THE GAME PLAN

The game is divided into three phases: Preparation, Execution and Escape.

PHASE ONE: THE PREPARATION

In June '41 German forces start assembling at the French ports of St. Nazaire, Lorient and Nantes. The British are led to believe that the invasion of Eire, 'Operation Green', is imminent. On the afternoon of June 16th the Germans embark and in the evening, in full view of the resistance, they set sail. RAF planes lose sight of the assembled convoy as night falls, but it seems certain that the course it sails will take it to Ireland. Under cover of darkness, the Germans dis- perse and head back to different ports. With no sight of the convoy the next day, British troops in Northern Ireland under Cork-born general Franklin are put on invasion alert. Hugo MacNeill misinterprets this as the British preparing to invade Eire.

On the night of the 17th a U-boat surfaces off the island of Gola off Donegal. Twelve commandos along with extra supplies of arms and muni- tions are put ashore. They meet with local IRA men. Plans are confirmed andweapons distributed. All weapons should be British issue left behind at Dunkirk. (The Germans had offered to equip the Irish army with abandoned British weapons, but De Valera feared that when news of these air drops leaked out the British would use it as a pretext to invade.) A 20mm anti-aircraft gun is mounted on a trawler and the next day it brings the Germans to Killybegs, dropping three groups off outside the harbour. It anchors near the Robert H. Hastie and awaits nightfall.

The first mixed group of Germans and IRA are already well on their way to the border fifteen miles away, courtesy of a pre-arranged truck. Their task is to open fire on British troops if they cross the border. Should the British stop at the border, the Germans are to open fire once the conflict in Killybegs in underway.

The second group sets up a position on high ground west of Killybegs. Like the first group, it is armed with two machine guns and a mortar.

The third group is armed with one machine gun and three submachine guns. It has twelve explosive devices. Each of three German specialists carry four devices. They are to plant them beside prominent buildings, Garda barracks, Churches, Town hall, etc. They are guided and protected by an IRA man each. Only the Germans can prime the bombs. Once the devices are planted the group will assume positions around the Garda and army barracks. Whilst in the town they may engage any patrols they encounter, provided it doesn't jeopardise their mission, i.e. they must restrict themselves to the use of knives.

Should any German fear capture, he should discard his weapon and then claim to be a stranded sailor. All the Germans will have an understanding of English, the commander will know some Irish. A throw of 2D6 will determine how many can speak English well enough to pass themselves off as Americans or Canadians or South Africans. The rest are to pass themselves off as Eastern European.

The police are to take them at face value before any explosions, requiring a 1 on a D10 to be detained and an alert called. (This reflects the probability of a German being a graduate of the Lester Piggot language school.) Even after the explosions they stand a good chance of being believed.

Only the commander will be able to pass himself off as a native. He lived in Donegal before the war and helped provide detailed maps to the Wehrmacht.

PHASE TWO: THE EXECUTION

Once in place, the demolition group signal the trawler. It then opens fire on the British vessel. The British should send a distress signal saying that they are under attack. The third group keeps the gardai (plural of garda) pinned down with the aid of the second one. When they are certain that the British have picked up the S.O.S., the Irish trawler opens up with the 20mm gun putting the British radio out of action, destroying the trawler and killing it's crew.

The second group uses it's own radio to take over the message, insisting that an invasion is underway. A Hurricane patrol is sent to investigate. As soon as it is overhead, all three groups open fire on the aircraft. The Hurricanes are only there to observe and can only open fire if they can identify a clear target. At the same time the demolition charges are detonated. For full effect mortars are lobbed into the area.

In the confusion the RAF patrol should not be able to determine exactly what is happening and advise that ground troops be deployed. The British may hesitate to cross the border, that is where the first group comes into play. They willl open fire on the British troops and maintain fire until the British cross the border.

Once across the border, the British will head at full speed towards Killybegs. Once there, they'll meet an Irish garrison that believes it has just been bombed by the RAF and will now do their best to oppose this invasion. Assistance will be called upon from Hugo MacNeill. If it escalates to that extent, then the raid will be deemed to be a success.

PHASE THREE: THE ESCAPE

Once the Robert H. Hastie has been dealt with, the Irish trawler will put to sea. It should pick up groups two and three further along the coast. It'll bring them to Gola where they will lay low until joined by the first group. At this stage they may either attempt to rendezvous with a U-boat or if the enemy presence is too large, then continue to hide out. All weap should have been left on the mai land. Since they are all British, t Irish will persist in the belief that was a British operation.

As an option, the border group (1) may plant six mines before leaving. They should be an even mix of anti-tank and anti- personnel. Group 2 may also cover it's retreat with six mines. If this is the case, then each group should be restricted to four mortar bombs.

If two platoons are played, one will be in barracks, the second on patrol about the town. The third platoon would start the game in the barracks. If selected, the fourth platoon would be on patrol outside the town. Throw a D6 to determine at what move after the bombs go off that it enters the table. A further D6 determines it's point of entry. 1,2 North; 3,4 East; 5,6 South.

50% of LDF will be on patrol with the army, the rest in barracks.

2 X Gardai and 1 X LSF on patrol, rest in barracks. D6 to determine weapon carried by LSF man.

1,2SMG
3,4,5,6 Rifle

REINFORCEMENTS

Remember, troops coming from Letterkenny arrive on foot. Those from Finner come by truck, and those from Sligo by bicycle.

