Last night we played a game using Spectre operations rules.
A forward artillery base of the 3rd Marines have been taking sporadic mortar fire Marines of second Platoon Charlie company move into the area where the mortar fire is suspected to come from. To search out and destroy the mortars and their crews.
Almost immediately 1st and 2nd squad come under fire by NVA soldiers lying in ambush in the thick bush.
The platoon is accompanied by a Forward artillery observer, who is also ambushed by NVA soldiers. They shoot and severely wound both the observer and his radio operator.
The Mortars fire another volley at the Forward artillery base. Revealing their position.
The NVA soldiers who ambushed the FAO leave him to bleed out. But are caught in the open by Marines from second squad moving to provide aid to the wounded. And are cut down.
As the NVA mortars fire their second volley the Sg. of third squad calls in an airstrike on the mortar position.
1st and 2nd squad are still in a vicious firefight with the last remaining NVA soldiers of the original ambush. Thy are pinned in place and unable to maneuver.
But 3rd squad is on a massive flanking move towards the mortar position.
Elements of 2nd platoon and the platoon medic reach the severely wounded FAO and radioman and manage to stabilise them.
The mortars displaced their position after they fired their second volley. And that proved to be a vise descision as a Phantom somes screaming over the area and drops an iron bomb just on the mortars previous position.
In order to try and end the stalemate between the first NVA ambushers and 1st and 2nd squad the remnants of 2nd squad throw their smoke grenades. Even though their aim is way of it allows the two squads to disengage from the firefight.
2nd squad moves around the dense bush to try and get away from the first ambush site and move towards the enemy mortars.
Only to blunder into another ambush!
1st squad also move up towards the enemy mortar positions but also come under fire by NVA soldiers from across the river.
3 squad however are on their flanking sweep and move across the river and manage to get their "pig" up to take out the group of NVA who ambushed 2 squad.
3rd squad then advances up the river to try and engage the enemy mortars. But it is to late. As the NVA mortars are rounds complete, they melt back into the bush to strike another day.
All that is left for the Marines to do is to police up the dead and wounded and get a Med. Evac. bird in.
The platoon has taken a beating with 17 being dead or wounded. They recover 14 dead NVA.