ISBN 1-55634-592-5

SJG00895 8002Printed in the USA

9!BMF@JA:RSTXQOoY`Z[ZmZnZ`FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2002

ISBN 1-55634-592-5

SJG00895 8002Printed in the USA

9!BMF@JA:RSTXQOoY`Z[ZmZnZ`FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2002

GURPS, Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarksof Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. GURPS WWII: Hand of Steel, Pyramid,

and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated areregistered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or

used under license. GURPS WWII: Hand of Steel is copyright © 2002 by Steve Jackson Games

Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. Some art based onphotographs copyright www.arttoday.com. Some art based on photographs from

the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and National Archives. Some art based onphotographs from the Imperial War Museum.

G U R P S System Des ign ≈ Steve JacksonCreat ive Director ≈ Phi l ip ReedManaging Edi tor ≈ Andrew Hackard

G U R P S Line Edi tor µ Sean PunchG U R P S W W I I Line Edi tor ≈ Gene Seabol t

Product ion Manager ≈ Heather Ol iverDes ign and Product ion ≈ Gene Seabol t

Print Buying ≈ Monica StephensGURPS Errata Coordinator ≈ Andy Vetromile

Sales Manager µ Ross Jepson

Lead Playtester: John Freiler. Playtesters:Allen Barrett, Scott Biddle, Brian Boyko,

Douglas Cole, Barry Cooper, Adam Crossingham,Nelson Cunnington, Peter Dell’Orto,

Daniel Howard, John Johnson, Phil Masters,Anthony Phraner, William Rieder, Thomas Schoene,

Richard Taylor, and Gil Trevizo.

ISBN 1-55634-592-5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1. Special Operations in WWII . . . . . 3

2. Best of the Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

3. Gizmos and Gadgets . . . . . . . . . . 18Weapons Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Special Ops Vehicles . . . . . . . . . 26

4. Mission Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

C O N T E N T S

AdditionalMaterial by

Hans-ChristianVortisch

Edited by Gene Seabolt

TM

INTRODUCTIONBack when we were considering

GURPS WWII as a stand-alone book,many of those reviewing the proposal sug-gested that it focus almost exclusively oncommandos. They made an excellent point.The exploits of these handfuls of highlytrained soldiers create superb gamingopportunities. Whether defying the odds invictory or going down in heroic defeat,commandos and their missions stand sec-ond to no other military operations forsheer drama and adventure.

As things evolved, WWII became thefirst in what is planned to be a long series ofbooks. Given that shift from sourcebook tocorebook, it transformed into somethingsubstantially different than originallyplanned, with a strong but nothing-like-exhaustive emphasis on commandos.

It stands to reason, then, that this firstsupplement in the GURPS WWII lineshould provide precisely the sort of contentrequested in that early feedback. While nobook this size – or 100 times this size –could claim to tell the reader everythingthat there is to be known about these elitesoldiers, this book does summarize the his-tory, training, and methods of WWII com-mandos in a fashion that should prove mostuseful to WWII gaming. Its author, ShawnFisher, has been running WWII- and specialforces-based campaigns for a good, longtime. I think he’s passed on the best parts ofhis experience, here.

– Gene Seabolt

ABOUT THE AUTHORShawn Fisher is a former history

teacher currently pursuing a graduatedegree in history and education. A frequentplaytester and long-time GURPS player,Shawn has contributed to more than adozen GURPS books. His previously pub-lished work has been featured in GURPSBest of Pyramid Volume 1.

Shawn currently serves as the trainingcoordinator for the Harding Universitysecurity department. An ex-Army infantry-man, and seriously obsessed WWII buff,Shawn devotes his spare time to paintball,wargaming, and recreational shooting –when he’s not reading books on WWII. Helives with his wife Jennifer in Searcy, Ark.

ABOUT GURPSSteve Jackson Games is committed to full

support of the GURPS system. Our address is SJGames, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Pleaseinclude a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE)any time you write us! Resources include:

Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Ouronline magazine includes new GURPS rules andarticles. It also covers Dungeons and Dragons,Traveller, World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, andmany more top games – and other Steve JacksonGames releases like Illuminati, In Nomine, CarWars, Toon, Ogre Miniatures, and more. Pyramidsubscribers also have access to playtest files online!

New supplements and adventures. GURPScontinues to grow, and we’ll be happy to let youknow what’s new. A current catalog is available foran SASE. Or check out our website (below).

Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, includingus – but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-dateerrata sheets for all GURPS releases, including thisbook, are available from SJ Games; be sure toinclude an SASE. Or download them from the Web– see below.

Gamer input. We value your comments, fornew products as well as updated printings of exist-ing titles!

Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web atwww.sjgames.com for an online catalog, errata,updates, Q&A, and much more.

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The GURPS WWII: Hand of Steel web page iswww.sjgames.com/gurps/books/ww2/handofsteel/.

Page ReferencesRules and statistics in this book are specif-

ically for the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.Any page reference that begins with a B refers tothe GURPS Basic Set – e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.Page references that begin with BE refer toGURPS Bestiary, CI to Compendium I, CII toCompendium II, HT to High-Tech, VE to Vehi-cles, or W to the WWII corebook.

For a full list of GURPS abbreviations, see p. CI181 or the updated web list atwww.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html.

2 INTRODUCTION

Sixty years ago, the beaches, jun-gles, and deserts of far-flung places suchas Tarawa, Jalo, Gran Sasso, andCabanatuan served as the forge in whichthe modern concept of special opera-tions was shaped and hardened. Thenameless, blackened faces of today’sNavy SEALs, Army Rangers, and RoyalMarine Commandos are the progeny ofthose grim warriors of WWII. Withspectacular successes, and sometimesdismal failures, the commandos of theSecond World War fought and died innear-complete anonymity on missionsso secret that even today some have notbeen opened to the public.

Yet WWII was not the first war tosee special forces in action. From thedash and courage of cavalry actions sincethe time of Alexander, to the stealthybeach landings of Viking raiders, the core elementsof special operations have always had a place inwar. The Afrikaners of the Boer War, the trenchraiders and storm troopers of WWI, the horsemenof Lawrence’s Arabia – all these were “specialforces,” different in concept and mission from nor-mal troops, and precursors of commandos.

If one thing prevented these units from beingtrue commandos, it was technology. Never beforehad one man been capable of so much destruc-tion. The submachine gun, light machine gun, andanti-tank launcher gave one man more firepowerthan a squad of riflemen. High explosives such asComposition-B and RDX invested a great deal ofdestructive potential in a tiny package. Yearsbefore, the same amount of power would haverequired mule loads of black powder. Strategicand tactical mobility also increased during WWII,with vehicles such as the jeep, submarines, rubberboats, and fast patrol boats. The advent of militaryparachuting and gliders provided yet another

method of commando insertion. This technologywas readily available, and provided the firepowerand mobility necessary to make mature specialoperations possible in the Second World War.

COMMANDOSThe summer of 1940 was a season of desper-

ation for Winston Churchill. Defeated in France,the British Expeditionary Force had retreatedback across the channel. The Luftwaffe waspounding southern England in preparation for aGerman invasion, and the RAF was struggling tostay in the air. With conventional forces too weakto attack the Nazis on the continent, Churchillturned to unconventional warfare, something hehad witnessed firsthand as a journalist during theBoer War in South Africa.

Churchill ordered the creation of the SOE,the Special Operations Executive, and charged itsdirector, Dr. Hugh Dalton, to “set Europe ablaze.”

SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN WWII 3

“. . . there comes out fromthe sea from time to time ahand of steel which plucksthe German sentries fromtheir posts with growingefficiency, amid the joy ofthe whole countryside.”

– Winston Churchill,Oct. 12, 1942

At the same time, Lt. Col. Dudley Clarkedevised a way to strike back at the Nazi regime:take a small force of highly trained and motivat-ed men across the English Channel, attack a valu-able target, and then return home before theGermans knew what hit them. Clarke himself wasthinking of the Boers, the small, mobile bands ofmen that had tied up a much larger British forceduring the South African War. The term “com-mando” came from the term Afrikaners used torefer to their units, or kommandos, of militia.Clarke’s idea was eagerly accepted, as long as itrequired a tiny investment in men and materials.

Within a month of their unit’s creation, 30men of the deceptively named No. 11 Comman-do (units 1-10 did not exist), with Lt. Col. Clarkealong as an observer, hit the beach near Boulogne,France. Though little was accomplished militari-ly, the foray proved that the idea was practical.

COMMANDO FEVERThe British Commandos were not the first

special forces created in WWII, though they werearguably the most successful. German Fallschirm-jäger captured bridges and strongpoints with stun-ning efficiency during the German advance intothe Low Countries. Companies of British lightinfantry had been raised to aid Norwegian guer-rillas fighting the Germans in Norway.

Other special forces included Italian frog-men, Japanese parachutists, Greek raiders, U.S.Army Rangers, and many more. The U.S. Navycreated their “demolitioneers,” and the U.S.Marines their Raider battalions and Para-Marines.The British Royal Marines raised their own com-mandos, and the Royal Navy a group of clandes-tine canoeists. Hardly a branch of any majormilitary power did not possess at least one specialunit by the end of the war.

A FINE LINE:THE OSS AND SOE

Britain’s Special Operations Executive andthe American Office of Strategic Services, orOSS, created in the summer of 1942, workedtogether extensively in intelligence gathering,espionage, propaganda, and guerrilla warfare.The OSS even created its own force of uniformedcommandos, called operational groups. OSSoperational groups were landed in Normandy todisrupt German transportation and communica-tions, and to engage in “counter-scorching” oper-ations to prevent German destruction of keypoints such as railheads and bridges. The uni-formed direct-action forces of the OSS and SOE

are the focus of this book. Espionage and partisanactivities will be explored more deeply in follow-ing GURPS WWII volumes.

REAL MISSIONSThe special operations of WWII are some of

the most exciting military operations ever con-ceived. The missions briefly described belowserve as examples of what soldiers in a comman-do campaign in the Second World War might beasked to do.

Assault Force Granite:Attack on Eben Emael

The fortress complex of Eben Emael com-manded the canal bridges of eastern Belgium andstood directly in the path of the German advancethrough the Low Countries into France. Its 15 gunemplacements were protected by up to 6” ofarmor, making it nearly impregnable to conven-tional assaults.

In November 1939, Assault Force Granitewas assigned the mission of attacking EbenEmael. This force consisted of 85 parachute engi-neers and 11 gliders led by 23-year-old Lt.Rudolph Witzig. The unit trained for sevenmonths using aerial photographs and sand-tablemockups of the fort. Full-scale rehearsals andlive-fire exercises assured that every soldier in thesmall force knew his objective.

On the morning of May 10, 1940, the opera-tion was launched. It immediately hit a snag: Thecommander’s glider was torn from its tow ropeand forced to turn back to Germany. (Witzig com-mandeered another tow plane and arrived twohours later.) A second glider was also forced torelease early, leaving only nine of the 11 aircraftto complete the mission. The gliders arrived at thefort and began their descent under fire. Withinseconds of landing, the para-engineers were plac-ing heavy shaped-charge devices on the guns, andwithin 15 minutes all the primary guns (those thatcould fire on the bridges) were knocked out ofaction. The glider-borne troops continued to fightand hold the fort, with the help of Stuka dive-bombers, until the following morning. Unmolest-ed by the fort’s guns, the German columnsadvanced into Belgium en route to France . . .

Operation Chariot:Raid on Saint-Nazaire

On the French coast, six miles up the LoireRiver, stood the port of Saint-Nazaire, the largestdry dock in the North Atlantic, and the only Axisdock capable of holding the German battleship

4 SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN WWII

Tirpitz. The British high command worried that ifthe Tirpitz used the dry dock as a base of opera-tions, the Atlantic convoys would be in peril, andwanted the dry dock destroyed. This would not beeasy, however. Dozens of guns ringed the port,and analysts believed that aerial bombing alonewould not destroy the dry dock.

In February 1942, Col. A.C. Newman, com-mander of No. 2 Commando, was given theassignment to attack the dry dock. Intelligence onthe target was excellent. Aerial photography,blueprints of the dock, and even the original con-struction engineers were available. It was decidedthat 268 commandos would be landed at the facil-ity on 18 watercraft crewed by 353 Royal Navypersonnel. The commandos were formed intothree teams. Demolition teams (armed only withpistols and explosives) would destroy critical tar-gets at the dry dock and portfacilities. Protection teamswould provide fire sup-port for the heavilyburdened demoli-tion teams. Final-ly, assault teamswould knock outthe guns aroundthe port to pro-tect the motorlaunches.

At 1:34 a.m. onMarch 28, 1942, theHMS Campbeltowncrashed into the caisson ofthe dry dock at 18 knots. Insideher lay 24 depth charges encased in concreteinside a steel box. Overhead, RAF bombersdropped bombs and incendiaries on the town.Commandos from the Campbeltown scurriedonto the dry dock and began placing their chargesin the winding-house and pump-house. Motorlaunches tried to land other commandos on quaysalong the port, but were destroyed or driven offby heavy German fire. Within one hour, the sur-viving commandos regrouped near the dry dockto find no launches remaining. Col. Newmanannounced, “This is where we walk home.”

The commandos began to fight their waythrough some 5,000 Germans to open groundbeyond the town, and eventually, it was hoped, toSpain and back to England. Few of them made it.Half of the force was captured or killed.

The next morning some of the captured com-mandos were being interrogated when, at 10:35a.m., the charges on HMS Campbeltown explod-ed. Her deck was crowded with German officers,soldiers, dock workers, and onlookers. Hundreds

were killed or wounded, and the dry dock wasknocked out of action for the rest of the war.

Cabanatuan POW RescueWhen the Philippines fell to the Japanese in

April 1942, over 72,000 American and Filipinoservicemen surrendered and began the 65-miletrek known as the Bataan Death March. Fewerthan 50,000 survived the ordeal, and by January1945, only 512 POWs remained alive.

As American forces began to retake theislands, the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the com-mand of Lt. Col. Henry Mucci, was ordered to res-cue the prisoners at the Pangatian POW Camp inCabanatuan, Philippines. Since the 6th Army’sintelligence on the camp was very limited, twoseven-man teams of Alamo Scouts (pp. 13-14)were assigned to reconnaissance. The Rangers,with a total of 128 men, were to be joined by 80

Filipino guerrillas. All knew that timing and sur-prise were important. Any leak of the opera-

tion might cause the Japanese to move theprisoners, or execute them.

