Mission #6 - A Coy/RCR Campaign, Sicily to Ortona, Italy, 1943

ChappyNS

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TURN 1 (CDN)


12973


The intelligence briefing said that without doubt, there were Germans in the village, guarding the main road towards the south. They weren't wrong.

As Capt Dillon and 2 Pl moved quickly forward towards the woods at the edge of the village, he glanced back over his shoulder to the right, and saw Sgt Chapman directing the setting up of the MMG and two mortar teams on a small bump of a hill. Dillon knew from orders that the support group was initially going to provide fire support onto the larger hill where 1 Pl was advancing. Next Dillon looked left, and he could see the company scouts moving quickly forward and towards the village. As his men moved into the woods they stepped more gingerly than normal, for they knew the reputation of the Fallschirmjaeger with booby traps, and the extra little hesitation and observation could mean a trip wire found and death averted. As his lead section moved next to a wooden house, they noticed a squad of Germans in the same woods nearby, and another squad across the street hidden in a copse of trees. The nearby squad was completely surprised (panic) by the presence of the Canadians and hunkered down, while the squad across the street promptly moved through a gap in the hedge and occupied a house. It was then that Dillon heard the launch of a mortar bomb from his own platoon mortar team, and saw the impact high on the ridge ahead.

Maj Liddell (that has a nice ring to it, he thought) and 1 Pl stormed up the hill and into some dense brush; they pushed hard, making it to the top of one of several peaks on this hill. Breathing heavily, he looked down to the north side of the ridge and saw Capt Bowman and 3 Pl moving as fast as they could. 3 Pl was going to try and outflank the enemy position. He glanced southwest to the next peak. There was small valley separating both peaks, with woods occupying the side of the hill. He peered into the tree line with his binoculars. He couldn't see any enemy forces there, but he found several locations that would make good defensive positions. It was time for some speculative fire. "1 Platoon! 200 meters! Reference middle of woods, one finger right! Fire!" Liddell watched the tracers from the brens impact into the trees with deadly accuracy, but after twenty seconds it was apparent that no enemy was there. (Liddell and his troops incurred a nice 2MC, but there was no one there to feel the lead)

One thing that was interesting this turn was that I had to roll not one, but two long range activation attempts (S5.32). I can't remember when I last made one of those (mission #1 maybe?)

12975
 

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Yes, indeed! Limiting the sheer quantity of bad luck results is surely a good idea!

Again, moving fast and furious may preclude that; we'll see, as doing so doesn't correlate well with minimizing activations. I've no doubt you'll carefully balance the situation at hand -- look forward to seeing those 'set of skills' at work :)

My mother was Belgian and on top of that my Belgian Grandfather's name was Marc, may they both rest in peace. So, the influence is Frankish, if not 100% French :)
Very nice! In Canada, which is bilingual, the name spelled as "Marc" usually (but not always) means that the individual is French. I guess my hunch was kinda half correct? :)
 

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Interesting deployment for turn one -- it would be helpful to 'explode' the stacks so we could see what you got where...if that is possible to do easily in the future...?

I guess the SSR for the campaign will usually yield 548 for the German? I'll have to look at the campaign rules to get up to speed...

That command radius of 2 requires units be within LOS, which is a nuisance, isn't it? It looks like you are willing to risk some leaderless panic with the Mortar (crew?) and in 50G4; further, the Canadians don't have a chain of command deployment from 50D2, where I assume your best leader is at the moment?

You are actually spread out more than usual for concentration tactics and more than I would usually risk because I hate panic LOL; perhaps this reflects the fast/furious aspect as the amoeba-like concentration/control has less attack flexibility to achieve your objectives? I'll reread your initial strategy pointers...

Truth be told it's been some time since I've poured the energy needed into SASL but these reports stir the blood to pull out those charts at give it a go again!
 

ChappyNS

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Interesting deployment for turn one -- it would be helpful to 'explode' the stacks so we could see what you got where...if that is possible to do easily in the future...?

I guess the SSR for the campaign will usually yield 548 for the German? I'll have to look at the campaign rules to get up to speed...

