After nearly a year of war in Italy, German forces under Field Marshall Albert Kesselring were still holding up well after blunting several Allied offensives. A preliminary line of fortifications in the northern Apennines, called the Gothic Line, had been established in the summer of 1944 after the fall of Rome. The fortifications straddled some of the most rugged terrain in Italy and would have been very difficult to breach during the winter months. By the late summer of 1944, the Allies were faced with the prospect of beginning a new offensive in the near future or waiting until the following spring to try breaking into the Po Valley. Delaying the attack to 1945 would mean the certain loss of the Balkans to the Soviets while giving the Germans several more months to improve the Gothic Line defenses.

Lt. General Sir Oliver Leese, commander of the 8th British Army, proposed in August a plan for forcing the Gothic Line and driving into the Po Valley. His proposal, code-named Operation "Olive", involved a one-two punch being applied to open up the German defenses. First the British 8th Army, holding the right wing of the Allied 15th Army Group, would seize Rimini along the Adriatic coast and move into the Romagna Plain. This would draw forces away from the American 5th Army on the left, freeing them to move forward over the Appennines and on towards the vital transportation hub of Bologna. If all went as planned the entire German Army in Italy would be destroyed and the Allies would be able to beat the Red Army to the Balkans.

Field Marshall Sir Harold R.L.G Alexander, overall commander of Allied forces in Italy, agreed to go ahead with "Olive". Reinforcements were secretly moved by circuitous routes toward the Adriatic coast to prevent the Germans from catching onto the plan. The 2nd Polish Corps screened the movements of the Commonwealth divisions as they arrived and moved into position. By August 25th several hundred tanks, thousands of artillery pieces, and countless numbers of infantrymen were in place to begin the assault.

Both sides will have a tough time getting a complete victory in this scenario. Over one-third of the victory points are located behind the Conca river, with just over one-quarter of them around Rimini alone. Rimini will be difficult to reach within ten days unless the Allies do very well in the first few turns.

The key to absolute victory in this scenario is seizing Rimini in ten days. This is easier said than done. Although Rimini is only 50 kilometers away from the closest Allied unit at the start of the scenario, the chances of success are small. The Germans have a double line of fortifications along the Foglia and Metauro rivers. The first line along the Metauro should crumble very easily but the Gothic Line along the Foglia will be tough to penetrate quickly. The Allies can easily get bogged down here unless they carefully plan their attacks to breach the line.

Use your huge edge in artillery, armor, and aircraft to your advantage. Directed artillery bombardments were the Commonwealth's most lethal asset on the World War Two battlefield and should be used without restriction. Hold your armor back for exploiting gaps in the enemy line or for storming enemy strongholds that the infantry has not been able to crack.

Reinforcements will arrive later in the scenario to take advantage of any gaps you have made in the German lines. The scenario is hard coded to end after ten turns so be sure to remember that when you make your plans.

At this point in the war, the Allies were adverse to taking a lot of casualities, especially in side theaters such as Italy. This is reflected by a force loss intolerance three times that of the Germans. Try to avoid taking taking too many unnecessary losses.

Many of the British Desert Air Force units will be withdrawn during the scenario. The Wellingtons, Liberators, Baltimores and Bostons are only available for the first few days of the battle. Even more aircraft will be withdrawn as you near the Conca River. These units are being shifted to the off map areas north and west of Rimini as the front line of the battlefield moves toward the Romagna Plain.

The Allies have huge advantages over you in almost every category except one: infantry. Your veteran infantry battalions should take full advantage of the rugged terrain features within the Gothic Line. Try to hold out until Kesselring begins releasing the reserve around the middle of the scenario. Be sure to plug any gaps in your line as it could be fatal if the Allies get forces behind you.

Credit to Martin Schenkel for providing outstanding order of battle and table of equipment information in the initial period of design. Thanks to Jean-Luc Betin, Brian King, LaPalice, Southern Dandy, Grant Whitley, Viridomaros, and Allan Wotherspoon for playtesting the scenario.