The force intended to assault thefollowing day, but a large number ofJapanese moved into the area for thenight. Postponing the operation, theRangers and Scouts gathered intelli-gence from the locals, refined plans, and

rested in a nearby guerrilla-controlledvillage until the following afternoon.

At dusk on Jan. 30, the troops beganmoving into position. Filipino guerrillas

blocked the roads on the east and west sides of thecamp. Directly across from the main gate lurkedtwo platoons of Rangers, while another platoonwaited at the rear gate. At 7:45 p.m., the Rangersopened fire, and within a few seconds all Japan-ese at the rear and eastern portions of the camphad been killed. At the same time, two platoonsbroke through the front gate and entered the west-ern portion of the camp. Once all resistance wasneutralized, the POWs were evacuated.

At 8:15 the signal to withdraw was given.One Ranger had been killed, and a medical offi-cer fatally wounded. The guerrillas blocking theroads held off Japanese reinforcements until theAmericans could escape, causing severe casual-ties to the Japanese. P-61s flew air support duringthe withdrawal and were credited with destroying12 trucks and one tank.

The rag-tag force retreated all night (with thePOWs riding in donated ox-carts), finally reachingAmerican lines at noon the next day. All 512 pris-oners from the Pangatian POW Camp had beenrescued, and nearly 600 Japanese had been killed.

SPECIAL OPERATIONS IN WWII 5

Special forces of the Second World Warlooked for a certain kind of soldier – one whowould not quit at the first hint of defeat, a type ofman that wanted to be challenged, that was coura-geous, and committed to victory. They had toendure the worst that nature and the enemy couldthrow at them, and win. Physically tough, clever,and an expert in all matters of warfare, this troop-er was literally the best of the best.

Recruiting and ScreeningMost soldiers in commando units were vol-

unteers from regular military units. A combat vet-eran with a good service record was the favoritechoice of special-forces recruiters, but bad service,or even a prison record, did not mean immediaterejection. “Bad citizen, but good soldier” was aphrase often used to describe the hard-cases thatsometimes volunteered for commando duty. Otherissues were important, too. Did the prospect havea family? Could he speak a second language?What were his aptitude-test scores? Was he a BoyScout (a useful background)? Was he a self-starter? Did he work well with others or was he aloner? Was he trusted by his comrades? Had heever been out of the country? If so, how long? Thequestions, directed at both the recruit and hissupervisors, were intended to save the unit fromwasting time on unsuitable soldiers, and to safe-guard the unit from infiltration by enemy spies.Individuals with mental problems (especially anti-social behaviors) or physical weaknesses (evenallergies or color-blindness) were usually rejected.After initial interviews and screening, the recruitwould be subjected to a thorough medical andpsychological exam. As many as one-quarter of allapplicants for British Commando training wererejected before training even started.

Any PCs wishing to enter a special-opera-tions units with the disadvantages listed on p. W70 will be rejected. Any disadvantages thatcould be reasonably hidden from comrades andsupervisors, and doctors and psychologists, mayslip through the system, but probably will be

revealed in training. The GM should make thefinal decision as to whether a PC is suitable forservice in special operations.

TrainingOnce the recruit was accepted, it was time for

training. By all accounts, contemporary special-forces training is tough, but in WWII it was dead-ly. More than 40 recruits died at the CommandoDepot in Achnacarry, Scotland. Real ammunitionwas fired at soldiers as much as possible “to accli-mate them to the sound of fire.” Captured enemyweapons were used so that trainees would learn torecognize their sounds. Hikes in freezing rain orswims in frigid lakes were customary. Men thatdid not stay low to the ground in training wereaccidentally shot. Falls from cliffs or the sides oflanding craft caused many injuries. Parachutetraining and demolition handling took lives. Bay-onet, knife, and hand-to-hand courses with realweapons emphasized speed and brutality oversafety. Attrition rates were high during this gruel-ing process, with as few as 10% of recruits pass-ing initial training.

Instructors tried in every way to prepare thetroops for combat. One live-fire exercise requiredrecruits to crawl through pig entrails shipped froma nearby slaughterhouse while machine-gun bul-lets zipped inches above their heads. Sleep wasreduced to a few hours a day, and sometimes noneat all for several days. Commandos were expectedto be crack shots and much time was spent on thefiring range. Firing was done at night, in the rain,or in the freezing cold after long, exhaustingmarches. Regardless of the conditions, the stan-dards were always high and poor shots werequickly returned to their former units. Accidentaldischarge of a weapon during field exercises wasgrounds for immediate dismissal, or reduction inrank to private.

Physical training was extremely challenging.Commandos and Rangers were expected to cover15 miles in full combat gear in 135 minutes.Swimming in full gear was practiced until men

6 BEST OF THE BEST

could swim 300 yards or more with a rifle andrucksack. Obstacle courses rigged with explosivecharges might end with a timed test of weapon dis-assembly and reassembly.

Any failure in training triggered a dreadedoutcome: RTU, or return to unit. This meant theend of commando training and an embarrassingreturn to the soldier’s original outfit.

BEST OF THE BEST 7

Commandos seldom had the advantage ofsuperior numbers or firepower. They frequentlyfought without artillery or air support, and oftenwithout any means of immediate extraction. Towin, commandos were forced to rely on their fewadvantages: surprise, speed, and determination.Surprise can throw an enemy off balance, sowconfusion, and prevent a rapid response. Surpriseand speed multiply firepower and create a “vio-lence of action” that will paralyze the enemy ordamage his will to fight. Finally, determination isperhaps the most important asset of an elite force,and often the final arbiter of success or failure.

Small ArmsStatistically speaking, small-arms fire is not

very dangerous. In WWII, more men died fromthe shrapnel from artillery fire, grenades, androckets than machine-gun or rifle bullets; howev-er, often a commando unit’s only firepower wassmall arms and they had to be employed effec-tively. This usually meant an ambush.

An ambush catches the unsuspecting enemyin a confined area that modern special forces havetermed the kill zone. This kill zone is completelydominated by concentrated friendly fire, andmakes the limited firepower of a small comman-do unit much more devastating. Various types ofambushes were developed (L-shaped ambushesalong roads or paths, X-shaped ambushes at roadjunctures, z-shaped ambushes that provided forfour different kill zones, etc.), but all weredesigned with two goals: total surprise and maxi-mum violence.

For simplification, assume that any soldiercaught in the kill zone of an ambush is undergrazing fire (per the machine-gun indirect-firerules on p. W202) until he escapes the kill zone.To ensure that an ambush is executed properly,roll against the ambush leader’s Tactics skill andthe average of the unit’s Soldier skill. Aimed firefrom marksmen and heavy weapons (grenades,bazookas, anti-tank rifles, etc.) should be playedout normally.

Firing was done in sequence so that no twocommandos would be reloading at the same time.Certain soldiers would be designated to throw

grenades; others would beassigned to quickly search thebodies once the ambush wasover. Every commando wouldpractice his role in the ambushuntil it became reflex. After theambush, the whole unit wouldquickly leave the area, some-times to set up a secondaryambush nearby.

In contrast to regular mili-tary training, commando trainingemphasized killing, not “shoot-ing” the enemy. Rapid, accuratefire in any position and any con-dition was drilled into troops

during training and honed to a fine level once thenew soldier was assigned a permanent unit.

The rifle was the most common weaponamong regular infantry units, and it was the samefor WWII special forces. Perhaps one-third ormore of all commandos were given standard-issue rifles.

Other units used submachine guns in greatnumbers. This gave commandos a firepoweradvantage against riflemen, though only at shortrange, and helped make them more aggressive.

Snipers usually were issued specially select-ed rifles (treat as Fine quality; see p. CII39) andtelescopic sights in the 2-6× range (p. W88).

Pistols were issued as backup weapons,though UDT (p. 13) and SBS (p. 12) operatorsand some other special forces carried only pistols.

Organizations generally assigned lightmachine guns at the squad level, often with two ormore to the squad.

WEAPONS AND TACTICS

Riflemen were usually ammo bearers for thesquad’s LMG, and all were trained to take over incase the machine gunner was hit. In fact, depend-ing on the mission, ammunition for every weaponin the unit might have to be assigned to all mem-bers. Soldiers might carry a belt of machine-gunammunition and a bazooka or mortar round intheir backpack, to be later redistributed to theright person before the attack.

Heavy WeaponsIn addition to small arms, some units had

access to heavier firepower. Rangers used anti-tankrifles, flamethrowers, bazookas, and 60mm mor-tars to augment their small arms. British Comman-dos were much the same, though they sometimesused 3” mortars in specially trained teams. Thiswas typically the upper limit of a special unit’s fire-power. These weapons were usually assigned toone squad or platoon. This “heavy weapons” unitcould then back up the regular units, either enmasse or parceled out among them. Some heavierweapons, such as light artillery, and even anti-tankguns, were used by larger commando units. “Pack”howitzers designed to be broken down and carriedby mules were common among American andBritish units in Italy and Burma, for instance.

Sentry RemovalKilling sentries was a vital part of surprise

raids, and the most important purpose of hand-to-hand training. As the war progressed, sentrieswere taught to carry their rifle guarding their neckin such a way as to prevent a quiet kill; comman-dos should roll vs. Soldier (Guerrilla) to realizetheir prey is doing this. This technique requiredcommandos to use a two-man attack on the sen-try, with one commando pulling the rifle asidewhile the other dealt the mortal blow. A Contestof Hearing vs. the lowest Stealth skill of the twoapproaching troops should be rolled.

Silenced weapons such as the DeLisle Car-bine and the Welrod (p. 20) were developed inpart to reduce the risk of sentry removal.

Once the sentry was killed, the commandohad to decide whether the body needed to bemoved to prevent discovery, searched for intelli-gence, or even booby-trapped.

DEMOLITIONWWII special forces were avid users of

explosives. From blowing bridges behind enemylines to clearing beach obstacles and laying trapsfor pursuing enemies, high explosives were acommando’s best friend.

Booby TrapsLand mines and booby traps provided com-

mando units with a great amount of destructiveability for very little trouble. A 10- to 20-lb. minecould destroy or disable a tank (p. W98). A fewwell-placed antipersonnel mines could serve asan alarm system, initiate an ambush, or protect aunit’s withdrawal. With little effort, a land mineor demolition charge could be command-detonat-ed, or rigged to blow up by some unconventionalmanner, such as when a door was opened, orwhen a train passed over a certain rail. Germanspecial forces sometimes left behind booby-trapped Luger pistols (a GI’s favorite souvenir)filled with explosives and set to go off when theaction was worked. The creative use of HEbooby-traps saved many commandos from cap-ture, and caused countless hours of terror andconfusion for the enemy.

BreachingRoyal Navy Beach Commandos, and U.S.

Navy frogmen and “demolitioneers,” weretrained to destroy obstacles at the waterline.Whether iron or timber, these obstacles weredesigned to damage or disable watercraft, or atthe least prevent enemy landing craft from hittingthe beach efficiently. Some were simple poleswith land mines attached. Others were ironframes, concrete tetrahedrons, or complicatedstructures of barbed wire, ironwork, and landmines. Other obstacles, such as sandbars andcoral reefs, were natural. Once the beach was sur-veyed and mapped by reconnaissance troops (seeScouting and Beach Surveying, pp. 10-11), engi-neers and demolitioneers were assigned obstaclesto destroy. On the day of the landing, the demoli-tion experts would hit the beach in the first waveand begin to clear the way.

DestructionCommandos often used demolition to

accomplish the primary objective of the mission.This might mean blowing up a rail bridge or anairstrip full of aircraft. The charge itself was care-fully calculated (see pp. HT26-27), and usuallyextra explosives were taken along to provide forany error or mishap.

GETTING IN AND OUTEfficient insertion and extraction were crucial

to commando operations. Whether hiking throughfestering swamps and jungles, paddling away froma submarine in the dark of night, or leaping throughthe doorway of a plane miles behind enemy lines,

8 BEST OF THE BEST

special forces relied heavily on surprise to maketheir missions successful. This required reachingand leaving the scene quickly or quietly.

LandOverland movements were a common means

of penetrating enemy territory, but this was sel-dom done quickly. Slow, carefully planned move-ments through jungle, mountains, or arctic terrainrequired patience and endurance. The Special AirService, OSS operational groups, and AlamoScouts were able to move long distances undetect-ed. Sometimes this was done by stalking andcrawling through enemy positions, and othertimes it was done while disguised as locals, orwith the help of local guides. Regardless, a landinsertion had its risks. Nature played havoc withthe commandos. Disease and parasites, extremetemperatures, and lack of food and water could beas deadly as the enemy. A Long Range DesertGroup patrol could expect agonizing death in theSahara’s dunes if their vehicles broke down.British and Norwegian commandos trekkedacross ravines and mountains in freezing tempera-tures to attack power and aluminum plants. Frost-bite, snow blindness, and starvation were constantthreats. Overland jungle operations faced malaria,exotic jungle diseases, and leeches (p. BE19).

Stealth and Hiking (or Skiing and Snowshoe-ing) skills are important for most overland inser-tions. Since the Stealth skill is at -1 penalty foreach level of Encumbrance, and a -5 to skill forany movement over 1 yard per second, comman-dos were encouraged to take only the most essen-tial items, and to cache equipment before theactual objective was reached.

AirAirborne assaults in WWII came in various

forms. The most common was by parachute. Incomparison to modern airfoil parachutes, theseprimitive chutes could not be controlled veryeffectively, often leaving the parachutist at themercy of the wind. This limited the usefulness ofthe parachute by forcing planners to use verylarge drop zones, which in turn made it easy forthe enemy to guess where a large parachute forcemight land.

Another means of aerial assault was by glid-er. The assault on Eben Emael (p. 4) was the mostfamous use of glider-borne special forces, but itwas not the only one. German gliders also carriedOtto Skorzeny’s commandos to Albergo Rifugio,the hotel atop Gran Sasso mountain, in the mis-sion that freed Mussolini. American and Britishairborne troops used gliders as well. British glid-er-borne troops attacked Pegasus Bridge over theCaen Canal during the Normandy invasion. Glid-ers also supplied the American 101st and 82ndAirborne with reinforcements, jeeps, and anti-tank guns.

Gliders were also used to carry troops out ofharm’s way. American gliders were sometimesused to take wounded off the battlefield. A gliderwould be loaded with wounded men, thenattached to a tow rope with a large loop suspend-ed between two poles. A low-flying C-47 wouldswoop in and snag the loop, dragging the gliderinto the air.