That command radius of 2 requires units be within LOS, which is a nuisance, isn't it? It looks like you are willing to risk some leaderless panic with the Mortar (crew?) and in 50G4; further, the Canadians don't have a chain of command deployment from 50D2, where I assume your best leader is at the moment?

You are actually spread out more than usual for concentration tactics and more than I would usually risk because I hate panic LOL; perhaps this reflects the fast/furious aspect as the amoeba-like concentration/control has less attack flexibility to achieve your objectives? I'll reread your initial strategy pointers...

Truth be told it's been some time since I've poured the energy needed into SASL but these reports stir the blood to pull out those charts at give it a go again!

Interesting deployment for turn one -- it would be helpful to 'explode' the stacks so we could see what you got where...if that is possible to do easily in the future...?

I do this at the start (see above map) and sometimes when the situation gets scrambled. If I remember, I will explode the stacks at the start of each turn unless it blocks certain things that I need you guys to see

I guess the SSR for the campaign will usually yield 548 for the German? I'll have to look at the campaign rules to get up to speed...

As per the scenario designer's instructions, each MMC that is generated is rolled as follows: 1-4 (548), 5 (447), 6 (426)

That command radius of 2 requires units be within LOS, which is a nuisance, isn't it? It looks like you are willing to risk some leaderless panic with the Mortar (crew?) and in 50G4; further, the Canadians don't have a chain of command deployment from 50D2, where I assume your best leader is at the moment?

Yes I'm willing to risk the one mortar crew and the scouts in 50G4 for now. My best leader, the company commander, is assaulting the hill. Sgt Chapman has the firebase in 50G2

You are actually spread out more than usual for concentration tactics and more than I would usually risk because I hate panic LOL; perhaps this reflects the fast/furious aspect as the amoeba-like concentration/control has less attack flexibility to achieve your objectives? I'll reread your initial strategy pointers...

As long as there is one leader per platoon, I have no problem. And even if that leader should happen to fail now and again (and it happens), the 458s have a good chance of passing their own cmd check and carrying on. As far as concentration goes, like I discussed earlier, there are times based on geography/time when you are forced to break the company up into platoons to secure platoon-based objectives, like this mission for instance. But you can still concentrate your platoons, and sometimes your neighbouring platoons can assist with flanking fire as the situation flows

Truth be told it's been some time since I've poured the energy needed into SASL but these reports stir the blood to pull out those charts at give it a go again!

Excellent! In some aspects I prefer SASL to ASL as a game - I love the SASL Cmd rules, something that is hopefully adapted for ASL someday (although I am not holding my breath). Far too often in ASL you see squads way off on their own like little "Rat Patrols" and doing their own thing without penalty. But I know cmd rules are not everyones cup of tea
 

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TURN 2 (CDN)

13035


Capt Dillon noticed the nearby Germans in the woods exit their hiding places, running to the rear in some panic as a result of the accurate fire of the rifle section to his left. He next ordered 2 Pl to occupy the wooden houses that lined the street, and in doing so they could now see the squad of Germans across the street in the wooden house.

(Note: there was a S? counter in 50D7 that was activated by my advance into the wooden house. I rolled a "2" which was AFV. Yikes! On the German AFV chart I rolled a SPW251, but because it is not fully tracked it cannot go into the house hex and is therefore a prohibited placement meaning loss of the S? See S5.61. A classic case of being very unlucky and then very lucky. If that was a tank instead there would have been some messy underwear)

Sgt Chapman noticed the mortar team below him....they were fumbling with the mortar bombs - clearly anxious and unable to get bombs on target (panic). Chapman got his mortars in action and they rained bombs down onto the woods area on the high feature, but clearly there were no Germans there. (5aN8 dummy) He also noticed the scouts backtrack and move into the woods in front of him. There were lots of snipers out there, and their new task was to find them before they struck (ie sniper screen). Chapman moved his mortars and MMG lower down the hill, as he was anticipating a new target.

