The Raid at St. Nazaire

[KeyanSark]

An interesting historical setting for some games, based or inspired in the real raid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nazaire_Raid

[Plynkes]

Okay, so which crazy Lead Adventurer is going to volunteer to build a destroyer in 28mm?

And get the Prof to chain Grimm in the dungeon until he has made the entire dock area for the tabletop, including the U-Boat pens.

I was there this summer. Luckily the Nazis had gone home some time before my arrival, and so the Lewis gun I had packed for the trip proved an unnecessary impediment.

[dominic]

Does anyone do a 1/48th model?  Just a thought! It will be HUGE!!

[Plynkes]

Does anybody make commandos in kilts, by the way?

As I recall, some of them were bekilted at St. Nazaire.

[dominic]

There is one Artizan para in a kilt.  That's all I know

[Gunbird]

Okay, so which crazy Lead Adventurer is going to volunteer to build a destroyer in 28mm?

And get the Prof to chain Grimm in the dungeon until he has made the entire dock area for the tabletop, including the U-Boat pens.

Call me odd but I have that planned out sort of. No Destroyer though, just a Trawler and a E-boat, and harbour, dock section etc. Should be finished some time after I finish the U boat pen. All in 20mm/28mm, naturally (but not the ships, sorry)

[Plynkes]

Cool. Look forward to seeing that.

[Westfalia Chris]

Okay, so which crazy Lead Adventurer is going to volunteer to build a destroyer in 28mm?

Oh, don´t act like you didn´t see that coming but... I´ve actually got a number of cardboard destroyers in that size which I made back in the 1990s; more of a Great White Fleet style, but you could re-paint and slightly convert them.

Actually, such a project has been on my list for quite some time, although I´d prefer a ship to use for a setting akin to Corto Maltese´s "South Sea Ballad"...

[xeoran]

Does anybody make commandos in kilts, by the way?

As I recall, some of them were bekilted at St. Nazaire.

Yup, last time kilts were officially worn in combat by the British army. Unofficially they have turned up every so often (for instance one officer wore one at Arnhem).

Sadly you'd have to convert. Nazaire would be a very cool game.

Incidentally there is a good Jeremy Clarkson documentary on the subject here:

Well worth watching.

[fastolfrus]

Paras in kilts ?

I don't even want to consider that one !

The Clarkson documentary was very good, but have you seen the documentary about the making of Clarkson's film ?



The special effects were made by building a model destroyer (plus various MGBs and the harbour installation), and finally blowing it up. The details on the model were awesome.
Some amazingly detailed models - including a 24 foot long hull covered in plates about the size of a postcard, hull rivets !!

[Ironworker]

Paras in kilts ?

I don't even want to consider that one !
!

Imagine the psylogical impact.  After all if you looked up and saw a kilted man parachuting towards you wouldn't you want to run for the hills?

[Overlord]

Although its an old book (First published 1958, my paperback copy 1967):

The Greatest Raid of All by C. E. Lucas Phillips (Who also wrote Cockleshell Heroes)

An excellent account of the operation including numerous (22) diagrams and a few (B&W) pictures. Detailed target information, mostly by individual craft.

Five Victoria Crosses (2 posthumously) and numerous other medals were awarded as a result of the attack.

I've always considered it as a project (20mm) but its very unlikely it will ever come to fruition.

"A deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy" - Winston Churchill

[warrenpeace]

If the idea of using destroyers of sloops to try to land a lot of men to seize a port is interesting, then also look at Operation Reservist at Oran in 1942:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Reservist

It would be an interesting change to game an event that pitted Americans and British against the French.

[pnweerar]

Just watched the documentary. Pretty staggering operation.

[archangel1]

Okay, so which crazy Lead Adventurer is going to volunteer to build a destroyer in 28mm?quote]

HMS Campbelltown would be only a little over 5 feet long in scale! She'd be slightly shorter if you modelled her the day after the raid, since the bow would be crumpled and she was down at the stern.