Rescue

I put myself down to run a game of Torpedoes & Tides at our club last night, and Daniel was up for a game. When looking for a suitable scenario I was inspired by some browsing I'd done on the wartime service of Doctor Who actors (we're watching a lot of Doctor Who at the moment). Anyway, it turns out that the Second Doctor (1966-69), Patrick Troughton, served in the RNVR as an officer on an MGB then an MTB and finally a Fairmile B motor-launch on rescue duty. So in honour of this discovery I thought I'd run the Rescue scenario from the rules. 

Here's Patrick Troughton (highlighted) and the crew of MGB 603 in 1942.

And again (second from left) with the crew of  ML 514 in 1944.

It should be added that he was mentioned in dispatches for one of his actions. 

Anyway, I set up the sea rescue scenario from the book, with the British running the rescue, but added an armed trawler (HMS Sodor) to the British force and a V-boat with an 88mm gun to the German patrol. 

The British had a single MGB, two Fairmile B motor launches and the trawler. The German patrol consisted of two KFKs, an R-boat and the V-boat. We designated one ML as having Lieutenant Troughton on board. 

Daniel, playing the British. got lucky; the first of the three possible locations for the downed aircrew turned out to be the one, and they rolled OK for how many actions it would take to rescue them. Laying smoke the MGB zipped in to pick them up. The Germans were still shapes in the darkness at this stage. 

As the rescue started the Germans came in, guns blazing. The MGB started taking hits. Shooting was easy thanks to an unhelpful full moon.

The V-boat fired its 88mm and inflicted a damaging hit on  the little British boat. 

The rescue attempt was not looking good. Attempting it in the face of an advancing German patrol may not have been the best plan. 

I got too excited though. I activated one of teh KFKs to shoot at the gunboat, which was all well and good, but the mandatory movement saw me collide with the R-boat I should have activated first so that it was out of the way. Silly me.

The R-boat was seriously damaged. 

Thanks to the full moon everything was pretty much revealed now, and firing enthusiastically. HMS Sodor used its 4" gun to take a pop at the V-boat, and damaged it. 

The firing was too much for the MGB, which broke off from the rescue and headed for home, It had completed about half the mission though. 

Another shot from HMS Sodor sank the V-boat. 

And that was too much for the damaged R-boat who also headed for home. 

So I was now left with two KFKs against a British force that was still looking pretty sprightly. I took a potshot at Troughton's boat, but just caused everyone to duck for cover. 

The KFK then ran alongside HMS Sodor, causing no damage but being set on fire in return.

It really wasn't going well for the Germans. 

The other Fairmile B came up and finished off the rescue mission. Both f my KFKs were either too damaged or too far away to prevent this. 

The Fairmile headed for home, with the whole aircrew now rescued. 

As it did so, HMS Sodor finished off the damaged KFK. 

So the British rescued all of the downed aircrew and, in the process, sank two German vessels. A convincing win for the British.

And Patrick Troughton survived.