In the trenches 1917
No Man's Land
Photo by Martha Stevens
Germans move forward in our first game, set in daylight. They were attempting to reach a downed areoplane before a British patrol could get there. A wounded Luftwaffe officer lay moaning beside his broken craft.
Marc Fluitt ran two WWI skirmish games set in the mud of no-man's-land during the Great War. We met in Mark Stevens' home in Columbia MS on January 2nd 2006 for these games. Marc had built the terrain, burrowing into styrene 'florists foam' to create trenches, dugouts and shell holes. He had made copious wire entaglements and painted beautiful, mud-spattered British trench raiders and German Sturmtruppen to fight over the shell-blasted and gas-drenched land.
On top of all that, he wrote the rules! Jim Pitts and Marc Stevens were the huns, and Jay Stribling and Marc Fluitt (later relieved by Lee Drake) were the valiant British. As the absolute Creme de la creme Marc had built a village to occupy and a downed Boche aircraft with stunned pilot for the British to attempt to seize, and the Germans to rescue!
Photo by Martha Stevens
The first game - in daylight - British infantrymen charge in amontst the Huns with the bayonet. The Germans fell back and the pilot, waving his pistol in the background was captured by the British.
Photo by Martha Stevens
A close-up during the night game. Two of Mark Stevens' German Sturmtruppen occupy the upper floors of a ruined building. Stribling's British trench raiders later 'bombed' them out of the building.
Photo by Martha Stevens
British under the command of Lee Drake close in on the ruined town from the left. Mark had several squads painted for each player and he had figures in "normal" uniforms with rifles and bayonets, as well as "trench fighters" with armor, fighting with shovels and maces. Grim little men they are!
Photo by Martha Stevens
An over-view of the second game, showing the town and the terrain. Marc Fluitt spent most of the time when his house was untenable due to hurricane Katrina making terrain. The terrain is modular, using 1-foot square blocks, strengthened with hardboard on the bottom.
Photo by Martha Stevens
A close-up of Mark's lovely trench line sections, which we only used as a starting point for the patrols out into the shell-cratered open area - No man's land.
Photo by Martha Stevens
Germans advance, headed for the plane. There were 10 men in each squad. In game one, Marc Stevens shot Jay Stribling's men down like dogs with his light machine gun. In the second game, Jay returned the favor, with shotguns, at night!
Photo by Martha Stevens
Mark Stevens, the steady Prussian player, shown contemplating the action. His fellow Hun, Jim Pitts was down in a dug-out, safely out of the line of fire when the photo was taken.
Photo by Martha Stevens
The British players Jay Stribling (on Left) and Marc Fluitt (in NOLA T-shirt) grin upon winning 2 for 2.
SO - WHO WON THESE BATTLES?
The British won the first game, spiriting the German Pilot back to their own lines, and marvellously, they won the second game also, occupying three of the four ruined houses in the village. Great show old man! Eh Wot?
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