The Great Interplanetary War, Part One All Quiet on the Martian Front

A Guide to the British Expeditionary Force in the North American Theater

Background After the first Martian Invasion, the United Kingdom lay in ruins. Its population, its industry, its army and its infrastructure were shattered. Amongst the ruins lay the Martian machines and the bodies of the slain. On the cessation of hostilities and when it was clear the Martians were finished, many countries sent aid immediately to Great Britain in the form of food, medicine and doctors. The government of Great Britain quickly rallied and the army was reorganized and put to work building shelter for the inhabitants, policing the towns and country and quickly restored a sense of order. Several months passed and one thing started becoming very clear. The European Powers, as they were called, as well as Russia were slow to extend greater aid to the UK. Their public position was full of Humanitarian assistance but what if the Martians return? We too must be ready. Privately, the various governments looked with envious eyes towards the remainder of the British Empire and considered their options. The British Navy, relatively undamaged by the Martians, still stood in their way and gave them pause, but the wheels were turning. Across the Atlantic, things were quite different. In America and Canada, a popularist movement began to aid our cousins across the sea. The great industrialists of the age - Carnegie, Rockefeller, JP Morgan saw opportunity. They lent their support, which was considerable. With their control over much of the press, the Across the Sea movement became a groundswell. Eventually, the US Government acted out of political pressure. American resources, through many and varied arrangements, began pouring into Great Britain. As Allies, America and the UK became stronger and much more closely entangled. Before the European Powers could rise to the occasion, Great Britain was not only coming back to her feet again, but something new was emerging. The Martian Machines that had been left behind were the subject of close and unprecedented scrutiny. This effort was led, in no small part, by the British Army. The Martian Invasion had been the worst defeat of British arms in history. The sting of it was felt through the highest echelons of the service. The Press was playing their part by laying blame as well. Something had to be done and it galvanized the higher command into rather unprecedented cooperation with each other. With the help of American resources for a civilian recovery, the scientists and industrialists of the UK worked under the full support of the military. In a remarkably short period of time, the UK rose from the ashes of the first Invasion with new reverse engineered Martian technology fifty years or more ahead of their nearest rivals.

When the Second Invasion occurred, there was no question that the UK, untouched by any new cylinders, must protect its colonies AND support the US. The question was how. A Force had to be sent to America - the British Expeditionary Force. From the earliest days of negotiation, the United Kingdom was hesitant to send the BEF to America because of the drain on its own resources. While Britain had become the technological wonder of the world, their advanced military vehicles caused three challenges. The first was construction time. It took additional months to build a British tank as opposed to the flat-sided, riveted steam vehicles of the US. Also, the processing of ore and its smelting into some of the alloys had stretched the foundries of England to their limit. The second issue was one of logistics. The armies of Great Britain required more sophisticated supplies and far more mechanics and technicians to keep their high technology equipment repaired and good operating order. This meant lots of support vehicles. Horse drawn transport was out of the question for most needs if it was to keep pace with the newly mechanized forces. The third issue was a concern of the Treasury. With some of Great Britains colonies already in the tentacles of the Martians and India very hard pressed, the UK was extremely concerned that the war effort would bankrupt the country. That would leave the country much more vulnerable to the continental powers. It was the President of the Board of Trade in the UK, Winston Churchill, who proposed the answer. If the US would agree to lease the BEF and lend it support in the form of additional vehicles, logistical support and, in particular, supply train vehicles and certain types of artillery, then Great Britain could commit. Roosevelt approved the arrangement immediately and Winston Churchills famous Lease- Lend Proposal went down in history as the concept that brought British troops to American soil, not quite, but nearly 100 years after they last departed for the ports of England. British Technology To understand the British Force in All Quiet on the Martian Front, there are a few key advances in technology that set them apart from everyone else on the planet. This has all been gleaned from applying reverse engineering to the Martian wreckage of the first Invasion. Metallurgy - The UK now leads the world in many branches of the metallurgy. Many new alloys are being introduced such as Rustless Steel (despite the claims of Leon Gillet and the French Government), aluminum compounds and more. While the secret to the ultra hard and light weight Martian Metal is still unknown, it is only a matter of time. This has manifested itself in the creation of large complex casting, composite materials in the armor mix, and lighter more efficient vehicle construction. Electricals - The Martians were very advanced in the use of electricity and electrical devices. Study of their machines gave insight into new applications of the principles of electricity. This has given rise to an entirely new school of engineering and industry called Electricals. This can be seen in