This required 300’ of cleared, level groundand at least 30 minutes to prepare the equipment.The No-Landing Extraction skill is rolled againstto make sure preparations are done properly (usethe highest skill among those setting things up onthe ground). The pilot of the tow plane must makea roll at Piloting -4 to properly snag the tow line.Failure could result in another Piloting attempt,broken equipment, or some type of damage toeither of the two aircraft, and possibly to the cargoor the ground personnel. A critical failure couldbe disastrous to all involved! No-Landing Extrac-tion was an experimental, and dangerous, tech-nique and was not commonly known. GMsshould restrict this skill to those commandostrained by the SOE, OSS, or U.S. glider schools.

Aircraft were sometimes used to directlycarry troops on missions. In the Pacific, flyingboats (such as the Catalina on p. W116) were theperfect transport for Marine Raiders and AlamoScouts. These small teams of commandos wereair-landed at night near the shore of an island.Using rubber boats, they paddled ashore, per-formed their mission, then paddled back out tomeet the plane. A small aircraft landed on a tiny,rocky field to carry Benito Mussolini back to Ger-many after the Gran Sasso rescue.

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SeaCommandos might be put ashore in a variety

of fashions. Submarines served as mobile basesfor the SBS and COPP (both on p. 12). With sonarnavigation equipment, a submarine couldapproach a hostile shore with accuracy andstealth. Once the mission was complete, a hand-cranked device held underwater was used to sig-nal the sonar operator for pickup. Smaller midgetsubmarines were used with some success in plac-ing saboteurs and reconnaissance specialists ontoenemy beaches.

Surface vessels provided a more convention-al approach. Landing craft could carry 30 or moremen, but their range was limited to a few hundredmiles. PT boats were used with great success tosupport Marine Raiders. Their speed, and espe-cially their armament, was greatly appreciated bythe teams that worked with them. These boatscould land themselves, or they could cast off thecommandos in small rubber boats. Rubber boatsthemselves could be utilized in two differentways. Paddling was considered the best means ofinsertion for a reconnaissance party, but assault-ing troops preferred to use the faster (10-15 mph)outboard motors to reduce their vulnerability toenemy fire when approaching the shoreline.

Frogmen were often dropped a half-mile ormore from the beach and simply swam the rest ofthe way. They sometimes carried infrared flash-lights to signal for a rendezvous. Underwaterbreathing gear was not generally issued – scubawas still in its infancy – but some units, such asthe OSS operational groups in the Pacific, didexperiment with it. Submarine escape devicesusing primitive chemical scrubbers could giveswimmers an hour or more underwater, but thesegadgets were cranky and cumbersome. Pure oxy-gen also was used, but the swimmers risked oxy-gen poisoning (see p. CII173) below 30’.

SPECIAL SKILLSThe following expands upon existing skills

in GURPS; Compendium I or Martial Arts willbe required to use the martial-arts style.

Fairbairn Close CombatTraining 10 points

Commando training stressed killing as theobjective, not subduing or “gentlemanly con-duct.” The most widely used Allied system ofself-defense was taught by Capt. William EwartFairbairn, a former Royal Marine and Shanghaiconstable. Fairbairn’s instruction formed the basisfor the Close Combat course for the Commando

Training Center, the SOE, and the OSS. Headmonished his students to forget about rules or“foul methods,” and to focus on “killing the poorbastard and accomplishing the mission.” Thetraining included throws, locks, and strikes aimedat the target’s weak points. Knife fighting and useof the garrote were also taught.

Primary Skills: Karate, Judo, Knife, Stealth.Secondary Skills: Shortsword, Garrote.Optional Skills: Holdout. Maneuvers: Close Combat (Knife) [1 point],

Choke Hold, Disarming, Head Butt, Hit Location(Knife), Knee Strike, Neck Snap.

Scouting and Beach Surveying

All military commanders needed better intel-ligence in WWII. With electronic warfare andaerial photography in its infancy, there were onlya few ways to find out what the enemy was doing.Many military commands formed their ownreconnaissance teams. U.S. Army divisions oftenhad their own “reconnaissance squads,” made upof hand-picked veterans. The Alamo Scouts, forinstance, were formed to fulfill the 6th Army’sintelligence needs.

Military scouting required nerves of steel.Small groups of practically unarmed men crept towithin spitting distance of the enemy. They lurkedjust outside the enemy’s camp, counting men, andmapping and sketching out gun emplacements,buildings, and other defensive works. Stealth wastheir only defense. To reduce noise and reflec-tions, scouts often wore no helmets or jewelry,and carried minimal weapons and equipment.Some scouts were walked over while watchingthe enemy. One American scout in the Pacific wasbayoneted when a group of Japanese soldiersbecame suspicious and stabbed the bushes he washiding in. He did not move or make a noise(despite injury), much to the relief of his team-mates, and the Japanese moved on. Another scoutwas lying alongside a path when a Japanese sol-dier stopped and urinated on his leg. Once thescouts gained the intelligence they needed, theyhad to escape, undetected if possible, back tofriendly lines and deliver their reports.

Of all operations, amphibious invasionsrequired the largest amount of intelligence data.Under certain conditions, a plane could photo-graph the bottom of a shallow beach and deter-mine its gradient. This helped determine thesuitability of the beach for certain landing craft. Inorder to learn more about a prospective landingsite, military planners sent scouts to survey andmap beaches. If the beach was well-defended, this

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was an extremely dangerous mission. The U.S.Navy Scouts and Raiders, and the British Com-bined Operations Assault Pilotage Parties(COPPs) performed beach reconnaissance. Prim-itive tools (lead line and sinker, hand augers) wereused to determine depth and gradient, and tobring up samples of the ocean bottom. Sand com-position was studied carefully to determinewhether vehicles could easily become mired.Sandbars and coral reefs were mapped. If theoperation was to be an opposed landing, the com-mandos also would map the enemy’s trenches,bunkers, and other defensive works. This was all

very time-consuming and exhausting work. A200-yard-long beach could take up to three orfour hours for a two-man team to survey and map,all the while risking discovery, capture, or death.Any detection of the commandos could alert theenemy and cause severe casualties on the day ofthe landing.

The GM should roll secretly against Survey-ing (which will usually be modified by an option-al specialization in Beach) to see whether thecommandos gather the information correctly.Failure of this task could spell disaster for aninvasion force.

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The following provides more detail on thespecial units described in GURPS WWII, andillustrates some additional forces.

THE UNITED KINGDOMHaving taken an early lead in developing

special operations, the British expanded theircommitment to these units throughout the war.

CommandosThese elite units, described on p. W41,

formed the backbone of British special forces. Bythe end of the war, more than 25,000 men wouldpass through the Commando Depot at Achnacar-ry, Scotland.

Each unit, called a Commando, was led by acolonel or lieutenant-colonel with a staff of about90 men, including a communications platoon of20. Each of the six companies, or troops, was ledby a captain, and five of them were further subdi-vided into 25- to 30-man sections (designed sothat one section could fit on one landing craft).The section, led by a senior sergeant, would befurther subdivided into two subsections of 10-15men, each led by a sergeant. Each of the five reg-ular companies in a Commando was specialized:boating, climbing, demolition, and parachutingwere the most common specialties. The sixthcompany was a 39-man “heavy weapons” unitwith nine Vickers K-guns (p. 21) and nine 3”mortars (see 81mm mortar, p. W93).

Most Commandos used standard-issue Lee-Enfield rifles, with one or two Bren machine gunsand two or three Thompson (later Sten) SMGsper 10-15-man subsection. They occasionallywore helmets, but usually wore a dark green beretor a black stalking cap. A Colt M-1911A1 orBrowning HP 35 and the coveted Sykes-Fairbairncommando knife (p. 18) was issued to each man.

Special Air ServiceThe survivors of the special British unit Lay-

force and No. 8 Commando – both mauled in pre-vious actions – formed the core of the Special AirService (see p. W41) when then-Capt. David Stir-ling created it in Cairo in July 1941. Originallycalled “L Detachment,” this 64-man unit intendedto parachute into enemy territory, with disastrousconsequences: The high winds of the desertsmade parachuting nearly impossible. Eventually,the SAS adopted the tactics of the LRDG (p. 12)and used heavily armed jeeps in stealthy hit-and-run raids. Attacking German and Italian supplydepots, fuel dumps, and airfields, the SASdestroyed hundreds of aircraft and trucks in NorthAfrica, causing Stirling to acquire the nickname“The Phantom Colonel.”

Stirling was captured in February 1943, andspent the rest of the war attempting to escapefrom several German prison camps.

By June 1944, the SAS had become the 1stSpecial Air Service Brigade (commanded by abrigadier general), including four SAS regiments,two of which were French and Belgian, totalingnearly 2,500 men. The SAS regiments were splitinto four squadrons each, with 100 men persquadron, led by a lieutenant colonel. Thesquadrons would usually break up into smallerunits, depending on the mission. SAS troops usedtheir jeeps in North Africa, Italy, and NorthwestEurope, with as many as 16 jeeps in one operation.

SAS troops relied primarily on their jeeps forfirepower. Formal organization was very lax,though a group of three or four jeeps was com-mon. They often carried whatever they wanted orcould “acquire” from nearby units. Much of theirresupply was airdropped. One SAS unit request-ed an anti-tank gun, received it via airdrop, andthen used it to knock out a German armored car.

SPECIAL FORCES OF WWII

The SAS unofficiallyadopted the khaki or tanberet, and winged daggerpatch, as part of their uni-form, though they worethe airborne maroon

beret from 1944 to theend of the war.

Long RangeDesert Group

These desert scouts,also known as the Kiwi Scorpions,

are described on p. W41. They harassed the Ger-mans in the African campaign. Since nomaps existed for the interior of theSahara desert, the LRDG was forcedto improvise. They cannibalized air-craft compasses for their trucks,and used the sun compass to navi-gate by day and celestial charts atnight. They also surveyed the desertwhen possible. Many modern mapsof the area were made by the LRDG.

Reconnaissance being their primarymission, the squadrons set up road watches totrack enemy movement along coastal roads. Occa-sional raids against poorly defended road houseswould yield prisoners. The LRDG provided trans-port for early SAS raids, and even acted as a prim-itive search-and-rescue team for Allied airmen lostin the desert. Their biggest danger was alwaysmechanical breakdown or enemy aircraft. Theyprepared for each by bringing along spare partsand camouflage nets.

The basic LRDG squadron was composed of6-10 trucks, with three or four men per truck.These squadrons could travel more than 600 milesper day, their only real limitations being fuel andwater. The head of the LRDG was a lieutenantcolonel or major, and each squadron was led by acaptain. Small arms for the LRDG were similar tothose of the standard British infantry, thoughSMGs and Bren guns were more common.

SBS/COPP/SRUThe Special Boat Service (created in 1941),

the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties(formed in 1942), and the Sea Reconnaissance

Unit (also formed in 1942) were all UnitedKingdom special forces organized to

provide amphibious-landing recon-naissance and support, and to act asa small maritime raiding force. TheSRU and SBS used paddle boards,kayaks, and folbots (p. 23) toattack shipping in harbors and

scout invasion sites. The COPP wassimilar, but sometimes used midget

subs to scout beaches crawling withGermans. These units often helped landing

craft navigate to their assigned landing area, andeven cleared the beaches of mines and obstacles.

All three of these units were small, with per-haps 200 men in each. All were organized aroundindependent 10- to 20-man sections, which werescattered throughout the various theaters. Arma-ment was minimal – pistols and SMGs, thoughsilenced weapons were sometimes used, particu-larly the silenced Sten submachine gun. At leastone SBS kayak was armed with a Bren gun.

THE UNITED STATESThe U.S. military made up for its late start in

special operations with its enthusiasm for found-ing and training new units.

OSS Operational GroupsThe Office of Strategic Services created its

operational groups in May 1943 to act as uni-formed soldiers working in conjunction withguerrillas and partisans behind enemy lines.These units cut railroads, attacked fuel depots,ambushed truck convoys, and prevented retreat-ing Germans from destroying important infra-structure in “counter-scorching” missions. InAugust 1944, the OGs were known as the 2,671stSpecial Reconnaissance Battalion, Separate (Pro-visional). The groups were mostly assigned toEurope to support the Normandy invasion and

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THE LRDG RATIONDivisional commanders approved an

improved ration for LRDG troops, one of thefew perks that the Kiwi Scorpions received.The daily ration included, in ounces: 2.5bacon, 16 bread, 12 biscuit, 1.5 cheese, 2chocolate, 4 tinned fruit, 3 potatoes, 4 tinnedvegetables, 1 rum, 0.01 pepper, 0.75 salt, 6preserved meat, 1 pickles, 1 tinned salmon,and other niceties such as 2 ounces of tobac-co or cigarettes and 2 boxes of matches aweek. Total daily weight was 5 lbs., and itwas usually issued weekly or biweekly.

The variety and generosity was appeal-ing to the line troops that lived off tins ofbully beef and meat and vegetable rations forweeks at a time. Many units tried to be put onthe LRDG rations, including the SAS.

breakout, but some were sent to the Balkans,Burma, and the Pacific. Fewer than 2,000 menwere active in the OSS operational groups.

The standard organization of an operationalgroup was 34 men commanded by a captain ormajor, with a first lieutenant as executive officer.A second lieutenant was in charge of each 16-mansection, further divided into two eight-mansquads. Some OSS groups were much smaller,with the three-man Jedburgh liaison teams (p. W168) being the smallest.

Rank meant little in the OSS; men were oftenpromoted just for volunteering for the work. Lead-ership was often assigned to the most compe-tent and experienced man in the group.Leadership styles varied, but a simpledemocratic vote often decided sticky issues.

The groups chose their own weapons. Someused the silenced M-3 Grease Gun (p. 20), whileothers carried BARs, M-1 carbines, and MarlinUD42 (p. 20) or Thompson SMGs. Bazookas anddemolitions were issued liberally, and even anti-tank guns were parachuted to teams on occasion.

