Where's the Fuel-Opening Moves

Having received orders to secure the fuel depot, Lt. Gratte sends Sgt. Roc's fire team to advance on the site. Lt. Gratte's team will cover them from the right. S-2 has informed the Marines that all friendly forces have vacated the area so any troops sighted are to be considered hostile. Sgt. Roc leaves Baker to cover the rest of the team as they advance. A good thing too as seeing movement, Baker opens fire on the Russians.

Commissar Redenglory has only one priority-the fuel needed to complete his mission with the PRAM Dragon Bones. His informant has bribed the local militia leader to pull his troops from the area. No resistance is expected, still Ivan orders his sailors to advance with caution taking advantage of the available cover. He is unpleasantly surprised by the accurate rife fire of the Marines pinning two of his sailors.

As shooting erupts, Lt. Gratte advances his team through the ruins. Jones is ordered forward to give supporting fire to the sgt's team.

Lt. Salinski is all for rushing the counter revolutionaries. Ivan overrides him, for the moment, and orders his sailors to open fire on the Marines.

The object of both forces the fuel depot with a fully loaded petrol truck.

The petrol truck has seen lots of use, but is still drivable.

The commander of the Marine fire teams, USMC Lance Corporal Thomas Wall, oversees the battlefield.

Without taking proper aim with his BAR, Lcpl Dedii lets off a burst that misses the Russians. Worse still one of the errant shots ricochets off a wall and fatally wounds Sgt. Roc! (Having rolled a critical miss, Thomas rolled on a special miss table. The result was hit a nearby friend. The BAR round then took Roc, who failed his luck roll, OOA-Out Of Action. Thomas was now down his best man and heaviest weapon. Things suddenly looked a lot harder for the Marines.) To be continued in Midgame.

Where's the Fuel-Midgame

Encouraged by the loss of Sgt. Roc, three Soviet Sailors push forward(as soon as the two riflemen become unpinned), including Remski with the Tommy Gun, going to the left to hold back the Marine fire team of Lt. Gratte. Ilyan and Andre, under Ivan Redenglory's direct control,advance to the right onto the ruins overlooking the fuel depot. The rest of the squad, under Lt. Stalinski, remain in place to give cover fire.

Jones, Lcpl Dedii and Baker(off screen to the right of Dedii) continue to fire at the Soviets as targets present themselves. While Lt. Gratte continues to advance with his other two men towards the cover of the fence and ruins to their front.

But the Soviet Sailors are already there-a rapid fire fight ensues. Gratte is slightly wounded by the erant fire of Witmore's trenchgun, then Witmore is cut down by Remski's Tommy Gun! Things look bleak indeed for the Marines-two special weapons men are down and the Soviets have yet to receive a serious casualty.

But Lt. Gratte had yet to fight! With only his Colt .45 automatic, he proceeds to drop one sailor after another. The first to drop is Remski-who after cutting down Witmore,couldn't hit the broadside of a barn afterwards.

While Smith couldn't hit anything smaller than a building. Lt. Gratte with nerves of steel as every Soviet available tried to take him out, couldn't miss. (Thomas' rolls for Gratte to hit or make his luck rolls were near perfect every time-this lead to lots of laughter and remarks about his cool aiming with his pistol as he would take down yet another sailor.)

As things took a turn for the worse on the left, Ivan decided to rush the depot-grab the truck and take off with the vital fuel. A nice plan if Lcpl Dedii hadn't seen him. With a well aimed burst from his BAR, Dedii pinned both Ivan and Andre.

Seeing the Commisar pinned down Stalinski orders Tatar to rush to Redenglorys's aid. Dedii and Baker cut Tatar to pieces as he crosses the open street. In a few short minutes the tide has begun to turn to the favor of the Marines. The next actions by both sides will tell the tell....continued in our next post-End Game

Where's the Fuel-End Game

After putting Ivan Redengloy OOA (Out Of Action) with another blast from Dedii's BAR, Thomas is looking confident-although his mascot Charlotte is looking a bit tired.

Finally Dedii is taken down by Ilyan (Having taken Sgt. Roc, Tatar and Ivan OOA and pinned three other Sailors, Dedii was the most effective figure for both sides). Baker and Adams then drop Andre.

The bodies are beginning to pile up from Lt. Gratte's deadly Colt .45 (He has also pinned the sailor to the right of the picture.)

The accurate fire of Baker and Adams panics Ilyan who decides it is his responsibility to inform HQ of the valiant "death" of Commissar Redenglory (actually he was a bit premature as the Commissar was not yet dead only OOA). On the left, Lt. Stalinski has decided that only a mad rush at the Americans can win the day!

He was wrong! As he is cut down by very accurate fire-interestingly enough the Marines found a .45 cal flesh wound in his front and a fatal 7.62mm wound in Lt. Salinski's right/back side. Boris who is reloading, has also decided leave and tell HQ of the brave yet failed final charge of the Lt. Stalinski. (In a panic Boris shot at the unexpected movement of the Lt. and dropped him-the way things were going it might not have been panic after all.)

Boris and Ilia join Ilyan in advancing to the rear with vital information for HQ.

With the last three surviving sailors withdrawing in a speedy manner. Lt. Gratte and his Marines have saved the fuel depot and captured wounded Sailor Andre and a quite alive Ivan Redengloy, KGB Commissar (Lt. Stalinski and the other wounded sailors had taken fatal injuries. The cost of victory was great for the Marines as Witmore, Sgt. Roc and Lcpl Dedii all succumbed to their wounds. (It was a fun game especially with two men -Lt. Stalinski and Sgt Roc-dropped by their own side. Thomas and I had lots of laughs throughout the battle. The next engagements must solve the PRAM transportation problem and rescue Redenglory.)

Where's the Fuel Battle Opponents-Dragon Bones Adventure 2

Two fire teams of US Marines have been detailed to secure a fuel depot recently abandoned by colonial troops in the burned out hamlet of Walenport. Team one is under the command of LT. I.B. Gratte armed with a Colt .45 automatic, Pvt. Witmore with a 12 gauge trench gun and Pvt.'s Smith and Jones with .30 Springfield rifles. (All are veteran's.) Team two is under Sgt. Roc (Elite) with a .45 Tommy Gun. Lcpl. Dedii has a .30 BAR and Pvt.'s Adams and Baker are armed with .30 Springfield rifles. (The pvt.'s and Lcpl. are veteran's.) All riflemen have bayonets, the others have combat knives.

KGB Commissar Ivan Redenglory (Elite) with a .45 automatic and brass knuckles has a squad of Soviet Sailors, disguised in captured western uniforms to fullfill his mission. In order to get his captured PRAM Secrets (See Adventure of the Dragon Bones-DB Adventure) to friendly territory, Redenglory needs the fuel at the depot. The Comrade Sailors Ilia, Boris, Tatar, Alexi, Ilyan & Andre are armed with Model 1891, 7.62mm rifles with bayonets. Comrade Sailor 1st class Remski is armed with a capitalist .45 Tommy Gun. Lt. Petrov Satalinsk (Green) is in command and is armed with a .38 revolver. (All the sailors are regulars.)

The battlefield-the ruined hamlet of Walenport. The fuel depot is near the middle of the bottom part of the photo. The Americans start line is on the upper right and the Soviets is on the upper left.

All the figures are 28mm metal pieces from Pulp Figures.