improved radios making most British vehicles accessible to the chain of command and support for such weapons as the Coil Gun. Construction - The construction of Martian machines and their complete lack of known methodologies such as rivets, screws, and other mechanical fasteners has manifested itself in the wide spread use of electric welding of various metals. It did not require many rivets on the UK equipment as a result. Magnetism - The Martians understood Magnetic Principle far better than humans, but through careful study and application, methods were learned to make magnetism a far more harness able force. These improvements were seen in the rapid advancement of small electric motors and the wonder weapon, the Coil Gun. Radium - Much has been written about the wondrous application of Radium and the exploitation of its properties. One of the biggest advances on the horizon is harnessing its power for trains, ships and even automobiles. Recent experiments have shown that concentrated radium, tightly packed, can generate enough heat to turn water into steam and thus power the newest electric generators. Diesel Electric Engines- With improved machining, casting and welding, new diesel motors that were smaller and more efficient were being produced. In many cases they were used to power generators which in turn powered electric motors in many vehicles such as the Imperial Main Service Tank chassis and its variants.

British Military Doctrine The British Army embraced the new technology with a new tactical doctrine - The All Mobile Force. With better vehicles, the old role of stationary infantry came into question. Increasingly, tanks and other weapons platforms capable of rapid redeployment and aggressive rather than static defensive tactics changed attitudes. The infantry needed to be able to adapt to this new form of warfare and many trials were taking place of new equipment, known as Infantry Carriers, to allow the Infantry support to keep pace with concentrated armored vehicles attack forces. The old horse drawn methods and shoe leather movement of forces rapidly fell by the wayside. What follows is a brief description of some of the troop types and vehicles of the British Expeditionary Force:

Infantry and Light Forces

The British infantryman has seen vast improvement to his kit and personal weapons. Now, equipped with relatively light weight personal armour, the British soldier is also equipped with the new Brodie helmet. This helmet incorporates a new pattern gas mask of high efficiency and fuller protection of the head and back of the neck. The common soldier carries the Lee Enfield Rifle but with armour-piercing ammunition. Each British squad is also equipped with one man carrying a portable coil gun, battery operated, for anti-vehicle capability. The main support weapon of the infantry is the Improved Vickers Machine Gun. Lighter and with a faster rate of fire than its predecessor, it can also fire armour-piercing ammunition.

INFANTRY SQUAD Unit: 2 elements Points per unit: 35 Element Infantry Squad Type Infantry Speed 6 Defense/Armor 5/5 Weaponry Rifle, 1 Coil Special Stealth

Weapon Rifles Coil Gun

Range 15 15

Power +2

Special Experimental, Coil

HMG TEAMS Unit: 3 elements Points per unit: 50 Element Machine Gun Type Infantry Speed 6 Defense/Armor 5/5 Weaponry Improved Vickers MG Special Stealth

Weapon Machine Gun

Range 20

Power -

Special Rate of Fire 3

CAVALRY UNIT Unit: 3 elements Points per unit: 55 Element Cavalry Type Mtd Speed 8 Defense/Armor 5/5 Weaponry Rifles, Grenades Special Mounted

Weapon Rifle Grenades

Range 15 3

Power -

Special

Assault

ASSAULT TROOPS Unit: 1 element Points per unit: 60 Element Assault Troops Type Infantry Speed 6 Defense/Armor 5/5 Weaponry Experimental Rifle Special