UDTs and Scouts and Raiders

The Scouts and Raiders were originally ajoint Army-Navy beach-reconnaissance unit cre-ated in August 1942. Formed at Camp Perry, Va.,the Scouts and Raiders became an all-Navy unitin December 1943, though Army forces (such asthe Rangers) continued to train at the new Scoutand Raider school in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Another U.S. underwater unit was the NavalCombat Demolition Unit, which began training inJune 1943 at Ft. Pierce. With an emphasis in shipsalvage, ordnance disposal, and obstacle andassault breaching, the NCDU was joined by theUnderwater Demolition Teams in December1943. The UDTs were tasked with clearing obsta-cles during landings, including sea mines, sand-bars, and coral reefs.

The basic operational unit, or “team,” wascomposed of 50-100 men led by a lieutenantcommander, with a lieutenant as executive offi-cer. All of these units operated as small teams offive to seven men. This allowed each team tooperate from one rubber raft. Each boat was ledby an ensign, and was further split into “buddy”teams of two men.

Weapons for the teams were similar to thoseof other American infantry units. Special items,such as swim fins and masks, and primitiveunderwater breathing devices, began seeing limit-

ed use in the fall of 1944.

Army RangersThese special battalions,

described on p. W44, began theirstoried service in WWII with the 1st

Ranger Battalion, formed in June 1942. From2,000 volunteers, a force of 500 men was select-ed to train and fight in the style of British Com-mandos. A small team of 50 Rangers participated

in the Dieppe raid. In the beginning, Commandos

and Rangers were both trained at theCommando Depot in the ScottishHighlands, but later Ranger battal-ions were trained in the states.

A colonel or lieutenant colonelled each battalion, with a headquar-ters company of 80-100 men, whichincluded support personnel, medics,and radio operators. A captain ledeach of the six line companies with asecond lieutenant in charge of eachplatoon. The platoons had two 11-man squads and a five-man 60mm or

81mm mortar section (each led by a sergeant). Rangers used standard U.S. infantry equip-

ment, with flamethrowers, anti-tank rifles, andeven anti-tank guns used in assaults. A RangerCannon Company was formed to supportassaults. It contained a battery of five 75mm how-itzers mounted on half-tracks.

The Alamo ScoutsCreated in November 1943, the Alamo

Scouts were a small unit of U.S. Army raiders andreconnaissance specialists. Gen. Walter Krueger,commander of the U.S. 6th Army in the South-west Pacific, named the Scouts after the landmarkof his hometown, San Antonio, Texas. Thoughthe Scouts existed for only two years, they com-pleted more than 106 missions in New Guineaand the Philippines (Leyte and Luzon, specifical-ly), without losing a single man to the enemy.

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Although specialists in strategic reconnais-sance, the Scouts frequently engaged in raidsagainst Japanese outposts as well. They were dis-banded in November 1945. Fewer than 150 menserved in the Scouts, though more than 300 com-pleted the grueling training at the Alamo ScoutsTraining Center at Ferguson Island, New Guinea.

The Alamo Scouts worked in six- or seven-man teams led by a first or second lieutenant. AFilipino scout often worked with each team, pro-viding much needed knowledge of the local pop-ulation and language. Alamo Scouts were lightlyarmed, carrying rifles, carbines, SMGs, and eventhe occasional shotgun.

U.S.M.C. RaidersThe U.S. Marines formed

the 1st Raider Battalion just sixweeks after the attack on PearlHarbor, in February 1942. TheMarine Raiders (see p. W44)were the first U.S. commandoforce, and the first to see combat.The Raiders were created along the same lines asthe British Commandos, with raiding and guer-rilla warfare as their primary mission.

The Raiders proved an extremely successfulunit, operating from submarines, destroyers, andseaplanes. The Raiders enjoyed some high-levelsupport as well, since Pres. Franklin Roosevelt’sson, Capt. James Roosevelt, served as executiveofficer in the 2nd Raider Battalion. Eventually,four separate Raider battalions were formed, witha force of nearly 4,000 men.

Led by a colonel or lieutenant colonel, the900-man Raider battalion was made up of a HQcompany, four rifle companies, and a weaponscompany. Each rifle company, commanded by acaptain, contained a HQ section with radio opera-tors, snipers, and medics; three 30-man rifle pla-toons; and a 30-man weapons platoon (with two60mm mortars, two anti-tank rifles, and twomachine guns). Each of these platoons was led bya lieutenant.

The rifle platoons consisted of three nine-mansquads, each led by a sergeant, which containedthree three-man fire-teams. The weapons company(commanded by a captain), contained a 30-manHQ section, an 80-man demolition platoon, a 35-man mortar platoon (with three 60mm mortars),and two 33-man machine-gun platoons (with fourmedium machine guns each).

A similar unit, the U.S. Para-Marines, wasformed to raid and harass Japanese-held islands,but was disbanded before it saw combat. Many ofthese troops were recruited by the Raiders.

GERMANYThe Wehrmacht’s special forces carried out

some of the most daring missions of the war.

BrandenburgerCreated in October 1939 as a

company-sized unit of soldiersworking for the German intelli-gence branch, the Abwehr, theBrandenburger (see p. W50) even-tually grew to battalion then divi-sion strength. The Special DutyTraining and Construction Compa-

ny No. 800, or more commonly,the Brandenburger (named for the region wherethe unit was trained), consisted mostly of ethnic

Germans that had lived in foreign countries.Skilled in foreign languages, sabotage, assaulttechniques, and reconnaissance, the Branden-burger were masters at infiltrating into enemy-held areas and holding them until front-line

troops arrived. The Brandenburger were not formed with the

typical Nazi concerns about race and ethnic back-ground. In fact, their success depended on theirmen looking like the enemy – they often usedenemy uniforms and equipment to wreak havocin enemy rear areas. Severely limited by Prussiannarrow-mindedness and political infighting, theBrandenburger were often used as nothing morethan elite infantry.

At regimental strength, the Brandenburgerwere commanded by a colonel, and a small HQcompany. Each of the three battalions in the regi-ment was led by a major or captain. Each battal-ion contained four to five companies of perhaps75-100 men, each led by a lieutenant or a seniorNCO. A motorcycle reconnaissance platoon,paratrooper platoon, and signal platoon supportedeach battalion. Their weaponry was typical Ger-man fare, but with a high ratio of automaticweapons (MG42s, StG44s, MP40s, etc.). Cap-tured enemy weapons were also used, includingthe British Sten gun and the U.S. M-1 carbine.

SS-JagdverbändeCreated and led by Maj. Otto Skorzeny, the

daring German commando, the first Waffen-SScommando units were formed in early 1942, butdid not officially exist until August 1943. Volun-teers from the SD (see p. W50), former Branden-burger, and foreign-language specialists formedthese “hunter battalions,” after training by Abwehrand SD technicians in commando and espionageskills, including hand-to-hand, demolition,

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tracking, and anti-partisan warfare. Parachute andglider training was also provided. Named Mitte(center), Ost (east), Südwest (southwest), andNordwest (northwest), each battalion operated inits designated area. Some performed in anti-parti-san campaigns, such as SS-Jagdverband Ost,while others, such as SS-Jagdverband Mitte, wereused in a more traditional special-forces role. Ele-ments of Mitte, for instance, spearheaded the Bat-tle of the Bulge (see p. W33) dressed as U.S.troops in the infamous Panzer Brigade 150.

The SS-Jagdverbände typically containedthree standard rifle companies and as many asthree legionnaire companies (made up of foreignnationals, often ethnic Germans). Each of the bat-talions was commanded by an officer rangingfrom captain to lieutenant colonel. Each companyof 100-200 men was led by a lieutenant or seniorNCO. Small-scale organization of these units isvirtually unknown, but it’s likely they operated inassault groups of 20-30 men, led by an NCO.Armament was most likely top-notch, as Sko-rzeny received carte blanche fromHitler in the creation and supply ofthe units.

SS-FallschirmjägerIn October 1943, the Waffen-

SS created its own paratroop unit.Strangely, the unit was composedof both decorated combat veteransand soldiers from military prisons.The latter were given their previ-ous rank and invited to redeemtheir honor by serving in the unit.

The parachutists served inseveral anti-partisan operations inEastern Europe, including thefailed attempt to capture or kill the communistguerrilla leader Tito. Elements of the parabattal-ions also served with Otto Skorzeny’s PanzerBrigade 150 in the Ardennes Offensive, and indesperate fighting on the Eastern Front.

The SS parabattalions, commanded by amajor or lieutenant colonel, consisted of threeparachute infantry companies, a heavy-weaponscompany, and a HQ company. Each companywas led by a lieutenant. The HQ company includ-ed a signal platoon, reconnaissance squad, andmaintenance and support elements. Each of theparachute infantry companies had three platoons(each led by a senior NCO), made up of three 12-man rifle squads (with a large proportion of auto-matic weapons), a communications team, and alight mortar squad. The weapons company con-sisted of a machine-gun platoon (with five

MG42s), a flamethrower platoon (threeflamethrowers), a 120mm mortar platoon, and ananti-tank platoon (with four anti-tank guns).

Marine Einsatz Abteilung The Kriegsmarine Naval Assault Detach-

ment, formed in late 1943, was the first officialGerman naval special-warfare unit.

Unlike the frogmen of the U.S. Navy, themen of the Kriegsmarine’s Naval Assault Detach-ment (K-men for short) were skilled in many dif-ferent fields, not just swimming and combatdemolition. The K-men were formed in the imageof British commandos, and trained by veterans ofthe Eastern Front in guerrilla warfare, demolition,and small arms. In addition, the K-men weretrained in combat-swimming techniques, navalengineering, and the use of submarine escapedevices. Using midget submarines, manned tor-pedoes, and explosive-filled motor boats, the K-men became proficient in all manner of exoticnaval weaponry.

The K-men were organized into three kom-mandos, each led by a lieutenant. The komman-dos, with 20-30 men in each, were furthersubdivided into smaller teams, depending uponthe exact mission. Their weaponry ranged fromcaptured silenced Stens to regular German arms.

OTHER NATIONSSeveral other nations had effective special

forces. Finnish rangers harried and attacked Russ-ian forces. Italian frogmen destroyed British war-ships at port and pioneered the use of underwaterbreathing devices. Russian special forces includ-ed naval commandos and special airborne-deployed reconnaissance units. To createcharacters from these units, or to create fictionalspecial forces, start with a similar unit and tem-plate, then modify from there.

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CHARACTERSPlayers creating commandos should begin

with the information in GURPS WWII, thenfurther modify their commando with the infor-mation below. The many changes in training andorganization that WWII special forces under-went cannot be fully detailed here, but the infor-mation presented below will help create morerealistic characters.

Soldiers who are part of special teams(sniper, anti-tank, mortar, machine gun, etc.)should spend additional points in those areas ofspecialization. These points should not only bespent in the actual weapon skill, but also in sup-porting areas. A machine-gun team could benefitfrom skills such as Speed-Load, Fast-Draw(Magazine), and Armoury (Small Arms), whichwould keep the weapon firing. Snipers andscouts need high levels of Camouflage, Stealth,Orienteering, and Tactics, and advantages suchas Night Vision, Alertness, and Acute Vision;Guns (Rifle) is not the only pertinent skill for amilitary scout/sniper.

Commandos trained with a wide variety ofweapons and vehicles, including those of alliedforces and those of the enemy. Commandos withCombat/Weapon and Vehicle operation skills willhave about twice as many familiarities as normal(see sidebar, p. B43), should the familiarities rulesbe in use.

Most special forces had a fiercely competi-tive selection and training process. In many units,training focused on preparing each man to takeover the leadership role of the unit and continuethe mission. GMs may permit commando PCs totake the Tactics and Operations skills for theirspecialty area, even though they may not have therank to officially use them. This represents thegeneral tactical and operational prowess thatthese small units exhibited, and illustrates why somany special-forces veterans were able to rise sorapidly in post-war years.

COMMANDO TEMPLATEThe following notes provide additional detail

for customizing the Commando template on p. W80, broken down not just by nation but byparticular units.

U.K. CustomizationThe quality of British special forces will vary

from seasoned – representing commandos freshfrom training – to elite – for SAS or LRDG troopswith a good deal of combat experience.

All British special-ops soldiers should takethe Fairbairn Close-Combat Training style (p.10). Each Commando should pick a specialty (seethe Commando unit description, p. 11) and spendadditional points in one of the following skills:Climbing, Skiing, Boating, Parachuting, or bothDemolition and Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

Hiking was a primary part of Commandotraining; extra points should be put into the Hik-ing skill, or into increasing the Fit advantage toVery Fit. The Forward Observation skill shouldbe available only to officers or senior NCOs. Sur-vival (Woodlands or Mountains) would be com-mon for those trained at the Commando TrainingCenter in Scotland.

Troops in the LRDG should spend their extrapoints in Area Knowledge (North Africa), Dri-ving (Automobile), Electronics Operation (Com-munications), Mechanic (Gasoline Engine),Survival (Desert), Surveying, Telegraphy, andmost importantly, Navigation. LRDG trucks wereusually armed with machine guns, but some weremounted with mortars and light cannons, requir-ing skills in Gunner (Mortar) and (Cannon).

The combat kayakers of the SBS shouldspend points in Boating, Navigation, Stealth, Sur-veying (usually with the optional specialization ofBeach), and Swimming, as well as Demolition,Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and UnderwaterDemolition. COPPists would add Mechanic(Ocean-going Vessel), Meteorology, Navigation,Powerboat, Seamanship, and Shiphandling (withfamiliarity with midget submarines and/or old-fashioned steamers).

The SAS, depending on the particular unit ormission, could have any or all of the skills listedabove. Skills similar to those of the LRDG wouldfit SAS jeep-patrol missions, for instance. OtherSAS troops worked behind the lines coordinatingpartisans. These troops would spend their remain-ing points in various Combat/Weapon skills, AreaKnowledge (target country), Diplomacy, Elec-tronics Operation (Communications), Intelli-gence Analysis, Leadership, Parachuting, Stealth,Tactics (Guerrilla), Telegraphy, and languages(French or German, among others). Some SASunits performed maritime duties, and would usethe SBS skill recommendations.

U.S. CustomizationU.S. special forces will be of seasoned or vet-

eran quality, with only the Alamo Scouts, and per-haps the Marine Raider and Ranger units late inthe war, being of elite quality.

16 BEST OF THE BEST

American forces were well-trained in hand-to-hand combat (often by British SOE and Com-mando instructors), so the Fairbairn Close-Combat Training style usually should be taken.

U.S. troops had access to the most mecha-nized army in the world. Many of them wouldhave Driving (Automobile), and more than a fewwould have Driving (Halftrack) or (Tank). Vary-ing backgrounds made U.S. special forces partic-ularly notable for flexibility. One unit of Rangerswas raised from a field artillery unit, and wouldhave had several skill points from the Artillery-man template, p. W74.

