Go For Broke (Third Edition):
Scenario Preview, Part Three
By Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
August 2022

For the third edition of Panzer Grenadier: Go For Broke, the story of the segregated Japanese-American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, we kept the scenario section intact – it was already quite good. The new edition adds additional historical background, to put the existence of a segregated regiment in the context of the times.

African-Americans had served in segregated units since the American Civil War, after having been banned outright from the U.S. military in 1792. They lived under a series of racist laws known collectively as Jim Crow, that banned them from sharing public and private spaces with their white fellow citizens, and most emphatically from having sex with them.

Japanese-Americans faced laws restricting their ownership of land, preventing them from gaining citizenship through naturalization (birthright citizenship, a Constitutionally-protected right, was not affected) and outlawing their marrying white people. But they had not been forced into segregated units until World War II.

Once allowed to fight, they fought very well. Let’s have a look at the rest of the Italian Campaign scenarios in Go For Broke; you can see prior installments in Part One and Part Two.

Scenario Ten
First Action
26 June 1944
When the 442nd Infantry Regiment rolled into theater it was considered well trained but lacking in combat experience. After the 100th Battalion joined the regiment, they trained together as a unit for a short while before being sent into combat for the first time as a formation. Their assignment was to continue the harassment and pursuit of the retreating Germans as the exhausted 34th Infantry Division took a long-awaited break. 

Conclusion 
The 19th Luftwaffe Field Division had been assembled in France in March 1943 from Air Force personnel with little or no ground combat experience. They trained until early June before transferring to Italy. Though inexperienced, the Luftwaffe had used their political leverage to pick the cream of the German draft pool and their ground combat arm included highly intelligent recruits. They adapted quickly and used the terrain here masterfully, stopping the two battalions spearheading the assault. Not to be denied, at noon the Nisei unleashed the 100th Battalion who exploited a gap in the defenses to occupy Belvedere and the high ground surrounding it.

This action earned the 100th Battalion – now operating in place of the 442nd’s First Battalion – a Presidential Unit Citation. The battalion managed to clear Suvereto by 1500 hours. In their after-action report, the Nisei misidentified the Luftwaffe personnel as SS troops. In this action, Private Kiyoshi K. Muranaga exhibited the highest courage under fire.  Despite being ordered to fall back due to heavy fire and advancing enemy troops, Private Muranaga waved off the rest of his crew and volunteered to man his mortar alone. He continued to serve the weapon, dueling head-to-head with a German 88mm anti-aircraft gun. He paid with his life, but his tenacity and accuracy convinced the German gunners to limber their gun and find easier prey.  For his sacrifice, Private Muranaga posthumously earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest US medal for bravery. In the year 2000, after asking the Army to review allegations of racism in the awarding of medals in World War II, President Bill Clinton upgraded 21 Nisei DSC’s to the Medal of Honor, including Private Muranaga’s decoration.

Notes
The German Air Force’s army is, for once, actually pretty good, though no match for the Nisei. They’re well-armed and hold a strong position, but the 442nd brings along great morale, good leadership and superior firepower to aid their advance.

Scenario Eleven
The Nisei Go Rolling Along
27 June 1944
Now united as a regimental combat team, the 442nd integrated the combat-tested 100th Battalion in place of the former First Battalion, which had given up most of its troops to replace the 100th’s combat losses. It now also had significant organic artillery support available from the Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion. Despite the commitment of the new units, the veteran 100th Battalion remained the regiment’s shock force. After resting for the night, the Hawaiian Nisei had been ordered to continue advancing north along the Suvereto-Sassetta road.
 
Conclusion
The 100th Battalion had earned themselves a praiseworthy reputation for getting the job done — they would do so again today. The Germans were driven northward out of the town to choose yet another position to dig in. The 522nd proved itself equal to the Nisei infantry’s steadily-growing fighting reputation, providing well-directed fire that made the German retreat extremely costly.

Notes
This is a much smaller scenario, pitting the elite morale of the Hawaiian Nisei against the merely mortal German Air Force ground troops. The Nisei have to do a lot to win, but they hold a great many advantages to help them do so.

Scenario Twelve
Northwest of Cecina       
1 July 1944
Fifth Army directed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to push across the Cecina River and establish a bridgehead. After the Nisei managed to overcome the doughty defenders along the river they took some time to regroup. Rested, fed, and re-equipped, with more bullets and grenades, the now-seasoned Americans headed northward to secure their objective for the day - an innocuous road junction five miles northwest of the Cecina. 
     
