom games! Get ready for hordes of battle-hardened infantry, enough aircraft to blot out the sun, and hardly a tank in sight!

[h2]Force Overview:[/h2]
The Allied Husky order of battle consists of all US, UK, Canadian, and French units involved in Operation Husky, the historical Allied invasion of Sicily from July 9 to August 17, 1943. As Operation Husky unfolded, the Allied armies were amidst a transformation away from the equipment and organizations of the Desert War. Consequently, many of the armored units synonymous with the US/UK 1943 OBs and beyond are absent from the Husky roster. US tank destroyer battalions are still retraining on the new M10 Wolverine. Many British armoured brigades are still in Tunisia replacing obsolete Crusaders, Lees, and Valentines with Shermans, and heavy tank support is missing entirely in Sicily. The Allied Husky OB lacks armored reserves and many of the force multipliers the Allies typically use to even the odds against German armor. However, Allied Husky compensates for its armored fragility with the largest air unit roster in CAOS and a sturdy line of veteran infantry divisions who can offer fierce resistance if properly supported.

Let’s take a quick look at the playstyle and force composition of the Allied Husky OB and then breakdown the strengths and weaknesses of each force category!

[h3]Allied Husky Playstyle:[/h3]
The Allied Husky OB favors a slow and methodical playstyle based on grinding opponents down with battle-hardened infantry and overwhelming air support. This OB excels in defense and dominates rugged terrain, but it lacks the mobility and armored reserves to sustain blitzkrieg operations. In the rugged mountains of Sicily Allied Husky performs admirably, but it suffers severe shortages in armor and mechanization that commanders must overcome to triumph against the armored fists of the standard national OBs in custom scenarios.

[h3]Force Composition:[/h3]
The Allied Husky OB consists of 177 units across 2 armies, 4 corps, and 12 divisions including:

• x1 Armored Division
  
• x2 Parachute Divisions
  
• x9 Infantry Divisions
  
  12 divisions may seem small for two armies, these divisions are supported by numerous brigades, regiments, and battalions subordinate to the various corps and army commands, including:
  
  
• x3 Medium Tank Brigades
  
• x2 Tank Battalions
  
• x5 Engineer Regiments/Brigades
  
• x8 Commando/Mountaineer Battalions
  
• x6 Infantry Battalions
  
• x3 Artillery Brigades
  
• x1 Anti-aircraft Brigade
  

[h3]The Armored Arm: A Fragile Spearhead[/h3]
The primary offensive might of Allied Husky rests on the shoulders of the US 2nd Armored Division and three British/Canadian armoured brigades; all of which lack sufficient mechanized infantry support. The 2AD packs a punch, but its single mechanized infantry regiment cannot hold ground and escort the advancing tanks simultaneously. The British armoured brigades (the 4th and 23rd) are incomplete, since portions of both units are still in Tunisia converting to Sherman tanks. The Canadian 1st Army Tank Brigade offers an equally powerful hammer, but it is inexperienced and lacks any integrated mechanized infantry. These potent armored units can achieve local breakthroughs, but they will have to wait for the foot infantry to fill in behind them or risk advancing too quickly and take an irreplaceable chunk of the roster’s offensive power with them if they are trapped. Moreover, the absence of any tanks stronger than an M4 Sherman means any concentration of German heavy tanks will pose a serious threat to Allied Husky armor.


[h3]The Infantry Arm – A Solid Shield[/h3]
Allied Husky boasts a robust and varied infantry arm including elite commandos, veteran infantry divisions hardened by the Desert War, and fresh US/Canadian divisions entering combat for the first time. US infantry divisions enjoy higher combat value per squad, but British divisions are larger, more experienced, and enjoy excellent towed anti-tank support. Unfortunately, the Royal Armored Corps reconnaissance regiments that provide recon and armored car support to UK infantry divisions are in the process of reorganizing and are not available for operations in Sicily. British infantry divisions will have to fight without their eyes and ears. In general, the Allied Husky infantry divisions possess the firepower and reserves to wage a grinding war of attrition against their Axis adversaries provided they do not face concentrated German armor or get outmaneuvered by a mechanized breakthrough.


Beyond line infantry divisions, Allied Husky also possesses 2/3 of the US 82nd Airborne Division and half of the British 1st Parachute Division. While each of these parachute divisions are significantly understrength, they can be supplemented by an impressive lineup of 3 US Ranger battalions, 4 UK Commando Battalions, and a French Moroccan Tabor battalion. Through clever use of battlegroups these elite units can move through rough terrain with ease and leverage specialist infantry to gain a significant advantage in skirmish combat. Allied Husky has infantry for every mission in abundance, provided you compensate for their limited mobility, they will serve you well.


