Five Paras in Normandy - Campaign and Characters

These are the Characters I am using in my Five Paras in Normandy campaign. The Campaign started using the Five Men in Normandy rules, but after the first two engagements, I switched to using Five Men at Kursk. 

Also included is a list of links to all the actions in the campaign.

The campaign focuses on a fictional D Company of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. It started with an ad hoc section led by LCpl Ching - gathered from lost soldiers from different units within the battalion, brigade, and division, that were scattered all over in the early morning hours of D-Day, 1 June 1944. 

The Section immediately after D-Day - 1st Section, No. 13 Platoon, D Company, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, 3rd Parachute Brigade, British 6th Airborne Division.

Campaign Battle Reports

Lance Corporal Ching's Force

Landed and Lost - Tuesday, 6 June 1944, 2:56am - Somewhere in Normandy

Holding at Varaville - Tuesday, 6 June 1944, 8:07 am - Near the bridge on the Divette

Corporal MacDonald's Section

Five Men in Normandy - Monday, 10 June 1944 - Bois de Bavant 

Current Characters 

Corporal "Professor" MacDonald

Johnathan MacDonald was working on a Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Toronto and one night just after the outbreak of war he had been heavily drinking and decided he needed real world experience and to know the brotherhood of real men and could not think of a better place to do that than at war... in the morning, before entirely sobering up, presented himself at a recruiting office and signed up. Has refused a commission and promotion beyond squad commander a number of times... 

Background: Academic

Motivation: Brotherhood

Lance Corporal Sutherland

Before the war, Thomas Sutherland worked in a paper mill in Montreal. 

He genuinely hopes to work his way up through the ranks and perhaps become an officer, leading a platoon or company! 

Background: Working Class

Motivation: Ambition 

Private Morin

Background: Farmer

Motivation: Brotherhood

Private Gagnon

Background: Straight out of School

Motivation: Faith 

Private Wright

Background: Working Class 

Motivation: Survival

Private Harris

Background: Working Class 

Motivation: Pariotism 

Private Doucet

Background: Criminal 

Motivation: Ambition 

Private Hughes

Private Hughes joined LCpl Ching's ad-hoc unit on 6 June 1944 after being separated from his own unit - a different company in the battalion. 

After the bridge was blown at Varaville, the Canadians retreated to the crossroads at Le Mesnil and Hughes was returned to his unit under....? 

Background: Straight out of School - had just started at university, was doing poorly in his first year. Dropped out mid term and joined the army to avoid the shame of failing out of courses. 

Motivation: Initially Adventure! (and escape!) has very quickly become SURVIVAL!  

Previous Characters

(no longer active in the campaign) 

Lance Corporal Irving Ching 

Lance Corporal Ching gets very tired of explaining that No, he's NOT a "Chinaman", his family is Welsh/Cornish... 

Iving Ching is a farmer from southern Manitoba. He left behind a small family when he joined up and longs to return to them. His father and uncles and brothers and cousins all live in the area and agreed to take care of the farm in his absence, though none could understand why he'd want to go (except for a cousin, who also enlisted, joining the 18th Armoured Car Regiment (12th Manitoba Dragoons). 

Irving was also an amateur pugilist, often travelling to Winnipeg to compete. This is due in no small part from all the fights he got into in his youth due to being teased relentlessly about his name. 

Skills: Brawler

Background: Farmer

Motivation: Family

KILLED IN ACTION ON D-DAY

Private Jean Richard Messier

Pte. Messier Joined up straight away in 1939 to escape the drudgery of factory work in Windsor. Despite being pushed to join Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, because of his experience with cars, he chose the infantry. When an opportunity arose to join a Parachute unit, he leapt at that too! He was determined to kill Germans, win glory and come home with a chest full of medals - and what better way to do that than be the first into the fight!?

Skills: Alert

Background: Working Class - Automobile factory worker from Windsor Ontario. 

Motivation: Glory

KILLED IN ACTION ON D-DAY

Private Reddy

Private Reddy joined Ching's ad-hoc unit on 6 June 1944 after being separated from his own platoon within the same company.

INJURED AND CAPTURED ON D-DAY (Died in a P.O.W. camp)

Private Constable

Private Constable joined Ching's ad-hoc unit on 6 June 1944 after being separated from his own unit (British 8th Parachute Battalion)

INJURED AND CAPTURED ON D-DAY (Survived the war in P.O.W. camp, but serious permanent injury left him crippled for life )

Sapper Danforth

Sapper Danforth joined Ching's ad-hoc unit on 6 June 1944 after being separated from his own unit (British Royal Engineers Para Squadron)

Rejoined the Royal Engineers after Ching's unit arrived at Varaville. 

Survived the war. 

>>>><<<<<

Private Wilson

Whoops... too many... guess this guy is just waiting in the wings to show up as a replacement someday...