Maj Liddell had 1 Pl repeat its firepower demonstration on the same woods, this time in the exact centre of the wood line. Again there were no enemy present! (5aM9 dummy) After the spec fire was completed, he had 1 Pl advance to the other side of the peak. It was at this time that he noticed about five German soldiers in the final section of woods on top of the hill. His men went to ground and sited in on the small group of soldiers. (HS in 5aM10, not shown in photo because I noticed the LOS after the fact)

Capt Bowman ran his troops down the street and into the village, passing through pristine orchards and untouched houses. All the while he was glancing uphill to make sure his platoon had cover from the Germans who were surely lurking above in the hills. Just past the cemetery he noticed a lone wooden house on the lower level of the hill, and decided this would be a good covered approach for a right flanking...


TURN 2 (GER)

13037


Capt Bowman's men had just occupied the wooden house on the hill and when they positioned themselves at the windows on the other side of the house, they noticed some Germans up the hill in some brush. "MG42!!!!"

Note: I rolled German RE #44 which is HMG with elite squad and a leader that replace a S? that has a LOS to FRIENDLY units closest to the EBE. They are in hex 5aJ13.

Capt Dillon saw the squad across the street fire at him and his platoon with little effect, although rounds passed so close to him that he ducked and remained with his head down for a minute (he was pinned). The section with the bren opened fire upon the woods where the routed squad had taken cover. He suddenly noticed a German NCO with another group of ten soldiers who were levelling their weapons towards 2 Pl. But for some reason, they failed to fire back in any concerted manner (panic). Meanwhile, the other rifle section in the house trained their PIAT upon the house across the street and launched their projectile into the side of the house with a loud bang. The Germans broke and fled out the back door, carrying some of their wounded, and disappeared from sight.

Sgt Chapman was glad that he moved the company firebase down the hill a little, for now he could see the lower hill in the nearest wooded area (5aN7). His skilled mortar teams went to work lobbing bombs, and through his binoculars he noticed several bodies flying in the air from the bombs, while the remainder of the Germans in that area picked up and ran up the hill and into the woods at the top. The MMG fired away to encourage their progress up the hill.

Maj Liddell saw the Germans down below but he had other problems. The small group of Germans to his front were firing at his platoon, so in a massive concentration of platoon firepower, they were promptly riddled with rounds, and had now become dead and dying (5aM10)

The MG42 riddled the house with bullets, but Capt Bowman noted with some relief that the impacts were way too high. But he knew the Germans would adjust quickly. He ordered his platoon to engage them but the men were unnerved and made no significant impact on the elite German paras.

Canadians have 2 CVPs
 

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(Note: there was a S? counter in 50D7 that was activated by my advance into the wooden house. I rolled a "2" which was AFV. Yikes! On the German AFV chart I rolled a SPW251, but because it is not fully tracked it cannot go into the house hex and is therefore a prohibited placement meaning loss of the S? See S5.61. A classic case of being very unlucky and then very lucky. If that was a tank instead there would have been some messy underwear)
Chicken! Put it in bypass! :LOL:?o_O
 

dlazov

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Mark in both those screenshots to me it looks like that MTR team in 50A4 is in CMD, due to Sgt. Chapman, within 2 and in LOS, no?
 

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actually that's interesting, because that's a tactic that players use a lot to shield their vehicles in the real game. The SASL rules might take that into consideration as well....
The SASL rules do take this into account as I mentioned above. See rule S5.61 on prohibitive locations. It actually has this exact situation as an example. Rulebooks are great eh? :)
 

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The SASL rules do take this into account as I mentioned above. See rule S5.61 on prohibitive locations. It actually has this exact situation as an example. Rulebooks are great eh? :)
Of course, you played the situation by the rules, no issue with that; doesn't mean the rules are always great, even if the rulebooks are...naturally, we look for every way, shape and form possible to get those enemy ?S off the map!

But, no, I disagree, the rules don't take bypass setup into account. I'm referring to what's missing in rule S5.61 -- clearly it should be possible for the vehicle (SPW251 ) to set up in bypass. Even a truck could do this.

