RM12.1 The Return of the Black Guards
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Guhan Lo. Aksai Chin. 1937.
Viktor Korsakov sits on the rear veranda of a small chinese compound, facing across a broad valley. Far below this vantage point, peasants work in the rice paddies and sipping tea he watches the distant figures with pondering eyes. It has been almost a year since his defeat at Qala I Zal and during his recovery he has had plenty of time to dream up plans of revenge against the english agent known as Rocketman. In the valley below, a line of dust marks the approach of a motor car. Korsakov reaches across for the binoculars which stand beside his tea pot and his sumise proves correct; the automobile belongs to his subordinate Yuri Mosolov. Korsakov sighs heavily and laying aside the binoculars, he turns his eyes to the sky line on the far side of the valley. Yuri will want commands, he will expect vigour and action – but Korsakov feels his age now and the wounds he received at Qala I Zal trouble him still. He wonders what he can do.
Fifteen minutes later, as Yuri’s vehicle comes to a halt amid a cloud of dust, Korsakov has made up his mind. He struggles to his feet as his subordinate approaches and salutes briskly. Yuri salutes in return. He is carrying a briefcase.
”How do you feel sir?” he asks as he snaps open the locks.
”Today I feel much better Yuri” Korsakov smiles and Yuri glances up in surprise.
”I am happy to hear that” He begins, but Korsakov holds up a hand and interupts.
”I have come to a decision about my life Yuri, and perhaps you may not be so happy when you hear what I have to say.” Yuri frowns, but remains silent. Thoughts begin to flash through his mind.
”I am never going back to Russia. I know that now” Korsakov’s eyes move from Yuri’s and gaze without focus across the valley. ”I am too broken. Too old and indifferent with the affairs of state.”
Yuri swallows and leans forward but he finds he has too many questions and not enough words. It is as if he suddenly has no voice.
”But what of the men?” he finally manages to ask. ”What of our plans?”
”I do not know” Korsakov replies. ”What do you wish to do Yuri? Do you want to carry on? Will you take my place? They are more your men now than mine – I hardly know any of them any more”.
Yuri nods for this is the simple truth - Throughout the last year, as the Black Guards have fought along side their allies in Aksai Chin, he has shouldered all the burdens of command. Whilst Korsakov has largely rested in this peaceful retreat, he has continued the fight against the British imperialists. It is not really a question of whether or not he should take command, in essence he is already the commander of the Black Guards. He stands up and straightens his uniform coat.
”Very well then Viktor Alexandrovich. I relieve you of command and I will continue the fight.” Korsakov smiles.
”What will you do now Yuri?”
Yuri looks down at his former superior for a moment. His thoughts are whirling fast and furious, but he is certain of one thing. ONB7 must regain its former technological advantage if it is to have any hope of competing with the current Soviet government.
”I will return to Kazakhstan.”
”Why?” Korsakov asks. ”What is left in Kazakhstan?”
”Colonel Gromov and his men were very thorough when they looted the aerodrome at Bolshenarymskoe, and the British agent Mansfield made sure the death ray was completely destroyed so that the Soviets could not get their hands on it, but neither of them knew about the prototype, nor did they know about the secret storage facility at Tromsk. We still have one hundred and twelve heavy tanks stored there.”
”But no crews – no trained men” Korsakov points out.
”This is true – but I have enough men to take a squadron or two of tanks and secure Bolshenarymskoe long enough to recover the Tesla weapon. Once we have the weapon, we can remove it to one of the secure installations we still have in Krasnoyarsk.”
”You will need some one who can understand it – some one like Khalnikov – without such a man, it is of no more use than a type writer.” Yuri nods again.
”There is a man – a German called Heisenberg who took the Nobel prize in ’32. My sources inform me he is one of the few men who understands the scientific principles behind the death ray. Once we have secured the weapon, we will procure this man and set him to work upon a replacement.”
The two men consider this plan for a moment, then Korsakov sighs and picks up his tea cup. ”It is a good plan I think – as long as you can secure Bolshenarymskoe long enough to retrieve the prototype weapon. Good luck Yuri. You will need it I think.”
Yuri Mosolov turns to leave, then pauses. ”I will need a good title - to inspire the men. ’Director’ sounds much too limited. What do you suggest?”
Korsakov thinks for a moment then suggests; ”Da Yuan Shuai?”
”What is that?”
”It is the Chinese, for what the Italians call a Generalissimo – a Supreme General”.
Viktor Korsakov sits on the rear veranda of a small chinese compound, facing across a broad valley. Far below this vantage point, peasants work in the rice paddies and sipping tea he watches the distant figures with pondering eyes. It has been almost a year since his defeat at Qala I Zal and during his recovery he has had plenty of time to dream up plans of revenge against the english agent known as Rocketman. In the valley below, a line of dust marks the approach of a motor car. Korsakov reaches across for the binoculars which stand beside his tea pot and his sumise proves correct; the automobile belongs to his subordinate Yuri Mosolov. Korsakov sighs heavily and laying aside the binoculars, he turns his eyes to the sky line on the far side of the valley. Yuri will want commands, he will expect vigour and action – but Korsakov feels his age now and the wounds he received at Qala I Zal trouble him still. He wonders what he can do.
Fifteen minutes later, as Yuri’s vehicle comes to a halt amid a cloud of dust, Korsakov has made up his mind. He struggles to his feet as his subordinate approaches and salutes briskly. Yuri salutes in return. He is carrying a briefcase.
”How do you feel sir?” he asks as he snaps open the locks.
”Today I feel much better Yuri” Korsakov smiles and Yuri glances up in surprise.
”I am happy to hear that” He begins, but Korsakov holds up a hand and interupts.
”I have come to a decision about my life Yuri, and perhaps you may not be so happy when you hear what I have to say.” Yuri frowns, but remains silent. Thoughts begin to flash through his mind.
”I am never going back to Russia. I know that now” Korsakov’s eyes move from Yuri’s and gaze without focus across the valley. ”I am too broken. Too old and indifferent with the affairs of state.”
Yuri swallows and leans forward but he finds he has too many questions and not enough words. It is as if he suddenly has no voice.
”But what of the men?” he finally manages to ask. ”What of our plans?”
