Battle Drill 1944

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Introduction Battle Drill 1944 is a solitaire game. It started life as a printed document back in the 1990s. Some would recognise this as a classic "adventure game". Since then it has been adapted to be an online interactive narrative game. It is coded using <a href="http://twinery.org/">Twine 2.3.5</a> and <a href="https://www.motoslave.net/sugarcube/2/">Sugarcube 2.</a> How to Play Each passage (screen) consists of some text to read, and one or more links to click on. Each link takes you to a new passage. There is no element of chance in the game; the result depends entirely on the decisions you make. The game ends when you reach a paragraph saying This is the end of the game. There are 19 ways of ending the game, most of which involve you being killed. Only one of the 19 endings is a clear victory for you. It is therefore important that you make the right decisions. There is more than one way to reach a victorious ending, but there are many more ways to get it wrong. Of course if you do get it wrong, you can always click "Restart". [[General Situation]] [[I've read enough now, let me start the game please...|para 01]] Credits (c) John D Salt, 1997 (Author) (c) Nick Luft, 2020 (Twine coder)

Battle Drill, 1944 It is late August 1944. Following D-Day (6th June), after a long and bitter fight, Allied forces in North Western Europe have broken out of the Normandy beachhead. A large part of the German army has been trapped in the Falaise pocket, and the Allies are pursuing German forces to the Seine and beyond. You are Thomas Atkins, a Corporal in the British Liberation Army, fighting in North-Western Europe in August 1944. You are a section leader in the 2nd battalion of a famous county regiment, the Barsetshires. The outline organization of the battalion is shown below. <img src="http://impudent.org.uk/games/Battle-Drill-1944/images-bd44/orbat-2-barsetshires.jpg"> There is a support company, with admin, anti-tank, anti-aircraft machine-gun, pioneer, mortar and carrier platoons. At full strength there are four rifle companies, although ‘D’ Company has been broken up and its members distributed among the other rifle companies because of casualties during the stiff fighting in the breakout battle. Each rifle company has three rifle platoons. Your section is part of 13 platoon in C Company. The whole battalion numbers about 600 men. A platoon is about 30 men, led by a subaltern, typically a Second Lieutenant. Your platoon is led by Second Lieutenant Grey, and his platoon sergeant is the formidable Sergeant Baker. The platoon has three rifle sections, of which yours is the first. [[Your Section and its Equipment]] [[Wait, how do you play this game?|Introduction & Credits]] [[I've read enough now, let me start the game please...|para 01]] <img src="http://impudent.org.uk/games/Battle-Drill-1944/images-bd44/infantry-hedgerow.jpg">

Your Section Your section consists of eight men, armed as follows: <img src="http://impudent.org.uk/games/Battle-Drill-1944/images-bd44/bd44-section-equipment.JPG"> Equipment Everybody wears a steel helmet, and carries a cleaning kit for their weapon, a groundsheet, a pair of mess tins, a water bottle, a jack-knife, and a first field dressing. The total firepower of the section is therefore: <img src="http://impudent.org.uk/games/Battle-Drill-1944/images-bd44/bd44-ammo.JPG"> Even in fighting order, your men are carrying quite a lot of heavy equipment, and they have not had much sleep. Even so they carry only a limited supply of ammunition – they could easily blast away the lot in five or six minutes. The Bren is the section’s main source of firepower [[More information on the basic British infantry tactics, known as Battle Drill...|Battle Drill]] [[I've read enough now, let me start the game please...|para 01]] ....... Weapons - links to Wikipedia <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._69_grenade" target="_blank"> No 69 Grenade</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_77_grenade" target="_blank"> No.77 Grenade</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bren_light_machine_gun" target="_blank"> Bren, Light Machine Gun</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee%E2%80%93Enfield" target="_blank"> Rifle, Lee Enfield</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sten" target="_blank">Sten, Submachine Gun</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_bayonet" target="_blank">"Pig-Sticker" (Spike) Bayonet</a>