SASL should encompass all the possible situations of the actual game, why not? Clearly 50D7 is a single story building with plenty of bypass space around it. Bypass is kind of shrugged off in the SASL rules, it's barely mentioned.

It would make the game harder, all those vehicles suddenly allowed in bypass only because they can't set up in a building....
 

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Of course, you played the situation by the rules, no issue with that; doesn't mean the rules are always great, even if the rulebooks are...naturally, we look for every way, shape and form possible to get those enemy ?S off the map!

But, no, I disagree, the rules don't take bypass setup into account. I'm referring to what's missing in rule S5.61 -- clearly it should be possible for the vehicle (SPW251 ) to set up in bypass. Even a truck could do this.

SASL should encompass all the possible situations of the actual game, why not? Clearly 50D7 is a single story building with plenty of bypass space around it. Bypass is kind of shrugged off in the SASL rules, it's barely mentioned.

It would make the game harder, all those vehicles suddenly allowed in bypass only because they can't set up in a building....
There are a ton of things in ASL that I say: hey that wouldn't happen in real life! But alas it does in the game, as someone decided they must. And so I follow the tome
 

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There are a ton of things in ASL that I say: hey that wouldn't happen in real life! But alas it does in the game, as someone decided they must. And so I follow the tome
Yes! But I'm referring to things that can actually happen in a game of ASL and could be equally available to happen in SASL, had it been considered.

No mention was made of things that can happen in real life that don't happen in ASL/SASL.

I'll stop taking up space with the hypotheticals and implement vehicle bypass setup trials for future SASL missions; Eagle jokingly picked up on a SASL oversight I hadn't considered.

Of course, there may have been some reason Kibler left it out entirely, but my guess is just the complexity of it, as SASL is already complex enough without it. cheers thanks for the chat.
 

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TURN 3 (CDN)

13060


"19, this is Sunray, we have two FBs on the way and they are carrying eggs. Use wisely, out." Maj Liddell raised his eyebrows at this unexpected support from his boss. He yelled out, "Well boys, the RAF is on the way and they are carrying bombs! Keep your eyes peeled!"

CDN RE#55 - RAF airstrike - 2 Hurricanes with bombs...so now I have to read fighter bomber rules since I have never played with them before! Sounds like fun!

Capt Dillon noticed the German squad in the trees (50E10) sort itself out and they were now back in the fight. This time Dillon wasn't pinned by the enemy, and he directed deadly fire against the German NCO and his soldiers. (50F7) Both squads and the hapless NCO fled into the wooden house behind them. Meanwhile, his 2 section with a PIAT moved across the street and into a wooden building that was vacated by the paras earlier.

B Mortar team, now under the command of Sgt Chapman, sited their mortar at the Germans who had fled up the hill earlier (5aN8). The first well placed bomb destroyed them - no longer a threat to anyone. With no targets remaining, the team advanced onto the street.

Sgt Chapman commanded mortar teams A and C to spec fire at the suspect woods on the hill, some 400 meters away (5aO11). Several bombs rained down accurately, but no Germans were seen. (dummy. I rolled a CH on one attack too!) After completing this task, Chapman had the MMG and mortars advance back up onto the high ground behind them, looking for more targets.

Capt Bowman had one last chance to attack the MG42 before the paras corrected their fire against him. His men had more nerve this time around, and the Canadian fire was deadly. Through his binoculars he saw the German NCO take a round in his leg, which dropped him. The squad lost a man as well, and these paras had had enough for now. They grabbed onto their leader and pulled him out of the brush, leaving the still smoking MG42 in its original position. The paras fled to the rear and out of sight. 3 Pl was given a reprieve...

Maj Liddell was so intent on directing the Hawker Hurricanes that had arrived, that he neglected 1 Pl. One section stayed with him, but the other two sections decided to maintain the initiative and the mission and carry on the assault. First they moved down the hill and then up again into the woods just shy of the peak. (5aL9)

The humming sound of propellers grew louder, and as the men looked skywards, they smiled as they saw the two streaking planes, legends of the Battle of Britain, move towards their enemy.....