”I do not know” Korsakov replies. ”What do you wish to do Yuri? Do you want to carry on? Will you take my place? They are more your men now than mine – I hardly know any of them any more”.
Yuri nods for this is the simple truth - Throughout the last year, as the Black Guards have fought along side their allies in Aksai Chin, he has shouldered all the burdens of command. Whilst Korsakov has largely rested in this peaceful retreat, he has continued the fight against the British imperialists. It is not really a question of whether or not he should take command, in essence he is already the commander of the Black Guards. He stands up and straightens his uniform coat.
”Very well then Viktor Alexandrovich. I relieve you of command and I will continue the fight.” Korsakov smiles.
”What will you do now Yuri?”
Yuri looks down at his former superior for a moment. His thoughts are whirling fast and furious, but he is certain of one thing. ONB7 must regain its former technological advantage if it is to have any hope of competing with the current Soviet government.
”I will return to Kazakhstan.”
”Why?” Korsakov asks. ”What is left in Kazakhstan?”
”Colonel Gromov and his men were very thorough when they looted the aerodrome at Bolshenarymskoe, and the British agent Mansfield made sure the death ray was completely destroyed so that the Soviets could not get their hands on it, but neither of them knew about the prototype, nor did they know about the secret storage facility at Tromsk. We still have one hundred and twelve heavy tanks stored there.”
”But no crews – no trained men” Korsakov points out.
”This is true – but I have enough men to take a squadron or two of tanks and secure Bolshenarymskoe long enough to recover the Tesla weapon. Once we have the weapon, we can remove it to one of the secure installations we still have in Krasnoyarsk.”
”You will need some one who can understand it – some one like Khalnikov – without such a man, it is of no more use than a type writer.” Yuri nods again.
”There is a man – a German called Heisenberg who took the Nobel prize in ’32. My sources inform me he is one of the few men who understands the scientific principles behind the death ray. Once we have secured the weapon, we will procure this man and set him to work upon a replacement.”
The two men consider this plan for a moment, then Korsakov sighs and picks up his tea cup. ”It is a good plan I think – as long as you can secure Bolshenarymskoe long enough to retrieve the prototype weapon. Good luck Yuri. You will need it I think.”
Yuri Mosolov turns to leave, then pauses. ”I will need a good title - to inspire the men. ’Director’ sounds much too limited. What do you suggest?”
Korsakov thinks for a moment then suggests; ”Da Yuan Shuai?”
”What is that?”
”It is the Chinese, for what the Italians call a Generalissimo – a Supreme General”.
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Starting
Player one begins the game by adopting defensive positions in and around the farm property, this may include 1d6 booby traps.
Player two begins the game in round one, arriving onto the map from any direction, and in as many groups as desired.
Player three begins the game in round four, arriving along the road in two civilian commercial vehicles.
Who ever controls Wooton at the end of the game, wins.
Wooton is controlled by base contact only.
. 
. 
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"Good God! Who were those men?" Chief Inspector Rackham's eyes blink rapidly as he gasps for breath.
"I don't know" Daniel Mansfield replies, "I've come across them before, but never in England!"
"I say. What's going on?" Algernon Wooton looks around the red faces of the men who have dragged him, racing across the fields. His gaze falls upon the comforting uniform of a police sergeant and he reaches out as if in supplication. Sergeant Tarbuck however stares back at the buildings from which the group of men have just fled. Shouts and screams can clearly be heard between bursts of rifle and heavy machine gun fire. “Sounds like a bleeding war” he mutters.
“But who are they?” Rackham repeats. “We have to identify them and discover how they penetrated the cordon!” He glances at Daniel Mansfield who is deep I thought as he stares back to the gunfight. .
“Yes. I need to contact headquarters. We need more men!”
Twenty four hours later, Daniel Mansfield enters the operations room at MI6. Standing around large central table are several uniformed men and Sir Hugh Sinclair. Spread out across the table is a considerable map showing the entire southern half of England.
“Daniel.” There is on obvious tone of relief in Sir Hugh’s voice but his face shows no sign of emotion. “Allow me to introduce Brigadier Phips and Lieutenant General Peterson. Both men shake Daniel’s hand, each scrutinizing his face with open curiosity.
“It’s very good to meet you Captain” Phips booms. “Sir Hugh has been regaling us with your exploits.”
“Thank you sir” Daniel smiles slightly, “I certainly hope I can live up to whatever you’ve been told.”
Ignoring the exchange, Sir Hugh points to a point on the map. “Take a look Daniel. When the Aglateans left the small holding yesterday, one of our more enterprising constables followed them at a distance to a small industrial plant, here, just a few miles from Portsmouth.” Daniel considers the small black icon on the map.
“A base of operations?”
“Given that we have never before seen any evidence of Aglatean interference in the United Kingdom, this unit of heavily armed agents represents a significant development that we need to neutralize now that it has become operational.”
“Indeed” Lieutenant General Peterson takes up a position on the far side of the table, folding his arms across his heavily decorated chest. “We need to send in my men at once and exterminate them!”
Daniel looks up in surprise. Peterson's dogged expression indicates a previous discussion, one that has not reached any conclusion.
“You have a unit ready to go in?” he asks. Peterson nods curtly.
“Paratroopers Captain Mansfield. The very best!”
Daniel notes Sir Hugh’s somewhat irritated frown and deduces the reason for Lieutenant General Peterson’s belligerent manner. Having already been side lined in the previous operation, he guesses Peterson is angling for the opportunity to take over but MI6 is loath to relinquish control to the army. He considers both men carefully for a moment. Sir Hugh meets his eye with a slightly sardonic smile.
“I’d like to take some of your men with me” he tells Peterson. “When I go back in. How many can you lend me?”
Peterson pauses for only a heart’s beat before he accepts the compromise with a hearty grin.
“I can give you an entire company if you want it, but I don’t know if my men have the sort of equipment I’ve heard you have been using… at least not yet.”
Phips chuckles at the obvious dig, but Sir Hugh remains tight lipped. “All of our equipment is still highly experimental…” he begins.
“I’ll be happy to take as many men as you can safely deploy” Daniel interrupts tactfully.
This game was played on 14 July 2018.
Players were moif, Palle and Goeg.