You have reached the end of the game. If you wish to play again you reset the game and start afresh. Hopefully you might have learnt a lesson or two and will do better in your subsequent attempts. If you have won, congratulations. [[Play again|para 01]] <<set $a to 0>> <<set $b to 0>> <<set $g to 0>> <<set $j to 0>> <<set $m to 0>> <<set $r to 0>> <<set $t to 0>> <<set $x to 0>> <<set $casualties to 0>> <<set $casualtiesAtkins to 0>> <<set $casualtiesMurray to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHill to 0>> <<set $casualtiesMcgonigal to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHarris to 0>> <<set $casualtiesBudd to 0>> <<set $casualtiesBraithwaite to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHobbs to 0>>

Battle Drill As a result of long and hard experience fighting first-class opponents, the British Army developed a simple and effective system of infantry minor tactics known as “battle drill”. The following are the drills for a section attack: <img src="http://impudent.org.uk/games/Battle-Drill-1944/images-bd44/bd44-battle-drill.JPG"> A section should be able to deal with light resistance, say from a handful of riflemen, on its own. If heavier resistance is encountered, then an attack should be made by the whole platoon. A fundamental principle of battle drill is the idea of “fire and movement”. Once contact has been made with the enemy, the general rule is “no movement without fire, no fire without movement”. Modern weapons make it extremely dangerous to attempt movement without covering fire to neutralize the enemy’s fire. On the other hand, sitting in one place and shooting for too long risks both running out of ammunition and losing the momentum of the attack. Once the fight starts, the problem you will face is how to get your men on to the objective without too many casualties, without wasting too much time, and without exhausting either the men or their ammunition. Decide carefully. [[I've read enough now, let me start the game please...|para 01]]

You and your section consume a breakfast of strong, sweet tea and tinned sausages and beans with biscuits from your “compo” ration packs. This takes half an hour, so you still have half an hour before the ‘O’ group. How do you choose to spend this time? [[Order the section to clean and test-fire their weapons|para 10]] [[Tell the section to have a rest and a smoke|para 28]]

The section spends twenty minutes diligently stripping, cleaning, test-firing and oiling their weapons, and checking their ammunition. There is then five minutes for a quick cigarette and at 06:55 you round them up and head off for the ‘O’ group. <<set $x to $x +1>> [[‘O’ group|para 12]]

The section sits back happily, smoking, reading old letters from home, or dozing quietly. At 06:55 you round them up and head off for the ‘O’ group. <<set $j to 1>> [[‘O’ group|para 12]]

As you charge forward, an enemy rifle bullet hits you in the face, blowing the back of your head off and killing you instantly. You will never know whether your section followed you or not. You have lost. This is the end of the game [[Restart]]

Your men “pepper-pot” forward, a couple of men at a time bounding quickly forward while the rest of the section continue to shoot and observe. Shots are still coming back the other way. [[You spot the flash of a rifle...|para 31]] <<set $x to $x +1>>

You spot the flash of a rifle and a fleeting glimpse of a grey-helmeted head in a patch of ferns 150 yards to your front. With your binoculars you can see disturbed soil that looks like a newly-dug shell-scrape, and you are confident that you have found the enemy. You yell out “STOP!” to bring the section’s fire back under control. [[You have identified...|para 37]]

The section arrives at the ‘O’ Group, and 2nd Lieutenant Grey gives his orders. You are advancing to contact. 2/Lt Grey stresses the need to keep up the pace, as the enemy is disorganized and only isolated pockets of resistance to be expected. The platoon will advance one up and two back, with Corporal Atkins’ section leading [[Advancing, on point|para 18]]

Your section has advanced about five hundred yards, and crossed a couple of fences and hedges, with no sign of the enemy. The rest of the platoon is keeping up with you as it should, and from time to time you hear Sergeant Baker’s parade-ground voice offering words of encouragement or admonition to members of the platoon. [[Suddenly, there are...|para 55]]

Suddenly, there are three explosions in rapid succession close together on the side of the hill to your left, about four hundred yards away. “Mortars!” shouts Private Braithwaite. Indeed, you recognize the characteristic sight and sound of medium mortar bombs. But four hundred yards is a long way. What action do you take? [[Continue forward at the double|para 09]] [[Halt and take cover|para 17]] [[Pay no regard and carry on at the walk|para 24]]