Reinforcements may only leave their bases after the bombs go off in Killybegs. Since Killybegs was central to the planned reinforcement of Donegal, all troops must head towards it in preference to any other location. These troops will have no mine detection or clearing equipment.

If you are feeling generous, you may allow for the arrival of armoured reserves from Kildare. In my view it'd be unrealistic, but you could allow for Rolls Royce / Leyland /Landsverk armoured cars to arrive after an eighty mile trip starting after the first explosion. Air support in the form of a few Irish Hurricanes is slightly more likely, although they'll be flying out of Dublin.

A naval game may develop in the form of up to three Irish motor torpedo boats searching for the IRA trawler. The Royal Navy used to patrol the west coast of Eire with Q-ships and submarines. These may be used to track down the Germans.

SPECIAL RULES

Should work with any set of rules that allow for night action. Ideally suited to 20mm figures as a game based solely in Killybegs. You could opt to alter the facts and have the action take place in the town of Bundoran beside Finner camp. This means that the border can be represented on the tabletop. You have the option of using the mechanised HQ company instead of the rifle one, and also have Sligo and Kildare forces that bit closer.

The entire game could come to an early conclusion if an RAF Sunderland were to spot the U-boat landing the commandos on Gola. A 1/300th scale game will allow for greater distances to be played and so allow for the interception of various German Groups going to or from Killybegs.

It takes one full move to plant and prime bombs. Throw a D10 when each device is planted. A 1 means that it detonates prematurely killing anyone within 3". At the planned detonation a second D10 should be thrown. A 1 now means a misfire or failure to detonate. If it fails to detonate you may decide to let it detonate at a later time. Dice each move, requiring a 1 on a D10 for detonation.

To simulate the advantage the attackers have, allow the members of all four groups to move at a rate double that of their opponents. This reflects the fact that they know what is going on and the Irish do not. If this mechanism isn't employed, one that allows for easy evasion by the Germans or low detection rate by the Irish should be substituted.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

In order to win, the Germans must force a British incursion. They only require the assault on the Hastie and a few explosions to provoke this, which they can achieve with one group.

A 2 or greater on D10 means that British troops are on the border when the Germans arrive. The Germans cannot open fire unless they hear explosions from Killybegs. But if they do open fire a 2 or greater on D6 means that they'll cross the border. this represents the volatile nature of the protagonists: Hugo MacNeill would seek to attack the North if he hears of the situation in Killybegs; the Ulster Loyalists that dominated the reserve and home guard forces in Northern Ireland would be eager to teach the Southerners a lesson and if the regulars were to have second thoughts once across the border, the reservists would consider themselves to be on a crusade and would not turn back. Thus it escalates out of control. That way Hitler can invade Russia knowing the back door is safe. Britain will be unable to send troops to North Africa, Irish troops in British and Commonwealth will be suspect. Worst of all, Americans will take longer to enter the war.

For the Germans to lose, they must have all their explosive teams and mortars discovered and detained prior to their use. A tall order, but not impossible.

TERRAIN

FIGURES

I'd suggest using British commando. figures for the Germans since they are carrying British weapons. Partisan & resistance figures will do for the IRA. The Irish army and LDF wore British style battledress by 1941. (if you choose to play the game in 1939, the Irish army would wear closed collar tunics, breeches with leggings and British supplied German style steel helmets. WW1 German figures could be adapted.) The LSF wore either civilian dress with armbands or battledress and sidecap. Gardai should wear tunic, trousers and peak cap ( although a British style bobbie's helmet was also worn).

VEHICLES

Rolls Royce armoured cars are possible, but Leylands and Landsverks aren't. However the German 6 wheeled Sd.Kfz 232 armoured car is passable, especially at night. Softskins shouldn't be a problem.

Hurricanes and MTBs are available as indeed are Sunderlands and U- boats. I am not aware of any trawler kits, which leaves scratch-building or substituting something like an air-sea rescue launch kit. It is after all only a game.

I hope that you now realise that you don't have to defeat an army in order to win a battle and that a good general will play on his enemy's fears in order to be victorious.

Forces Involved

THE GERMANS

Group 1:

NCO, 2 x Privates, 3 x IRA, 2 x Brens, 1 x Mortar, 1 x Boyes, 4 x rifles, 6 x grenades, (6 x mines)

Group 2:

Officer, NCO, 2 x Privates, 2 x IRA, 1 x Radio, 2 x Brens, 1 x Mortar, 6 x grenades, (6 x mines)

Group 3:

NCO, 2 x Privates, 3 x IRA, 1 x Brens, 3 x Sten guns, 2 x Rifles, 12 x Bombs, 6 x grenades,

Group 4:

NCO, 1 x Privates, 4 x IRA, 20mm Flak, 2 x Brens, 3 x Sten guns, 1 x Rifles

THE CREW OF THE ROBERT M HASTIE

6 X MEN, 2 X LEWIS GUNS, 1 X STEN GUN, 2 X RIFLES, 2 X PISTOLS

THE IRISH

Roll a d6:

1,2,3 2 PLATOONS
4,5 3 PLATOONS
6 4 PLATOONS

1st PLATOON: 1 X LMG, 9 X Rifles, 1 X Boyes

2nd PLATOON: 1 x LMG, 10 X rifles

3rd PLATOON: 1 X LMG, 10 X RIFLES

4th PLATOON: 1 X LMG, 10 X RIFLES

LDF: 12 X RIFLES

GARDA BARRACKS: 6 X GARDAI, 3 X LSF (1 X THOMPSON SMG, 2 X RIFLES)

To Killybegs Kommando