The game began with Martin deploying his small band of men at the top left corner of the table top (as seen on the above image). Unbeknownst to him, Palle had deployed Captain Brass and ’Mad’ Margaret Pettibone in the disused pig sty, with Algernon Wooton held prisoner therein. Guarding them in the workshop of the warehouse opposite was Giuseppe 'Blanco'. As Hamish, Dougal and Daniel Mansfield advanced almost immediately to the pig sty they quickly realised there was some within and an attempt at entry was undertaken. This resulted in Hamish being knocked out by Captain Brass as he tried to force his way through the small door way.
Mansfield then decided to force an entry too but as he was doing so, two civilian commercial vehicles arrived at the front of the property and several heavily armed and armoured Aglateans dismounted. Mostof the Italians were already preoccupied with the gun play around the pig sty and were unaware of the arrival of a third party, but once the Aglateans began to advance onto the property firing as they came, they began to shoot back at them. One Italian sailor tried to use a car to run them down, but the vehicle was disable.
Rocketman pushed his way into the pig sty, defeated both Captain Brass and Miss Pettibone with a few sharp blows, then grabbing Wooton he made his way out side. An Italian attempted to stop the rescue by ramming a second car into Dougal, but the wily Scot side stepped and the car crashed into the pig sty.
Mansfield and his men made their escape as the fire fight between the Italians and the Aglateans heated up, giving victory to Goeg.
The Kremlin. Moscow.
The creature known to the humans as Stalin sits at a large wide desk, reading a report from it’s subordinate Yezhov; the head of the NKVD. Having digested the unpleasant information offered, it picks up the receiver of a dull blue telephone upon its desk. ”Kapustin” it says and then ends the call.
Fifteen minutes later, a second creature, as pale and ominous as Stalin enters the office. It does not speak, but merely stands facing the desk and its denizen.
”Yezhov has detected a threat. For some time now, Victor Korsakov has had spies probing our scientific assets, searching amongst them for specialists and it seems probable he wishes to rebuild the energy weapon he lost in 1936. Korsakov’s field commander Yuri Mosolov has now been detected approaching the site of the original weapon with a force of heavy tanks. Take some of our soldiers, go there at once and annhilate them.”
Player one - moif
Major Kapustin / T35 heavy tank
Kht-26 flamethrower tank.
T-28 light tank.
6 x Aglatean Guards with rifles. 2 x Agaltean Guards with SMGs. 2 x Aglatean Guards with LMGs.
Player two - Andreas
Sgt Moloksi /T28 Medium tank
1 x T28 Medium tank.
10 x Soviet infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Soviet infantry with LMG
Player three - Palle
Yuri Mosolov/ K4d command tank.
1 x K4 heavy tank.
1 x K1 light tank.
10 x Black Guard infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Black Guard infantry HMG
Player four - Goeg
Lt Kopylov /K4 heavy tank
1 x K4 heavy tank.
1 x RK16 Motor tachanka.
10 x Black Guard infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Black Guard Infantry LMG
Having flown to Khazakstan, Kapustin and his personal retainers rendezvous with local Soviet forces and move to Bolshenarymskoe aerodrome with all possible haste. Arriving at the adjoining industrial complex they find the Black Guards already in the vicinity and aerial reconnaisance notes a command group moving rapidly towards a cluster of semi ruined buildings. Kapustin boards his personal tank and sets off to intercept them. Both sides arrive simultaneously.
Both sides begin by placing their infantry elements on table, within 12 inches of the map edge. Cavalry elements begin off table and may come on table at their discretion (one move must be allowed for advance notice unless the element arrives behind cover)
Whom ever controls the storage facility at the end of the game wins.
If neither side has control of the facility at the end of the game, then the side with the least casualties - percent wise, wins.
This game was played on 22 February 2014.
Players were moif, Andreas, Goeg and Palle.
For convenience, I shall refer to the left and right flanks as seen from the perspective of the map.
Both sides deployed across their edge of the table with the Black Guards (Palle and Goeg) deploying their tanks at once. Goeg positioned his first tank on the left flank, guarding the forest road, and he placed his second tank on the parallel road, facing towards the bombed out tank factory. Palle placed both his heavy tanks in the open ground of the far right flank, using the trees as partial cover and left his light tank to cover the ruins of the centre. Andreas placed his commander's tank in the trees facing Goeg's tank on the left flank. He left his second tank off map. moif placed all three of his tanks in the centre ground of the railway siding. Palle and Goeg concentrated their infantry behind the central ruins whilst moif and Andreas spread their infantry between the centre and left flank. Most all of Andreas' men were on the left flank.
Firing commenced with Goeg opening up a barrage against Andreas' forces on the left flank. Having established that the T-28 was impervious to his K4's guns, Goeg turned his attention to the infantry. He kept up a prolonged barrage that lasted for most of the game and which, despite their using cover to their best advantage, eventually annihilated a large proportion of Andrea's foot soldiers. moif's Aglatean infantry hesitated for lack of movement points and were unable to move much from beyond their initial starting ground.
Both sides held their ground cautiously for most of the first half of the game. Palle and Goeg were wary of the T-35's greater fire power, and moif and Andreas were out numbered. The T-35 dominated the central ground but largely by default as it wasn't really being challenged. Eventually Goeg moved his second K4 heavy tank up the central road but moif countered this with his light tanks, blocking the road and using the flame thrower tank to set fire to the tank factory building.
Palle edged his two tanks closer up the right flank in order to find a way of combating the T-35, but this was countered by Andreas who brought his second T-28 onto the map, behind the rail workers shack on the far right flank. Trying to establish a lethal cross fire was very much the order of the day with both sides having difficulty bring enough guns to bear to do any serious damage.
With both sides idling in an apparent Mexican stand off, Andreas then played his joker, a Polikarpov I-16 with six underwing rockets and twin 20mm cannon. He deployed his aircraft against Palle's tanks which were close enough together to bring them both within the rockets damage radius. Unfortunately Andreas rolled badly (both sides were plagued with poor dice rolls all day) and the joker failed. Palle continued to edge for a good firing position with both sides trading ineffectual shots across the right flank.