Weapon Experimental Rifles Explosives

Range 15 Assault

Power +1 +2

Special Experimental -

Armoured Vehicles
Armoured Cars As part of the new All Mobile Force Doctrine, armoured cars play a significant role in British service. The Light Armour Car, based on the famous civilian Rolls Royce Specter, is lightly armoured and features a cast turret and Improved Vickers Machine Gun. All these vehicles are radio equipped and perform admirably as the eyes and ears of the army. They are used for scouting in large numbers as well as courier roles. In trials, it became apparent that the Rolls Royce armed cars needed increased firepower. Eventually, it was determined that the answer had to be an all new vehicle. Very large, the Defiant armoured cars have more armour, a slightly larger crew, and most importantly, a canon capable of significant anti-vehicle work. In the beginning, there was some resistance to their size and the fact they werent quite as fast as the original Rolls Royce cars, but service in India has indicated they have a much higher survival rate and, in numbers, can even cause significant annoyance to the Martian Machines in their combination of firepower and speed.

DEFIANT ARMOURED CAR Unit: 1 element Points per unit: 55 Element Defiant Armoured Car Type Vehicle Speed 8 Defense/Armor 7/7 Weaponry Gun Special Scout

Weapon Swivel

Range 20

Power +2/-

Special Anti-Vehicle

ARMOURED ROLLS ROYCE Unit: 1 element Points per unit: Element Armoured Rolls Royce Type Vehicle Speed 6 Defense/Armor 6/6 Weaponry Improved Vickers Special Scout

Weapon Improved Vickers MG

Range 20

Power -

Special Rate of Fire 3

Imperial Main Service Tank

The Imperial Main Service Tank entered service in February of 1909 after two years of design and experimentation. In the fall of 1909, new Imperial Tanks entering service were re-equipped from Kerosene motors to a Petrol engine driving a generator. The Generator in turn powered large electric motors for the tracks. This combination was less powerful than at first hoped. The Imperial Tanks switched from service in India and then transported to the USA with the British Expeditionary Force were re-equipped, in transit, with the Diesel Electric Drive. This combination is a vast improvement over previous power plants and is well liked by the crews and field engineers. All future Imperial Main Service tanks will be equipped with this drive as standard. The Imperial Tank has an all cast turret and upper hall. These two components are cast with a proprietary mixture of steel and a classified material. They are then heated in the vast new ovens outside of Warrington until they are red hot. This process bonds the materials together and creates a very hard and heat resistant casting. Casting objects of this size and complexity still remains proprietary to Great Britain but experiments are being conducted in Germany and the United States. The Imperial is armed with one of the new 17 pound high velocity guns. A machine gun is mounted in an auxiliary turret on the forward deck.

The suspension and caterpillar tracks are of a new design that was conceived as suitable for both cross country and road performance. Access in the field has been the primary complaint so far as working on the suspension and tracks is very difficult with the heavy side skirts in place. Some Imperial Tank Squadrons are equipped with Coil Guns. While relatively rare and prone to maintenance problems in the field, their penetrating power is deemed worth the aggravation.

IMPERIAL TANK Unit: 3 Tanks Points per unit: 270 points (add 25 per coil gun) Element Type Speed Defense/Armor Weaponry Special

Imperial Tank

Vehicle

6/8

HV Cannon Special Coil

Weapon HV Cannon lb Coil Gun

Range 40 40

Power +2 +3

SPECIAL RULE: Coil Guns in Imperial Tanks are subject to failure and breakage. Any Imperial tank that rolls a 1 when trying to hit has had a coil gun failure. It may not fire again unless repaired on a roll of 7 or better at the beginning of each fire phase.

The Imperial Main Service tank Chassis was intended to be the platform for new weapon systems. The Kitchener is the first and most common of these. An ungainly looking machine with a huge box like super- structure to house the main gun, its the first attempt at a rapid firing gun of large enough caliber to do significant damage to vehicle targets and be self mobile. In India, it has been effective against the tripods, but its high profile makes it a vulnerable target.

