TT1A

AIRSOFT MEMOIRS
Date : Autumn �93 ?
Location : Raincliffe Woods (400+ Acres)
Event : 4 Day (24 hr event)

DAY 1

Our Team arrived at the site early on the Friday Morning. Myself, McBain, Deno and G-Man, formed T. M. A. (The Mad Assassins). Tagging along to discover the secret of our success (Undefeated) was Paul B (NAPLOEON), normally a respected adversary, along with an F.N.G. aptly called FuNGee. The sky was grey and spots of rain turned the nearby Mere into a bubbling expanse.
Sitting in our vehicles, we went over the rules. No head shots, Gun hits did not count (cricket bat rule,) every player carried 3 lives with him and when shot had the option to retreat before rejoining the game (within 20 seconds) All players had spring guns (non hop) although 1 player on each team had a Marui non hop electric with one standard mag. All of T.M.A.s spring guns were custom powered up LS kit rifle (300FPS+) with very large mags (300 bb�s) The opponents often only had a spring pistol with 11 bb capacity. This gave us the edge to take on far larger numbers of players without running out of rounds very often. (In other words Superior Firepower!)
The other team (Rain Forest Ghosts) were no where in sight. We departed by car to a drop off point about a mile down the valley. We quickly saddled up and patrolled into the woods. This area had recently been managed, with regular fire breaks felled. This had produced large piles of both branches and logs, everywhere. Upon arriving at the location we had decided to camp, we set about creating our base of operations. The clouds parted and blue sky followed. Working as pairs we set about constructing a triangular arbour (3 bunkers in a triangle.) Luckily we had brought a full size Pick and shovel and put them to the test. An hour later, we stood at the bottom of an oblong 5� by 10� and a modest 3� deep. From previous gaming, we knew where a metal Wrigley tin had been abandoned some half a kilometre up hill. McBain and I set off and located it. We had difficulty in moving it along the track. By launching the tin off a 40� cliff, saved lots of time. When we couldn�t drag it any further, we abandoned it and set off for help from the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, R.F.G. had entered the site, with around as many players as us. They had set up a very basic plastic bivy and sent out patrols. One of these patrols over in our area, came across the Wrigley tin abandoned in the track way. Puzzled, they carried on. Yet when they returned to base along the same path, the tin was gone (we had retrieved it.) Somehow, this incident was not reported to the rest of R.F.G. Their first clue as to our whereabouts, had been ignored.

Back at our camp, the three bunkers were complete. Firstly the Wrigley tin had been submerged in the pre dug pit. Sand bags protected, the �business� end while mud steps allowed entrance behind a wicker style wall at the other. The complete tin had been covered with ponchos and local cam added. It now looked every bit like a pile of felled timber. They lay everywhere here, as it had recently had firebreaks added. The other two bunkers were also complete; Paul B. and Fungee had used the hole produced from a large up-rooted tree to site their bivy. G-Man and Deno had also made good use of the spade to cut a shelf from the crest of a ridge, above a stream. With their ponchos added, and cammed up, it simply looked like an extension of the ground. Our flag stood proudly in the centre of the clearing. It did not really compromise us, as it was DPM!
We settled into our new homes and had a meal. The time was around 5pm and the weather was beginning to worsen. With no contact so far and the camp established, the team�s mood was to patrol and find our opponents. We geared up with guns and ammo, cammed up and secured our bunkers.
We slipped out of camp and up a fire break. As usual, it would be silent running from here on. Sound was nearly always how opponents were compromised. Communication was all hand signals. We always worked in single file. Spacing was close as it was a spring gun game with short ranges. Leading the patrol out, I was pointman, with Deno as trusty backup. McBain followed and G-Man was Tail Gunner (F�nar!) with his lecky MP5A4. On this occasion, Paul B. was slotted into the patrols centre. Fungee remained at camp as sentry.
As we reached the middle track, around 200m up hill from our camp, the rain started. We carried on to the Bull field, and laid up on the tree line for 10 minutes. After the failure to spot our adversaries, or the Bull, we fanned out and crossed the field. Reaching a ridge in the centre, the rain worsened, to a down pour. From here we could see the clouds were heavy with rain, all along the valley and towards the sea. Giving the thumbs up, we pressed on towards the wood cutter�s hut. The track was wide and very established, allowing a 4x4 a good speed along it. Cautiously we hugged both sides of the path. By this stage we were all soaked.
We bypassed the hut and clearing. I looked back at my comrades faces, all of them looked determined to carry on. So we did. Nearing the mud slide, I decided to check out a site previously used by our opponents. Stalking through the ferns, we established the area was clear. We agreed, that we should return to base. Circling around the top of the Bull Field, we headed back. As dusk fell and the sky darkened, we emerged from the tree line and sought shelter in our triangular arbour.
That night, a thunder storm rolled over the area. Rain was constant and heavy, flashes of lightning illuminated the trees. Claps of thunder revealed the storm to be directly above us. No Airsofter dare set foot outside his shelter, on both teams. During this torrential squall, Paul and Fungee�s shelter, sagged, causing a pool of water to form. Eventually, the roof collapsed. The occupants bailed out. Fungee come into our shelter, while Paul set up a RAF 1 man tent/bivy, for himself. Deno and Graham, set about modifying their bivy, by propping up the roof with Gee�s MP5! He also set to work with an �entrenching tool,� trying to allow drainage.