Eventually Goeg brought his second K4 far enough up the central road to threaten the T-35 from the left. Palle brought both his tanks up and threatened from the right. It looked for a while as if the T-35 might be knocked out, allowing the Black Guards to secure the centre. Whilst this was happening however, moif's two light tanks were moving in and around the centre with the twin turreted T-26 engaging the infantry who were trying to close on the storage building (even running some of them over) and the Kht-26 flamethrower tank moving right around the left flank to approach from the rear.
The game ended before either side could deliver a decisive attack and the end result was a narrow victory to the Black Guards, largely thanks to the initial bombardment of Andrea's infantry by Goeg's command tank on the left flank.
I think we had a good game and fun was had by all. I missed Oleg's presence, but in a way he was with us in spirit as the tank factory was one of his models I had completed, and then named after him. There may be a smaller follow up game in the next few weeks but Andreas was only with us for the one session unfortunately as he lives in Oslo.
London. 1937.
Sitting by the wireless in his most comfortable chair, Daniel Mansfield stretches out his long legs and luxuriates in the peace and quiet of a late summers evening. In the deeper recesses of her house, Audrey Summers talks to him, but he barely hears her. Closing his eyes, he muses on the last few years’ on-going campaigns.
”Father called yesterday” Audrey’s voice reaches his ears again. ”He was asking about grandchildren again...”
Daniel nods to himself heavily, but stays silent. Audrey walks into the room with a big bright smile on her face. She opens her mouth to speak again, but suddenly the telephone bell rings out and cuts her short. She hurries from the room to pick up the receiver and catching sight of his drinks cabinet, Daniel smiles to himself. He is just about to get up and make himself a whiskey and soda when Audrey pops her head back into the room.
”It’s for you Darling”.
Three hours later, Daniel Mansfield sits in Sir Hugh’s office with a large whiskey in his hand. On the table between them is a telegram and a large map of Dorset.
”So what’s the story Sir?” Daniel asks as he savours his drink.
Sir Hugh marks a point on the map with his finger. ”This is our target. It’s a small holding roughly four miles from the new aerodrome at Woodsford. I want you to take Hamish and Dougal down there and meet up with Rackham of the Yard. We have reason to believe an Italian adventurer who goes by the name of Captain Brass has whisked away one of our scientific chaps and is holding him there, for reasons unknown.”
”Captain Brass?” Daniel muses. ”Pretty funny sort of a name for an Italian.”
Sir Hugh pulls a file from his desk and passes it across the table. ”Quite. His real name is Luigi Carlotti. Formerly he was with the Italian Navy and during the war he saw quite a lot of action. He made his name in the service, whilst he was in the Adriatic where he apparently undertook some very daring raids against the Turks. His men took to calling him Captain Brass accordingly...”
Daniel smiles and raises an eye brow. ”Brass balls?”
”So it would seem.” Sir Hugh maintains a serious demeanour, but his eyes sparkle for a moment. Daniel opens the file and peruses the several photographs which show a brooding, handsome man in his middle years. Written on the back of the latest is the date 1932.
”We don’t have any recent pictures of him I’m afraid. He is very elusive these days” Sir Hugh observes. ”Since his naval career ended, somewhat under a cloud I might add, he’s been noted around Europe as something of an underworld operator. Quite exactly what he does isn’t immediately apparently, but he appears to be some kind of playboy mercenary who will undertake all manner of high risk criminal activities, if the price is right. ”Until now he kept himself to the continent, and so it wasn’t any of our concern, but recently he arrived in Portsmouth and went to ground in Dorset. The Yard was put on his tail of course, but they lost him after the first week. Before that though, they did manage to track some of his associates to this property...”
”Associates?” Daniel asks.
”Yes, he has a full crew of men who operate his motor yacht. It’s quite a large affair, and must have cost a pretty penny. It’s owned by a private Tyrolese Social club and Carlotti is listed on the register as her captain, though I very much doubt that he is not the actual owner. You can see her schematics in the file.”
Daniel regards the sleek lines of the yacht with admiration. It is indeed a very large and obviously comfortable vessel.
”It doesn’t specify her crew here” he notes, ”how many men does he have?”
”Several remain on the yacht, and we believe he has a dozen or so with him.”
”So this is our opponent” Daniel outs aside the file and sips at his drink again. ”Who is the boffin?”
Sir Hugh sits back in his chair and steeples his fingers. ”Wooton is one of our brightest men in the field of high energy physics. He’s a young fellow too. Not even thirty, and yet he already holds the Everidge Chair at Cambridge, and last year he was awarded the Brighton Scholarship for his work on accelerated particles.”
Sir Hugh glances across at Mansfield’s incomprehension, then chuckles.
”No, I haven’t got the faintest idea what any of that means either. It all sounds impressive though, and Government wants his safe return forthwith. Apparently he is one of the driving forces behind a secret project that the Ministry of Defence is funding and which will safeguard Britain against any future air attacks.”
”Well that sounds jolly good” Daniel replies. He pauses for a moment and Sir Hugh waits to hear what has suddenly caught his subordinate’s mind.
”Are we working on an energy weapon now sir?”
”Not to my knowledge” Sir Hugh answers, ”but I think I follow you.. You’re thinking about Korsakov?”
”Yes sir. Korsakov’s weapon was supposed to be able to swat aircraft out of the sky like flies.”
The two men regard each other for a moment as each follow the same train of thought.
”Korsakov gave up the game though” Daniel ponders. ”He was supposed to have retired somewhere in northern China”
”What was the name of Korsakov’s deputy?” Sir Hugh replies. ”Yuri something or other? He was supposed to have been in a battle earlier this year, trying to recover the site of the weapon but reports indicate that he was defeated by the Russians. It all came to nothing.”
”Can we be sure?” Daniel downs the last of his whiskey and then picks up the file on Carlotti. ”Why would someone like this be interested in someone like Wooton?”
”I don’t know” Sir Hugh admits ”but I trust you’re going to find out for me, and sooner rather than later!”
”Captain Mansfield I presume?” The stout man in the dapper suit smiles broadly as he extends a hand.
”The very same” Daniel smiles back as he shakes the offered hand. ”And you must be Chief Inspector Rackham of Scotland Yard?”
”I am. I am indeed!” The police officer replies. ”Welcome to Dorset. We have the property under surveillance and it seems like the whole gang is present as of last night. Sergeant Tarbuck here has just returned from setting up a cordon all around the area.”
