The following post is from David Thompson, co-designer (with Trevor Benjamin) of the Undaunted series from Osprey Games. David, Trevor, and Osprey have agreed to allow Conflicts of Interest to publish, for the first time in English, a bonus No. 17 scenario for Undaunted: Normandy, on The Battle of San Pietro. The free-to-download files are at the end of this post. First, here’s David’s backstory on how this scenario came about.
In January 2021, Massimiliano Calimera of the Italian gaming magazine ioGioco reached out to me and asked if I would design an Undaunted scenario for the magazine to run concurrent with the magazine’s review of Undaunted: Normandy, which had just been published in Italian by Ghenos Games. It was an honor to be asked by Massimiliano, and so I happily agreed. I consulted with Riccardo Vadalà and Glauco Babini on the topic for the scenario. I wanted something that reflected the contributions of the Italian military after the armistice, as they fought alongside the allies, but I also saw this as an opportunity for me to create something much more personal.
In close collaboration with Riccardo and Glauco, who were instrumental in helping with the research, I eventually settled on The Battle of San Pietro. In the battle, the US 142nd Infantry Regiment fought alongside the Italian 1st Motorized Group. The coordinated attacks on Monte Lungo and San Pietro were the first instances in which Italian troops were employed in the fight against Germany.
On a personal note, this scenario is very special to me. The campaign in Undaunted: Normandy follows the movement of my maternal grandfather’s unit (the 30th Infantry Division). I know many details about my maternal grandfather’s actions during WW2, and have researched his involvement in the war extensively.
It was not until this request that I set out to research the actions of my paternal grandfather, mostly because very little is known of his actions in the war. He landed with the rest of the 142nd Infantry Regiment at Paestum on 9 September 1943, fought in the Battle of Salerno, and stayed with the 142nd throughout the War in Europe. He received a Purple Heart and returned to the US in October 1945 after his discharge. But I know very little else because he passed away when my father and his siblings were very young. Certainly my grandfather was there, fighting with the 142nd and alongside the Italian 1st Motorized Group at the Battle of San Pietro.
The scenario, Battle of San Pietro, was originally published in Italian in issue 20 of ioGioco, but it has never before been released in English. I’d like to give a huge thanks to Conflicts of Interest, ioGioco, and Osprey Games for allowing us to make this scenario available in English for the first time.
The Designer: David Thompson is a civil servant with the US Department of Defense. He also designs hobby board games, with a preference towards military history and a specific focus on the Second World War. He has published over 25 games, and was the recipient of the James F. Dunnigan Design Elegance Award in 2022. Undaunted: Stalingrad, which he and Benjamin co-designed, recently received the 2022 Golden Geek Award for Best Wargame.
Undaunted: Normandy: Scenario 17, Battle of San Pietro files:
Scenario 17 Battle of San Pietro (low-res, digital)
Scenario 17 Battle of San Pietro (high-res, print)
More information on the Undaunted series, including other promo scenarios, can be found at Osprey Games’ website.