The Germans refuse to let their last foothold in Britain fall and they now prepare to conduct phase two (utilising their new secret weapon, the monstrous Gigant aircraft!). Let us take a look inside this new supplement before the invasion begins!
Operation Gigant is phase two of the theoretical plan to invade Britain
Glider-borne troops and vehicles are bought in to create a surprise second front in North East England, splitting the British defences still further and driving a steel wedge down through the heart of the British countryside!
The Campaign Gigant book is the companion volume to Operation Sea Lion which opens up the invasion through a second, Northern, front providing the Germans with much needed additional units and more importantly – armour!
Discover new units to defend (or destroy) Britain’s defences, new scenarios on what could have been historical battles, re-construct your whole army with new theatre selectors and more special rules dedicated to the scientific wonders created to invade, and defend, Britain!
Did you know?
The Gigant had a crew of 5 but the campcitiy to hold 130 troops! The wingspan of this glider was 55.2 meters and had a top speed of 177mph!
A look Inside Gigant:
John Lambshead, Author of Operation Sea Lion, delves deeper into the hypothetical with this 64-page full-colour supplement. Inside you’ll find new units such as Sports Teams (including the local Cricket Team, Football Team & Rugby Team) plus new units in the form of the University College Nottingham Officers’ Training Corps with their Cadet Support Section! “Top wicket what!”
Part of the whole emphasis of Gigant is the use of tanks, and not just by the invading Germans don’t you know! New personalities include Legends of Britain: Sir Richard O’Connor
This interesting old fellow was born in India to a father who was an officer in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, O’Connor served in WWI first as a signals officer and then as commander of an infantry battalion. He fought at Arras, Bullecourt, and the River Piave in Italy, being awarded the MC in 1915. He reverted to his rank of captain after the war and attended Camberley Staff College. In the 1920s, he was Brigade Major of the Experimental Mechanised Brigade – testing new doctrines for mechanised warfare under the command of JFC Fuller.
At the outbreak of war, O’Connor commanded the 7th Infantry Division in the Middle East. After the debacle in France, there was a frantic effort in the British Army to find officers with experience of combined arms and mechanised warfare until someone remembered O’Connor and the Experimental Brigade. He was recalled to the UK just in time to take command of the scratch-built mechanised brigade being put together to defend London from the DEK.
O’Connor attracted much criticism because he followed King Æthelstan’s strategy at the Battle of Brunanburh, waiting for the enemy to come to him. Churchill fired off ‘attack at once’ missives which O’Connor ignored while he grouped his ad hoc forces and equipment into functioning units and built up supplies.
O’Connor knew he would only get one shot at stopping Gigant so he intended to give his troops their best chance.
When he was ready, O’Connor gave the order to move out from their assembly point at Potters Bar, and march north – towards Peterborough.
“Righty-ho old chap, time for a spot of T before we look at the enemy what!”
DAK – Deutsches England Korps
Invading via an armada of gliders come 2 Panzer regiments! Panzerregiment 202,
which was equipped with a mix of largely German and Czech equipment, and Panzerregiment 201, with mixed units of Panzerkampfwagen 35-S 739(f), the SOMUA S35, the Panzerkampfwagen 35R 731 (f), and Renaults R35/39/40.
Panzerregiment 201 was also supported by a platoon of Flammpanzer B2(f ), French Char B1s (converted by replacing the 75mm gun with a flamethrower), and a platoon of 4.7 cm PaK(t) auf Panzerkampfwagen 35R(f) ohne Turm (Renault R35 tanks converted into tank destroyers by removing the turret and replacing it with a Škoda A6 47mm anti-tank gun).
Reconnaissance platoons were supplied with the Trippel SG6 Trippelwagen (an amphibious four-wheel drive car and troop transport), and captured Panhard 178 armoured cars, as the Panzerspähwagen P204 (f).
Further new units include:
- Deutsches England Korps Kampfgruppe Motorised
- Reconnaissance Reinforced Platoon
- Deutsches England Korps Kampfgruppe Reinforced Platoon
- IRA Midlands Brigade Mechanised Active Service Unit
- IRA Midlands Brigade
- Mortar Lorry
- Improvised Mortar
- Panzerkampfwagen 35R(f) ohne Turm
- Flugpanzer I
- Trippel SG6 Trippelwagen
The eagle-eyed amoung you will have noticed the mention of a Flugpanzer!
A flying tank, as opposed to a parachute-delivered tank, is of course tactically far more useful in that the crew is delivered with the tank. Therefore it can fly straight into a combat zone and be almost immediately ready to fight! “Devilly fiendish I dare say, what!”
Special Rules
From improvised hand weapons to the trusted Lewis Gun all the weaponry you might expect is within these pages, not to mention some interesting new rules…
Fighting with whatever equipment was available meant that many vehicles were ‘upgraded’ with improvised armour.
In Bolt Action terms this is armour retrofitted to existing civilian vehicles conferring a damage value of 7+ (Armoured car) but with a +1 modifier on a die roll on the damaged results on armoured targets table (e.g. a 3 rolled for superficial damage becomes a 4, meaning knocked out). Open topped vehicles with improvised armour are still classed as open topped unless otherwise specified. “Nothing like a bit of extra steel between you and the enemy eh what!”
New Scenarios
4 new challenging scenarios include:
- The Air Landing Scenario
- Magic Carpet Scenarios
- Battle of Nottingham
- Battle of the Great North Road
“Now off with you and do your duty sir, what!”
Check out more information on the Battle Of Nottingham here:
Campaign: Gigant
Operation Sea Lion has proceeded, both sides have lost a lot and as a result, the remainder of the German forces have been pushed to Kent where they prepare their defences against the inevitable British attack. The German high command refuses to let their blitzkrieg falter at this stage and concoct a brave, audacious and completely unexpected plan…
Operation Sea Lion Phase 2 – Gigant is available to Pre-order today as part of the preparation for the Invasion of Britain this summer!
Dan Hewitson
Tom Mecredy
Craig Nixon