Sergeant Tarbuck sketches a salute and steps forward. Daniel shakes his hand, noting the police officer’s calm eyes and steady manner.
”How many men are we talking about?”
Sergeant Tarbuck pulls out a notebook. ”We think, ten or twelve men, and a lady Sir.”
”A lady?” Daniel glances to Chief Inspector Rackham who shrugs. ”I wasn’t aware of any female members of the gang. When you say a lady, are you speaking objectively Sergeant?”
”I mean she was wearing a dress Sir” Sergeant Tarbuck replied.
”Could be a nurse” Rackham muses ”to keep the scientist fellow sedated.”
Daniel considers this for a moment. It makes sense of course, but in the last few years he has encountered a number of dangerous and volatile women.
”Best be careful” he cautions. ”She might be a nurse, or she might be some kind of Italian gun moll.”
Rackham’s grin slips from his face as he realises Mansfield is not making light of the situation.
”I say” he mutters. ”I’m not sure if I care to exchange gun shots with a lady”.
”Weel Sir” Hamish’s broad Scottish brogue interjects as he approaches. ”Ye can let her shoot yoo if it makes ye happier.”
Mansfield introduces his companions, ”Hamish, Dougal and George Macarthur.”
For any one curious, the man in the photo above is Gary Cooper.
Player one -Palle
Captain Brass
’Mad’ Margaret Pettibone
Giuseppe ’Blanco’
6 x Crew (Rifles)
Player two -Martin
Rocketman
Dougal
Hamish
Chief Inspector Rackham
Sergeant Tarbuck
Player three - moif
Squad Leader Harris (SMG)
6 x Rifles
2 x LMG
The creature known to the humans as Stalin sits at a large wide desk, reading a report from it’s subordinate Yezhov; the head of the NKVD. Having digested the unpleasant information offered, it picks up the receiver of a dull blue telephone upon its desk. ”Kapustin” it says and then ends the call.
Fifteen minutes later, a second creature, as pale and ominous as Stalin enters the office. It does not speak, but merely stands facing the desk and its denizen.
”Yezhov has detected a threat. For some time now, Victor Korsakov has had spies probing our scientific assets, searching amongst them for specialists and it seems probable he wishes to rebuild the energy weapon he lost in 1936. Korsakov’s field commander Yuri Mosolov has now been detected approaching the site of the original weapon with a force of heavy tanks. Take some of our soldiers, go there at once and annhilate them.”
Player one - moif
Major Kapustin / T35 heavy tank
Kht-26 flamethrower tank.
T-28 light tank.
6 x Aglatean Guards with rifles. 2 x Agaltean Guards with SMGs. 2 x Aglatean Guards with LMGs.
Player two - Andreas
Sgt Moloksi /T28 Medium tank
1 x T28 Medium tank.
10 x Soviet infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Soviet infantry with LMG
Player three - Palle
Yuri Mosolov/ K4d command tank.
1 x K4 heavy tank.
1 x K1 light tank.
10 x Black Guard infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Black Guard infantry HMG
Player four - Goeg
Lt Kopylov /K4 heavy tank
1 x K4 heavy tank.
1 x RK16 Motor tachanka.
10 x Black Guard infantry with rifles (one grenade each). 1 x Black Guard Infantry LMG
Starting
Having flown to Khazakstan, Kapustin and his personal retainers rendezvous with local Soviet forces and move to Bolshenarymskoe aerodrome with all possible haste. Arriving at the adjoining industrial complex they find the Black Guards already in the vicinity and aerial reconnaisance notes a command group moving rapidly towards a cluster of semi ruined buildings. Kapustin boards his personal tank and sets off to intercept them. Both sides arrive simultaneously.
Both sides begin by placing their infantry elements on table, within 12 inches of the map edge. Cavalry elements begin off table and may come on table at their discretion (one move must be allowed for advance notice unless the element arrives behind cover)
Victory Conditions
Whom ever controls the storage facility at the end of the game wins.
If neither side has control of the facility at the end of the game, then the side with the least casualties - percent wise, wins.
Conclusion
This game was played on 22 February 2014.
Players were moif, Andreas, Goeg and Palle.
For convenience, I shall refer to the left and right flanks as seen from the perspective of the map.
Both sides deployed across their edge of the table with the Black Guards (Palle and Goeg) deploying their tanks at once. Goeg positioned his first tank on the left flank, guarding the forest road, and he placed his second tank on the parallel road, facing towards the bombed out tank factory. Palle placed both his heavy tanks in the open ground of the far right flank, using the trees as partial cover and left his light tank to cover the ruins of the centre. Andreas placed his commander's tank in the trees facing Goeg's tank on the left flank. He left his second tank off map. moif placed all three of his tanks in the centre ground of the railway siding. Palle and Goeg concentrated their infantry behind the central ruins whilst moif and Andreas spread their infantry between the centre and left flank. Most all of Andreas' men were on the left flank.
Firing commenced with Goeg opening up a barrage against Andreas' forces on the left flank. Having established that the T-28 was impervious to his K4's guns, Goeg turned his attention to the infantry. He kept up a prolonged barrage that lasted for most of the game and which, despite their using cover to their best advantage, eventually annihilated a large proportion of Andrea's foot soldiers. moif's Aglatean infantry hesitated for lack of movement points and were unable to move much from beyond their initial starting ground.
Both sides held their ground cautiously for most of the first half of the game. Palle and Goeg were wary of the T-35's greater fire power, and moif and Andreas were out numbered. The T-35 dominated the central ground but largely by default as it wasn't really being challenged. Eventually Goeg moved his second K4 heavy tank up the central road but moif countered this with his light tanks, blocking the road and using the flame thrower tank to set fire to the tank factory building.
Palle edged his two tanks closer up the right flank in order to find a way of combating the T-35, but this was countered by Andreas who brought his second T-28 onto the map, behind the rail workers shack on the far right flank. Trying to establish a lethal cross fire was very much the order of the day with both sides having difficulty bring enough guns to bear to do any serious damage.
