Airsoft Action 05 - Jan 2012 | Page 69

SITE REVIEW dam. They have added to the already amazing natural features with six fixed bases that stretch the length of the site. On the day of my visit there was a large turnout and with the numbers of cars parked in the lane it soon became apparent that a bit more grub was going to be needed. Just outside the main Safe Zone was a small woodland copse where you can informally zero, as well as complete the mandatory check with the site’s chrono if it is your (or your weapons’) first time at the site. The safety briefing was comprehensive – if all players know the ground rules the games flow more easily. Gathered around the top of the lane the marshals outlined the rules, with special emphasis on the site’s cardinal rule: no cheat calling. Fair play is FAO’s main objective and the reason around eight marshals would be both high-viz and embedded in the game. The first game was a straightforward attack and defend scenario designed to warm up limbs and brains. Two hostages were held – the defence had to hold onto them and the attack had to secure their release. The winter sunlight was streaming through the evergreen canopy and carpeting the pine needle floor with dappled areas of light and shade. Stealthy movement was pretty difficult against such a background so an assault using skirmishing techniques of fire and manoeuvre proved the best plan, as the attacking forces managed to rescue both hostages. With hop-ups now nicely warmed up the next game was outlined as a race against time. Defending forces knew the location of a small nuclear device they had to protect down to zero hour. Attackers had to locate it, get their designated engineer in to retrieve it and then fall back to their fire base to defuse the device. I was positioned at Hamburger Hill, a large bunker emplacement on the highest point of the woodland, with an arc of vision of all areas of attack. This scenario was a classic case of defending forces needing to be correctly deployed to make it very difficult for the attackers. An entrenched Blue sniper team covered the only crossing of a very boggy river with a good view of any approach. With a trio of G36-wielding high-cap comrades they could easily secure this flank while the bulk of their teammates held the bunker with the bomb. Things went according to plan for the first 20 minutes or so; the attackers’ initial probing of the line for weaknesses was robustly defended. Yet I kept seeing these two figures moving along the dam wall. I recognised them as the two WW2 German players: one with an STG44 and the other a K98. They kept annoying the defenders, who didn’t notice that a squad of Reds had crossed the river and moved diagonally up towards the trench complex. Soon the sound of BBs ricocheting off timber filled the air on top of Hamburger as the entrenched Blues realised their predicament. With the defenders having to expose their flank to try and repel the new attack the German duo was able to pick off the remaining Blues with ease. The line was broken and soon the Red team was streaming towards the bomb while the Blues had to trek back www.airsoftactionmagazine.com 069