At your shouted command, the section changes to double time. A few more mortar bombs fall a safe distance away. Once they have stopped, you order the section to slow back down to the walk, which they are happy to do after their exertions. <<set $x to $x +1>> [[The section continues to walk forward...|para 51]]

At your shouted command, the section takes cover. <<set $t to $t +1>> [[You are pleased to see...|para 67]]

The section continues to advance at a steady walk, and a few more mortar bombs fall harmlessly. “It’s mostly noise”, says Lance-Corporal Murray. [[The section continues to walk forward...|para 51]]

You lead the rush through the enemy position at the head of your men. <><<if $t gte 2>> [[You lead your men into the assault...|para 50]] <<else>> [[Your assault has been a complete success...|para 69]] <</if>> <>

Your men are still relaxing when an enemy counter-attack suddenly develops. A long burst from an enemy automatic weapon sweeps over your section, a smoke grenade bursts just in front of your position, and in less time that it takes to tell, dark grey helmeted figures can be seen running out of the smoke at you <> <<if $j eq 1>> [[After firing a couple of bursts...|para 96]] <<else>> [[You are briefly...|para 97]] <</if>> <>

After firing a couple of bursts, the Bren jams. Then you are briefly concussed by a German grenade landing close by, although your helmet protects your head from the fragments. When you come to, you discover a smiling German standing over you, who says “For you, Tommy, the war is over”. Taken by surprise, and shocked by the jamming of the Bren at the crucial moment, your men have surrendered. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You are briefly concussed by a German grenade landing close by, although your helmet protects your head from the fragments. When you come to, you discover that your section, taken by surprise, only just managed to fight off the unexpected counter-attack. Harris and McGonigal have both been injured by grenade splinters. <> <<set $casualtiesHarris to 1>> <<set $casualtiesMcgonigal to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +2>> <<if $m eq 1>> [[You hear a...|para 100]] <<else>> [[You hear a...|para 06]] <</if>> <>

<<set $a to 0>> <<set $b to 0>> <<set $g to 0>> <<set $j to 0>> <<set $m to 0>> <<set $r to 0>> <<set $t to 0>> <<set $x to 0>> <<set $casualties to 0>> <<set $casualtiesAtkins to 0>> <<set $casualtiesMurray to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHill to 0>> <<set $casualtiesMcgonigal to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHarris to 0>> <<set $casualtiesBudd to 0>> <<set $casualtiesBraithwaite to 0>> <<set $casualtiesHobbs to 0>> /* $a is ammo - your ammo before you fire it away (1 - 3) Sb is bayonet - fixing bayonets before close combat Sg is grenade - enemy egg grenade booby trap Sj is jamming - the Bren, not cleaned and tested before Sm is mortar - German mortars will fire on you Sr is radio - collected from German position St is target - your whereabouts is targeted by the Germans (1 - 3) Sx is exhaustion or fatigue (1 - 5) $casualties is how many casualties your section suffers (c) Nick Luft, 2020 */

You hear a “shuff-shuff-shuff” noise, and then a series of loud bangs as mortar bombs begin to fall on the old enemy position a hundred yards behind you. You put your head down, and as the odd stray fragment zips overhead you mentally congratulate yourself on reorganizing a hundred yards past the enemy position. After a couple of minutes, the fire stops. You call out “Anybody hurt?”, and the replies show that nobody is. <><<if $r eq 1>> [[Sergeant Baker...|para 70]] <<else>> <<if $g gte 1>> [[Now you remember the “egg” grenade...|para 102]] <<else>> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Your section has become ineffective through casualties...|para 65]] <<else>> [[You have...|para 103]] <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> <>

The grenades explode on the enemy position, and you lead the section as it starts to fight through the enemy position. There is a lot of shooting and yelling, and all of it seems to be coming from your men. <> <<if $t gte 2>> [[The assault...|para 50]] <<else>> [[Your assault has been a complete success...|para 69]] <</if>> <>

Your section runs back to the hedge pell-mell, bullets cracking about them. You hear shouting and a scream. As you pile into the ditch you see that Private Hill has been hit and is lying in the open field. The shooting stops. [[You can hear Sergeant Baker shouting...|para 29]] <<set $x to $x+1>> <<set $t to $t +1>> <<set $casualtiesHill to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>>