With both sides idling in an apparent Mexican stand off, Andreas then played his joker, a Polikarpov I-16 with six underwing rockets and twin 20mm cannon. He deployed his aircraft against Palle's tanks which were close enough together to bring them both within the rockets damage radius. Unfortunately Andreas rolled badly (both sides were plagued with poor dice rolls all day) and the joker failed. Palle continued to edge for a good firing position with both sides trading ineffectual shots across the right flank.
Eventually Goeg brought his second K4 far enough up the central road to threaten the T-35 from the left. Palle brought both his tanks up and threatened from the right. It looked for a while as if the T-35 might be knocked out, allowing the Black Guards to secure the centre. Whilst this was happening however, moif's two light tanks were moving in and around the centre with the twin turreted T-26 engaging the infantry who were trying to close on the storage building (even running some of them over) and the Kht-26 flamethrower tank moving right around the left flank to approach from the rear.
The game ended before either side could deliver a decisive attack and the end result was a narrow victory to the Black Guards, largely thanks to the initial bombardment of Andrea's infantry by Goeg's command tank on the left flank.
I think we had a good game and fun was had by all. I missed Oleg's presence, but in a way he was with us in spirit as the tank factory was one of his models I had completed, and then named after him. There may be a smaller follow up game in the next few weeks but Andreas was only with us for the one session unfortunately as he lives in Oslo.
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London. 1937.
Sitting by the wireless in his most comfortable chair, Daniel Mansfield stretches out his long legs and luxuriates in the peace and quiet of a late summers evening. In the deeper recesses of her house, Audrey Summers talks to him, but he barely hears her. Closing his eyes, he muses on the last few years’ on-going campaigns.
”Father called yesterday” Audrey’s voice reaches his ears again. ”He was asking about grandchildren again...”
Daniel nods to himself heavily, but stays silent. Audrey walks into the room with a big bright smile on her face. She opens her mouth to speak again, but suddenly the telephone bell rings out and cuts her short. She hurries from the room to pick up the receiver and catching sight of his drinks cabinet, Daniel smiles to himself. He is just about to get up and make himself a whiskey and soda when Audrey pops her head back into the room.
”It’s for you Darling”.
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Three hours later, Daniel Mansfield sits in Sir Hugh’s office with a large whiskey in his hand. On the table between them is a telegram and a large map of Dorset.
”So what’s the story Sir?” Daniel asks as he savours his drink.
Sir Hugh marks a point on the map with his finger. ”This is our target. It’s a small holding roughly four miles from the new aerodrome at Woodsford. I want you to take Hamish and Dougal down there and meet up with Rackham of the Yard. We have reason to believe an Italian adventurer who goes by the name of Captain Brass has whisked away one of our scientific chaps and is holding him there, for reasons unknown.”
”Captain Brass?” Daniel muses. ”Pretty funny sort of a name for an Italian.”
Sir Hugh pulls a file from his desk and passes it across the table. ”Quite. His real name is Luigi Carlotti. Formerly he was with the Italian Navy and during the war he saw quite a lot of action. He made his name in the service, whilst he was in the Adriatic where he apparently undertook some very daring raids against the Turks. His men took to calling him Captain Brass accordingly...”
Daniel smiles and raises an eye brow. ”Brass balls?”
”So it would seem.” Sir Hugh maintains a serious demeanour, but his eyes sparkle for a moment. Daniel opens the file and peruses the several photographs which show a brooding, handsome man in his middle years. Written on the back of the latest is the date 1932.
”We don’t have any recent pictures of him I’m afraid. He is very elusive these days” Sir Hugh observes. ”Since his naval career ended, somewhat under a cloud I might add, he’s been noted around Europe as something of an underworld operator. Quite exactly what he does isn’t immediately apparently, but he appears to be some kind of playboy mercenary who will undertake all manner of high risk criminal activities, if the price is right. ”Until now he kept himself to the continent, and so it wasn’t any of our concern, but recently he arrived in Portsmouth and went to ground in Dorset. The Yard was put on his tail of course, but they lost him after the first week. Before that though, they did manage to track some of his associates to this property...”
”Associates?” Daniel asks.
”Yes, he has a full crew of men who operate his motor yacht. It’s quite a large affair, and must have cost a pretty penny. It’s owned by a private Tyrolese Social club and Carlotti is listed on the register as her captain, though I very much doubt that he is not the actual owner. You can see her schematics in the file.”
Daniel regards the sleek lines of the yacht with admiration. It is indeed a very large and obviously comfortable vessel.
”It doesn’t specify her crew here” he notes, ”how many men does he have?”
”Several remain on the yacht, and we believe he has a dozen or so with him.”
”So this is our opponent” Daniel outs aside the file and sips at his drink again. ”Who is the boffin?”
Sir Hugh sits back in his chair and steeples his fingers. ”Wooton is one of our brightest men in the field of high energy physics. He’s a young fellow too. Not even thirty, and yet he already holds the Everidge Chair at Cambridge, and last year he was awarded the Brighton Scholarship for his work on accelerated particles.”
Sir Hugh glances across at Mansfield’s incomprehension, then chuckles.
”No, I haven’t got the faintest idea what any of that means either. It all sounds impressive though, and Government wants his safe return forthwith. Apparently he is one of the driving forces behind a secret project that the Ministry of Defence is funding and which will safeguard Britain against any future air attacks.”
”Well that sounds jolly good” Daniel replies. He pauses for a moment and Sir Hugh waits to hear what has suddenly caught his subordinate’s mind.
”Are we working on an energy weapon now sir?”
”Not to my knowledge” Sir Hugh answers, ”but I think I follow you.. You’re thinking about Korsakov?”
”Yes sir. Korsakov’s weapon was supposed to be able to swat aircraft out of the sky like flies.”
The two men regard each other for a moment as each follow the same train of thought.
”Korsakov gave up the game though” Daniel ponders. ”He was supposed to have retired somewhere in northern China”
”What was the name of Korsakov’s deputy?” Sir Hugh replies. ”Yuri something or other? He was supposed to have been in a battle earlier this year, trying to recover the site of the weapon but reports indicate that he was defeated by the Russians. It all came to nothing.”
”Can we be sure?” Daniel downs the last of his whiskey and then picks up the file on Carlotti. ”Why would someone like this be interested in someone like Wooton?”
”I don’t know” Sir Hugh admits ”but I trust you’re going to find out for me, and sooner rather than later!”
