OPERATION JEDBURGH - INITIAL PROPOSAL.
Outline
September, 1944. The allied breakout in Normandy is in full swing, the beach heads are all secure and supplies pour ashore daily, around the clock. However, all is not plain sailing and the Mulberry harbours have already been battered by storms, losing valuable time while they were repaired. To bring ashore the quantities of supplies needed to push the Germans back to germany itself and possibly end the war by Chriatmas, the Allies need to secure a deep water port. Cherbourg is the target for the American thrust to secure this vital objective.
Accomplishing this task will not be easy and the Allied commanders know this. To pave the way for the advance, the Allies need the help of the French Resistance, with their intimate local knowledge of both the terrain and the enemy forces present. Unfortunately, the Resistance may be willing but they are very poorly armed and equipped.
In order to make these freedom fighters a more effective fighting unit, they need weapons and above all, training in military methods. To accomplish this task, SOE headquarters has despatched a number of elite "Jedburgh" teams. Experts in guerilla warfare, communications, weapons and languages, they will turn the Resistance into a lethal fighting force. To protect and augment Jedbugh operations, Allied high command will also drop in a number of heavily armed SAS squadrons. These battle hardened independent units will give much needed added firepower and protection to the Jedburgh operation.
The German forces in the area know the Americans are headed their way and have been busy fortifying the area. They are also aware of the Special Forces presence in their area, due to an excellent network of informants and because of their vice like grip of terror on the local populace. They are ready and willing to carry out the Fuhrers' "commando order" and to ruthlessly eradicate the local terrorist cells.
Numbers - 12 SAS (3 X 4 MAN PATROLS).
20 - 30 GERMANS (MIXURE OF HEER & WSS).
9 JEDBURGHS (MAYBE 6, PLUS 3 RESISTANCE).
PERIOD TENTAGE ONLY.
NO SET MEAL BREAKS - NEEDS TO BE COORDINATED FOR EATING IN THE FIELD.
300 AMMO LIMIT, 1000 FOR SUPPORT WEAPONS.
MINI SOCIAL AT ENDEX - BBQ, COUPLE OF BEERS (TOPS).
ORGANISER ROLES 2 0R 3 X GERMAN OFFICER.
1 X SAS OFFICER.
1 X JEDBURGH OFFICER.
THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR AN ORGANISER TO PLAY.
PROPS REQUIRED - ROADBLOCKS. AMMO BOXES. JERRYCANS. SENTRY BOXES? FIELD PHONES? RADIOS, RADIO CHATTER EFFECTS. AN OBJECTIVE SUCH AS A RADIO DIRECTION FINDER OR AMMO DUMP.
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STAGE 1 (Allow 2 hours for rotating sentries and work completed). (Immediately post initial CiA briefing)
Both teams move to their designated harbour areas, setup base. Sentries out. Clearance patrols out. Crackle barriers/cans on string/defences/Tentage up. Passwords. Jedburghs inserted at predetermined points.
STAGE 2. (afternoon)
Orders/tasks given.
SAS - Recce patrols tasked with finding German HQ, identifying supply routes and storage. Avoid contact. Report back to O.C with strengths, locations, routines. Link up with resistance workers/Jedburghs if possible, who will join the SAS, giving information regarding German HQ (if undiscovered by patrols).*
Germans - Setup roadblocks. Patrol roads (vehicles, if available). Foot patrols - search & destroy, prisoners if possible, the higher the rank, the better. If SAS HQ is discovered, report back with intel without bumping it. **
Resistance/Jeds - To remain hidden and evade German patrols, seek out and join British forces, with any intelligence gained regarding enemy forces.
(*) - As patrols report back in, collate information on master map. When patrols come in, allow rest & food but still maintain sentries (use patrols which come in earlier, after they have eaten). SAS will need to secure explosives from air supply drop to destroy objectives, as well as replacement kit for "captured" men.
(**) - For each "capture", the German commander may open a numbered envelope, which will contain the "intelligence" extracted from the prisoner. The captured player will be returned near to his HQ by an organiser, preferably by vehicle, after an hour, with zero kit and no weapon . Patrols may be rotated to allow "downtime" and food to be cooked.
STAGE 3. (evening)
SAS - Close target recces sent out. Task, to locate suitable start points for diversionary raid on supplies and to locate startline for main assault on German HQ. Return to HQ.
Resistance/Jeds to secure airdrops of supplies. To consist of holding torches skywards for 10 minutes at a designated point. An organiser to be present to reveal "ammo canisters", which will need to be taken back to HQ (make them heavy!). (Stereo with aircraft sounds?) If compromised, German supplies must be captured to secure explosives (potential sub mission for non drivers who are hardcore enough to play past 2359!).
