Operation Parakeet

South Georgia, April 1982. British arctic researchers and naturists are held by Argentine Special Forces at the old coaling station of Penguin Inlet. With all attention on Grytviken, a scratch team of SBS/SAS troopers and a platoon of Royal Marines are tasked to "get the bloody Penguin twitchers out and don't let anyone slot them."

The SAS / SBS land at dusk and observe the settlement; the Marines are delayed by strong currents and engine trouble, with dawn rising and the Marines slogging up the far side of the Glacier, Sgt Chaz tells his 7 lads - "let's just f**cki*ng do it."

Penguin Inlet: South Georgia

They divide into two bricks - Sgt Chaz and troopers Gaz, Daz and Baz going left and Sgt Mike, Jake, Stan and Goffy going right; each brick has M16s, a M203 and a couple of LAWs. The first buildings are empty. The next, to judge by the empty tins and a grimace from Stan, are occupied.....an Argie steps out of the right hand shack, goes to call an alarm and is dropped. It all goes loud as 203 rounds thump into the shacks, followed by M16 fire. The buildings are clear. Mike's brick pushes up to the house adjacent to the slipway and spot a clutch of Argies over the road; they open fire and drop the Argies but Mike goes down. Meanwhile Chaz's brick is up to a small shack on the road, Baz and Gaz break left to move up to the house next to the Church......"Action LEFT" as a squad of Argies bundles out, firing...."ACTION FRONT!" as FNs are poked out of the windows of a house over the track.

 SAS/SBS Firing line working forward

The entire settlement is engulfed as the Brits put out fire. The Argies to the left are grenaded and scatter but a stray round drops Daz; Baz puts some down range but a rife grenade goes off far too close and he's down too.  Mike's brick is under fire now with Goffy put out of action.

Its looking a bit tight for the SAS/SBS but Chaz unlimbers a LAW and fires it at the house across the road - demolishing the chimney; its followed by some 203 rounds that rattle the windows. Doors are slamming and some Argies run towards the church - are they going for the civvies? They get dropped.

 Protagonisti: Chaz, Gaz, Daz and Baz

Mike is cut off from his guys as they are on the other side of the shack putting fire down the road - he slots a couple of Argies across the slipway and ducks back head ringing from a grenade. Shaking his head, he gets the M16 online and drops two more Args. He steps back into a porch and covers the right flank.

While everyone else (about two blokes in all) put out covering fire, Chaz leads Gaz in a looping run around to the side door of the church...."BRITISH ARMY!!".....size tens are applied to the door which is stuck firm. Cheers and singing of Rule Britannia are heard from the church as the door gets another good kicking but succumbs to a pew wielded by some large Arctic Survey lads.

Two brave Argies run out the back of the house

to set up a fire position in cover

Bullets rip into the settlement as an Argie MAG MG up on the hill opens up. Its a long shot but Jake cycles his 203, raises the M16 and plonks a grenade onto the gun team. The civilians pour out of the church and are ushered to cover; its all oddly quiet. The troopers scout around quickly and help their wounded up and away. Sgt Chaz gets on the radio "Penguin One Alpha to Penguin Actual. We have run out of Argies. Out."

Sgt Chaz: unhurt
Troopers
Gaz: unhurt
Daz: torn 'tache
Baz: killed

Sgt Mike: unhurt
Troopers
Jake: demon with the 203
Stan: ripped copy of Penthouse
Goffy: dented tin of Chicken Supreme

Game hosted and run by Mark, played with a liberally interpreted Voyages Extraordinaire from Wessex Games.

Cheers
Maff

More DPM Hordes!

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Just as I think I've got my backlog of DPM cracked - I find my parcel from Rolf Hedges waiting for me at home  this evening.

Inside are Liberation Miniatures' Falklands era SAS and SAS support,  Vietnam era Oz SAS (Odd Angry Shot an all that),  1970/80's squaddie odds and sods plus a pack of AK47 types wearing balaclavas.

