The Violins of Autumn
“Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l’automne Blessent mon cœur
D’une langueur Monotone.”
- Chanson d’automne, Verlaine
When the BBC broadcast that famous poem, on the evening of 5th June 1944, all across France the Resistance were listening. It was the signal to Maquis cells to go forth and execute their part of Plan Vert, sabotage and disruptions activities to aid the forthcoming invasion.
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Here on the edge of a nondescript Norman village, many kilometres south of the coast, three Groupes of Maquis rendezvous for a sabotage mission. Groupes Coquelicot (Poppy) and Tournesol (Sunflower) moved through woodland and the silent village streets, shared among them enough explosives to blow up the railway line that passed through on its way north west.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459540647_a1072c2408_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQcP8v)
The Maquis sneak forward through the moonlit woods and meadows
On their right Group Marguerite (Daisy) pushed through vineyards and orchards, determined to head off any German efforts to stifle the operation.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459540322_336d93c8c9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQcP2U)
Groupe Marguerite advance
Maddened by weeks on alert, and aware of a sudden increase in Partisan activity, rear elements of 352. Infanteriedivision, a mix of Eastern Front Regulars, Second Grade Levies and Russian Freiwilligers scrambled to patrol the countryside, emerging from opposites end of the road that ran parallel to the gleaming tracks. They’d been hunting all night, but suddenly stumbled into a major partisan operation.
Before they could establish a secure position in some ruined buildings overlooking the railway, a shot rang out from the sniper Blanc in an upper level window, wounding the MG loader. Return fire chipped away ineffectually at the solid stone construction.
Bounding along hedgerows and vines familiar to them since their childhood, came the Maquisards. Soon Herbert and Duval of Groupe Marguerite got a Bren gun into action, peppering the German right hand section and sending them reeling. Despite this heavy firepower, and the confusion of Wehrmacht units across the region, it was foolish to expect any fight to last long - their mission was to get in and get out.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459539892_58f4d4da38_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQcNUu)
Action at last: Groupe Marguerite's Bren team open fire on a distant hedgerow
Throwing their best weapons in to the equation, another Bren opened up from some woods that ran down to the railway track in the centre of the table. This time fired by the mysterious Groupe Tournesol veteran Noir, the tracers arced wide of a second German section approaching from the French left.
Soon both left and right wings of the Maquis were pushing forward. Groupe Coquelicot’s leader Felix came off badly in fisticuffs with a German soldier, but he was avenged by the Spanish Civil War veteran Chavez, who swung around the corner and felled the German attacker in a single sweeping motion.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459374861_3112d1ea25_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQbXR8)
In the village buildings, death came to the hated occupiers from upper floor windows and knives in the streets
Groupe Marguerite’s brave volunteers surged forward across the railway line under cover of their Bren, lead by their cold-blooded leader Francois. They silently dispatched the hapless Unterfeldwebel with flashing knives. Their sortie pinned the German right, terrified by the ferocity of the attack.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459374466_bc99a647a0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQbXJj)
Buying time for their comrades, Group Marguerite courageously charge across the railway
In the centre there was a hurried exchange of packages and whispers as the explosives were assembled. Slinging his shotgun across his back, the Maquisard Simpson crawled forward and got working attaching them to the tracks, even as bullets whistled overhead and took chunks out of the wooden sleepers. Sergent-Chef LeClerc, Groupe Tournesol’s leader and a veteran of the Great War, fell down as he fired his Sten across the street.
A final surge blunted the Germans, seemingly shocked by the determination of the resistance. Simpson uttered a cry and ran back from the tracks, hurling himself to the ground in the lee of an oak-trunk.
Moments later a flash and a boom erupted, snapping and twisting the steel railway tracks and sending wooden splinters flying. As if this was a full stop to the shooting, stunned silence followed, broken only by the sound of footsteps creeping back into the woods.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48459373861_d2fa79d191_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gQbXxT)
KABOOM! The railway track is torn to pieces as Simpson flees into the woods...mission accomplished
From the far, far distance, through the moonlit summer night, came the ominous rumbling sound of hundreds of aircraft engines…
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Fistful of Lead: World War 2 at the Perth Miniatures Gamers Group last week with 4 of my gaming chums/guinea pigs. Excellent fun and thanks to the chaps for volunteering to test out this scenario purloined from the recently published Bolt Action Firefight series and ported with some modifications to FFoL. As always this highly adaptable rule set yields a fun multiplayer skirmish system played in the right spirit - light on rules but enough there to build a story.
Where will our Maquis appear next?
Great stuff, I'm a big fan of FFofL.
:-*
Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery...
so I'm going to shamelessly nick yer scenario, swapping the Marquis for Commandos, and lighting a fire in the belly of the enemy!
(https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/search/print/images/artworkimages/medium/1/british-soldier-wwii-serpent-films.jpg)
:-*