Germans. Send out standing patrols. QRF to remain at HQ, ready for reported contacts or sightings (potential for "false alarms" by organisers to prevent boredom). Any captures will build up a picture of the SAS' intentions for day 2. Routine in camp maintained - a chance for those driving to get an early night.
ALL patrols to be in by 2359, to allow some sleep!
DAY 2
STAGE 1
1)First light. Reveille. Breakfast.
2) SAS - Prepare for assaults on German positions, orders given, move out.
Germans - Sentries and screening patrols out, camp routine. If sufficient intel was gained on day 1, commander has discretion to set ambushes on approach routes and change sentry locations/strengths.
3) SAS Diversionary assault.
4) Main Jedburgh/resistance assault.
Note - If the SAS are compromised on approach, a resulting fighting withdrawal may occur, all the way to the SAS HQ if necessary. This gives the Germans a chance to be on the attack if they were successful in gaining intel. The Jed's could still achieve their objective by stealth if this happens.
Endex. Debrief. BBQ. Pack up.
Hopefully, this will give time for drivers and softies to have plenty of "downtime" if they want it, without it impacting on those who want to get stuck in.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
My thoughts on camp areas/insertion point.
I would place the German encampment near the road and close to the site entrance - in the region of where we did the booking in last time. This is for three reasons:
a) It is an area not really touched by Germans at Churchills
b) Close to entrance & road - practical (and authentic) because Germans need rapid access to roadway and they will have a lot of kit, no point carting it through the site.
c) It turns the game through 180 degrees and will make it feel distinctly unfamiliar and different.
Place the SAS camp up on the far right of the site (looking from the entrance). That is to say, between the top track and the site boundary.
a) It will be the greatest distance away from the German camp and so less likely to have Germans wandering by
b) It is uphill and least likely to have wash-through in heavy rain (as did the German camp last time, bloody rivers!)
c) Leaves the entire site for play between camps
Have the Jeds inserted downhill to the left of the main entrance. In fairly close proximity to the German camp but on the other side of the wooded area.
a) No danger of immediate direct contact but it does put Jeds in a position of vulnerability. The could scout out the German camp easily undetected then move away either downhill or (cross-country if cover is high enough now) and make their way across the site to contact SAS, carrying out tasks en-route as required.
Heh! That's pretty much what Pete and I discussed when we looked at the site map the other week.
Yes, that's a good spot for the German camp. Plenty of cover round it, both for concealment and protection but also allowing recce patrols to approach unseen. Vehicle access is handy as well.
Talking of vehicles, if Dave Barret won't be there, the Brit's will have a very long walk to their campsite! I'm happy to use the wifes' 4x4 but it only holds so many people and will need concealing somewhere near the Brit base once ferrying is complete.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Yes, the vehicle thing needs thinking about. We do have Josh there so whether we can make use of his transit - only a passing thought and I would much rather not, in any case I'm not sure what the track conditions are like now, Guy did say they were very rutted now.
Leave this hanging until we know the score on Mr Barratt (which should be shortly, as soon as I can get hold of Keith - I see he is back!)
Access to that end of the site was much easier via the public road that ran across the end of the site. There was a barrier there that provided access to that end of the site so we could ask Allied players to take their vehicles there instead.
Of course, this is a little academic at the moment, because many of the wooded areas we are discussing could have been deforested.
300 rnds for riflemem 1000 for support?
I've a bit of an idea there. Extra ammo for support gunners can be taken out in batches of 500 - 1 bag per ammo box (PROPER ammo boxes) so it means a trade-off has to be acheived. Having a 2nd man for the MG means that he could lug 2 boxes around, doubling the ammo of the MG in the section, but the downside is that he has to stay with the gunner, so the section effectively loses a person.
Some more suggestions.
This event is supposed to be running midday sat to midday sunday, right? - so why the hell should the Germans stop patrolling at 23:59? all sections should be rostered for the 24hr period with regards to rest/kip periods, stagging on, patrolling and QRF - and when they're told to get their heads down for kip periods, they bloody well will! That way, we can run through the night (slacking off a bit, obviously) and people are still getting enough kip - not to mention allowing an absolute fuckload of time to get home compared to our one day events. I absolutely HATE the idea of the germans ceasing all activity at 23:59. There is no fucking WAY that I will allow the SAS and Jed's to "own the night" 
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
I don't think any of the Allies will be toting MGs - it doesn't really fit what they are up to. As for the axis - well I guess MGs would be OK at fixed positions, maybe crossroads, camp entrance and so on. But I seriously doubt they would get through much ammo as SAS/Jeds will be in and out and not much chance for sustained periods of fire from the German POV.