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”Captain Mansfield I presume?” The stout man in the dapper suit smiles broadly as he extends a hand.
”The very same” Daniel smiles back as he shakes the offered hand. ”And you must be Chief Inspector Rackham of Scotland Yard?”
”I am. I am indeed!” The police officer replies. ”Welcome to Dorset. We have the property under surveillance and it seems like the whole gang is present as of last night. Sergeant Tarbuck here has just returned from setting up a cordon all around the area.”
Sergeant Tarbuck sketches a salute and steps forward. Daniel shakes his hand, noting the police officer’s calm eyes and steady manner.
”How many men are we talking about?”
Sergeant Tarbuck pulls out a notebook. ”We think, ten or twelve men, and a lady Sir.”
”A lady?” Daniel glances to Chief Inspector Rackham who shrugs. ”I wasn’t aware of any female members of the gang. When you say a lady, are you speaking objectively Sergeant?”
”I mean she was wearing a dress Sir” Sergeant Tarbuck replied.
”Could be a nurse” Rackham muses ”to keep the scientist fellow sedated.”
Daniel considers this for a moment. It makes sense of course, but in the last few years he has encountered a number of dangerous and volatile women.
”Best be careful” he cautions. ”She might be a nurse, or she might be some kind of Italian gun moll.”
Rackham’s grin slips from his face as he realises Mansfield is not making light of the situation.
”I say” he mutters. ”I’m not sure if I care to exchange gun shots with a lady”.
”Weel Sir” Hamish’s broad Scottish brogue interjects as he approaches. ”Ye can let her shoot yoo if it makes ye happier.”
Mansfield introduces his companions, ”Hamish, Dougal and George Macarthur.”
For any one curious, the man in the photo above is Gary Cooper.
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Player one -Palle
Captain Brass
’Mad’ Margaret Pettibone
Giuseppe ’Blanco’
6 x Crew (Rifles)
Player two -Martin
Rocketman
Dougal
Hamish
Chief Inspector Rackham
Sergeant Tarbuck
Player three - moif
Squad Leader Harris (SMG)
6 x Rifles
2 x LMG
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Starting
Player one begins the game by adopting defensive positions in and around the farm property, this may include 1d6 booby traps.
Player two begins the game in round one, arriving onto the map from any direction, and in as many groups as desired.
Player three begins the game in round four, arriving along the road in two civilian commercial vehicles.
Victory conditions
Who ever controls Wooton at the end of the game, wins.
Special Notes
Wooton is controlled by base contact only.
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Conclusion
"Good God! Who were those men?" Chief Inspector Rackham's eyes blink rapidly as he gasps for breath.
"I don't know" Daniel Mansfield replies, "I've come across them before, but never in England!"
"I say. What's going on?" Algernon Wooton looks around the red faces of the men who have dragged him, racing across the fields. His gaze falls upon the comforting uniform of a police sergeant and he reaches out as if in supplication. Sergeant Tarbuck however stares back at the buildings from which the group of men have just fled. Shouts and screams can clearly be heard between bursts of rifle and heavy machine gun fire. “Sounds like a bleeding war” he mutters.
“But who are they?” Rackham repeats. “We have to identify them and discover how they penetrated the cordon!” He glances at Daniel Mansfield who is deep I thought as he stares back to the gunfight. .
“Yes. I need to contact headquarters. We need more men!”
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Twenty four hours later, Daniel Mansfield enters the operations room at MI6. Standing around large central table are several uniformed men and Sir Hugh Sinclair. Spread out across the table is a considerable map showing the entire southern half of England.
“Daniel.” There is on obvious tone of relief in Sir Hugh’s voice but his face shows no sign of emotion. “Allow me to introduce Brigadier Phips and Lieutenant General Peterson. Both men shake Daniel’s hand, each scrutinizing his face with open curiosity.
“It’s very good to meet you Captain” Phips booms. “Sir Hugh has been regaling us with your exploits.”
“Thank you sir” Daniel smiles slightly, “I certainly hope I can live up to whatever you’ve been told.”
Ignoring the exchange, Sir Hugh points to a point on the map. “Take a look Daniel. When the Aglateans left the small holding yesterday, one of our more enterprising constables followed them at a distance to a small industrial plant, here, just a few miles from Portsmouth.” Daniel considers the small black icon on the map.
“A base of operations?”
“Given that we have never before seen any evidence of Aglatean interference in the United Kingdom, this unit of heavily armed agents represents a significant development that we need to neutralize now that it has become operational.”
“Indeed” Lieutenant General Peterson takes up a position on the far side of the table, folding his arms across his heavily decorated chest. “We need to send in my men at once and exterminate them!”
Daniel looks up in surprise. Peterson's dogged expression indicates a previous discussion, one that has not reached any conclusion.
“You have a unit ready to go in?” he asks. Peterson nods curtly.
“Paratroopers Captain Mansfield. The very best!”
Daniel notes Sir Hugh’s somewhat irritated frown and deduces the reason for Lieutenant General Peterson’s belligerent manner. Having already been side lined in the previous operation, he guesses Peterson is angling for the opportunity to take over but MI6 is loath to relinquish control to the army. He considers both men carefully for a moment. Sir Hugh meets his eye with a slightly sardonic smile.
“I’d like to take some of your men with me” he tells Peterson. “When I go back in. How many can you lend me?”
Peterson pauses for only a heart’s beat before he accepts the compromise with a hearty grin.
“I can give you an entire company if you want it, but I don’t know if my men have the sort of equipment I’ve heard you have been using… at least not yet.”
Phips chuckles at the obvious dig, but Sir Hugh remains tight lipped. “All of our equipment is still highly experimental…” he begins.
“I’ll be happy to take as many men as you can safely deploy” Daniel interrupts tactfully.
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This game was played on 14 July 2018.
Players were moif, Palle and Goeg.
The game began with Martin deploying his small band of men at the top left corner of the table top (as seen on the above image). Unbeknownst to him, Palle had deployed Captain Brass and ’Mad’ Margaret Pettibone in the disused pig sty, with Algernon Wooton held prisoner therein. Guarding them in the workshop of the warehouse opposite was Giuseppe 'Blanco'. As Hamish, Dougal and Daniel Mansfield advanced almost immediately to the pig sty they quickly realised there was some within and an attempt at entry was undertaken. This resulted in Hamish being knocked out by Captain Brass as he tried to force his way through the small door way.