The 22 SAS lads have a variety of head dress and come with M16's. The Falklands SAS Support Pack has 4 figures with M16/203, 2 GPMG and 2 Bren. These are lovely models. Most are bareheaded and Rolf does nice bareheads - one in balaclava in each pack, two in knitted cap.

See Richard's beautiful Cold War Hot Hot Hot blog for great photos of these minis painted.

 Rolf Hedges 20mm OZSAS

2nd from left has an M79 Blooper and a Shotgun!

(pics cour tesy of RH Model forum)

Whereas the Oz SAS are mostly bareheaded, one in a beret and have a range of weapons and kit. The weapons include including four poses armed with SLRs, one having an SLR plus underslung grenade launcher (weakest figure in entire package I'm afraid), silenced Stirling, three M16s and a fantastic, yes fantastic character with an M79 Blooper in right hand AND a shotgun in his left. All in all, excellent DPM fodder for disparate Rebel forces.

if you wanted to build a rebel/militia force for your own Winter of '79, using Rolf's figures, I'd suggest a minimum of the Oz SAS plus Falklands SAS Support pack. If you want a more revolutionary look to the force, go for the Falklands SAS pack. Use these as your core forces and expand with other miniatures from Rolf's Urban Terror range and others to suit your needs.

Cheers
Mark
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Operation Dyno-Rod: After Action Report

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"We have been able to piece together the dramatic events that brought to a close the dramatic siege at East Whittington Town Hall. Based on a document obtained by the Daily Mail......"

19:15 Zulu

• Control received from Civil Power. Op Dyno-Rod cleared

19:25 Zulu

• Alpha rappel to 1st Floor Front from roof and blow in window to Small Function Suite 
• Bravo standby to blow roof cupola
• Charlie / Delta approach rear windows via Registry Office garden
• Sierra teams target windows

19:25.30 Zulu

• Alpha engage 3xTango in SMF, 6xHotels secured
• Bravo blow roof cupola and abseil into Main Function Suite
• Bravo engage 1xTango from abseil rope
• Charlie enter via rear windows into Rates Office
• Charlie engage 1xTango
• Delta enter via rear windows into Payment Office
• Delta engage 1xTango

19:26 Zulu

• Box 500 identify firing in Main Hall
• Alpha divert from 1st Floor down stairs to lobby of MH
• Alpha engage 1xTango
• Bravo move up to Mayoral Suite and Admin office
• Charlie move up to doors to MH
• Delta move up to doors to MH

19:26.30 Zulu

• Box 500 identify firing in Ground Floor Typing Pool
• Alpha move to GFTP, dynamic entry
• Alpha enage 2xTangos, secure 8xHotel
• Bravo (1&2) enter Mayoral Suite
• Bravo (1&2) engage 3xTangos, secure 6xHotel
• Bravo (3&4) enter Admin Office
• Bravo (3&4) engage 2xTangos, secure 3xHotel
• Charlie & Delta enter MH, engage DIXBY, PARSLOW, 3rd Tango
• DIXBY shoots Delta 3, all Tangos neutralised

19:27 Zulu

• Alpha clear Ground Floor West
• Bravo clear 1st Floor
• Charlie clear Ground Floor East
• Delta move Hotels to garden for processing

19:28 Zulu

• Target clear, IED in main lobby door disarmed.

19:30 Zulu

• Control returned to Civil Power 

Debrief:

1. SAS teams by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures
2. Tangos (Terrorists) by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures & Platoon 20 from East Riding Miniatures
3. Hotels (Hostages) by Combat Miniatures (ex-Hotspur) from Stonewall Figures
4. Rules: Cold War: 1983 from Wessex Games plus bits from others as appropriate.

