Vietnam 1967 Battle report

Mark ran another Vietnam game for the Rejects on Saturday with myself and John as the US Players against Surjit playing the VC. As usual all movement started hidden and plotted on a tactical map. Only when revealed by enemy activity (or when a unit reveals itself by shooting or moving into the open) are the models placed on the table. This makes for a very cerebral game trying to anticipate the enemy and guess his positions and intentions. 

The US Players objective in this game is to secure the area as a forward fire base and of course the VC want to stop this from happening. A lot of heavy machinery was on the table for this game but the question is can superior equipment and fire-power win against an enemy that remains largely invisible and can strike from anywhere at any time?


Tactical Map

The Tactical Map

VC Order of Battle

Commander Surjit
1 Command Sections Including 3 Radios
4 Mainforce Rifle Squads of 12 Men Each
28 Local Militia divided into seven 4 man sections
2 81mm Mortars and Crew
2 .30 Cal Light Machine Guns and crews
1 Mainforce Ambush Team consisting of 5 Men
1 Militia Ambush Team consisting of 5 Men

US Order of Battle
Force Commander and 2 Bodyguards
US Army Platoon:
   4 Rifle Squads (10 Men Each)
   2 Medium Mortar Crews
   2 M60 Machine Gun Crews
   1 ACAV M113 APC
   1 M113 APC
   2 M548 APC Cargo Vehicles carrying ammunition and Stores
Support Units:
   1 OH-6A Observation Helicopter
   1 AH-1G Huey Cobra Gunship
   1 UH-1H Huey Transport
   1 UH-1B Huey Gunship
   2 Rounds of Artillery Support
   1 M551 Sheridan Armoured Vehicle


The Action

The empty table...all movement is hidden at the start of the game.

In thunder Huey Transports and APV's to quickly deploy ground troops to the LZ

Rifle Squads pour from the two Hueys

The APV's quickly deploy troops to begin sweeping the nearby forests for VC

Surjit launches an ambush against Johns troops clearing the forest across the table from me

The Green markers represent troops that have gone prone. Orange troops with one wound and Brown troops with two wounds. 

My men encounter VC in the forest and shots ring out

VC Charging into the fray

Something for the VC to think about...an M551 Sheridan Armoured Vehicle

The combat on Johns side of the table gets messy, especially when the VC Charge into hand to hand combat. 

Circling helicopters don't put the VC off, even when the Huey starts using its Grenade Launcher on them.

US Hardware on display, but somehow the VC just don't seem to care all that much!

On the left my troops continue to push through the forest as another unit runs to join them. On the right John has suffered heavy casualties and Surjits VC continue to pop out of the jungle and attack.

My infantry converge on the VC blocking my path but then suddenly things turn nasty. The VC charge into melee and quite sensibly target already wounded and prone US troops. This means the US player will rolls with two penalties for being wounded and being prone verses an uninjured and standing VC. I throw in addition infantry to double up against the VC but then find out the penalty applies to BOTH men, even the uninjured and standing guy that has just joined the fight. Result I loose four riflemen in a matter of seconds. 

Off table artillery has hit a previously unknown VC Bunker, utterly destroying it in the process. 

Reeling from the loss of four men my unit fails a moral check that forces them to go prone and hold position. The VC take advantage and follow up by charging their prone enemy....sigh, another two infantry lost. This unit of ten men has now lost two men to shooting and SIX to melee in just two turns. 

Surjit is feeling quite happy now. He still has a load more units to reveal and the US players effective infantry are dwindling fast. Time has run out (Both John and I had to leave at 5pm so we had to stop the game at this point) and its hard to call victory for either side. The US certainly control the area but the VC still have a lot of units hidden and capable of resisting the remaining US troops. 

The VC still hidden at the end of the game....I don't think the US units could beat this lot, even if we had the time to play on. 

Analysis

A good game and one where the hidden movement rules really add an element of uncertainty for both sides. Deciding how to deploy and what strategies to employ when you have no idea where the enemy are is a real tactical conundrum and something often utterly missing from regular wargames. I'm not sure the US forces could have won this game, even with all their firepower and in the end the early finish just saved us from a long drawn out defeat!