I'm sure we covered overnight play at the meeting? Didn't we say knock it off at 12pm then up at first light as the general rule but missions for those that want to work through the night?
Keep it lightweight overnight, but i'm sure that we need to use a roster system during the event - stag/sleeping/R&R/QRF - that way we dont end up with some poor sods spending the whole weekend tramping over the site as others opt for stagging-on at every opportunity. I certainly want all the germans standing-to at first light as well 
When we were a Kingdom it was run by a King
When we were an Empire it was run by an Empress
Now we're a country we're run by a..........
Stand to at first light is an SOP anyway. The 2359 cutoff was just an idea, because I reckon most of the punters will be flaked out by then PLUS anyone who's driving will need some uninterrupted sleep, especially those who have 4 or 5 hour drives. If the weather is actually hot, it'll magnify the fatigue. First light in July is about 0500hrs!
I would love to run it like a proper military exercise but, the players just won't be up to it.
As for ammo limits, well, I hate gay firefights, when people just piss their rounds away in the hope they'll hit something! Ammo carriers for MG's is a good idea but, I think smg's definitely need limiting. There shouldn't be much shooty bang bang anyway, particularly on the saturday. SAS/Jed's who burn off their ammo will find themselves in pretty deep shit, attracting attention to themselves behind enemy lines.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
With that in mind, anyone got a rifle I can borrow?! 
Having given it some thought and , taking Jays' comments on board, it may be best to stick with 600 rounds for grunts. However, I think the allies should have to recover/steal ammunition supplies in order to get this and initially start on 300 rounds. This achieves 2 things, 1 - It will discourage unnecessary contacts early on and, 2 - It creates a sub mission to secure more ammo, perhaps for the less stealthy/fit ones. I really like the idea of MG ammo being carried in tins, so shall we go with that too?
Should give a "slow burn" contacts wise, at least.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Yes, definitely limited ammo to start - at Ariel I gave the Brits 50 rounds each until we found our first ammo stash, didn't half make it tense!
New, more complete, scenario back story:
Situation hot
"4000 PARTISANS MUST RECEIVE HUNDRED BRENS, 1000 STENS, 1000 BATTLEDRESS. SITUATION HOT WILL EXPLODE IF ARMS NOT RECEIVED" So began the wireless telegraph message informing Special Force Headquarters in London on June 11 that Jedburgh team George was safely on the ground and operating. In a second message later that day the Jeds added an order for anti-tank weapons, carbines and equipment for an additional two thousand men.
Before the reception committee had cleared the drop zone of parachutes and bundles from team Frederick's landing Jed team George had jumped a few miles southeast. The two Stirlings carrying team George and the Dingson SAS party dropped their jumpers at little more than eight hundred feet. The men were anxious to leave the overcrowded bomber and when the green light glowed the Jed and SAS men spilled out as fast as the gaping bomb bay would allow...
The team and the SAS party had jumped into an area of scattered forests and isolated farms in the southeastern part of the Brittany peninsula.They walked to a farm called La Nouée just west of the hamlet of St-Marcel. This was to be the Dingson SAS base. The long barn was the headquarters of the St-Marcel maquis and they were in a festive mood. Girls showered them with kisses and poured them wine. And everyone acted as if the liberation had come. But eventually rational heads prevailed and the people worked through the remaining hours of darkness to bring the containers in from the drop zone...
The SAS had an efficient resupply system in place. Planes arrived - five to thirty per night - dumping arms, ammunition, explosives and more SAS men. By the fifteenth of June SAS Dingson and Jed team George had armed two thousand three hundred patriots, forming two large battalions. But inevitably the Germans came to know all about the farm called La Nouée and what went on there. The very success of the Dingson SAS enterprise with nightly air drops and endless radio communications was, in the end, its undoing.
By now the Allies were breaking out from their beachhead at Normandy and beginning their swift advance towards Germany. Several German divisions were headed towards Normandy as reinforcements but many more German units remained in place throughout France as reserves to maintain security in the rear and until the ground war came to them these units could devote much of their time and energy to hunting down guerrillas and Allied special forces. Eluding such units was the challenge now facing Jedburgh team Frederick.