Ranger and Marine Raider characters shouldput extra points in Guns (Flamethrower), Guns(LAW), Gunner (Mortar), and Gunner (MachineGun). Additional points can be put in Climbing,Boating, Engineer (Combat), Stealth, and Demo-lition. The Forward Observer skill would be lim-ited to officers or senior NCOs. Survival (Jungleor Island/Beach) is a key skill for Marine Raidersand Alamo Scouts. At least two points should bespent on the Hiking skill for all of these troops.Alamo Scouts would spend extra points in Boat-ing, Camouflage, Intelligence Analysis, Stealth,Surveying, and Tracking.

Maritime units like the UDTs and Scouts andRaiders will spend their points on Swimming(this skill level should be 15+), Boating, Demoli-tion, Engineer (Combat), Explosive OrdnanceDisposal, Intelligence Analysis, Powerboat,Stealth, Surveying (Beach), Survival (Island/Beach), and Underwater Demolition.

In early 1945, the Scuba skill could be taken,but it would represent the use of various experi-mental devices (see p. 23), and not the fullymature scuba gear developed by JacquesCousteau in 1946.

The OSS operational groups should drawtheir skills from SAS recommendations. Theyreceived a good bit of espionage-style training aswell, so Area Knowledge (target country), Elec-tronics Operation (Communications), Intelli-gence Analysis, Interrogation, Lockpicking,Pickpocket, Telegraphy, and Traps would beappropriate. No-Landing Extraction was taught tocertain OSS units, and though it was dangerous, itwas used on occasion. A maritime OSS group,such as the one operating in the Pacific theater,would select skills from the UDT and SBS rec-ommendations, as well.

German CustomizationGerman special-operations units had many

backgrounds, but the most common one was ascombat engineers. These men tended to be brave,smart, and fit, and they already had a foundationin certain special skills of the commando (such asDemolition). Those creating German specialforces should use the Commando template, butshould take their secondary and/or optional skillsfrom the Combat Engineer template on p. W78.Most troops would have Parachuting training ofsome sort. Among early-war troops, almost allknew at least one foreign language and had AreaKnowledge for a foreign locale.

Many of the Brandenburger missionsrequired enemy uniforms and enemy equipment,so Acting, Area Knowledge, and Holdout skills –as well as native fluency in the language of thetargeted country or city – would be useful. Anti-partisan fighters needed skills in Animal Han-dling, Area Knowledge (the operations area), thelocal language, Orienteering, Riding, Stealth, andTraps. (Many of these operations were in remoteareas of eastern Europe, where horses proved tobe more useful, and plentiful, than motorizedtransports.) Intelligence Analysis, Interrogation,and Intimidation may also be useful.

A few troops might have acquired Piloting,since some cross-training was necessary in casethe pilot was wounded on airborne or glider mis-sions. Guns (LAW) and Guns (Flamethrower)were unusually common skills among Germanspecial forces. Troops might receive training inDriving (Tank or Half-track) if the missionrequired it.

German frogmen would have skills similar toSBS or U.S. maritime units. They had access toprimitive underwater-breathing equipment, so theScuba and Underwater Demolition skills wouldbe available to a few of them. The Parachutingskill could also be increased; some were trainedto jump into the water near the coastline.

BEST OF THE BEST 17

Technology played a big part in the forma-tion and success of special forces. Rapid-firingweapons, potent and stable explosives, and long-range radios all gave small desperate knots ofmen unprecedented advantages.

For commandos themselves, however, theinterest in techno-toys only went so far. They

knew that no matter how many gizmos they car-ried, their goal of killing the enemy would requirea grim warrior resolve for which no whizbangdevice would substitute.

This chapter details some of the special vehi-cles and equipment that made commando opera-tions possible.

18 GIZMOS AND GADGETS

During WWII, dozens of organizationsaround the world worked to create weapons thatwould win the war. In the United States, theOffice of Scientific Research and Developmentand the Office of Strategic Services’own researchand analysis branch produced hundreds of gizmosand gadgets. The Special Operations Executivehad its Welwyn Experimental Laboratory, famousfor the collapsible motorbike (Welbike) and thesilenced pistol (Welrod).

KNIVES ANDMELEE WEAPONS

Marines and paratroopers were famous fortheir knives, and so, too, was the commando.Knives have many advantages that appealed tospecial warriors: They seldom malfunc-tioned, they required no ammo, and theycould open food tins and C-ration con-tainers when chow time rolled around.

Commando KnivesThe most famous of the

special-forces knives is theSykes-Fairbairn Commandodagger. A double-edgedsteel blade, darkened andequipped with a slendergrip, the Commando daggerwas a deadly weapon in the hands of a traineduser. It could penetrate deep into vital organs, andits razor-sharp double-edged blade could quicklydrop a sentry with a thrust to the throat. The

U.S.M.C. Raiders carried a nearly identical blade.Rangers carried the M-3 Fighting Knife, whichhad a double-edged point and strong back for util-ity purposes. Marine Raiders and Para-Marinesused the Ka-Bar Marine Fighting Knife, with itsdistinctive blood groove. All of these bladesshould be treated as large knives of Fine quality.

The SmatchetOSS operatives were issued a leaf-bladed

chopping knife (see illustration) that was intendedto serve as an all-purpose field tooland combat weapon. The Smatchet,as it came to be called, proved to be apopular choice for many Allied special

forces and espionage agents (contraryto the usual reaction to OSS gizmos).

Rangers, Marine Raiders, and even SAStroops used Smatchets as often as they could

find them. A Smatchet should be treated as aFine quality long bayonet (p. W193); it has a

heavy blade and lanyard hole.

GarroteBritish Commandos trained with garrotes,

though few ever used them. The most commonlyissued garrote consisted of a length of rope with aloop at one end and a wooden handle at the other,called a toggle rope. By inserting wooden togglesinto the loops of other toggle ropes, a Commandoforce could fashion a rope ladder out of a unit’scombined toggle ropes. Thus, the toggle ropesserved as a climbing aid and – in extreme cir-cumstances – a nasty weapon. A toggle rope is 3’long, weighs 1 lb., and costs $2.

SPECIAL WEAPONS

SMALL ARMSSee GURPS WWII for general firearms

information and the meaning of the statistics onthe following weapons table.

PistolsColt-Browning M-1903 (1903): The U.S.

military issued this pocket pistol to generals, OSSagents, and a few other government agencies.

High Standard HDMS (1944): This is a mod-ified High Standard .22 pistol with an integralsound suppressor used by the OSS. The integralsound suppressor gave a -3 to the usual +16 tohear a .22 round for a net +13.

Steyr M.12/P16 (1916): This machine pistolwas a variant of the Austrian service pistol M.12.It featured a fixed, extended 16-round magazineloaded with 8-round stripper clips. A shoulderstock was sometimes attached giving Acc 6, Rcl -2, using Guns (Light Auto) skill. In 1939, a num-ber of guns were rebarreled to fire the 9mm Para-bellum round and issued to German commandos.A suppressor could be fitted (+1 lb., -4 to theusual +20 to hear for a net +16).

SPECIAL WEAPONSGlove Pistol (1944): A rather silly weapon

developed by U.S. Naval Intelligence, the GlovePistol was issued to OSS and special ops forassassinations and sentry removal. It consisted ofa heavy leather glove with a metal plate riveted tothe back of the hand. This mounted a very shortbarrel loaded with a single round and a strikerassembly, which protruded when the hand wasballed into a fist. The user was to strike the targetwith his fist in hand-to-hand combat, firing thebullet point-blank into the target. (Use Brawlingskill – the shot automatically hits the same bodypart as a successful punch. The shot doesn’t go offif the punch is dodged. If the punch is parried, theshot may still hit the parrying arm or weapon; theattacker should roll again at Brawling-4 to see ifthe shot hits. ) The weapon could be fired manu-ally using both hands, at -4 to Guns (Pistol) skill.

Sleeve Pistol Mk I (1944): The BritishSOE’s answer to the Glove Pistol, this was a 9”metal cylinder less than 2” in diameter that fireda single .32 ACP round. The integral suppressorgave a -3 to the usual +18 (for a net +15) to heara .32, or -4 if pressed tight to the victim. Thedevice weighed 1.7 lbs., allowing use as a sap orblackjack (use Blackjack skill) by swinging itfrom the wrist lanyard.

SILENCED WEAPONSTo improve their stealthiness, comman-

dos often wielded firearms equipped withsilencers. (Serious users of firearms, such asmilitary personnel, usually refer to thesedevices by the more technically accuratename of “suppressors.”)

To hear any gunshot, roll vs. IQ and addany hearing bonuses or penalties (AcuteHearing, Alertness, Hard of Hearing, etc.).Firearms provide a bonus to hear them from+16 for a .22 LR rifle to +30 or more forartillery. Suppressors reduce this bonus tohear the weapon; all of the suppressedweapons in this book have the normalacoustic signature, suppressor effect, and netmodifier described for them.

The range penalties from p. W201 areapplied to Hearing rolls. Background noisealso inflicts a penalty, from -5 for a quiet con-versation to -30 for trying to hear a pistol shotamidst a battery of firing 105mm cannons!

Apply a +2 if both the weapon and lis-tener are in the same building or other struc-ture. Subtract -3 if the shot is not fired in thedirection of the listener.

GIZMOS AND GADGETS 19

Czeska Zbrojovka vz.27 (1927): This smallpistol was issued to the German police and Waf-fen-SS as the P27(t). From 1943, small numberswere made with screw-on sound suppressors,and used by German Abwehr agents, Branden-burger, and SS assassins; when fitted, Dam 2d-2-,1/2D 50, 2.8 lbs., -4 to the usual +18 to hear fora net +14.

Welrod Pistol Mk I (1943): Developed at theSOE’s Welwyn Herts Laboratories, this special-purpose handgun had an integral suppressor (-2to the usual +18 to hear it for a net +16) lastingfor only a dozen shots. It was issued to theBritish Commandos, SOE, and OSS agents.Despite an internal magazine, it had to berecocked manually after each shot, by turning adial at the rear of the weapon.

RiflesJohnson M-1941 (1941): This self-loading

rifle had been developed in the late 1930s in anunsuccessful bid to replace Garand’s M-1. Aninternal 10-round magazine was loaded with five-round clips. In 1942, Marine Raiders and Para-Marines used them in the Pacific theater. Theywere also found in the hands of Rangers andFrench partisans.

Remington M-1903A4 (1943): A sniper ver-sion of the Springfield M-1903A3service rifle (see p. W95), this fea-tured a 2.5× scope and special-ly selected action. Each Rangerplatoon had one sniper with thisrifle. The M-1942, adopted by theU.S. Marines, was similar, butfeatured a 8× scope (+3 Acc).

Springfield M-1CGarand (1944): This wasthe sniper variant of thestandard M-1 rifle (see p. W95), fitted with a2.5× scope and a leathercheek-piece.

Winchester M-1A1Carbine (1942): The para-chutist’s version of the M-1carbine (p. W95), with afolding wire stock. It waspopular with Rangersand OSS agents. Cap-tured weapons were usedby German special ops.

Winchester M-3 Car-bine (1945): A speciallymodified version of the M-2 carbine (p. W95)

with an experimental infrared sight, this was usedin the Pacific theater in the closing days of thewar. See Infrared Sights, p. 24, for more informa-tion. The listed statistics include the sight, but notthe battery pack.

Haenel Sturmgewehr 44 with Vampir (1944):In December 1944, the German military received310 prototypes of the top-secret Leitz ZG1229Vampir active IR-sighting system, fitted to theStG 44 assault rifle (p. W95). See Infrared Sights,p. 24. Note that the listed statistics include thesight, but not the battery pack.

DeLisle Commando Carbine Mk I (1943):Designed to take out sentries from a distance, theDeLisle was made up from old SMLE rifles andThompson SMG barrels. An integral sound sup-pressor (-5 to Hearing) was fitted, as was a ColtM-1911A1 pistol magazine. Two types of ammu-nition were issued: standard rounds or special,extra-powerful rounds for longer range. Standardrounds (+18 to hear) reduced firing noise to thatof an air rifle (a net +13), extra-powerful (+20 tohear) to that of a .22 rifle (Dam 2d+1+, 1/2D 200,Max 1,900, a net +15 to hear the shot).

Submachine GunsMarlin UD42 (1942): Made by the United

Defense Supply Corporation for the OSS, thisSMG resembled the Thompson. It had a woodenforegrip and fired from a closed bolt in single-shot mode (Acc 8) or from an open bolt on fullauto (Acc 6). The magazine consisted of two sep-arate 20-round magazines mated back-to-back.Once one magazine was empty, it was removed,turned over, and reinserted (requiring 2 seconds).Used by the OSS and French Resistance.

High Standard M-3 OSS (1944): The so-called OSS version of the M-3 submachine gunfeatured an integral suppressor (-3 to the usual+20 for a net +17 to hear). This SMG was afavorite of special troops because of its tame

recoil and low muzzle rise. Most of them wereused in the Far East and the Pacific.

Sten Mk IIS (1942): TheSten Mk IIS was the most

common silencedweapon of WWII.

A variant of theSten Mk II (p. W96),

it had an integral suppressor (-4 to the usual+20 to hear 9mm ammo being fired for a net+16) good for a few hundred shots in singlefire; full-auto rendered it useless after abouttwo magazines. Specimens captured by theGermans were used by their own troops asthe MP 751(e).

20 GIZMOS AND GADGETS

WEAPONS TABLEEntries in these tables use the format and abbreviations on p. W91.

Special Weapons – Use Guns (Particular Special Weapon)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostGlove Pistol, .38 S&W 16 2d-1 DX 0 50 500 0.5 0.03 1/6 1 8 -1 +3 n/a

Normally used with Brawling skill; see p. 19. Sleeve Pistol Mk I, .32 ACP Crit. 2d-1- 8 0 50 500 2.15 0.01 1/10 1 8 -2 +1 n/a

Pistols – Use Guns (Pistol)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostColt-Browning M-1903, .32 ACP Crit. 2d-1- 10 2 100 1,300 1.8 0.25 3~ 8+1 8 -1 +1 $50High Standard HDMS, .22 LR Crit. 1d- 10 3 50 600 2.5 0.4 3~ 10+1 7 -1 -2 $75Steyr M.12/P16, 9mm Steyr Crit. 2d+2 10 3 150 1,850 2.8 0.4 13* 16 10 -4 -2 $50With the stock attached, use Guns (Rifle) for single shots or Guns (Light Auto) for automatic fire.