You can hear Sergeant Baker shouting. You cannot make out his words above the sound of firing, but he does not sound happy. You need to get your section forward, and you also need to win the firefight with the enemy, but your section’s Bren gun is now lying out in the open where Hill has fallen. What next? [[Order Harris to throw smoke grenades, and then have McGonigal and Budd recover Hill while you pick up the Bren...|para 34]] [[Crawl out on your own to recover the Bren gun...|para 42]] [[Order the section to charge forward, disregarding the enemy fire...|para 47]]

The section continues to walk forward. Nothing happens for another ten or fifteen minutes. Your section is crossing an open field and is about 75 yards into the field. The far end of the field is about 200 yards ahead of you. [[You then hear...|para 26]]

Sergeant Baker is not pleased that you let the enemy escape, but it could have been worse. He expects you to do better next time. You have not won, but you have not lost either. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You look about the captured German position. All about a shallow shell-scrape the ground is littered with empty cartridge cases and other abandoned débris. You see chocolate wrappers with German writing on them, a broken lightweight entrenching tool, a blood- spattered handkerchief, a radio set, and an unused “egg” grenade. [[Don’t touch anything|para 83]] <<link [[Pick up the radio|para 83]]>><<set $r to 1>><</link>> <<link [[Pick up the grenade|para 83]]>> <<set $g to 1>> <</link>> <<link [[Pick up the radio and the grenade|para 83]]>><<set $r to 1>><<set $g to 1>> <</link>>

Your men are now practically out of ammunition, so, without orders from you, they charge into the assault. You quickly decide to follow. <> <<if $t gte 2>> [[You lead your men into the assault...|para 50]] <<else>> [[Your assault has been a complete success...|para 69]] <</if>> <>

You are pleased to see that your section has taken cover very professionally, and are now observing from well-chosen fire positions. Sergeant Baker seems less pleased, and you can hear his parade-ground voice: “What are you playing at, Corporal Atkins? That fire is miles away. Stop faffing around and get your section forward. I’ve never seen anything like it!” Sheepishly you order your section back to their feet. Now do you: [[Order your section to double to make up lost time...|para 19]] [[Resume movement at normal pace...|para 32]]

The section doubles smartly forward. No more mortar bombs fall, so you order the section to slacken their pace to a walk. The rest of the platoon has followed you, but Sergeant Baker shouts to you “Nervous, Atkins, or did you just fancy the exercise?” You think you might have heard a remark about “being mucked about” from one of your section, but cannot be sure which of the men it came from. <<set $x to $x +1>> [[The section continues to walk forward...|para 51]]

Sergeant Baker orders your section to take a few minutes’ rest while the platoon advances past you and another section takes over the lead. Lieutenant Grey is especially interested in the radio you have captured; he believes that you have destroyed a German mortar fire control position, and if the frequency settings on the radio have not been changed, this may give valuable intelligence to our own counter-mortar organization. He complements you on being observant enough to pick up the radio, and congratulates you warmly on a job well done. <> <<if $g gte 1>> [[Now you remember the “egg” grenade...|para 102]] <<else>> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Your section has become ineffective through casualties...|para 65]] <<else>> [[You have...|para 103]] <</if>> <</if>> <>

As you return from the search of the German casualties, a few rounds fly over the section’s position, and someone yells out that he can see enemy infantry starting a counter-attack. The Bren starts firing rapid bursts. <> <<if $j gte 1>> [[After firing...|para 90]] <<else>> [[A line of...|para 94]] <</if>> <>

The silence is broken by the roar of Sergeant Baker demanding to know why you have let the enemy get away; and from the lack of any enemy activity it seems that they have, indeed, made off. Sergeant Baker orders another section to take over the lead, organizes a redistribution of ammunition within the platoon, and makes it very clear to you that you are not his favourite section commander. You are still alive, but you have definitely not won this time. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

What do you do now? [[Order your section into all-round defence, assign arcs of fire, redistribute ammunition, and then detail two men to search the enemy casualties...|para 76]] [[Tell the men to relax and have a rest, they've earned it...|para 75]]

