La Legion. Fort by Village Green, Figures by B&B and Raventhorpe.
We traveled up to York on 31st July 1998 arriving around lunchtime and once fed and watered, went on a grand tour of this famous old city, taking in several of the main model shops along the way. Shaun had kindly provided us with a tourist's map of York from which we were able to obtain our bus and whilst our trek lasted nearly three hours, we visited them all.
Turks vs. Arabs. Hovel Buildings, Figures by B&B and Raventhorpe.
Unfortunately in all the excitement to get moving, Shaun's address details were left behind at the Crystal Palace a classic bungle! This incident highlighted one of the old military traditions - blaming somebody else (me!) - for what was, after all a genuine mistake. Apparently I was at fault because I had booked the trip even though we all had our own copies.... But all was not lost. Re-dialing Shaun on the obligatory mobile phone (the cursed things have their uses!) enabled us to obtain this rather essential information and arrive in time for tea as intended.
WWI Action. Figures by Revell and Tumbling Dice. AFVs from Black Star. trenches made from Oasis and tea.
Suffice to say, there is something for all tastes ranging from Biblical times right through to the present day. We eventually bid our host farewell returning to the Crystal Palace's bar to make some plans - this is our story....
Israeli Commando Raid on Entebbe Airport
"E. T. A. five minutes, sir " noted the pilot above the all too familiar drone of the Hercules C3's four engines. Having re-checked his 9mm Uzi SMG and webbing belt not ten minutes ago, Captain Moysha Beygin glanced intuitively at the fare of the other nine men in Ws section which made up one quarter of the mission's complement. It was clear that they all felt much as he did - there were a lot of hopes riding on the outcome of this covert action apprehensive, resolve and yes, even fear- too. Just as well, Beygin thought to himself ... overconfidence had been a costly luxury during that debacle with the P.L.O. No time to feel maudlin over the comrades lost he reflected as the red landing fight above Corporal Melythin's head began to flash intermittently. The tone of the aircraft's engines changed noticeably as it banked to make its final approach run to the target - Entebbe airport in Uganda - ruled by the mercurial President Idi Amin Dada. Ordering his section aboard the APC, Beygin awaited final instructions from the Command Post aircraft as their pilot brought them into land amidst the newly constructed terminal buildings. Once acknowledged, the loading ramp was lowered at the same time as the APC and jeep engines roared into life, both driving out onto the runway headed towards their objective.
"E. T. A. five minutes, sir " noted the pilot above the all too familiar drone of the Hercules C3's four engines. Having re-checked his 9mm UZI SMG and webbing belt not ten minutes ago, Captain Moysha Beygin glanced intuitively at the fare of the other nine men in Ws section which made up one quarter of the mission's complement. It was clear that they all felt much as he did - there were a lot of hopes riding on the outcome of this covert action apprehensive, resolve and yes, even fear- too. Just as well, Beygin thought to himself ... overconfidence had been a costly luxury during that debacle with the P.L.0 .... No time to feel maudlin over the comrades lost he reflected as the red landing fight above Corporal Melythin's head began to flash intermittently. The tone of the aircraft's engines changed noticeably as it banked to make its final approach run to the target - Entebbe airport in Uganda - ruled by the mercurial President Idi Amin Dada. Ordering his section aboard the APC, Beygin awaited final instructions from the Command Post aircraft as their pilot brought them into land amidst the newly constructed terminal buildings. Once acknowledged, the loading ramp was lowered at the same time as the APC and jeep engines roared into life, both driving out onto the runway headed towards their objective. The date was 3rd July 1976….
With only a passing knowledge of the Israeli commando raid on Entebbe airport courtesy of the films starring Charles Bronson and Burt Lancaster, I was not entirely convinced that neutralizing the control tower - my section's objective - would prove fundamental to the Success or failure of our game mission. The rescue plan we adopted had been formulated The night before at the Crystal Palace Inn where we were staying and could be summarized by the unfortunately much maligned) sage who said, "We've got to get in' do what we've gotta do and get out again". Events on the game table would echo those words but not in the way any of my fellow section commanders could have appreciated, of which more anon. The plan involved each section attacking an agreed are of the airport - mine aside. The others had to rescue the hostages, counter any Ugandan reinforcements and destroy the grounded Mig-17's which could prevent our escape from Ugandan airspace.
We had also decided that there would be no firing unless fired upon - no easv task with one of the section commanders having jokingly) stated that Uzi's were "truly remarkable weapons" and that he was a firm believer in that Star Trek Next Generation adage that. "peace was onlv sustainable through superior firepower". Success would also hinge on the random element developed by Shaun and his plav testers over several years in the form of fate cards which could be played by either side to thwart their opponent's efforts during the course of the game.
Shaun had already outlined the workings of the game system the previous evening and we were fortunate to receive three very beneficial fate cards which enabled the Israelis to call on the services of West German GSG-9 snipers at any time during one of our game phases. They could shoot any of the members of the two terrorist gangs involved in the hi-jacking; the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Bader-Meinhof but not at any of the Ugandan troops who might intercede. Other cards included being issued with RPG launchers, medical aid to remove casualties suffered, random airport vehicle movement and hostage panic attacks and their inclusion ensured that the Israeli commandos would not have things go all their own way. The cards were played during the appropriate phase there were five Israeli (to reflect the advantage of surprise) and three terrorist/Ugandan cards (to reflect their fear of Idi Amin's proclivities).