CZ vz.27, .32 ACP Crit. 2d-1- 10 2 100 1,300 1.8 0.25 3~ 8+1 8 -1 +1 $50Welrod Pistol Mk I, .32 ACP Crit. 1d+2- 11 1 50 700 2.1 0.1 1/2 5+1 8 -1 -1 n/a

Rifles – Use Guns (Rifle) or Guns (Light Auto)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostCranston M-1941 Johnson, .30-06 Crit. 7d+1 14 10 1,000 4,600 10.2 0.6 3~ 10 12 -3 -6 $80Remington M-1903A4, .30-06 Crit. 7d+1 15 12+1 1,000 4,600 9.7 0.3 1/2 5+1 12 -3 -6 $120Springfield M-1C Garand, .30-06 Crit. 7d+1 15 12+1 1,000 4,600 11.7 0.5 3~ 8 12 -3 -6 $120Winchester M-1A1, .30 Carbine Crit. 3d+2- 12 8 300 2,100 5.7 0.5 3~ 15+1 9 -1 -4 $55Winchester M-3, .30 Carbine Crit. 3d+2- 14 8 300 2,100 10.5 0.5 12* 15+1 9 -1 -5 $250Haenel StG 44 Vampir, 7.92mm K Crit. 5d+1 14 8 500 3,100 18.4 2 8* 30 11 -2 -7 n/aDe Lisle Commando Mk I, .45 ACP Crit. 2d-1+ 12 8 150 1,600 8.75 0.5 1 7+1 10 -1 -5 n/a

Submachine Guns – Use Guns (Light Auto) or Guns (Rifle)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostMarlin UD42, 9mm Parabellum Crit. 3d-1 10 6 160 1,900 11.1 2 11* 2×20 10 -1 -5 $200High Standard M-3 OSS, .45 ACP Crit. 2d-1+ 10 6 110 900 11.3 2.2 7 30 10 -1 -5 $70Sten Mk IIS, 9mm Parabellum Crit. 2d 10 6 100 1,000 9 1.4 7* 32 10 -1 -5 $50

Light Machine Guns – Use Guns (Light Auto) or Guns (Rifle)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostColt-Browning M-1922, .30-06 Crit. 7d 14 9 800 4,200 20.8 1.6 9* 20 13B -2 -6 $250Cranston M-1941 Johnson, .30-06 Crit. 7d+1 15 10 1,000 4,600 14.6 1.6 7* 20 12B -3 -7 $250

Medium Machine Guns – Use Gunner (Machine Gun)Name Malf Dam SS Acc 1/2D Max Wt. AWt. RoF Shots ST Rcl Hold CostVickers G.O. Mk I, .303 British Crit. 6d+2 18 8 1,000 3,800 25 4 20 96 13B -1 -7 $300

GIZMOS AND GADGETS 21

Machine GunsColt-Browning M-1922 (1922): This M-1918

BAR variant (p. W97) was made for the U.S. cav-alry and consequently supplied to OSS agents andRangers, who cherished its compactness and lightweight.

A similar weapon was the Colt R80 Monitor(1933), a commercial variant intended for sale toU.S. police departments and the FBI; it featured ashortened barrel, muzzle compensator, and for-ward pistol grip much like that of the Thompsonsubmachine gun. It also saw service with specialunits; same stats except weight 17.9 lbs.

Johnson M-1941 (1941): A light machinegun that fed from a side-mounted magazine, thisserved with USMC Raiders and Para-Marines,and later with the joint American-Canadian FirstSpecial Service Force (p. 31) in Italy.

Vickers G.O. Mk I (1937): This weapon fedfrom a large platter drum magazine on top of thereceiver. British raiding and reconnaissance unitscalled them K-guns and slapped them on any-thing with wheels. A typical jeep of the SAS wasfitted with twin guns on a pintle mount at the co-driver’s seat, and another pair behind the driver’sseat, covering the rear.

DEMOLITIONThe demolition equipment on p. W89 can be

used in addition to the equipment below.

EXPLOSIVES ANDINCENDIARY DEVICES

Primacord is a very fast-burning explosiveused to initiate other explosive devices. It looksa good deal like clothesline. It does 6d×2 explo-sive damage per pound, or 1d-1 explosive dam-age in each hex that it passes through. A 1,000’spool is $50, 23 lbs.

Plastic Explosives: Often called PE or plas-tique, this is a stable, waterproof explosive. MostAmerican and British units had access to PE, butGMs should feel free to require Scrounging orAdministration rolls to find it. Axis units shouldsuffer a penalty on this roll. Does 6d×3 damageper pound and costs $9.

Pocket Incendiary: A cigarette-pack-sizedblock of thermite in a tin box, this burns at over5,000º, doing 1d of burning damage every secondfor 40 seconds to anything in contact. It can igniteany flammable object within a two-yard radius. Inaddition, for every 10 points of damage, it perma-nently reduces DR at that location by 1. It uses a“time pencil” delay device, described below. Itwas issued to saboteurs and commandos, andoften used to destroy air-craft parked on airfieldsat night. $1, 0.25 lbs.

Thermite Bomb: Alarger version of thepocket incendiary, thethermite bomb does 2dburning damage per sec-ond, as above, but for 40seconds. It could ruinheavy machinery or tankengines, and even cutbridge supports or trainrails. $8, 2.5 lbs.

Limpet Mines: Thesedevices contained ashaped charge designedto cut through the hull ofa merchant ship. Held inplace by magnets and detonated by time pencilsor a time clock, limpet mines were used by sever-al special forces to sink freighters and supportcraft. Each limpet mine does 6d×9 (10) damage.$35, 4 lbs.

Time Pencils: These pencil-shaped devicesconsisted of a long glass tube, inside of which

was a thin wire and an ampule of acid. If theampule was crushed, the acid would eat throughthe wire and snap the exploding cap, setting offthe explosive device. The chemical-delay deviceswere available in 10-minute, 30-minute, 2-hour,5-hour, 12-hour, or 24-hour versions.

Temperature variations caused the devices tofluctuate on exact time to detonation, so a Demo-lition roll is required to determine which timepencil is needed for a given situation. (Tempera-tures above 60º F reduces time by 20-50%; rollagainst Demolition to determine the actual time todetonation.)

A six-pack (one of each type) costs $10 andweighs 0.25 lbs.

Time Clock: A precision timepiece used to setoff explosives. A detonator cap (p. W89) is wiredto the clock, and then the clock is wound and set.Time delay can vary from 15 minutes to 12 hours.It is waterproof to 20’ and can be stopped andreset, or tripped manually. $25, 1 lb.

Tire Busters: These small metal spheres useda pistol primer to detonate a small amount of PE.One does 2d+2 explosive damage if compressedby more than 150 lbs. They were commonlycamouflaged in mud or animal droppings andscattered in the path of pursuing vehicles. $2,0.25 lbs.

Beano: These OSS-designed impact grenadesare approximately the same size and weight as abaseball. They arm after being thrown eight yards,and then explode on the next firm contact. Simplypull the safety pin and throw. Snow and mudmight prevent detonation, however. Damage is 2dconcussion and 1d+1 fragmentation. $20, 0.75 lbs.

22 GIZMOS AND GADGETS

The following specialized gear will add fla-vor and realism to a commando campaign.

CLOTHING AND ARMORSpecial forces usually adopted some sort of

identifying article of uniform. This could be a hat,such as the green beret of the Commandos or thetan beret of the SAS, or just a uniform patch, likethe blue diamond worn by Rangers. Articles ofdress, and even footwear, became badges of sta-tion for special forces. American airborne troopsstuck their uniform trouser legs inside their boots,giving them a baggy “bloused” appearance, andwore heavy jump boots with reinforced toes.

Armor was seldom used by most specialforces. It was usually too heavy and noisy to be ofany real benefit, but there were some exceptions.Japanese Special Naval Landing Force soldierssometimes wore protective vests (p. W87) andItalian commandos were issued heavy shields(DR 20, 25 lbs.) with firing slits. Soft caps, bushhats, or stocking caps were much more commonthan helmets (at least until Commandos andRangers were thrown into the front lines).

Fictional WWII special units should havetheir own signature articles of uniform.

FIELD GEARAlthough the focus of fiction and history

alike is often on the combat of the war, it was fre-quently the non-combat dangers that killedtroops. Catching a cold, or malaria, or denguefever was just as dangerous as catching a bullet.

GMs may require detailed lists of gear, andpenalize Soldier rolls based on the lack of basicfield gear.

Camouflage ClothingAt the beginning of the war, German

researchers estimated that casualties could bereduced by 15% by using camouflaged clothing.German special units were the first to issue suchclothing. American Marines in the jungles of thePacific were also issued camouflaged uniformitems, though often the only piece retained wasthe helmet cover.

GMs may permit troops from German orAmerican special forces to use camouflage cloth-ing, which grants a -1 to -2 to Vision rolls whensomeone is attempting to spot them, if appropri-ate. Specialist snipers often wore elaborate outfitscalled ghillie suits, which give a +1 to +8 to the

Camouflage skill. These weigh 15-20 pounds andincrease the wearer’s effective temperature by 15ºor more (see p. W205).

The equipment list in GURPS WWII is suf-ficient for most special forces. Unlike today, thecommandos of WWII usually had very little spe-cial equipment to choose from. Specialty areas,such as combat swimmer gear, are covered inmore depth below.

Combat Swimmer GearAuger – 2’ tube to sample sand composition.

Samples are kept in condoms. $1, 0.5 lbs. Bong Stick – Hand-cranked device to signal a

waiting sub’s sonar, +4 to Sonar detection roll.$15, 5 lbs.

Breathing Apparatus – 1.5-hour supply of air(refills are $20, 4 lbs.), uses Scuba skill -2. Atdepths below 30’ the diver suffers the bends (seep. CII132). $200, 30 lbs.

Depth Gauge – Large belt model. $15, 1 lb. Dive Gear – Mask, swim fins, and snorkel.

$3, 6 lbs. Dive Mask – Allowed divers to see underwa-

ter much easier. Fitting was done by carving thesoft rubber with a knife and then sanding itsmooth. $1, 1 lb.

Dye Marker – Used on water, takes 3d sec-onds to make a green glowing 30’ circle that lastsan hour. $5, 1 lb.

Fly Reel – A 200’ reel of fishing line markedat precise distances for depth survey work. $2, 1 lb.

Folbot – A “folding boat” two-man kayakused by the SBS. Folds down to a 5’×1’×1’ pack-age to fit through sub hatches. Has a maximumload of 500 lbs. and a top speed of 4 knots. DR 3,HP 25. $35, 50 lbs.

Invasion Belt – A heavy web belt with rubberbladders inside. A pull-ring activates the CO2 car-tridges and inflates the belt. Often used by com-bat swimmers. $1, 2 lbs.

Infrared Signal Device – Infrared viewer andlight for covert signaling of ships and subs (useTelegraphy skill); uses four large flashlight bat-teries per hour. Often cranky and prone to mal-function. Needs line of sight. $300, 3 lbs.

Lead Line – A 30’ line or cord with a leadweight used to make soundings in survey work.$1, 1 lb.

Paddle Board – A one-man surfboard with acompass on the front. Used by the SBS and OSSgroups during maritime saboteur operations. $20,30 lbs.

GIZMOS AND GADGETS 23

UNIFORMS AND GEAR

Plexiglas Plate – A 10”×10” plate used witha grease pencil to record survey data. $2, 0.5 lbs.

Silver Grease Paint – Applying this to one’sbody gives a -2 to Vision rolls to detect the wear-er in the water. $0.75, negligible weight.

Snorkel – Allows a swimmer to breathe withhis face in the water, and gives anyone searchingfor him a -2 to Vision rolls to spot him. $1, 1 lb.

Swim Fins – +1 to Move in water, maximumMove 1 on land. $1, 4 lbs.

Waterproof Suit – A rubberized “dry suit” forinfiltrating spies, with watertight fittings at faceand hands. Usually issued to parachutists jumpingnear a large body of water. $50, 6 lbs.

Communications andElectronics

Homing Beacon – This is the Eureka systemused by Allied bombers and aircraft to deliverordnance, cargo, or men on target at night. The10-mile transmitter guides specially equipped air-craft to the beacon. (Assume the aircraft needs aspecial Radio Direction Finder receiver capableof picking up the signal – see p.W143 – and treatthe beacon as using Morse code, doubling itsrange.) With a successful Electronics Operations(Communications) roll at +4, the beacon gives thepilot a +3 to skill when determining whether helines up on the DZ correctly or not. Airbornepathfinders and SAS troops were taught to use itduring the Normandy invasion. It needs a powersource and uses 360 kWs per hour. $300, 15 lbs.

Infrared Sights – As the war was closing,American and German forces fielded experimen-

tal infrared sights for small arms. The Germansmounted theirs to the StG44 assault rifle, whilethe Americans mounted theirs on a modified M-2carbine. It’s doubtful that the German system wasever used in combat, but sources claim that theAmerican “Sniperscope” system saw use in thePacific theater in the closing weeks of the war.

Both systems would have similar game stats:Range is 100 yards and all darkness penalties arehalved. Malfunction for small arms infrared sys-tems (see p. CII6) is at -5. Each infrared sightrequires a motorcycle battery for each hour ofoperation. Either system would add about 5 lbs. toweapon weight (adding 2 to SS) and require aseparate 15-lb. battery pack. Extra batteries canbe added to increase operation. Cost is at least$250, plus the cost of the batteries.

Marker Panels – These brightly colored pan-els were used to mark LZs and DZs for aircraft.They give a +2 to Vision rolls to spot them, and ifspotted, they give the pilot a +3 to skill whendetermining whether or not he lines up on the DZcorrectly. $5, 2 lbs.

Drop Zone Lights – These lights were mount-ed on tripods and positioned on a DZ so that air-craft could identify the area at night. Airbornepathfinders landed ahead of the massive follow-on waves and operated the lights, which wereused in various combinations of red and green.With a successful Vision roll at +4, the lights givethe pilot a +3 to skill when determining whetheror not he lines up on the DZ correctly. Each light,with power source, weighs 5 lbs. and runs for 2hours. Cost is $25 each.