You take Budd and Braithwaite to search the enemy casualties. <> <<if $b eq 1>> [[As Budd checks...|para 81]] <<else>> [[As Budd checks...|para 45]] <</if>> <>

Everyone in the section relaxes, glad of the opportunity for a short rest after their exertions. [[Your men are still...|para 11]]

You then hear three loud CRACK sounds in rapid succession, and see a bullet kick up a spatter of dirt between you and the man next to you. You see the faces of all the men in your section turn to look at you, and you hear a fourth CRACK, louder than the others, as a bullet passes next to your ear. The bullets are coming from somewhere in front of you. What do you do now? [[Yell “Follow me, charge!”, and charge forward...|para 02]] [[Shout “Take Cover!”, drop to the ground, and take up a fire position...|para 53]] [[Dash back to cover in the hedge at the edge of the field...|para 08]]

The section gets up again and resumes their advance at the walk. <<set $t to $t +1>> [[The section continues to walk forward...|para 51]]

Following their battle drill, the rest of the section, on hearing the command “take cover”, also dash to the nearest piece of cover and begin returning fire. Several enemy rifle bullets crack past, but it is not clear where the enemy is shooting from. The steady three-round bursts from Hill’s Bren gun sound very encouraging, and the rest of the section continues rapid fire at likely enemy positions. [[You call out...|para 33]] <<set $a to $a +1>>

Harris throws two smoke grenades just past where Hill is lying. Budd and McGonigal dash out and drag Hill’s body back into cover, and you dash out and pick up the Bren gun. McGonigal takes over the Bren with Budd as number two, and you see that Hill is dead. [[You call out...|para 33]] <<set $t to $t +1>>

You crawl out of the ditch towards Hill and the Bren gun. Hill seems to be dead. An enemy rifleman starts shooting at you. A bullet strikes you in the chest, and then a second knocks your helmet off your head, tearing a gash in your temple. As you drift into unconsciousness, you roll on to your back and stare up at the clear blue sky. [[You return to...|para 52]]

You leap to your feet and charge forward, the section following. Nothing has been done to neutralize the enemy fire, so before you have gone many yards Harris and Braithwaite are both hit. [[Seeing Harris and Braithwaite...|para 58]] <<set $casualtiesBraithwaite to 1>> <<set $casualtiesHarris to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +2>>

You have identified the enemy’s position. What do you do now? [[Order the section to put overwhelming rapid fire on the enemy position...|para 56]] [[Order the section to “pepper-pot” forward...|para 44]] [[Lead the section in an all-out charge...|para 62]]

You call out “Where are the enemy?” to your section, but nobody can locate them any better than you can. You get out your binoculars, and survey the terrain for likely firing positions. Now choose [[Yell “Follow me, charge!”, and charge forward...|para 38]] [[Start the section “pepper-potting” forward, moving pairs of men cautiously in short dashes to draw enemy fire while the rest of the section watch and shoot...|para 03]] <<link[[Order the section to keep shooting...|para 35]]>><<set $a to $a +1>><</link>> [[Order the section to cease fire, take cover, and wait until the fire stops...|para 57]]

Eventually, the enemy fire slackens and halts. Fortunately, none of your men have been hit. Silence descends on the battlefield. [[The silence is broken...|para 22]]

Your men continue to shoot, but it is obvious that you do not have sufficient ammunition left to carry this on for many more minutes. What next? <> <<if $a gte 3>> [[Order the section to keep shooting...|para 95]] <<else>> [[Order the section to keep shooting...|para 43]] <</if>> <> [[Order the section to “pepper-pot” forward...|para 03]] [[Charge forward...|para 46]]

<<if $a gte 3>> <<goto [[para 95]]>> <<else>> <<set $a to $a +1>> <<goto [[para 35]]>> <</if>>

The section bounds forward. As it does so, a German half-rises from the ferns to your front and fires a long burst from a sub-machine gun in your direction. An unlucky bullet hits Hobbs in the arm, and down he goes. Hobbs says he is capable of making his own way back to the casualty clearing station, and now you have pin-pointed the enemy position. [[You have identified...|para 37]] <<set $casualtiesHobbs to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>> <<set $x to $x +1>>