Essentially, it is equipped with three 17 pound guns rotated by an electric motor. These three barrels can be fired in rapid succession and then are reloaded with the aid of a machine system.
KITCHENER Unit: 1 Element or Unit: 3 Tanks for a Kitchener Squadron Points per unit: 115 or 345 Element Kitchener Weapon Tri-Barrel Type Vehicle Range 30 Speed 7 Defense/Armor 6/8 Power +1 Weaponry Tri-Barrel Special Experimental, Rate of Fire 3 Special

SPEICAL RULE: Kitchener tanks cant AMBUSH due to their high profile and ungainliness.

Mono Tanks The FairleyJohnson Uni-Tread tank was not well accepted by the military until the field trials of early 1910. It was one of several inventions being pitted against each other for the Ordinance Departments Advanced X-Craft Ministry. The trials took place on an excessively rainy day and the field was absolutely thick with mud. The Barlton Multi-PediWheel Carrier got stuck and broke down almost immediately. The so-called Grayson Electric Flivver never started. The Uni-Tread, however, dashed around the field and overcame every obstacle in its path, flipping over and righting itself several times. It did, indeed, look unstoppable. Production approval was granted immediately and Fairley, along with Johnson, wisely silenced the shaken driver of the machine when he proclaimed that the throttle had become stuck and thats why he ran the course at full speed. The Uni-Tread became officially known as the FJ Mono Tank 1 by the army. By the men who drove it and serviced it, it became a Wheeler. Wheeler was the name that stuck with the press and the public. Wheelers are very fast but ungainly at top speed. They carry two cannons that are clip fed but the machine must be stopped and the ammo reloaded externally when depleted. They have a crew of two and the armour is rather light, certainly in comparison to an Imperial tank. Still, their speed and maneuverability gives them an important role on the battlefield. They are one of the new fast-attack weapons designed for the All Mobile Force. Their crews are volunteers and Wheeler Men or just Wheelers for short are well known for their spirited morale and cavalier attitude. Rules Note: Mono tanks may move up to 8 inches per turn through any kind of terrain except that labeled impassable including unwadable water. When they travel more that 6 inches in a turn, they must take a stability test. On a roll of 6 or more, they have flipped over. Using their movable side arms, they can right themselves but, it takes the next TWO movement phases to do so.

MONO TANK Unit: 3 Mono Tanks Points per unit: 160 Element MonoTank Type Vehicle Speed 8 Defense/Armor 7/6 Weaponry Gun X2 Special Stabilizers

Weapon Gun

Range 20

Power +2 / -

Special Anti-Tank

2 Pounder Coil Gun This towed weapon is the largest of the current Coil Gun designs and fires a 2 lb projectile of repurposed Marian Metal at high velocity. Coil Guns are essentially a series of magnetic rings that pull a ferrous projectile down its barrel propelling it at high velocity. An improvement was made in their penetrating power when it was discovered that iron rings attached to crushed Martian metal salvage created a high velocity round without comparison. Coil Guns require a high voltage power source. A portable version using new technology has been created for an infantry man to carry, but the weapon is of very low caliber. The battery pack is heavy and awkward and once spent, the battery cannot be easily recharged.

The 1/2 lb Coil Gun is the most common vehicle mounted version. It is most commonly seen as a main gun modification on the Imperial Tank. In general, the larger the Coil Gun, the less reliable they are. In the largest size, the 2 lb gun, the amount of electricity generated to power them is quite high and a danger in and of itself. While the magnets and mechanics of the gun are actually fairly simple, problems with the transformers and electrical systems can be a nuisance. The crew of the two pound version actually wears special insulated boots, gloves and an apron to reduce accidental fatalities caused by arcing and unintentional electric discharges.

2 POUND COIL GUN Unit: 1 Element Points per unit: 90 Element Towed Coil Gun Type Vehicle Speed 4 Defense/Armor 4/5 Weaponry Coil Gun Special Heavy Gear, Coil Special Coil

Weapon Heavy Coil Gun

Range 60

Power +4

SPECIAL RULE: A 2 Lb Coil Gun that rolls a one when attempting to hit has mechanically failed. Roll immediately on the following table: 2 lb Coil Gun Failure Table 1-3 - The Coil Gun simply fails to operate this turn. Proceed normally next turn. 4-6 - A major electrical connection is shorted out. It will take two full turns to be operational again. 7-9 - Overcharge. The weapon fires but with TWICE the normal power (+6). Unfortunately, it has burned out its major circuits and will not fire again for 1 D10 turns. 10 - Catastrophic failure. The Coil Gun circuits violently discharge all over the place electrocuting the unfortunate crew. The gun and crew are destroyed.