Four thousand German troops moved into the area, surrounding it with roadblocks, motorised and foot patrols ravaged the countryside, raiding farms and homesteads. Troops combed every inch of forest during the well-planned operation. Germans began posting notices warning citizens that Allied parachutists were nothing but spies and terrorists and if captured such men would be shot immediately along with anyone else found helping them. But such treats had little effect on maquis operations and team Frederick's workload increased.
Relief began on the night of July 10th when Jedburgh teams Felix and Giles jumped. With more supplies to follow and more Jeds on the ground the maquis could be more efficiently coordinated for the campaign of patrol and truck convoy ambushes, attacking enemy fuel dumps, blowing rail lines, and sabotaging German communications...
Excellent stuff! I see you've been paying attention to my book! 
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Yes, it opened my eyes (and a shameless distillation of author's words!). I thought Jeds were commandos, blowing stuff up right left and centre. I hadn't appreciated their admin and organisation capacity, nor the breadth of their deployment nor indeed the scale of the fighting force they built up within the France and how much it hindered the German's response to invasion. Unbelievably brave and resourceful people.
Somehow I don't think "Fill the large tin 3/4 with water and set to boil. As the water is heating, dice the potatoes into 1cm cubes, no need to peel them. Put the diced tatties into the hot water and boil them. Meanwhile peel and dice the onion and chop the corned beef into 1cm cubes. Keep them separate. Test the tatties by sticking a fork in them. When they seem slightly soft they're ready (about 8 mins). Drain them and set aside." came into their heads too often - in any case they thought nothing of popping into a cafe when the opportunity arose!
Enjoying the Jeds book! I like the "We needed people who would make trouble" bit.
Aaaaanyway, isn't it about time we started talking more in earnest about this? We've discussed outline game plans and props and the like but where are we at with it all properly?
The drop-off points and everything else make sense, as well as the regen etc, but we really could do with tying it all down. June's a busy month and we're only 7 weeks away now.
Where are we at with props? We were talking about the mortars for the regular barrages etc. We have one that is currently out of commission, what about others?
Also we could do with talking specifics around capture, interrogation and release as well as contingency if things go FUBAR.
Also, what do you think about 2ic for the Jeds? We currently have six including me, I think Stu would make the best leader for one of the other 3-man teams. If we do get 9 booked in, what are your thoughts about Bedsnherts as another.
Currently I see the two teams as:
Me/Stu
Martin Sole (Bedsnherts)
Stephen Saunders
Me/Stu
Andy Kneale (Steiner)
Richard Vaughan (Lardassmonkey)
Stephen Saunders is Martin's mate so I imagine they want to be together.
Also I think we should make more about opening up the booking to the possibility of Partisans on the Jed and SAS teams as people don't seem to have cottoned on to that side of things. It will allow those without the right sort of kit (or minimal kit) to book in and will increase inclusiveness.
It could get messy and confusing with 'French' on both sides, but how about the option of Vichy on the German side?
S
No, I'm not bothered about partisans and this wasn't part of Pete's plan - this would lead to the possibility of three groups on the allied side which wouldn't help one bit and the emphasis needs to be on Germans numbers, not allies. Besides, the SAS are French SAS so if anyone wants to put on a French accent then they are welcome (or indeed French Jed)!
Likewise, this thing is going to be hard enough without having to deal with Vichy on the German side who would expect to do things differently - we are running the German side on military lines don't forget.
We discussed specifics around capture, interrogation and release at the training day, so that is sorted.
Pete with be bringing the finalised game plan to Cassino so I'll have the opportunity to go over it face to face, which is a bit easier when it comes to resolving perceived difficulties.
I'm not bothered about 2ICs for Jeds, as far as I can see you are in charge and just need a squad leader, not more people in charge. Stu is obviously a strong contender and if I were in your place I'd hold great weight to his squad.
Props: Yes, info on progress of both new mortars would be useful and we could do with putting an order into TLSFX for mortar rounds ASAP so we aren't caught out by lead times - and an enquiry about making smoke mortar rounds would be useful.
I now have the large packs off Yith so we are OK for four radio packs.
RE: French, Pete's original post mentioned "9 JEDBURGHS (MAYBE 6, PLUS 3 RESISTANCE)." SO I just though it might be something for people with limited kit to look into. I'm not bothered either way.
2ic/squad leader.... That's what I meant. Just that we'll need to work as separate squads so someone on the 'inside' is good.
I'll get on to TLSFX to find out about the smoke rounds. An idea of numbers would be good. Perhaps 30 or so? Plus do we need some bangs for the Jed demo teams? If so, Mk9s would be best I reckon.