Your section has become ineffective, and the loss of your men is not justified by the results you have achieved. You have survived, but you have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Rapid fire from the section’s rifles and bursts from the Bren kick up spurts of earth around the enemy position, and the enemy fire quickly ceases completely. [[The enemy position...|para 40]]

The section pepper-pots forward into the enemy fire, and an unlucky shot hits Lance- Corporal Murray in the left leg. [[Murray...|para 49]] <<set $x to $x +1>> <<set $casualtiesMurray to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>>

You charge forward at the head of your men, yelling. A bullet coming the other way hits you in the face and cuts the yell off with a gurgle. You are dead. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You lead the assault group in a long flanking move. The assault group makes good time, with no enemy interference, and soon you approach the enemy position from its rear flank. <<set $x to $x +1>> [[You are close...|para 59]]

You are close enough to the enemy position to launch the final assault. What do you do? [[Order the section to charge with fixed bayonets...|para 64]] [[Order the section to throw grenades and charge...|para 07]] [[Order the section to throw grenades and charge with fixed bayonets...|para 74]] <<link[[Shoot up the position from close range to be on the safe side...|para 66]]>><<set $a to $a +1>><</link>>

The enemy position is now neutralized, and no enemy fire is coming at you. What now? [[Order the Bren group to give covering fire while you lead the rest of the section in a wide flanking move to assault the position...|para 39]] [[Order the Bren group to give narrow-angle covering fire while you skirmish directly forward towards the enemy position with the rest of the section...|para 63]] [[Continue shooting at the objective, to be on the safe side...|para 77]]

You lead the assault section skirmishing frontally against the enemy position. [[Before you have...|para 61]] <<set $x to $x +1>>

The section continues shooting. <<set $a to $a +1>> <> <<if $a gte 3>> [[The fire from...|para 95]] <<else>> [[The enemy position...|para 40]] <</if>> <>

You run after the surviving members of your section, shouting at them to stop, but they take no notice of you, nor of Sergeant Baker, until he halts them with a warning burst from his Sten gun. He then orders one of the other section commanders to make a plan to recover the casualties you have left lying in the field. Lieutenant Grey looks at you and says that you will certainly lose your stripes for this, and can consider yourself a private soldier from now on. Now you will be working as runner and odd-job man in platoon headquarters, and you can be sure that you will get every dirty or dangerous job that comes up. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You return to consciousness in a field hospital, swathed in bandages. A medical orderly informs you that you have two broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a depressed fracture of the skull caused by gunshot wounds. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Murray applies a field-dressing to his wound, and shouts to you that he will be OK to stay there until stretcher-bearers can come up. While this is going on, the section has stopped moving forward, and put down a very heavy weight of fire on the enemy position which seems to have stopped all return fire. [[The enemy position...|para 40]] <<set $x to $x +1>>

As Budd checks one of the casualties, the “dead” German springs up from the ground wielding a vicious-looking fighting knife, and begins to grapple with him. Neither you nor Braithwaite can shoot, for fear of hitting Budd. Budd suffers a nasty cut to his right hand before Braithwaite knocks the German hard over the head with his rifle-butt. “Maybe fixed bayonets would have been a good idea”, he says. [[All about...|para 21]] <<set $casualtiesBudd to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>>

Seeing Harris and Braithwaite hit in quick succession, the rest of the section turn around and run away as fast as their feet will carry them. Do you [[Continue the assault single-handed, firing your Sten from your hip...|para 108]] [[Throw your smoke grenade and then join the rush to the rear...|para 41]]

The assault succeeds, but is anti-climactic, as there are no Germans left on the position when you arrive there. All the screaming, and yelling seem rather unnecessary. Now do you: [[Reorganize on the vacated enemy position...|para 107]] [[Move on 100 yards or so and reorganize there...|para 80]]

You hear a “shuff-shuff-shuff” noise, and then a series of loud bangs as mortar bombs begin to fall on your position. As everybody hugs the ground, high-speed metal fragments crack and whizz alarmingly about the place. You feel a stinging sensation in your left forearm. After a couple of minutes, the fire stops. You call out “anybody hurt?”, and discover that McGonigal has been hit. You also notice a stinging sensation in the back of your left hand, which is bleeding, but you decide to ignore it. After a few minutes, Sergeant Baker arrives at your location. <> <<set $casualtiesMcgonigal to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Sergeant Baker is...|para 60]] <<else>> [[Sergeant Baker is...|para 14]] <</if>> <>