TURN 3 (GER)

13062

The winds turned into gusts - certainly smoke would no longer be a factor, although the wind kicked up the dusts of the reddish earth.

The paras found it difficult everywhere to regain composure and remained useless for the time being. Dillon noticed the one squad in the woods (50E10) trying to dig themselves some foxholes to no avail.

The pilots of the Hurricanes had general target locations, but as they streaked in over this unfamiliar terrain, they couldn't find exactly what they were looking for. They pulled back on their sticks and raised their planes into the air, making long slow turns, trying to bring their planes around once again for another try later. (failed sighting TC for both)

Capt Dillon just shook his head at the failure of the pilots...perhaps they had had too much champagne back in their comfy billets! Once more Dillon directed his two sections to fire at the German NCO and his soldiers in the wooden house. (50F8) Approximately ten Germans were killed by this intense fire, and yet more paras were revealed, but they too were affected by the Canadian marksmanship. The German NCO and the entirety of his command fled immediately out of sight.

Sgt Chapman noticed the flash of sunlight against the metal spades that a group of paras were using, trying feverishly to dig into the hard soil. He had his mortar teams fire at them. With bombs raining down the paras quit their digging and hugged the ground everywhere. Chapman noticed that there were no other Germans in that location (dummy). Between the bursts of the MMG one loud crack sounded out from somewhere..."Sniper!"

Maj Liddell was watching the Hurricanes turn round, when an intense pain erupted from his shoulder. Blood spewed forth as he dropped to the ground. He yelled out in pain while the men around him looked all over for the hidden sniper...yet couldn't find him. The section commander crawled over to the company commander and administered first aid, attaching a bandage to his shoulder and stemming the blood flow. "Shit, that was close, sir!" "That was my own damn fault, looking at the sky like a bewildered child." Liddell stayed down, knowing the sniper was actively looking for him for another try...

Capt Bowman thought he saw some movement in another section of brush on the hill, nearby the MG42. He directed fire against the area, but no paras were revealed (5aJ12 dummy). Would the MG42 team be back soon?
 

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The SASL rules do take this into account as I mentioned above. See rule S5.61 on prohibitive locations. It actually has this exact situation as an example. Rulebooks are great eh? :)
Actually they do. Bypass is still in the same location as IN the building, all one has to do is not look at the rule too literally. When I play I just naturally assume one condition or the other prevails dependent upon the capabilities of the unit(s) activated.
 

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Actually they do. Bypass is still in the same location as IN the building, all one has to do is not look at the rule too literally. When I play I just naturally assume one condition or the other prevails dependent upon the capabilities of the unit(s) activated.
I totally understand what you are saying, it's just that the rule itself quotes this very exact situation. So of course that was my interpretation.
 

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I totally understand what you are saying, it's just that the rule itself quotes this very exact situation. So of course that was my interpretation.
Yup, one thing I enjoy about SASL, it IS your own game. One thing I have found after playing several missions is it tends to be fairly easy for the FRIENDLY side, so I usually make it a bit tougher on myself by injecting elements that could possibly be a factor (sometime a dr 1-3 works for me).
 

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Yup, one thing I enjoy about SASL, it IS your own game. One thing I have found after playing several missions is it tends to be fairly easy for the FRIENDLY side, so I usually make it a bit tougher on myself by injecting elements that could possibly be a factor (sometime a dr 1-3 works for me).
Another thing I like about SASL is that it introduces you to the many rules in ASL that are usually neglected, like night rules, preliminary bombardments, and fighter bombers. It is rare to see such things in a regular ASL scenario.
 

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TURN 4 (CDN)

13075


The wounded German NCO and his squad calmed themselves and immediately started making plans to retrieve their MG42 in the brush. The problem: a platoon of angry Canadians just waiting for them to show themselves.

Sgt Chapman ordered his mortars and the MMG to continue firing upon the paras who were digging foxholes. (50E10) There was just too much firepower impacting amongst the trees that they were hiding in, and they hugged the ground in terror. Capt Dillon noticed this and ordered the scouts and 2 Pl to charge forward and surround the broken paras. The Canadians rushed forward, flowing around the small copse of wood where the enemy lay frozen in fear. One by one they threw down their weapons and raised their arms...their war was done, and the scouts proceeded to round them up and disarm them. Meanwhile, Dillons sections fired upon the NCO and his depleted squads, causing them to move further away and out of sight in the woods.