Conclusion
Fortune favors the bold, or so the saying goes. The Nisei pushed hard on the fleet-footed German airmen who gave way to the advancing Americans. Resistance did not stiffen until the Nisei approached the vicinity of the critical road juncture. Here the reluctant Luftwaffe infantry dug in and made their stand. Not willing to throw away lives unnecessarily, the Nisei called in a heavy artillery barrage which soon convinced Kesselring’s men to find a better place to fight.

Notes
The ground’s pretty rough, but that might not be enough to convince the German Air Force to stand and fight. The Americans get a lot of artillery, and that fabulous Nisei morale, to make it a tough situation for the Germans.

Scenario Thirteen
Hard Go
2 July 1944
The new day found the Nisei tasked to cut the road from Castellina to the sea to prevent supplies filtering in to the German positions from coast-runners. The 442nd’s staff expected little problem from the Luftwaffe infantry that they had been driving for several weeks now. But just as the Nisei had been learning the lessons of combat, so had the green Luftwaffe troops been gaining combat experience of their own.

Conclusion
During the night someone or something put some steel in the airmen’s backbones. They employed all the resources at their disposal holding grimly to the road and surrounding woods, refusing to be budged. American advances now met with heavy return fire, something that had been missing in previous days. Only after several days of overwhelming attacks did they grudgingly yield the ground.

Notes
Suddenly, the German Air Force sucks much less! They almost have the morale to stand up to the Nisei, but not quite, but now they have a chance to use all of those weapons they’ve been carrying about. But the Nisei are still Nisei.

Scenario Fourteen
Little Cassino
4 July 1944
While the rest of America celebrated Independence Day the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was assaulting Hill 140. Fifth Army’s command hoped that this would put an end to the suddenly stubborn resistance of the Luftwaffe infantrymen slowing the advance. Just as Monte Cassino had consumed the lives of many men and countless shells and bullets, so did Hill 140 on a smaller scale. Men of both sides scrabbled through the rocks, up and down ravines, shooting, bleeding, and swearing.

Conclusion
The Germans again stubbornly held out, inflicting numerous casualties on the Nisei. Once the armies disengaged the Luftwaffe troops slipped away in the darkness. Privates Frank Ono and William Nakamura each received a Distinguish Service Cross for covering their platoons’ retreat. Both would be upgraded to the Medal of Honor over 50 years later. While Private Ono survived the battle, Private Nakamura gave his life for his comrades and his country on Hill 140. He had volunteered to serve from the Minidoka concentration Camp in southern Idaho. Also among the dead was Sgt. Howard M. Urabe, an education major at the University of Hawaii and one of the Varsity Victory Volunteers. Urabe received the Silver Star after knocking out two enemy machine gun nests before falling to a sniper’s bullet.

Notes
It’s not a very big scenario, with just one battalion of Nisei trying to eject about two companies of German Air Force ground crews from their hilltop position. The Germans don’t have to do much to win beyond survival, while the Nisei have a very high bar for victory.

Scenario Fifteen
Arno River Crossing
1 September 1944
During August both sides had toned down their operations, recovering from fatigue, bringing in replacements, gathering supplies, and preparing for another round. Although the front line had remained relatively stagnant, the Nisei had kept busy patrolling to gain prisoners to interrogate. Finally, the anticipated jump-off orders came down - all three battalions were ordered to establish bridgeheads over the Arno River, two along Highway 66 and one 20 miles west near Pisa. The ante had been upped by the Germans. Gone were the Luftwaffe infantry, replaced by the 4th Parachute Division containing a large number of former Italian paratroopers, devoted Fascists eager to die for their cause.

Conclusion   
The Second and Third Nisei battalions forced their crossing just west of Florence, encountering significant minefields and other obstacles. Once their small bridgehead was consolidated, they pushed their perimeter up Highway 66. Miles to the west the 100th Battalion simply crossed the Arno River and dug in. Shortly afterwards the regiment would be pulled out of the line and transferred north to France and the bitter fighting in the Vosges Mountains.

Notes
The scenario title gives it away – it’s a river crossing scenario. The opposite bank is held by German paratroopers (the good but not great 4th Parachute Division), the Nisei once again have superior morale but not the artillery backing they probably need here. The Germans, for their part, also have armored support. It’s going to be a tough day for the 442nd.

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Mike Bennighof is president of Avalanche Press and holds a doctorate in history from Emory University. A Fulbright Scholar and NASA Journalist in Space finalist, he has published a great many books, games and articles on historical subjects; people are saying that some of them are actually good. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and three children. He misses his Iron Dog, Leopold.

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