24 GIZMOS AND GADGETS

The following expands the use of vehicles incommando operations.

PARACHUTES ANDAERIAL RESUPPLY

Parachute and glider operations require tworolls. The first roll is against the Operations (Air-Land) skill (p. W22) of the officer planning themission. This determines the overall success andfeasibility of the jump plan. Any failure here isapplied as a penalty to the Piloting roll, and toTactics (Infantry or Guerrilla) rolls for the firsthour on the ground.

As the plane nears the drop zone, the pilotmust navigate and pilot the aircraft in the rightdirection, over the right spot, and at the rightspeed. Rolls against Piloting and Navigation arerequired. If the Piloting roll is failed, apply themargin of failure to each jumping trooper’s Para-chuting roll.

A failed Navigation roll simply puts the para-troops in the wrong place. Look up the margin offailure +10 on the Speed/Range and Size Table onp. W201. The result is the number of yards fromthe DZ that the paratroops actually land. A criticalfailure results in the paratroopers being dropped afull 1d×1% of the distance traveled from thebeginning of the flight to the target DZ; forinstance, a 500-mile flight would put the troops 5-30 miles from the intended DZ.

Parachuting requires two rolls: one to exit theaircraft and ensure the chute opens correctly, andanother to land safely. The first roll is only modi-fied by poor Piloting, which can cause the para-chutist to exit the aircraft too fast or too low. Anormal failure on this roll means that the jumperloses equipment or suffers injury (at 1d per 3 fullpoints of failure, roll randomly for location of theinjury) due to opening shock, loose straps andequipment, or an impact against the aircraft. Crit-ical failure means the chute doesn’t open, andanother skill roll must be made to open thereserve, or redeploy the main chute. A failure onthis roll means almost certain death as the troop“augers in,” though a very few men have surviveda failed chute opening.

Once the chute has been successfullydeployed, the jumper must guide himself to a safelanding. Winds and Vision (p. W154) can effectthis roll, as can terrain. This is the only roll onwhich German paratroops take the -4 penaltydescribed on p. W88. Utility lines, trees, and

rocky ground can create penalties ranging from -1 to -5. Assess damage as above, and allow a sec-ond roll on critical failures.

Once the paratroops have landed, they mustassemble at predetermined points and begin theoperation. This may take some time, especially ifthe drop is far from familiar landmarks. GMsshould roll 1d×10 to determine how many min-utes that the assembly will take in ideal condi-tions. Rugged terrain, a misplaced drop, orground fog may make this 1d×60. On the otherhand, a landing in daylight on a large open fieldmay be reduced to 1d minutes. Rolls against Tac-tics, Orienteering, and Soldier skill could reduce(or extend) the assembly time. For more on Para-chuting, see p. W190.

GlidersGliders usually suffer few of the problems

associated with parachuting, but add someunique to themselves. With calm weather and aclear view, gliders usually can land directly ontarget. Failed Piloting rolls (by the glider or thetug) might mean a premature launch, leaving theglider pilot many miles from the target LZ andrapidly losing altitude. A particular danger duringlanding was obstacles on the ground, whichcould force gliders to dodge helter-skelter aboutthe LZ, and sometimes even collide with othergliders. GMs may penalize Piloting rolls for par-ticularly tricky landings, due to obstacles orwinds and weather.

Aerial ResupplyOnce on the ground, special units often need-

ed resupply from friendly forces. Collection ofheavy equipment caused tremendous problems forparachuting commandos. Machine guns and mor-tars were usually carried underneath the airplanein “parapacks,” a metal or canvas containerattached to a parachute and mounted on hard-points. The last man out would flip a switch andjettison the cargo containers. Hopefully, the equip-ment would land close to the men that needed it.

Some parachutists jumped with theirweapons and equipment; some did not. Britishand American troops generally carried theirweapons on their person, but German paratroop-ers usually jumped with only a pistol. British Spe-cial Boat Service teams sometimes parachutedwith their kayaks suspended beneath them. Spe-cial Air Service troops used specially modifiedbombers to air-drop men and jeeps!

GIZMOS AND GADGETS 25

SPECIAL OPERATIONS VEHICLES

Gliders could be used to supply heavy loads,but often the supplies, and even reinforcements,were dropped to the troops from cargo craft.Sometimes the cargo was dropped without para-chutes, especially ammo crates, food, and grain.Fragile equipment, such as radios and small arms,was dropped in parapacks.

The standard American A-1 parachute con-tainer held 120 lbs. of cargo in a canvas-and-card-board pannier. Other containers were about 5’long and about 1’ across. These were made ofmetal (DR 5) and weighed about 100 lbs. Each

could hold up to 200 lbs. of cargo. A C-47 cargoplane could hold four to six such containers.

Delivering the cargo to the right spot is han-dled much like bombing (p. W155). This roll ismade by the “kicker” or jumpmaster in the cargoplane (or the pilot if dropping parapacks). Eachtime the plane passes over the DZ, the kicker rollsagainst his Freight Handling skill (modified bythe pilot’s skill rolls) as he kicks out the cargoover the DZ. The size of the DZ and the speed ofthe aircraft determine the number of passes need-ed to drop the cargo load.

26 GIZMOS AND GADGETS

The DFS-230 was the glider of choicefor several German operations during thewar. The Eben Emael raid was per-formed in 230s, as were the rescue of Mus-solini and the raid on Tito’s HQ.

Impatient to see what theywere facing, passengers not near awindow sometimes would cut slits in the glider’scanvas skin to peek outside during flight. Troopsoften used their weapons during landing to maxi-mize shock value; this would require doing seri-ous damage to the fuselage and windows.

DFS-230 B-1Subassemblies: Light Fighter-Bomber chassis

with no streamlining +3; Light Fighter-Bomber STOL wings +3; skid +1.

Occ: 2 CS, 8 PS Cargo: 8.6 Wings

Armor F RL B T UBody: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2CWings: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2CSkid: 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

The “C” denotes cloth armor.

EquipmentBody: Vehicular parachute.

StatisticsSize: 68’×37’×9’ Payload: 1 ton Lwt: 2.3 tonsVolume: 312 Maint: 75 hours Cost: $7,000

HT: 12. HPs: 165 Body, 160 each Wing, 45 Skid.

gSpeed: 0 gAccel: 0 gDecel: 15 gMR: 0.25 gSR: 3Ground Pressure Low. 1/2 Off-Road Speed.aSpeed: 130 aAccel: 0 aDecel: 25 aMR: 6.25 aSR: 2Stall Speed 36. Landing Run is 39 yards.Piloting rolls to extend the glide are at no penalty.

Design NotesThe design reduces

each crew and passenger space to 4.2 VSPs, perthe option under Crew Station on p. W141. Thisessentially leaves a very narrow aisle for passen-gers to move about only with great difficulty.

While the wings certainly have space avail-able for equipment, the trim characteristics ofgliders usually didn’t favor actually placing anythere. Enterprising PCs might try mountingweapons in this craft, but severe handling penal-ties would not be unjustified . . .

The glider does not come equipped with aradio; it communicated with the tow plane via anintercom wire in the tow rope. Fictional glidersmight be equipped with radios and even radar orinfrared searchlights for night operations; thesewill require reducing passenger space.

VariantsThe B-1 was the most common variant. The A-1 had no parachute; this increased the

landing run to 86 yards.The C-1 replaced the parachute with three

rockets mounted in the nose. These could shortenlanding runs to 30 yards. Increase weight by 0.2tons and cost by $48.

The F-1 was an enlarged model – basically anew design on the Medium Fighter-Bomber chas-sis – that seated up to 15 occupants.

SPECIAL OPS VEHICLESVarious commandos make frequent use of the following vehicles.

DFS-230 ASSAULT GLIDER

MINI SUBMARINEThe British used a variety of

small submersibles perfectlysuited to small parties of specialforces wishing to sneak ashorefor daring missions. This is thelargest historical version.

Two 1.8-ton demolitioncharges, up to a ton of cargo inwatertight containers, or a four-man rubber raft could be fittedoutside the sub. Two men couldoperate the boat, but three wasbetter, so controls are fitted for one of the up tothree passengers to help out. Usually, the passen-gers were COPP (p. 12) swimmers.

The engine burns 1.3 gallons of fuel oil perhour. A full fuel load cost $40.

XE BoatSubassemblies: Light Cutter chassis with sub-

marine option +5.Powertrain: 31-kW marine diesel with 31-kW

screw propeller and 330-gallon standardtanks; 288,000-kWs batteries.

Occ: 3 CS Cargo: 135.5* Body

Armor F RL B T UBody: 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5

EquipmentBody: Airlock, bilge pump, two bunks, three man-

days of life support, navigation instruments,20’ periscope (two modules), medium radioreceiver and transmitter.

StatisticsSize: 52’×6’×6’Payload: 1.5 tons Lwt: 25.2 tonsVolume: 390 Maint: 72 hours Cost: $7,700

HT: 12. HPs: 3,000 Body.

wSpd: 8 wAcc: 0.2 wDec: 0.3 (0.4) wMR: 0.05 wSR: 3Draft is 3’3”. Flotation Rating is 28.8 tons.wSpd: 6 wAcc: 0.16 wDec: 0.3 (0.4) wMR: 0.05 wSR: 3Submerged draft is 6’. Crush Depth is 108’.

Design NotesThe wSpeed has been reduced to the historical

8 mph from a calculated 10mph. Calculated sub-merged draft is 13’but is capped at actual height ofboat. Vehicle weight had to be reduced to 83% ofthe calculated weight to fit it within its flotation rat-ing when loaded with the demolition charges.

* Almost all this space would be access andbilge space. GURPS WWII Iron Cross will intro-duce enhanced volume rules for naval vessels.

LRDG TRUCKThe LRDG and the SAS pioneered mobile

desert warfare. They usually used stripped-down,Canadian-built Chevy 11/2-ton trucks, fitted withaircraft and sun compasses, oversized tires, extrafuel tanks, underbody skid plates, and radiator con-densers to conserve water. Both units performedthe same conversions on any Jeep (p. W106) that they could beg, borrow, or steal.

Chevrolet 30cwt 4x2Subassemblies: Medium Wheeled chassis +4;

four off-road wheels +3.Powertrain: 60-kW standard gas engine with

60-kW wheeled transmission and two 30-gal-lon standard fuel tanks; 4,000-kWs batteries.

Occ: 1 XCS, 1 XPS Cargo: 114.3 Body

Armor F RL B T UBody: 3/10 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/10Wheels: 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5

EquipmentBody: 40 exposed cargo, navigation instruments.

StatisticsSize: 20’×7’×5’ Payload: 1.5 tons Lwt: 4.8 tonsVolume: 150 Maint: 252 hours Cost: $630

HT: 12. HPs: 330 Body, 55 each wheel.

gSpeed: 54 gAccel: 3 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.5 gSR: 4Ground Pressure High. 1/6 Off-Road Speed.

Design NotesPayload can exceed the 30cwt rating. At

loaded weight 5.2-6 tons, HT becomes 11. At 6.1-7.4 tons, HT is 10. At 7.5-9.5 tons, HT 9.

The truck is not designed to efficiently use itsvolume. It may carry up to 40 exposed VSPs ofcargo safely, or up to 114.3 if stacked precariously.

A Vickers Mk I (p. W93), or even a 37mmMedium Tank Gun or 20mm Long Ground Auto-cannon (p. W134), often were mounted in the bed.

GIZMOS AND GADGETS 27

Some special operations required hundredsof hours of planning, and months of rehearsalsand critiques. Others were planned and executedin minutes.

While some players may not enjoy planning amission, GMs should consider including the plan-ning process in the game, rather than starting thegaming session as the troops leap from the landingcraft. The political wrangling, wheedling, andtrading that goes into a mission can be just asexciting to some participants as bullets andbodies, and should not be overlooked as asource of conflict and drama.

CONCEPTThe first task for a mission com-

mander is to determine the objectiveof the operation. What is the unit try-ing to accomplish?Missions mayhave specificobjectives, suchas blowing up abridge or capturing a spe-cific person, but not all operations needto be so precise. The SAS and LRDGwere notorious for their lengthy missionsinto enemy territory with no other goalbut to “cause trouble.” In a long-runningcampaign, a mix of the two can provemost entertaining.

RAIDA raid is a hit-and-run operation, usually

against the enemy targets (supplies and materiel,communication stations, bridges, troop camps,outposts, etc.). U.S. Marine Raiders attackedMakin Island in 1942, and though it accom-plished little militarily, it greatly bolstered Amer-ican morale after the Pearl Harbor attack. SASand LRDG raids in North Africa slowed the

movement of supplies to the front by raidingvehicle laagers and airfields hundreds of milesfrom the front lines.

ASSAULTAssault operations attempt to reduce or cap-

ture enemy strongpoints. Army Rangersassaulted the 100’ cliffs of Pointe DuHoc to neutralize German guns over-looking the Normandy beaches.

In addition to the Eben Emaelassault, German special forces assaultedTito’s mountain fortress in an attempt to

capture the guerrilla leader.

RECONReconnaissance missions

are attempt to secure tacticalor strategic intel-ligence through

covert means.The AlamoScouts were

masters at secur-ing strategic recon

for the 6th Army inthe Pacific. They scouredenemy-held islands andpotential landing sites,including operations inNew Guinea, and in

Leyte and Luzon in the Philippine Islands.

SPECIAL MISSIONCommando units were formed in large part

to handle the unusual or the bizarre, including res-cues, kidnappings, and assassinations. Theattempted assassination of Gen. Erwin Rommelby British commandos during the North Africancampaigns was one such mission. Commandosalso raided the coastal village of Bruneval, innorthern France, for a radar set. The set was

28 MISSION PLANNING

disassembled and taken back to England to bestudied. Skorzeny’s special forces kidnapped theson of the Hungarian regent, forcing him toresign, thus ensuring Hungarian support of theNazis. Commandos might be asked to field any ofan infinite variety of one-of-a-kind missions.

THE PLANOnce the commander has determined the

actual objective of the mission, the details mustbe filled in. How will the team get there? What dothey need to perform the mission? How will theyget home? How will the commanders backbehind the lines communicate with them? Thequestions are legion, but answers are necessary ifthe mission is to succeed.

INTELLIGENCEMission planners need information. GMs

may consider staging full-scale reconnaissanceoperations in-game, with secondary characters,which will net the information that the com-manding PCs need. If players want more infor-mation, they’ll have to figure out a way to find it,and fret over ways to do it without compromis-ing the mission.