[h3]The Artillery Arm – Something for Everyone[/h3]
Allied Husky combines the fire support strengths of both US and UK into a highly effective artillery package. Two British Army Group Royal Artillery brigades (5th and 6th) provide a bit of everything including self-propelled artillery, intermediate range 4.5/5.5” guns that excel at counter-battery, and the versatile 25pdr for general fire support. While the US contributes a full brigade of self-propelled M7 Priests, 3 regiments of 155mm howitzers as short-ranged hammers, and a single regiment of 155mm M1A1 long-guns to remind the enemy how much you hate them from a safe distance. While Allied Husky lacks the sheer concentration of long-range artillery that the US Standard 1943 OB brings to bear, it still possesses guns for every mission and a nearly unmatched concentration of self-propelled artillery for 1943.


Beyond heavy artillery, Allied Husky also commands the massive US 71st Anti-Aircraft Brigade, which fields everything from 90mm anti-aircraft guns to self-propelled M13/M15 Gun Motor Carriages. Since Allied Husky usually has no difficulty dominating the skies, these self-propelled AA guns spend most of their time mincing enemy infantry who fail to bring adequate anti-tank support.

[h3]The Air Arm – Unstoppable Death From above[/h3]
As will be the case for most historical Allied OBs in 1943 and beyond, Allied Husky’s pride and joy rests in an insane amount of air power. The OB includes most of Northwest African Tactical Air Force and Malta Air Command, for a grand total of:

• x20 P-40 Warhawk/Kittyhawk multi-role squadrons
  
• x19 Spitfire V fighter squadrons
  
• x9 B-25H Mitchell bomber squadrons
  
• x7 Boston IIIa or Baltimore IV bomber squadrons
  
• x6 A-36A Apache strike squadrons
  
• x5 Spitfire/Mosquito/F-5 Lightning recon squadrons
  

This overwhelming number of aircraft ensures Allied Husky has little difficulty securing air supremacy, but remember, air supremacy alone does not guarantee victory. Clever adversaries can still create anti-aircraft dead zones which your aircraft can hardly penetrate and all the bombers in the world cannot compensate for a poorly executed ground strategy. Allied Husky’s extreme levels of air power should be used to drive the opposition from the sky, pulverize hardpoints ahead of your ground troops, and recon every square inch of the battlefield, but you still need a competent combined arms strategy to prevail.

[h2]A Methodical Juggernaut:[/h2]
Allied Husky is a powerful order of battle that combines many of the strengths of the UK and US into a potent attrition playstyle. This is not a rush OB suited to smash through an enemy line and drive deep into their rear to create vast encirclements, this is an attrition OB that excels at grinding opponents down across a broad front. Allied Husky rarely reaches its objectives with great speed, but when it does arrive it carpet bombs your hopes and dreams, covers the front line in fire support, and then advances with division after division until enemy resistance collapses.


We will be rolling the planned Reinforcements II update into the CAOS: Operation Husky release. Our next dev blog will explore the even more unique Axis Operation Husky order of battle, and after that we will start covering the scenarios coming with the Operation Husky release, including Operation Husky itself, Operation Brimstone (Sardinia), and Operation Firebrand (Corsica). We can’t wait to discuss the scenarios and the scenario variants!

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!

Greetings! We’ve been hammering away on CAOS: Operation Husky, and we have some exciting previously unannounced, features from Husky development due to be revealed next week. For now, we have a quick development update on the interface improvements coming with Reinforcements II later this month, and Husky in the fall.

[h2]Alternative Non-NATO Symbol Set:[/h2]

Operation Husky will bring a much-requested alternative non-NATO graphic set based on vehicle silhouettes. The screenshot above showcases the in-development prototype of the new system with US forces using the alternate symbol set and the Germans using NATO symbols. The non-NATO symbol set is designed to create space on the counters to display unit names as well, although that feature is not yet implemented in the development build.

[h2]Improving Combat Reports[/h2]

The intermediate Reinforcements II update will bring a series of graphical improvements to combat reports designed to help players understand the more obscure aspects of combat in CAOS. For instance, the air support column of the combat report will be marked by an aircraft with an orange or red slash mark when anti-aircraft disrupts or drives off air support. A similar marker will be displayed when you have armor involved in a combat, but not enough to receive the combined arms bonus. We will continue to add small graphical indicators like these wherever they are helpful and suggestions are always welcome.

[h2]Upcoming Announcements:[/h2]
Next week’s dev blog will reveal previously unannounced content that we’ve been working on as part of Husky development. Stay tuned because Sicily won’t be the only place getting invaded in CAOS: Operation Husky!

Today we have a quick bug fix and content update focusing on net code and units.

[h2]Gameplay[/h2]

• Added independent engineer regiments to Soviet 1939-1942 orders of battle.
  
• Separated German Para MG squads from paratrooper squads in Fallschirmjager battalions in all years.
  
• Corrected 8cm mortar allocation in Fallschirmjager battalions 1940-1945.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed a bug that could cause the requisition screen to clone itself for the client in head to head games during reinforcement turns.
  
• Fixed a bug that could cause a black screen for the client during the final game turn of a co-op game.