Maj Liddell, wounded from the sniper shot, gathered his wits and he and the section with him moved forward, following the other sections of 1 Pl. Further ahead, 1 Pl climbed the peak...they thought they heard noises in the brush ahead of them, but fortunately it was nothing (dummy in 5aK11).

Capt Bowman couldn't see any potential enemy hiding spots, so instead he advanced a section from the house to a hedge. (5aG13) This caused some rustling in the brush above and in front of them, but apparently it was just the wind. (dummy in 5aJ11). Since there was no enemy there, Bowman took the remainder of 3 Pl forward to the brush at the base of the crest line (5aI13). The MG42 was sitting up above them, a mere 30 meters away...but what was over the crest waiting for them?

1 Pl, on the peak, decided to crawl forward to the western edge and looked down. They were immediately noticed by two groups of paras. One group, with another leader, was just below them in foxholes. A smaller group of paras was about 120 meters away, on the next peak to the west. 1 Pl had stirred up a bit of a hornets nest...


TURN 4 (GER)

13076


The Germans had their second RE of the battle, #46 - one S? closest to a FRIENDLY unit becomes an elite squad with flamethrower....it was the S? in 50G7

The German NCO in the woods near 2 Pl got a grip on himself, and he managed to get the elite squad focussed. The other soldiers were still in a panic and wanted nothing to do with him. Immediately, his squad fired on a group of Canadians (50F10) who had just appeared from nowhere, sending them fleeing back to where they came from. At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, the wounded NCO and his squad successfully dug some foxholes. They knew they couldn't go after their MG42 just yet; instead the were waiting for the Canadians to crest ahead of them.

The German flammenwerfer squad crept downhill and occupied the small copse of trees near the house (50F7) They saw about twenty Canadians in the street ahead of them - a perfect flame target. The soldier carrying the weapon pointed the nozzle towards them... "Sir! Flamethrower in the woods!" Fear immediately gripped his men - what a horrible end that would be. Dillon directed his men to fire into the woods. With some relief, they noticed the flamethrower team abandon the woods and run back uphill. The Canadians were safe from the flame weapon...for now anyway.

Crack! A second sniper round smacked into Maj Liddell; he yelled in pain as this time it entered his left leg, yet thankfully exited cleanly. The section with him froze and dropped to the ground. Once again he was administered first aid to stop the bleeding. "I'm turning into a goddamned pin cushion...somebody find that sniper!"

Meanwhile, on top of the peak, 1 Pl engaged the paras directly below them in foxholes, about 30 meters away. (5aK12) The squad shrivelled in their holes in fear, while the NCO displayed amazing leadership and jumped into different holes, trying to get his men to fire back. As he emerged from one hole, a single round impacted on his forehead and he dropped dead immediately. Then, one by one, the squad members in their holes were targeted by an adept Canadian sniper and eliminated. The squad had nowhere to hide as the sniper had an obvious height advantage. One by one they lay still.

This was crazy turn of events. The German 8-0 leader rolled a "2" and battle hardened to 8-1 while his squad broke (as a result of the 1MC from 1 Pl). The Canadian sniper was activated on a "1" and random selection was a tie, so both targets were hit. The squad broke again (cas reduced) and the newly hardened leader lasted about 10 seconds as he was shot dead. Then the LLMC eliminated the remaining HS. Promote that sniper!

Capt Dillon watched again as the Hurricanes made an approach run, and again they could not locate their targets. "Thanks again RAF!" Dillon cursed under his breath. Fortunately Sgt Chapman on the hill behind him lobbed some mortar bombs onto the rejuvenated paras in the woods, without apparent damage, but they were locking their weapons in and finding the range.

The battle is now half over. The Hurricanes have been a disappointment but hey, at least they aren't getting friendly fire from them yet!
 
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