You hear a “shuff-shuff-shuff” noise, and then a series of loud bangs as mortar bombs begin to fall on the old enemy position a hundred yards behind you. You put your head down, and as the odd stray fragment zips overhead you mentally congratulate yourself on reorganizing a hundred yards past the enemy position. After a couple of minutes, the fire stops. You call out “Anybody hurt?”, and the replies show that nobody is. A few minutes later, Sergeant Baker comes up. <> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Sergeant Baker is...|para 60]] <<else>> [[Sergeant Baker is...|para 14]] <</if>> <>

After you have gone a few more steps, a bullet hits you in the middle of the chest. You are dead. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You shout “Fix bayonets!” and the riflemen fix their “pig-stickers” on to their rifles. <<set $b to 1>> [[You lead the rush...|para 04]]

You shout “Fix bayonets!” and the riflemen fix their “pig-stickers” on to their rifles. <<set $b to 1>> The men then throw their grenades. [[The grenades explode...|para 07]]

Sergeant Baker is not happy that you have not only let the enemy escape, but have also rendered your section ineffective through casualties in the process. He makes his displeasure very evident to you, in colourful military language. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Before you have reached the position for your final assault, it becomes obvious that the Bren is now at too fine an angle to be able to continue to provide covering fire safely. Do you: [[Bash on regardless – if you move fast you can cover the last hundred yards without covering fire...|para 104]] <<link[[Halt the assault section and use it to provide covering fire for the Bren group to move out to a flank...|para 105]]>> <<set $t to $t +1>> <</link>>

As you lead the dash over the last few yards to the enemy position, a grenade comes sailing out of the enemy position and bursts at your feet. Your last impression before you lapse into unconsciousness is of your men falling around you. You are dead. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Your section has become ineffective through casualties. Although you have achieved the task given you, the loss of your men is not justified by the results achieved. You have survived, but you have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Your assault has been a complete success, with no friendly casualties, and three German casualties now lying where they fell. What next? <<link[[Order your men to reorganize on the position...|para 72]]>> <<set $m to 1>> <</link>> <<link[[Order your men to carry on 100 yards past the position and reorganize there...|para 72]]>> <<set $x to $x +1>> <</link>>

Seeing that your assault has succeeded, The Bren group under Lance-Corporal Murray runs in and joins you without waiting for orders. In response to your call, the men on the position each report “Fit and ready to go on”, and state the amount of ammunition they have remaining. <> <<if $a gte 3>> [[Your section has...|para 87]] <<else>> <<if $x gte 5>> [[You have...|para 85]] <<else>> [[What do you...|para 25]] <</if>> <</if>> <>

<<if $a gte 3>> <<goto [[para 87]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 73]]>> <</if>>

As Budd checks one of the casualties, the “dead” German springs up from the ground wielding a vicious-looking fighting knife, and tries to grapple with him. As Budd and Braithwaite both have their bayonets fixed, this does not go well for the German, who is quickly subdued, bleeding from three or four nasty-looking puncture wounds. [[All about...|para 21]]

<<if $a gte 3>> <<goto [[para 95]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 40]]>> <</if>>

The assault group has now worked its way up to right in front of the enemy position. You are close enough to launch the final assault. What do you do? [[Order the section to charge with fixed bayonets...|para 74]] [[Order the section to throw grenades and charge...|para 07]] [[Order the section to throw grenades and charge with fixed bayonets...|para 64]] <<link[[Shoot up the position from close range to be on the safe side...|para 66]]>><<set $a to $a +1>><</link>>

<<if $j gte 1>> <<goto [[para 90]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 94]]>> <</if>>

You unscrew the cap of the grenade to arm it for throwing. Unfortunately, it is booby-trapped with a zero-second fuze, and it explodes, killing you instantly. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You have successfully taken the objective, but your men are absolutely exhausted by their exertions. They flop down where they are, and no attempts of yours look likely to rouse them until they have had a short breather. [[Your men are still...|para 11]]

