Lark Force 1942: A Bolt Action Project
Recommendations: 130
About the Project
In January 1942 the 1500 defenders of Rabaul, New Guinea, faced 5000 experienced Japanese troops of the South Seas Force.. if they don't stop the tidal wave of Imperial Japan, is Australia next? Based on an actual Platoon that fought in the Battle of Rabaul and with notes and details from Bruce Gamble's excellent series of books on the New Guinea Campaign this is a very personal project as one of my relatives was involved. Captured by the Japanese, he was transported to Japan onboard the 'Montevideo Maru' which was tragically torpedoed by the USS Sturgeon with the loss off all prisoners onboard.
Related Game: Bolt Action
Related Company: Warlord Games
Related Genre: Historical
This Project is Active
Archive Research
The Australian Archives are an amazing source of information. ALL Battalion and unit war diaries that survive are available for free as pdf files encompassing every unit that fought in both WW1 and WW2 as well as Korea and Vietnam and back as far as the Boer War! The Documents relating to 2/22nd Battalion that made up the main Infantry component of ‘Lark Force’ also contains page after page of documents regarding enquiries into the actions at Rabaul with eyewitness testimony. From this I spotted a typed statement from a Sergeant of A.Company who was able to name the Officers and Enlisted men of 3 sections of his platoon. By an amazing stroke of luck it happened to feature the only Hanning in the battalion, my own lost relative (on my Mum’s side.. they’re all Aussies)! Not only that but the structure demonstrated how the Bolt Action force building rules would work perfectly to recreate this platoon Man for Man on the tabletop! . .
and so it began
