GM Info
A Twilight:2000 Fantasy
by Mitchell K Schwartz
Disclaimer & Copyright
Copyright 1997 by Mitchell Schwartz
Use of this file and its contents in any format for private use is allowed. Use
for sale requires licensing arrangements. Twilight:2000, Infantry
Weapons of the World and Heavy Weapons of the World are trademarks
or products of GDW, which are now owned by Tantalus Games.
Visitors since 18-Jul-97:
This adventure uses weapons listed in Infantry Weapons of the World. It is intended for one-shot tournament play. It takes place during World War 2, in a close parallel of our world. Since we know that Twilight:2000 is not our universe, but a close copy, perhaps there are other small differences...
As in our world, Napoleon Buonaparte returned to France from exile on Elba in the Mediterranean Sea in March 1815, toppled the new Bourbon government by his mere presence, and an army flocked to his banner. The English, Prussians, and Belgians and Dutch moved armies into the Low countries, clashing with Napoleon at Mont St. Jean, Ligny, and finally Waterloo. His army smashed, Napoleon abdicated and surrendered to the Allies.
Apparently, nowhere in Europe was safe to keep Napoleon, so he was exiled on St. Helena, a small, bare rocky island in the South Atlantic, about 1200 miles off Africa. Napoleon remained there from 1815 until his death in 1821, living in Longwood House some twenty miles outside of the port and capital Jamestown with a few servants. After his death, Napoleon was interred in a temporary tomb In our history, Napoleon’s remains were returned to France in 1840 and eventually interred in Paris. Not so here.
England kept Napoleon’s remains on St. Helena, stating that his exile was to be permanent. By 1940, the tomb has had an honor guard for 120 years. The refusal to return the French emperor’s body has been a minor point of friction between France and England over the years, but it did not stop France and England from seeing the necessity of allying for the Crimean War, World War 1, and World War 2. And, as in our world, Germany invades France in May of 1940, and France still falls in just six weeks.
Shortly thereafter, someone within the SS administration of occupied France conceived a plan called Operation French Ghost to send a commando squad drawn from Germany’s elite parachute troops in a submarine to raid St. Helena and return Napoleon’s bones to a grateful France.
...The benefits of such an operation successfully carried out, with the remains interred in a suitably magnificent tomb in (occupied) Paris as a gift from Germany to the people of France are manifold, but include:
Certainly these potential benefits are worth the risk of one submarine and a squad of fallschirmjaegers?
Detachment of A Company, 12th Fallschirmjaeger Battalion
10 men with 1 officer:
| Rank | Equipment | Quality |
| Captain | Schmeisser, Luger, 2 grenades, 6 clips, dagger |
Elite |
| Sergeant | Schmeisser, Luger, 2 grenades, 6 clips, dagger | Elite |
Otto |
Luger, 30 grenades, dagger. |
Vet |
MG gunner |
MG38, Luger, 1 ammo belt, dagger. |
Roll 1D10: |
7 Riflemen |
Bayonet, KAR 98K, 4 grenades, 50 rounds. In addition, each rifleman has one of the following items:
|
Roll 1D10 for each: 1-4: Vet 5-8: Exp 9-10: Reg |
All of these weapons (Luger, MP40, KAR 98K, MG38) are described in GDW’s Infantry Weapons of the World. More information about the characters.
The strike force will be transported to St. Helena by U-47. On arrival, the strike force will disembark in the three inflatable rubber rafts assigned to the unit. The strike force will make its way to Napoleon’s Tomb, disable or avoid any guards, and remove the casket bearing Napoleon Buonaparte’s remains. The strike force will return to its embarkation point with the remains and rendezvous with the U-47. The U-47 will then return to a German-controlled port to deliver said remains.
The most promising landing point is Prosperous Bay (the half-moon bay ENE of Longwood on the map), where the English managed to land 300 years ago.
The strike force should emphasize it’s speed and elan rather than its combat power.
The tomb is guarded by an infantry platoon, of which only a section is on duty at any one time. The duty guard section is divided between Longwood House and the tomb. See the provided map. The guards appears to be honor guards and carry no ammunition. Note that the last detailed report of the tomb and guards was compiled from a tourist account from 1929 and may have changed.
St. Helena is near the Tropic of Capricorn. Its weather for November, 1940 is (as at most other times of the year) is generally hot and clear. Summer temperatures range is 21-29o C; average day temp 25.5o / 80o F) . The island is extremely rocky, with very steep, rough terrain.
The entire island garrison is made of the rest of the British company, at last report a company of Welsh Fusiliers, a few search and rescue sea planes, and a gunboat.
Views of St. Helena from 1863 (gives an idea of the terrain)
Map of tomb area
The U-boat has orders to leave the area if it thinks the Kommandos have been captured, that is, if they miss their rendezvous or don't report in some fashion - or if faced with a choice of being destroyed while waiting for the Kommando to return. On the other hand, it will not depart if the Kommandos are paddling out unless facing overwhelming odds. The commander wants to succeed, too!
It is armed with an 88mm deck gun and a 20mm AA gun.