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Operation Dyno-Rod

" Good evening. We are interrupting Top Of The Pops with important news from East Whittington"

"This is Bob Langley live at East Whittington. There has just been an explosion, followed by several shots; there were then a series of smaller explosions with more shooting - which is still going on; I can clearly here an almost constant level of firing coming from the Hall. Are you picking it up on the mike? Yes, you should be be hearing the shooting as well. Its stopped now and we should be .. .no there it goes again, more shooting in the Hall and a quite final sounding shot or two there and it's gone quiet. Now I can hear ambulances heading this way. Something has happened, something very dramatic indeed....I can see DCI Hacker, a man in a grey suit and an army officer heading this way. We have an anouncement I think....

 East Whittington Town Hall

"As you know I am DCI Hacker; at 7.15 this evening communications with the terrorists broke down and shots were fired within the Town Hall. A body could be seen in the lobby. Control of the situation was passed to the Army. Brigadier Wallis has a short statement."

"Thank you. Following the transfer of control from the Civil Power, a well rehearsed and prepared plan was put into action to negotiate the release of the hostages by direct action. This was called Operation Dyno-Rod. A number of teams from the Special Air Service Regiment accessed the Hall at various points; resistance was met and dynamically overcome. One hostage was shot by the terrorists and one trooper was fatally wounded. Apart from one prisoner, all the terrorists were neutralised. Control has now been passed to the Civil Power - I will hand you over to Mr McTavish of the Home Office" 

"Tangos Down!"

"Brigadier, I would like to add some detail to the situation. Fourteen terrorists had taken control of the Town Hall; there were 43 hostages - many of whom were council employees. One was murdered by the terrorists prior to Operation Dyno-rod and another was shot before the SAS breached the room where many of the hostages were held. I believe DCI Hacker has some final words...."

"Yes, There will of course be an inquest into all the deaths this evening and I'm going to stamp out any speculation - yes, Miss Claire Dixby was one of the terrorists. Her precise role isnt clear she may well have been one of the ringleaders along with Richard "Rik" Parslow, the leader of "Red Spike". I'd like to thank the Brigadier and his lads for a job well done."

This is Bob Langley at East Whittington for BBC1 News"

Hull is For Heroes: Intro

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 "Bravo Team. We have intelligence of an illegal arms shipment on a Cypriot registered freighter heading for Hull. The weapons appear to have been stolen from a Norwegian army barracks last month and are being transported in a blue SMERSK LINE container. 

We are going to take the ship when it hits British waters before they have a chance to offload the gear onto smaller vessels.  Seems there are some British nationals on board - we suspect they are armed and accompanying the merchandise. We need to keep a couple alive.
 

A Royal Navy Sea King will drop Bravo and Charlie Teams on the main deck at 05:15 hrs zulu. Charlie will locate and secure the cargo, Bravo will take the bridge and secure the hatches leading topside before  clearing the accomodation areas and engineering. We'll then hand over to the Royal Navy to take the credit".

......four hours later........
 

"Shit! A fog bank is preventing the chopper from flying to the target. We'll have to take her as she enters Hull Harbour. The new plan is to stow aboard the Pilot boat and storm the target when it docks alongside. Check your gear, load up the Range Rovers. We are about to break the land speed record on the M42......."

Combat Minis 20mm SAS in 'Black Kit'

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Perhaps the most iconic military image of the 1980's, was created by the black-clad, hooded and gasmasked SAS troopers who brought a dramatic end to the Iranian Embassy Siege in London, right in front of the TV and camera lenses of the world's press.

Not surprisingly, after a mammoth session playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Maff and I have both stumped up for our very own 20mm (ex-Hotspur) Combat Miniatures' SAS teams in 'black kit' from Stonewall Miniatures.

Combat Miniatures 20mm: Urban Operations Range

URBN2 SAS in Operation Nimrod Equipment

(photo from Sapper Joe's blog, used with permission)

Mine arrived yesterday in a parcel of mixed goodies. My thanks to Mark at Stonewall for a quick & painless purchase. All in all very nice figures. I'm going to buy at least one additional pack from Stonewall to give me three teams - Embassies & Town Halls "storming, for the use of". I also plan to convert at least one of the figures kneeling firing the Browning pistol into a standing firing pose.

Cheers

Mark

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