Rescue Biccles! - A Through The Mud & The Blood Game

Dave valiantly braved man flu, the wind and the rain to visit OHQ for our first game of 2014, a Great War game using Through the Blood and the Mud rules, together with one of the scenarios from Winter Sports in one of the Lardie winter specials. Allied flying ace Biccles has had to land his damaged crate in no mans land where he has been captured by the dastardly Hun.

Dazed by the bumpy landing and in the failing light Biccles heads for the wrong trench lines

Biccles is soon captured by the superior numbers of Hun

The commander of the nearest trench section Major "Tubby" Bykleigh decides this is just not cricket and orders Lt. Reggie Rawnsley to gather a force of volunteers for a night raid to locate and rescue Biccles. Reggie has a force of 2 NCOs and 28 men for the task, a good mixture of bombers, rifle grenadiers and seasoned trench fighters together with a Lewis gun for additional fire support. The going across no mans land was slow, but it also seems to raise little observation by the German sentries indeed two are eventually set upon but manage to fight off their attackers before belatedly being overcome.

The two groups of British then moved down the communication trenches in search of the command dug-out where Biccles was believed to be held, over on the right the group by-passed the one bunker to deal with the German MG which had now been deployed. Over on the left the group there was attacked by Germans leaving their dugout, this group contained the tough trench fighters, bombers who made short shrift of them, capturing their NCO in the process.

Feldwebel Schultz Is Lead To The Rear

They then located the command dugout and were able to spring Biccles, by this time the general alarm was raised and German reinforcements began to arrive, the British prepared to evacuate sending ahead Biccles and Cpl. Stan Stafford ahead whilst they prepared to beat back the German counter attack. The Germans seemed very wary and the British were able to get an healthy head start, there seemed little chance of recapturing Biccles and the British retreat was covered by Lt. Rawnsley and the rifle grenade and Lewis team so the Germans did not pursue beyond the front line trench.

The Belated Arrival Of German Reinforcements 

There you have it a rather brief overview but I hope it gives a good idea of the action, only a few pics too as one pic of figures in a trench is much the same as another. If you are wondering about the colour of the pics I thought this would give an impression of night.

TTFN

Biccles Is Lead To Freedom