Raid on Ramsgate! Episode I, by Scott Lynch

"The blighters just came down out of the bloody sky, easy as you please. I was standing night watch with my mate, John Rackham, and my old bones were aching. I wouldn't have seen the glider coming down just across the road if I hadn't been looking up at the sky while I was stretching. Anyhow, a moment later I said, "Jack, I think a bloody plane just came down across the way!"

"We were rousing the squad and about to send a bloke over to the Captain's tent. At that moment, someone started shooting at us. It was a quick rattle, machine-guns I think. Anyhow, next moment I was diving for cover and Jack fell over on top of me. I started cursing and pushing at him, you know, "Get off, you bloody oaf!" It took me a few seconds to realize that he'd been shot."

From Twice Blooded in the Service: War in the Home Guard
Interview with E. Clifton Fuller, GC, Home Guard veteran of the Ramsgate Action

Battlefield
Location: England, 1940
Conditions: Clear
Time of Day: Night

German Order of Battle
  • 1 x Fallschirmjager Command Squad
  • 3 x Fallschirmjager Rifle Squad
  • 1 x Fallschirmjager Anti-Tank Team
  • 2 x Fallschirmjager Light MG Team
  • 1 x PzKpf IV Aust B "Loki" Walker

    British Order of Battle
  • 1 x Home Guard Command HQ Section
  • 12 x Home Guard Rifle Section
  • 1 x Home Guard Machinegun Team
  • 2 x Bren Carrier
  • 2 x 2 Lb. Anti-Tank Gun
  • 4 x Truck (Unarmed)
    		•
    Morale
    All German units are Veteran.

    All British units are Rookie.

    Terrain and Setup
    Not much terrain is required for this scenario, unless the players enjoy miniature trees. The most important feature of the map should be a long, straight road dividing the British and German setup areas. The German side should be thick with woods, and the British side should be sparser, with large open areas, in which the Home Guard element has made camp.

    The German forces should be placed against or near the road, and will launch their attack across it. The British forces should be assembled in an orderly camp fashion, with their trucks and Bren carriers in a line. The British AT guns are not dug in and cannot be used until the beginning of Turn 3.

    Mission Briefing
    Gliderborne Germans have just set down across the road from a very startled Home Guard unit camped for the night. One of the light German walkers has been damaged by the landing and rendered useless, but the other has deployed without a problem. Moving swiftly, the highly-trained Fallschirmjager will attempt to mount a vicious attack and take control of the road, which they will hold in support of the main attack on Ramsgate.

    This mission is Medium Priority for both sides.

    Mission Objectives
    The German objective is to sweep this unexpected British resistance away. The Germans will win a major victory if they can destroy all the British units, letting none escape. The Germans will win a minor victory if they can destroy or force all the British units off the map.

    The British objective is mere survival. This is a Home Guard element caught by surprise, after all. Any troops withdrawn off the British side of the map may return to fight in the counter-attack.

    Designer's Notes
    This episode is ferociously unbalanced in favor of the Germans. It is up to the British player to decide whether to try and withdraw his second-line troops for later use, or to try and inflict casualties on the Germans.

    Raid on Ramsgate! Introduction
    Episode I: Clash by Night
    Episode II: Fire on the Waterfront
    Episode III: Counterstrike
    Episode IV: England Undaunted

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