AAR - 'On the Day, Went the Eagle's Landing Well?' - Part 4

PART 4 – THE WOMEN’S LAND ARMY COME OUT FIGHTING!

At the sound of all the gunfire coming from the outskirts of Much-Piddling, some of the military personnel from the Hall come to investigate. Led by CPO Pertwee here, backed up by Colonel Grytpype-Thynne, Sid Staines and Chief Warden Hodges. Sergeant-Major G’Bond is about to leap over the hedge into Cold Comfort farm.

The villagers and the Women’s Institute, also alerted by the sounds of war are rushing up the road to see what is going on. Here we see the redoubtable Dame Edith FitzPilchard leading the advance, followed by Betty Slocombe, Peggy Carter and Mary Berry. ‘Stilton’ Cheesewright joins the throng.

The girls of the Women’s Land Army are swift to react and emerge from Cold Comfort Farm with shotguns blasting!

As the Luftwaffe make a flanking move to mercilessly cut down the wounded Home Guard a surprise awaits them. Well, it should do, but some very poor weapon maintenance now rears its ugly head.

‘Just before war was declared, Peter Fleming, then a reserve officer in the Grenadier Guards, was recruited by the War Office research section investigating the potential of irregular warfare. His initial task was to develop ideas to assist the Chinese guerrillas fighting the Japanese. He served in the Norwegian campaign with the prototype commando units – Independent Companies – but in May 1940 he was tasked with research into the potential use of the new Local Defence Volunteers (later the Home Guard) as guerrilla troops. His ideas were first incorporated into General Thorne's XII Corps Observation Unit, forerunner of the GHQ Auxiliary Units. Fleming recruited his brother, Richard, then serving in the Faroe Islands, to provide a core of Lovat Scout instructors to his teams of LDV volunteers. When Colin Gubbins was appointed to head the new Auxiliary Units, he incorporated many of Peter's ideas, which aimed to create secret commando teams of Home Guard in the coastal districts most liable to the risk of invasion. Their role was to launch sabotage raids on the flanks and rear of any invading army, in support of regular troops, but they were never intended as a post-occupation 'resistance' force, having a life expectancy of only two weeks.’ (Wiki)

Captain Peter Fleming appears from the secret entrance of the Auxiliary Unit bunker. I was expecting Captain Fleming to have quite an impact (as Starkadder did) on the game, however with his first shot his rifle jammed! Being camouflaged in his ghillie suit and hearing only a click, the Luftwaffe failed to observe his presence. I believe that on no less than five occasions the same thing happened. The dice were cursed!

Meanwhile, the girls of the WLA put up a stiff resistance causing a delay in the Luftwaffe’s attempt to get to the Hall and obtain the much-needed charter. Here, Honoria Glossop and Lady Florence Cray advance under heavy fire to try and take out Zimmermann and his MG-15.

Refusing to give up in the face of overwhelming fire-power, the girls were cruelly shot down by their barbarous foe.

To be continued…