To counter-balance the apparent superiority (real and imagined!) of the Israelis, the Ugandans would receive reinforcements, initially dependent -on a dice throw and then automatically, always arriving at random entry points throughout the airport. Our plan went well initially as we maneuvered the sections into position. The Israelis had the foresight to include a black sedan car favoured by the Ugandan president as a decoy, hoping to confuse the guards into believing he was making an unscheduled visit. On this occasion they were not fooled and opened up on the Command Post section attempting to rescue the hostages. We now played the three GSO-9 cards referred to earlier and three of the terrorists fell dead, having failed to make the requisite saving rolls. Round one to the Israelis whose faces at this point broke out collectively into one of Charles Bronson's emotive grins(?). It was all too easy.
Events now began to move quickly. Two jeeps armed with .50 caliber HMG's began to behave as though they were the A-Team - that is participating in a turkey shoot (on the grounded Mig-17's) with little or no danger to themselves , supported by one section of commandos who had disembarked form their APC. My section entered the control tower to begin a firefight with the Ugandan troops stationed there. The hostage rescue section was storming the terminal building. The fourth section was still moving towards the main airport entrance - it was a long way off after all! Ugandan reinforcements began appearing in the form of motorised infantry initially which gave the Israelis something to think about and incidentally, lots more things to shoot at. After all, it's not every day you get to the chance to do this and there was still that Air France jet to sort out and orders are never set entirely in stone.
Large explosions, vehicle crashes and several thousands of rounds later, the hostages and their rescuers were out on the tarmac, several Mig-17s were toast and three Ugandan army elements had been dispatched for the cost of four casualties. Meantime, the remnants of the control tower guards were being dealt with and the C3's were powering up ready for a quick take off. Then the T 34's and 55's started arriving - one even pulled up in front of the C.P. aircraft. They held off sending H.E. shells into it when the black sedan pulled up in front of it making the crew believe that Dada had come to see them through means of a fate card. It was all going pear-shaped.
By now, the section commander guarding the main entrance realized what a raw deal he'd been given and whilst he was no Arnie, he did possess a rather fetching range of rocket propelled grenades which went some way to distracting the tank crews unfortunate enough to invoke his displeasure. A modern day refight of Isandlwana was becoming a distinct possibility, despite the "flamers" those Ugandan boys kept on trucking!
Radio orders from the C.P. aircrew were received just as several T34/85 tanks began to arrive. At once the tanks began pouring through the main gate and they were beginning to send shells in on the C3's. Three men were lost out of the fourth section as they withdrew under fire from all sides and further man had been left behind (shades of the Wild Geese here I'm afraid) with the intention of preventing pursuit by two APC carriers. My section were last to respond to the withdrawal orders (must have been the static), suffering a casualty in the process.
To the consternation of the other section commanders, my aircraft blocked their route down the runway while it waited for me. Rationalizing this "velkering" maneuver on the grounds that I wanted to retrieve my own command rather than someone else's(!). Their pilots taxied around my aircraft while the other plane showed more initiative by using the secondary runway to escape quickly now it had only two engines having taken several hits from the tanks. Still my command had the (rather dubious) honor of leaving Ugandan airspace last, just as well as my passport had not been stamped!
We had succeeded at the cost of eight K.I.A. - nine including the reprisal - which would inevitably follow. Shaun assured us that our game plan for the raid on Entebbe airport had been the most successful so far, particularly considering that the hostage rescue section suffered no casualties whatsoever. That aside, the real mission had resulted in only one commando being killed and two hostages, one of whom had been kept in hospital and was reckoned to have been killed in reprisal for this action.
Of further interest was the source information which Shaun had in his possession, particularly that relating to the cattle prods that the Israelis had brought with them in the event that the disorientated hostages proved awkwar. One uncharitable commander suggested that they should have been used on my pilot but that at least would have to wait until they touched down in Israel - and we never did blow up the Frenchie aircraft after all
Earlier this year, three members of the Guards and one from the Spartan Circle Wargame club - Peter Heatherington, Craig Laroey, Paul Rickards and Toby Whitty visited the Bunker, run by Shaun McLaughlin having received a flyer detailing the wide range of games on offer.
Having spent vast quantities and suffering from sore feet, we arrived back at the Crystal Palace* for a quick drink before setting off to meet Shaun and receive our introductory briefings on the games we had chosen to play - Raid on Entebbe, The Sweeney** and The Temple of Ramalangadingong***.
The game briefings covered the running order, an overview of the rule systems and a potted history of how the Bunker came into being, intermixed with close inspection of the massive( ! ) collection of figures, vehicles, ships and terrain covering all gaming preferences. (Not one for using cliches lightly - they do have to be seen to be believed .... ).
The Bunker is operated by Shaun McLaughlinand runs games for groups over weekends. Fee includes Full Board. Contact S. McLaughlin, 7 Brambel Dene, Woodthorpe, York YO2 2RL, Great Britain
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