A Trail of One's!

         Wednesday 31st January

Not quite Heathrow

           

                                                 

Nissan hut with what looks like a very peculiarly placed man hole cover.

Nice small airfield seemingly empty.

   This evening saw us heading out to the Garvald Film Studios for a Second World War epic featuring a German paratroop attack on a south coast airfield.This was from the series of games Colin Jack had cooked up from the operation Sealion scenarios produced for Bolt Action.

Mobile armour

Searching the skies.

                              The scenario involved the use of German paras engaging the airfield defence force supplemented by a few early war vehicles.Dave O'Brien was my Obergruppenfuhrer and his plans were for us to attack using the cover of the airfield building to begin the attack sheilding us from the Bofors gun that had been placed next to the runway.Once again a great plan on paper but lasted until the first para put a foot on the table and was immediately ambushed by a British medium machine gun which was ensconced in the airport building itself.The German squad became pinned down and spent most of the evening in this way gathering more pins on the way.The only good point was that we were able to bring on other parts of our forces more easily as all defending fire was directed at this poor squad.

First squad comes on not knowing what's in front of them

Dave's gun about to roll its continuous line of 1's.The binoculars look like an ornament.

What was awaiting the first German squad.

                                     The defenders brought on the first of their reinforcements in the form of a Bedford Armadillo truck armed with a Lewis gun which emerged right into the sites of our newly arrived light artillery gun which proceed to take it out with its first shot.This was the last and only success for the gun as it missed everything else for the rest of the evening including the airport control tower a few inches away.

Natty!

Not for long though

                                                      The Bofor's gun finally began to engage the rest of our group before a finely placed mortar shell took it out.This gave our lads the opportunity to rush the airport building only to be met by a fusilade of rifle fire from the bottom floor of the airport tower.

Interfering Bofor's gun.

A bit more cautious

                                               More reinforcements began to appear for the defenders in the form of a Beaverette armoured car supported by some infantry who were engaged straight away by rifles and a machine gun belonging to the raiders decimating the infantry squad but doing no real damage to the armoured car.

Beaverette armoured car.

reinforcements about to become fodder for our machine gun.

                           By this time our forces were ready to make a do or die dash for the airport building as their numbers were being whittled down by the defenders so supported by terrible shooting from the gun and some softening up by my mortars and sniper fire the infantry headed in only to be defeated by the defenders.A second squad managed to finally enter the building but were thrown out again by a British counterattack which seemed to sum up our evening.So near yet so far.

Ready for the off.

The lads ready to rush the tower.

Very successful sniper team

                                               The evening drew to an end with a stalemate which in reality would have meant the paras retreating to the safety of their waiting transport.We didn't take any of our objectives although the building was being contested and the Bofor's had been eliminated albeit not captured.We didn't even get to see the ingenious Pickett-Hamilton disappearing pillbox in action but I'm sure we will in games to come.

Control tower defenders.

The unused Pickett- Hamilton disappearing pillbox.

                                                          A great game played in true gentlemanly fashion with all figures,scenery and scenario provided by Colin Jack.Myself and Dave O'Brien took the part of the German paras whilst the gallant British defenders were handled by Bill Gilchrist and Colin Jack himself who also provided an excellent repast in the form of 'A curry in a hurry'.
                                                     The next game sees us heading out to Bill's for an American Civil War extravaganza.
                                                     See You When I See You!