Mansfield then decided to force an entry too but as he was doing so, two civilian commercial vehicles arrived at the front of the property and several heavily armed and armoured Aglateans dismounted. Mostof the Italians were already preoccupied with the gun play around the pig sty and were unaware of the arrival of a third party, but once the Aglateans began to advance onto the property firing as they came, they began to shoot back at them. One Italian sailor tried to use a car to run them down, but the vehicle was disable.
Rocketman pushed his way into the pig sty, defeated both Captain Brass and Miss Pettibone with a few sharp blows, then grabbing Wooton he made his way out side. An Italian attempted to stop the rescue by ramming a second car into Dougal, but the wily Scot side stepped and the car crashed into the pig sty.
Mansfield and his men made their escape as the fire fight between the Italians and the Aglateans heated up, giving victory to Goeg.
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London. 4 October. 1937.
A large, silver and grey Rolls Royce glides effortlessly through the traffic of central London. Seated in the rear compartment, Sir Hugh Sinclair watches the pedestrians as they hurry through the rain. “This is a dire development” he states, almost to himself. “We need to move fast and nip this in the bud before we find ourselves dealing with another situation we can’t contain.”
Daniel Mansfield, glances at his superior but says nothing. He’s not sure if Sir Hugh is speaking about the unwelcome discovery of an Aglatean base in the United Kingdom, or the announcement by Lieutenant General Peterson that the army has created its own special operations force to rival Sir Hugh’s own small unit. For his own part, he welcomes the creation of the Commando Operations Executive. His work burden has been particularly heavy in recent years, and his plan to settle down now he is approaching forty years of age, has long since been pushed aside. Still, he muses, his health has never been better. Ever since he came into contact with the mysterious light in the dungeon at Ash Shamaliyah, he has enjoyed a remarkable surplus of strength, agility and stamina. As he sits in the speeding automobile, he wonders to himself what it means. How long will he enjoy this super human health?
“We will join forces with Peterson’s unit” Sir Hugh says softly. “For now at least, we have no other choice.”
“For now?” Daniel inquires.
“Peterson will have to go” Sinclair declares. He offers no further explanation, but Daniel perceives the depth of Sir Hugh’s annoyance at this unwanted development. He looks down at the dossier on his knee. In it, Peterson’s aide has typed out a brief synopsis of the COE and its assets. Forty men from across the three services have already been recruited, trained as parachutists and issued with specialized uniforms and the latest Thompson machine guns. Another forty men are in training and a budget has been allocated for a further eighty to create a full strength Company of one hundred and sixty officers and men.
“Looking at this, it seems like a very capable force” he observes “and I’m rather pleased to see they gave command to Flash Beaufort too. Not what I’d have expected from the army sir.”
“Flash who?” Sir Hugh glances down at the paper on Daniel’s lap.
“Bertie Beaufort sir. Formerly of 715 Squadron. He served on the China station up until last year. HMS Hermes I believe. The men call him Flash.”
“He’s a pilot in the navy?”
“Yes sir. Fleet Air Arm.” Daniel smiles warmly. “He has one hell of a reputation too. They say he took out a pirate fleet single handed in Bias Bay.”
An expression of interest passes across Sir Hugh’s face. “Do you think he could wear the rocket?”
Surprised by the question, and its implications, Daniel muses for a second. “I don’t see why not. It’s not easy to control, but Flash isn’t your ordinary pilot either. He might just be able to control it.”
Sir Hugh sniffs at the understatement. So far, Professor Summers has only found five men who have been able to control the rocket pack to any degree, and of them, two have been seriously wounded, one has been killed and the fourth sits beside him. Only the current test pilot Alan Cartwright is left at Project Meteor, and he is of no use as an agent given his cautious nature and high moral scruples. “Well, given the deplorable state of today’s youth, we must be thankful for Captain Beaufort I suppose.”
“Yes sir.”
“Quite how we’re supposed to maintain an empire with the glassy eyed indifference most young men seem to prefer these days is quite beyond my comprehension.”
“As you say sir.”
Sir Hugh turns to face Daniel. “I do say so. It’s becoming ever more difficult to fill the ranks with decent men and I’ve not been able to establish a special operations unit despite everything we’ve seen in the last few years. Our politicians won’t pay for anything new or innovative and I can’t imagine where Peterson got his backing. Granted he is only talking about a single company, but you have no idea of the costs such a company would involve. Just moving you and your few companions about the globe costs me a pretty penny I can assure you. Quite how Peterson imagines he can move an entire company is a mystery to me, unless of course he is quietly moving funds allocated elsewhere, in which case, we’ll have him out as soon as we find out his source.”
“Do we really need to get rid of him sir?” Daniel wonders. “He seems a capable chap.”
“Certainly we do” Sir Hugh chuckles. “Capable or not, he is still just a soldier and can you imagine the state of our affairs if we left them in the hands of our soldiers again?”
Daniel stays quiet but remembering the years prior to the armistice, he nods sympathetically.
“Do you have any ideas about this Aglatean base? A plan perhaps?” Sir Hugh changes subject abruptly.
“Yes, I think so” Daniel answers carefully. “But first and foremost I think I need to meet these COE chaps and evaluate them. I don’t fancy going into a scrap with people who might hesitate at the wrong moment.”
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RAF Biggin Hill.
Standing outside Nr 4 hanger, Captain Bertram John ‘Flash’ Beaufort watches as the distant Rolls Royce approaches through the drizzle. Overhead a flight of Bristol Bulldogs approach in a staggered formation, to land.
“Here they come” Jolson the mechanic notes.
The Bulldog’s are to be replaced with the new Hawker Hurricanes, and several of the aircrews have gathered in the neighbouring hanger to watch them land. Beaufort, who has flown both the new Hurricane and the even more desirable Supermarine Spitfire, offers the old biplanes no more than a passing glance. All his attention is riveted on the Rolls and the man within; Mansfield. He has heard a lot about Mansfield since his return to England and, try as much as he might, Beaufort can barely contain his excitement. Now we’re going to have a lark, he grins to himself.
For any one curious, the man in the photo above is Rik Mayall.
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