Prepared props and handouts add a lot ofvalue and color at this stage. Here, a good printerand scanner can be used to produce high-qualitydocuments, all printed in various typewriter fonts,and placed in a manila folder. Intelligence andweather reports, recon photographs, and otherhandouts can all be used to create the properatmosphere. Real maps and atlases from the peri-od can be found at library sales and online bookstores for almost nothing. Military grid maps,available from various Internet sources, can beused as game aids. Satellite photos, downloadedfrom the Internet for free, work great as high-alti-tude photos used for analyzing enemy targets.Just use photo-editing software to convert the fileto grayscale, then add any specific details the sce-nario requires. Screenshots can be captured fromWWII flight simulators and used as-is. Be cre-ative. Old yearbooks are a perfect source fordossier photos, for example.

SUPPORTIssues of fire-support, transportation, and

reinforcements must be addressed. The answersmay be simple (“You are on your own this time,captain”), but could range from a battleship justoffshore, to a squadron of fighter-bombers that

could scramble in 15 minutes. Can the specialforces call for a platoon of tanks, or a company ofcavalry, or is the nearest supporting unit 1,000miles away? Is there a secondary commandoforce available (and possibly, secondary charac-ters!) just in case the primary force is annihilatedor captured?

SUPPLYCommandos cannot accomplish their mis-

sion without a healthy supply of beans and bul-lets. Long overland marches are limited by howmuch one man can carry. Airdrops can extend thatrange, but may draw unwanted attention. Pre-arranged caches of supplies can be arrangedthrough guerrillas and partisans.

A comprehensive list of supplies for eachman is one way to ensure that players don’t tryto carry too much. Consumables usually provid-ed the bulk of a commando’s supplies, be thatfood and water or ammunition and explosives.Field gear, such as tents and sleeping bags, waslower on the list. Foot powder and good bootswere a must.

MISSION PLANNING 29

SIGNALSMilitary radios in World War II were a mixed

blessing. Rough handling, bad environmentalconditions, and the fickle nature of vacuum-tubeelectronics often ruined the devices.

For better or worse, commandos were stuckwith cranky, heavy, and sometimes useless radios.These were supplemented by pyrotechnics (flaresand smoke grenades), cloth marking panels, andvarious types of signal lights. U.S. Army Rangersat Pointe Du Hoc, for instance, managed to directthe fire of a nearby destroyer with nothing morethan a signal light and Morse code.

EXECUTION“No plan survives contact with the enemy” is

a tried and true military maxim. One of the easi-est ways to add excitement and tension to a com-mando operation is to throw a wrench in it.Military intelligence was notoriously bad at esti-mating enemy numbers, and injuries and loss ofequipment during parachute drops and amphibi-ous operations was a common occurrence. TheGM should seek to keep the mission challenging,yet possible.

THE ENDWhether the mission is a success or failure,

the commandos need a way to get home, and forsome missions this is the most dangerous part.Sneaking into a sleepy enemy base may be easycompared to escaping once it’s been fully alerted!Extraction could be an elaborate midnight ren-dezvous between a flying boat and a submarine ingale-force winds, or a simple hike over the nextridge to reach friendly lines.

After the commandos make it back to a safearea, they have to be debriefed, refitted, andretrained. Then they’ll be ready for the next dar-ing mission.

DEBRIEFINGThe debriefing usually begins with a written

report by the commander or senior survivor of theoperation. GMs may even request that the playeractually write the report (usually between gamesessions). This report may include sketches ofenemy facilities, new enemy equipment and vehi-cles encountered, and recommendations formedals and promotions.

After the report is written, the unit may beushered into a dark room, alone or as a group, tobe grilled for more information or chewed out forany failings. Some may be given medals; otherscould be sent to the brig.

Standard operating procedures, equipment,and even strategic plans may be changed becauseof the information provided during the debriefing.After the debriefing, the soldiers will get a chanceto voice their concerns in a brief-back. Here, thecommandos themselves get to critique the sup-port and supply portions of the plan, and undoubt-edly the intelligence blunders.

REPLACEMENTSIf the commandos were wiped out, the play-

ers may bring in new characters at this time. Oldhands that survive may be promoted, demoted, orsent off to another unit. Reputations and Alliescan be earned in the rough-and-tumble barrackslife, just as on the battlefield.

A certain amount of socializing, and some-times fighting, goes on to determine the peckingorder, and then the unit settles back down to itsold routine: training.

TRAININGCommandos should get 1-3 character points

per month of training time between missions.(Alternatively, the GM may want to award thesepoints based on the quick learning and intensivetraining rules on pp. CI114-117.)

These points should be spent on the skillsbeing learned, or on new Advantages that couldbe acquired (increasing Fit to Very Fit, gainingExtra Fatigue or Less Sleep, etc.).

Training is more than just time at the range.Training scenarios, called field problems, test allof the soldier’s skills in a real-life setting. Com-plete with all the dangers of a real mission, thanksto live ammunition, these full-dress rehearsals testmental and physical limits in preparation for thereal thing.

This is also a good time for new skills, spe-cializations, or familiarities to be picked up. Sol-diers may be shipped off to training schools forweeks at a time, and players may want to havebackup characters in case the unit gets an assign-ment while their usual soldier is at radio school.

THE NEXT MISSIONThe briefing room darkens and the reel-to-

reel hums into action as the colonel steps forwardwith his pointer. A blurred and grainy image of a

30 MISSION PLANNING

foreboding castle zips by for a few brief seconds.It is the target. Folders packed with intelligencereports, recon photos, dossiers, and equipmentmanifests are handed out. Outside, the cough of

aircraft engines warming up can be heard, and thescreeching brakes of a truck announce the arrivalof supplies and equipment.

It’s time to move out.

MISSION PLANNING 31

Placing the PC group in a real-life com-mando unit can present special problems, asbriefly described on p. W160. Players who areparticularly well-educated on that unit’s historymay object whenever the mission calls for themto be somewhere other than where the real-lifeunit was historically.

Also, history books tend to describe a par-ticular unit as carrying a specific rifle, using aspecific table of organization, and in additionalprecise but not entirely real terms. In practice,veterans in many units acquired a more person-alized set of gear depending on the vagaries ofwhat might be found on the battlefield orunclaimed in the quartermaster’s hut. Casualtiesand other personnel shortfalls meant that com-manders could hardly avoid battlefield changesto their unit’s organization. In short, real life wassufficiently “fuzzy” to support a customized PCgroup, but many players with an interest inWWII will interpret the history books in a fun-damentalist fashion, and thus object to devia-tions in equipment, organization, and so forth.

The simplest way to circumvent this dissat-isfaction might be to create an entirely fictionalunit for the PCs. This could be a group so secretthat its exploits were classified, as well, but thatdoesn’t mean its missions have to be unimpor-tant. For instance, the GM could set up historyin his campaign such that the Operation Over-lord landings on D-Day (p. W30) most assured-ly would fail unless Team Xfiltrate kidnaps theone mid-level German officer with authority tomobilize the proper reserves, and plants evi-dence that he’s taken an unwise leave in Paris soas to sidestep any German suspicions. This sortof mission structure doesn’t significantlyrewrite history; it simply weaves an intriguingbackstory behind it.

Alternatively, the GM can establish a mild-ly alternate history in which the fictional unit isjust as high-profile as the Rangers or Fallschirm-jäger, and competes with units of that caliber forprestige and resources. Some players may havea lot of fun using the SAS’s real track record as

a benchmark by which to measure their ownexploits, or competing with OSS agents for thehonor of taking on a particularly important mis-sion. The GM also may want to include a bar-racks brawl between the PCs’ unit and the realcommando groups, to spice things up.

Obscure Units: FirstSpecial Service Force

If the GM or players don’t like the idea of afictionalized unit, then another alternative is toplace the PCs in a real unit that was and remainsrelatively obscure. This makes it unlikely thatplayers will know enough about the unit toobject when their adventuring strays from thehistorical track record, while grounding theexploits in a certain measure of verisimilitude.

The First Special Service Force may be justthe unit to fill this role. A joint American-Cana-dian commando outfit formed in 1942, theFSSF trained for nine months to perform specialoperations in German-held Norway, but themission was canceled. Instead, the FSSF wassent to spearhead operations in the Aleutians,Italy, and France.

Trained to parachute, ski, and climb, theFSSF were proper commandos, trained tomatch the capabilities and prowess of the bestCommando and Ranger units. In Italy, the com-mandos of the FSSF proved especially skilled atnight reconnaissance and raids, and wereknown as “The Devil’s Brigade.”

A unique feature of the FSSF was the fullintegration of American and Canadian troops,who were evenly distributed among all levels ofthe unit; American sergeants took orders fromCanadian officers, for instance.

Unit organization was nearly identical tothat of the Rangers (see p. 13), though the heavyweapons of each platoon were incorporated intoeach squad, rather than being assigned to a sep-arate section. With a bazooka, a 60mm mortar,a flamethrower, and two LMGs rationed outamong its 12 men, the FSSF squad was bristlingwith firepower.

FORMING FICTIONAL UNITS

REFERENCES

Abwehr, 14, 20.Advantages, 16, 30.Alamo Scouts, 5, 9, 10, 13-14,

16, 17, 28.Assault missions, 28.Beach Surveying, 10-11.Booby traps, 8.Boy Scouts, 6.Brandenburger, 14, 17, 20.Breaching, 8.Cabanatuan POW rescue, 5.Camouflage, 23.Campaigns, 28-31.Campbeltown, HMS, 5.Characters, 16-17.Churchill, Winston, 3.Clarke, Lt. Col. Dudley, 4.Clothing, 23.Commando, 11, 16, 17, 31;

clothing, 23; Depot orTraining Center, 6, 11, 13,16; No. 2, 5; No. 8, 11; No.11, 4; weapons, 8, 18-21.

Commandos, 3-4, 16-17;recruiting, 6; specific units,11-15; template modifiers,16-17; training, 6-7.

Communications, 24, 30.COPP, 10, 11, 12, 16.Demolition, 8.DFS-230 glider, 26.Disadvantages, 6.

Eben Emael, 4, 9, 26, 28.Electronics, 24.Equipment, 18-27.Explosives, 22.Fairbairn Close Combat

Training, 10, 16, 17.Fallschirmjäger, 4, 15.Firearms, see Weapons.First Special Service Force,

21, 31.Folbots, 12, 23.Garrotes, 10, 18.Gliders, 25-26.Grazing fire, 7.Guns, see Weapons.Hearing rolls, see Silenced

Weapons.Infrared equipment, 23, 24.K-men, 15.Kommandos, 4.Knifes, 10, 11, 18.Layforce, 11.Long Range Desert Group, 9,

11, 12, 16, 28; rations, 12;truck, 27.

LRDG Chevrolet truck, 27.Marine Einsatz Abteilung, 15.No-landing extractions, 9, 17.Office of Scientific Research and

Development, 18.Office of Strategic Services, 4.

OSS, 4, 9, 12-13; operationalgroups, 4, 9, 10, 12-13, 17;weapons, 13, 18-21.

Parachuting, 9, 11, 16, 17; rules, 25.

Piloting skill, 9, 17, 25.Radios, 30.Raiders, Marine, 4, 9, 10, 14,

17, 28.Raids, 28.Rangers, 13, 17, 28, 30, 31; 1st

Battalion, 13; 6th Battalion,5; clothing, 23; weapons, 8,13, 18-21.

Rations, 12.Real missions, 4-5.Recon missions, 28.Running, 6.Saint-Nazaire raid, 4-5.SAS, see Special Air Service.SBS, 10, 12, 16; equipment, 23.Scouts and Raiders, 13, 17.SCUBA, 10, 17, 23.Sentry removal, 8.Silenced weapons, 8, 12, 13,

19-20.Skills, 10-11, 16-17, 25.Skorzeny, Otto, 9, 14-15, 29.Sleep, 6.Small arms, see Weapons.Smatchet, 18.SOE, 3-4, 9, 17.

Soldier skill, 7, 8.Special Air Service, 9, 11-12,

16, 28; clothing, 23; truck, 27.

Special Forces, see Commandos.Special missions, 28-29.SS-Fallschirmjäger, 15.SS-Jagdverbände, 14-15.Stirling, Col. David, 11.Submarines, 10.Supply, 29.Suppressed weapons, see

Silenced Weapons.Surveying, 10-11, 16, 17.Swimming, 7, 17; gear, 23-24.Sykes-Fairbairn commando

knife, 11, 18.Tactics, 7-11; skill, 7, 16, 25.Technology, 3, 18-27.Training, 6-7, 30.UDTs, 13, 17.Uniforms, 23.Vehicles, 25-27.Weapons, 7-8, 18-21; booby

traps, 8; explosives, 22;grenades, 22; melee, 18;silenced, 8, 12, 13, 19-20;skills, 16-17; small arms,19-21; special, 19; table,21; training, 6.

Welfreighter, 27.Welwyn laboratory, 18, 20.

32 INDEX

BooksDear, Ian. Sabotage and

Subversion: The SOE and OSSat War (Cassell, 1996). Anexcellent source on OSS opera-tional groups.

Ladd, James. Commandosand Rangers of WWII (BookClub Associates, 1978). Anexhaustive source on Anglo-American commandos.

Lucas, James. Kommando(Cassell, 1985). A grand surveyof Third Reich special forces ofall types.

McRaven, William. SpecOps (Presidio, 1995). Excellentstudy of several WWII special-forces mission from the eyes ofa Navy SEAL commander.

Munoz, Antonio. ForgottenLegions: Obscure Combat For-mations of the Waffen-SS (AxisEuropa Books, 1991). A well-written book featuring theexploits of the SS special forces.

O’Dell, James. The WaterIs Never Cold (Brassey’s,2000). The best availablesource on America’s WWIIfrogmen.

Zedric, Lance. Silent War-riors of WWII (Pathfinder Pub-lishing of California, 1995).The only detailed study of theAlamo Scouts, and one of themost exciting reads aboutWWII special forces.

Film and TVThe Eagle Has Landed

(John Sturges, 1976). Naziparatroopers attempt to captureWinston Churchill.

Where Eagles Dare (BrianG. Hutton, 1969). Allies try torescue an American general.

Band of Brothers (HBO,2001). Excellent mini-series onU.S. paratroops in Europe,based on the book by StephenAmbrose.

INDEX

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

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