Time for Something New - Wanna help?

[Wild Bill]

A lot of new stuff for SPWAW has been pouring out of the minds and efforts of so many here and at the SPWAW Depot. That is great.

I've been so impressed that I think it is time for me to do a new campaign. I'm not talking about a Mega Campaign, though that would be nice.

Instead just a plain old SPWAW campaign that you could try.

I'm thinking of doing it on a little known battle in the Pacific, the Marine fight for the island of Choiseul, just prior to the invasion of Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands.

It would be a small one, probably four scenarios witha couple of alternates along the way.

For this I need some help. That would be from three or four testers, no more. Some help with maps from, let's say, someone modern gaming "Magellan" like Orzel. I know he is semi-retired but We might be able to coax him out of retirement for one last push.

So...if you would like to help, have some experience with campaigns and just playing the game and are willing to work for the most noble of causes, enlightening and entertaining fellow gamers, drop me a line.

As I said, I need three or four a SPWAW Wild Team. Drop me a line. When the group is complete, I'll post a note here advising that we have a team.

bwilder@bellsouth.net

Send me a note with a little background about yourself and your experience with the game or gaming in general.

Nothing really has been done as yet, except for some preliminary research. So it will be into the new year before we really get rolling. I'd like to have a team in place by that time.

Standing by

Wild Bill

[Wild Bill]

Two excellent volunteers already and two to go. Once I have four, the team will be complete. Right now joining me are Bruce Hodgman and Joe Osborne.

Bruce Hodgman is a Marine, always will be. He has done numerous scenarios and campaigns with SPWAW and was a leader in the Operation Watchtower Mega Campaign. In fact he did nearly all the maps.

Joe Osborne is a long time gamer. Joe and I worked together at the old Gamer's Net before there was a Matrix Games. He is an avid gamer.

Two great guys. I know what they can do and I'm very excited.

The happy Kunel

[Wild Bill]

Okay, we have a team. Four great gamers have come forth and expressed a willingness to work with me on this little project. I'm very excited about it. This should be a great experience and a very nice little campaign.

Thank you all. More later!

WB

[Orzel Bialy]

Hey Kunel,

If there is still room for one more person in that landing craft heading for the beaches...I've got my rifle and ammo clips. [;)]

[KG Erwin]

The Choiseul raid was part of the Bougainville operations, and was basically a diversion.
At the time, the 1st Marine Division was preparing for the landings on New Britain, while the 2nd Marine Division was about to open the Central Pacific front with its ordeal at Bloody Betio.

For the Bougainville operations, the forces available were the new 3rd Marine Division (3rd, 9th, 12th and 21st Marines) the provisional 2nd Raider Regiment (2nd & 3rd Raider Battalions), the 1st Parachute Regiment (1st, 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions), and various corps troops, including the 3rd Defense Battalion.

Choiseul itself was hit by LtCol Victor "Brute" Krulak's 2nd Parachute Battalion (October 28-Nov 5, 1943).

What's impressive about this is how far the Marines had expanded their capabilities just two years after Pearl Harbor. Three major amphibious invasions, plus a diversionary raid, were planned and executed within a three-month period (October-December 1943).

[MindSpy]

Hello WBW
I am keen also.
MindSpy

[DoubleDeuce]

ORIGINAL: Wild Bill

Okay, we have a team. Four great gamers have come forth and expressed a willingness to work with me on this little project. I'm very excited about it. This should be a great experience and a very nice little campaign.

Great news indeed WB to see more Pacific stuff around. Once the new changes that Mike Woods is bringing about are released I may dust off my unfinished 1st Cav in the Pacific Campaign.

Sorry Marine fans, gotta stick with the Army theme. [;)]

[Wild Bill]

Understandable, DD! The US Army was there and did fight...hard! There were dogfaces on Guadalcanal and from that point were actively involved all the way through Okinawa. I'm sure your campaign will point that out quite effectively.

The 1st Cav has always been in the thick of the fighting, WW2, Korea, Nam, and the Gulf War. It is good to recognize that.

And Mindspy, look forward to it. It will come.

A team has been formed and the groundwork for the campaign has become. It will be two campaigns in one.

You'll have a choice of fighting with Lt. Colonel "Brute" Krulak to the south, or Major Bigger's advance to the north. Thus you can fight one campaign, finish it, and then play it again without repeating battles.

It will be a relative short campaign. As Gunny pointed out, they were only there for one week, but it was enough. The Japanese were fooled and the landings at Bougainville's Empress Augusta Bay, met with little opposition. Krulak and his boys did their job.

This was actually the second "raid" performed by the Marines. The first occured nearly a year earlier when Carlson's Raiders hit Makin Island in support of the Guadalcanal operation.

WB