Fourteen Men in the Solomons Campaign and Characters

These are the characters Orion is using in our Fourteen Men in the Solomons Campaign - Initially using the Five Men at Kursk rules. 

I've called it the Fourteen Men in the Solomons Campaign as we initially generated the force using rules presented in Five Men in Normandy and ended up with a FOURTEEN man unit!? It seemed odd to call it a Five Men in Normandy or Five Men at Kursk campaign when there were definitely not Five men and it took place nowhere near Normandy or Kursk. 

The campaign follows the exploits of First Platoon, Company J, 25th Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division during their campaign in the Solomon Islands, starting at New Galloway. 

(The 93rd Infantry Division was a real division - one of two "colored" segregated units of the United States Army in World War Two. The historical Division did not see a lot of action and were mostly used for labour and construction and defending static bases... Ours, we are pretending, arrived in theatre a bit earlier and was utilized as a regular combat division taking regular offensive action against the enemy! New Galloway is also a fictional island in the Solomons) 

The First Platoon is seriously understrength due to attrition before they even saw combat - the two main factors were illness and a Japanese air attack on their camp shortly after arriving on New Galloway. Unlike all the other regular divisions serving in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, there is not much of a replacement pool available... 

Actions

Below is a list of links to actions the platoon took part in the campaign

Fourteen Men in the Solomon Islands - Thursday, 17 June 1943 - Capture a prisoner

Fourteen Men in the Solomons - Patrol - Wednesday, 23 June 1943 - Encountered a sniper

Fourteen Men in the Solomons - Skirmish at Smith Ridge - Tuesday, 29 June 1943 - escorting Forward Obeservation team to local high point, encountered Japanese patrol.

Bolt Action X Fourteen Men in the Solomons - the Battle of Independence Valley - Sunday, 4 July 1943 - After a few days in reserve (and finally recieving some reinforcements) the platoon was thrown back into action in dense jungle to try and block a Japanese breakthrough and reestablish the front lines on the battalions flank. 

Current Characters 

Characters currently active in the Campaign

First Platoon, Company J, 25th Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division

First Squad

Cpl Michael "Specs" West 

Started campaign as a Corporal and second in command of First Squad. Received a field promotion to Sergeant and second in command of the Platoon after Sgt. Jackson was severely wounded in action and sent home. After experiencing trauma at the Skirmish on Smith Ridge was no longer capable of command and demoted back to Corporal and returned to First Squad, which he remains nominally in charge of, but the squad is mostly directly lead by either the Lieutenant or the Platoon Sergeant. 

Called specs because of inaccuracy with a rifle, better shot with more bullets. 

Uneducated NAACP activist from Washington State

Background Drifter 

Motivation:Political

Veteran

Pvt. Elliot "Yank" Harris 

New Yorker, amateur baseball player that was drafted and fears he'll never get to play in the big leagues

Background: Straight outta School 

Motivation: Fatalist 

Suffering from PTSD after Skirmish at Smith Ridge

Pvt.  America "Stars" Jackson 

Texas

Best friends with "Stripes" 

Took out three enemy combatants on first mission! 

Background: Farmer

Motivation: Fatalist - Believes his family is cursed, and this war will be the end of it and him! 

Veteran

Pvt. Texas "Stripes" Davis 

Texas

Best friends with squad-mate "Stars" Jackson. 

Oldest son in his family, wants to make it home to take over the pig farm

Background: Farmer 

Motivation: Family 

Veteran

Pvt. Eric "Angel" Freeman

Soldier from Georgia. Son of a minister, dreams of building his own church in the countryside

Initially rifleman, took over BAR after Patrol to replace Gonzalez as gunner.

Wounded at the Skirmish at Smith Ridge leaving a dramatic scar around his head from a bullet and zinged around the inside of his helmet - after which he gained the nickname "Angel"! 

Second Squad

Pvt Michael "Irons" Johnson 

Arizonan, modern cowboy here to demonstrate true American grit. Can't swim.

Background: Farmer 

Motivation: Glory 

Hardened Veteran 

Was seriously wounded when his squad was overrun by the Japanese at the Battle of Independence Valley, on Sunday, 4 July 1943. He would be evacuated and spend 11 days at a mobile hospital before returning to his unit. 