Your section has practically no ammunition left, and would not be able to resist an enemy counter-attack. You therefore reluctantly order them to fall back, risking Sergeant Baker’s wrath. As you expect, the Sergeant is not happy that you have abandoned the position, but manages to get another section on to it before a half-hearted enemy counter-attack develops and is beaten back. In future, he advises you, don’t be so trigger-happy, and conserve ammunition better. <> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Your section has...|para 36]] <<else>> [[You have...|para 98]] <</if>> <>

<<if $casualties gte 3>> <<goto [[para 36]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 98]]>> <</if>>

After firing three or four bursts, the Bren jams. The Germans seem to have a number of automatic weapons, and are out-shooting you badly. Without the psychological support of the Bren, your men put their heads down in cover and stay there. What do you do? [[Hold on where you are...|para 92]] [[Retreat under cover of a smoke grenade before you are overrun...|para 93]]

As the Germans get closer, their fire becomes more accurate, and nobody dares to put their head up into the continuous stream of bullets. You are briefly concussed by a German grenade landing close by, although your helmet protects your head from the fragments. When you come to, you discover a smiling German standing over you, who says “For you, Tommy, the war is over”. Shocked by the failure of the Bren at the crucial moment, and unable to make effective reply to superior German automatic firepower, your men have been overrun, and have surrendered. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

Risking Sergeant Baker’s wrath, you order the section to fall back under cover of smoke. As you expect, the Sergeant is not happy that you have abandoned the position to the German counter-attack. He asks whether you ordered the Bren to be cleaned and test-fired at the start of the morning, and you sheepishly admit that you failed to do so. You have lost. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

A line of enemy infantry rise from a hedge-line about a hundred and fifty yards away, and bursts from your Bren gun immediately knock two of them down. The Germans try to bring a machine-gun of their own into action, but more accurate Bren bursts soon put a stop to that. Before long, the German counter-attack fades away, leaving you in undisputed possession of the battlefield. <> <<if $m eq 1>> [[You hear a...|para 100]] <<else>> [[You hear a...|para 06]] <</if>> <>

The fire from your section slackens as the men conserve their last rounds of ammunition. The fire from the enemy has also slackened, as they too have been firing for quite a while. Eventually, silence settles over the battlefield. [[The silence is broken...|para 22]]

You have won, but only just. Sergeant Baker will expect you to do better next time, and have some ammunition left when you arrive on the objective. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

You discover that McGonigal has been badly injured by mortar fragments. You also notice a painful stinging in the back of your left hand, which is bleeding, but you choose to ignore it. <> <<set $casualtiesMcgonigal to 1>> <<set $casualties to $casualties +1>> <<if $r eq 1>> [[Sergeant Baker...|para 70]] <<else>> <<if $g gte 1>> [[Now you remember the “egg” grenade...|para 102]] <<else>> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Your section has become ineffective through casualties...|para 65]] <<else>> [[You have...|para 103]] <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> <>

Now you remember the “egg” grenade you picked up from the German position. It occurs to you that it would be interesting to see how it compares with British grenades. Do you: [[Arm it and throw it as far as you can in a safe direction...|para 84]] <> <<if $casualties gte 3>> [[Keep it to hand over to the unit Intelligence Officer...|para 65]] <<else>> [[Keep it to hand over to the unit Intelligence Officer...|para 103]] <</if>> <>

<<if $casualties gte 3>> <<goto [[para 65]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 103]]>> <</if>>

You have successfully accomplished your mission. You have won. This is the end of the game. [[Restart]]

The Bren group moves smartly off to the flank, while the assault section fires rapidly on to the objective. Before long, the Bren is back in action, and the assault group moves forward again. [[The assault group...|para 79]]

<<if $a gte 3>> <<goto [[para 15]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 59]]>> <</if>>

<<if $x gte 5>> <<goto [[para 85]]>> <<else>> <<goto [[para 25]]>> <</if>>

How to play Battle Drill, 1944, is solitaire game, using an adventure game or branching narrative format. Each passage consists of some text to read, and one or more links to click on. Each link takes you to a new passage. There is no element of chance in the game; the result depends entirely on the decisions you make.