It's been a couple of weeks since I had my WW2 coastal forces out (some of which is due to my having been on holiday - a fairly valid excuse).
Today I played the next scenario in my campaign following the career of Lt Cdr Harvey Knight.
After five missions to intercept convoys (with varying degrees of success), the SNO decided to give Harvey a different assignment, and he was tasked with landing an agent on the Dutch coast. Along with his own MTB 413 Knight selected he two MGBs to accompany him - MGB 91 under Lt Dean and MGB 103 under Lt McDonald. In order to allow Knight to engage any large escorts with his torpedoes the agent was entrusted to Lt McDonald.
They quickly approached the coast, avoiding the minefields intelligence said were there, and McDonald headed towards the landing point. A shell-splash off his stern showed that a German patrol had spotted them, and that they had a big ship with a big gun - a Verpostenboot with an 88mm.
Knight brought MTB 413 in fast and unleashed his torpedoes.
The escort was sunk.
The second escort - an R-boat - closed rapidly with McDonald's boat, but its crew was sent diving for cover by some accurate fire from the British vessel.
The tenacious German continued to close and kept McDonald's boat under fire, but seemed unable to inflict any damage.
The other two boats closed up to support McDonald, who was now landing the agent.
Things were getting very tight indeed; a lapse of concentration on the part of any boat would see a collision.
The bold German started to take damage but kept firing. The agent was quickly landed, but the German might still spot them ending the mission.
McDonald began to lay smoke to cover the agent, but Dean was the hero of the hour; accurate fire from his crew saw the German boat explode.
The three British boats headed for home, with no damage and two sunk escorts to their credit, as well as an agent successfully landed.
They encountered no surprises on the way home. Knight's reputation increased off the back of this flawless mission, and the crews at the base rose to the occasion by repairing the damage from previous missions on all of his boats.
Harvey Knight's reputation is now at 4, so he's eligible for a medal. All of his boats are fighting fit and are at least competent. Things are going well for our hero.