Pvt Benny Arnold

A New york Trumpeter from the jazz club scene, his breath control made him an excellent marksman. Enlisted after Pearl Harbor attack.

Wounded at the Skirmish at Smith Ridge. While it left a dramatic scar, he was not out of action for very long. 

Background: Entertainer 

Motivation: Patriotism 

Arnold took a bullet through the arm and was run through with a bayonet when his position was overrun by the Japanese. Both he and the spotter survived however. After undergoing surgery he spent 24 days in hospital recovering before returning to the replacement pool and eventually made his way back to First Platoon. 

Previous Characters

Characters that served in the unit that are not currently actively serving with the Unit. 

1st LT. Lance "Harvard" Nelson 

Platoon Commander. Former Seattle Lawyer and NAACP activist, arrested at a protest and given the choice of service or jail. A quiet and charismatic man who doesn't stand for injustice (played by Denzel Washington)

Background: Criminal 

Motivation: Political

Unit Leader 

Killed in Action, Sunday, 4 July 1943 - Lt. Nelson died in a hail of fire from a Japanese light machine-gun as he rushed out to finish off the Japanese squad that had overrun his second squad. He was a hard charger who'd led from the front and took care of the men under his command. Had he been white, his posthumous decoration would likely have been awarded five decades earlier.. 

Sgt "Hard" Avery Jackson

Born on the rails and raised by the streets, Jackson joined the army for three squares and a roof over his head, the reading and 'rhythmatic classes were a bonus. He fully plans on cashing those army cheques when he gets home, because there won't be anyone to claim that life insurance for him. (Played by Samuel L Jackson)

Background: Drifter 

Motivation: Survival

Wounded in Action - 17 June 1943 - Lost Arm due to injury in combat - discharged and returned home. 

PFC Abraham "Flash" Davenport 

Originally BAR Gunner for 2nd Squad

Wounded in Action - 17 June 1943 - Lost leg due to injury in combat - discharged and returned home. 

PFC Jerry "Speedy" Gonzalez 

-BAR gunner of 1st Squad, half Mexican 

Wounded in Action - 23 June 1943. Shot by sniper. Permanent Injury, returned stateside and discharged. 

Pvt Elliot "Silks" Masters 

2nd Squad

Killed in Action - 23 June 1943 - Shot through neck by sniper. 

Pvt Washington "Die" Brown 

Private from Louisiana...

Started out a rifleman, but took over second Squads BAR, only to be seriously wounded 

Wounded in Action -  29 June 1943 - Lost eye due to injury in combat - discharged and returned home. 

Pvt  Andrew "Ace" Smith 

Las Vegas, Nevada

A former Casino Dealer and company card shark

Had an argument with Pvt. Brown, which devolved into fisticuffs and ended up being knocked out by Brown and spent a day at the Battalion Aid Post. 

Killed in Action - 29 June 1943 - Killed in action at Point 035 on New Galloway, which would later be referred to as "Smith Ridge". 

Cpl. Mason "Knocker" Freeman 

Leader of 2nd Squad

New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Wants nothing more than a bowl of gumbo and to be home

Background: Fisherman 

Motivation: Survival 

Veteran

Wounded in Action -  29 June 1943 - Seriously injured at the Skirmish at Smith Ridge. After spending a long time convalescing at a hospital in Australia, was deemed unfit for frontline service. He returned to the Division later in 1943, but spent the rest of the war as a clerk at regimental headquarters.

Incoming Replacements

Sgt Elijah Freeman

From Coppell, Texas. father fought in WW1 and he signed up to follow in his footsteps

Background: Long Term Soldier 

Motivation: Survival 

Outlook: Grim 

Pvt Gerald Shaw

Rifle Binoculars

Born in Kokomo, Indiana but his family fled to Indianapolis in 1923 due to KKK activity

Background: Straight outta school 

Motivation: Survival 

Outlook: Accepting

Pvt Latimer Benton

Rifle Mesh Helmet

From Salem, Mass. 3rd brother of 5, oldest surviving in the war.

Background: Working Class 

Motivation: Patriotism 

Outlook: Doubting 

Pvt Arthur "Victory" Howard

Rifle Crouching, V on back of helmet

From Rialto, California. Worked on vineyard, was fired after Pearl Harbor and blames Japanese for his job loss

Background: Farmer 

Motivation: Revenge 

Outlook: Accepting 

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