Lloyd Command Carrier With the Infantry mounted in carriers, it certainly was necessary to make sure the command elements could keep pace too. The Lloyd Command Carrier was a modified Cardigan with extensive radio gear, and excellent tea service and proviso for a portable chart room.

LLOYD COMMAND CARRIER Unit: 1 Element Points per unit: Element Lloyd Command Carrier Type Vehicle Speed 7 Defense/Armor 6/7 Weaponry 4 Improved Vickers MG Special Command

Weapon Machine Gun

Range 20

Power -

Special Rate of Fire 3

Cardigan Infantry Carrier

To keep pace with the fast moving Mono Tanks, Armoured Cars and Imperial Main Service Tanks, it was determined that infantry support must accompany them in Assault. To keep up, infantry had to be carried in a vehicle of their own and, thus, the Cardigan Infantry Carrier was born. Essentially a large lightly armoured box, it can carry two full squads of infantry into combat. It is armed with cannon and four Improved Vickers Machine Guns.

CARDIGAN INFANTRY CARRIER Unit: 1 Element Points per unit: Element Cardigan Infantry Carrier Type Vehicle Speed 7 Defense/Armor 6/7 Weaponry 4 Improved Vickers MG Gun Weapon Machine Gun Gun Range 20 20 Power +2 / Special Rate of Fire 3 Anti-Tank Special Command

The Wicket Special Purpose Tank Originally designed to lay down a current of sticky viscous burning liquid to incinerate dug in infantry and attack fortifications, the Wicket suffered from a serious flaw. The compound it pumped at high pressure was very difficult to ignite. However, it was capable of laying down giant puddles of impossibly sticky liquid. Given that the inventor, Charles Wicket, was the Duke of Cunningham and quite influential, the army adopted the Wicket as an anti-infantry vehicle. Surprisingly, it proved very effective in India in gumming up the works of Martian tripods. The Wicket tank sprays a puddle of sticky goop up to 12 inches away. It conveniently uses the same template as Black Dust. Any vehicle or infantry unit sprayed or trying to travel through this puddle becomes stuck on a roll of 3 +. BOUND TRIPOD RULES ETC>>>>Also has an Improved Vickers.

WICKET TANK Unit: 1 Element Points per unit: Element Wicket Tank Type Vehicle Speed 7 Defense/Armor 6/7 Weaponry Glue Gun Special GLUE

Weapon Glue Gun

Range 12

Power Special

Special Template

Other Equipment in BEF Service The BEF uses a considerable amount of in theater equipment to support their frontline forces without the expense of transporting them from England. Months before the deployment, a British military contingent came to the US to make arrangements. The idea was American equipment with British Commonwelath Crews. The one vehicle the British military frowned upon a bit was the Baldwin Mark II and III. They are just soprimitive to them. They requested a new main gun and had British Cole Pattern mantlets installed. Other changes were mostly internal, but they also wanted the auxiliary high cupola over the driving compartment removed. This version became the British Pattern Mark II Baldwin Tank, more commonly known to the American forces as the Tommy Tank. Once the Canadians saw it, they demanded some too. Despite their best efforts, Baldwin cant produce enough of the Tommy Baldwins to meet demand, so its actually more common to see the original version in BEF and Canadian Service.

Many other US equipment types are used by the BEF. They brought no common artillery with them and are reliant on US Heavy Howitzers and Mobile Artillery. They do not use the Anti-tripod gun. All other American origin equipment, with the exception of the Goliath, Land Ironclads and the Mark IV chassis variants have seen use with the BEF. The Monitor is the only Mark IV chassis to be used by the BEF in North American service. Whole fleets of American Flivvers and service vehicles put to work in support roles.