Battle of Banlah.
An after action report from our recent game. Featuring 6 players and using the unreleased but very nice Badlands rules.
The US Marines launch an assault on a small village suspected to be used as a staging post for an upcomming assault from the NVA.
An overview of the battlefield. The main Marine force is inserted by sea. Force Recon are already deployed near the village. One squad of NVA is guarding the village waiting for reinforcements.
More NVA pour into the area.
As the Marines advance off the beach.
A M113 with 6 Marines also advances from the west.
And NVA troops start to emerge from the secret tunnel system.
All of a sudden the peaceful village is rocked by a fighterjet dropping napalm on the ZSU AA gun. Killing its commander and suppressing the crew.
Then a Huey sweeps in dropping of 2 M60 teams. The US attack is gaining momentum. So far the NVA has not fired a shot.
All of a sudden an RPG streaks out from the village just narrowly missing the M113. The crew quickly turn the .50 on the house where the RPG came from and wounds a NVA soldier.
But not the RPG gunner, who is quick to reload and this time he finds his mark.
The dismounted Marines from the M113 are caught in the open by a squad of NVA who emerge from a hidden tunnel. But they are saved from being gunned down by a sudden heavy monsoon rain shower.
As the sudden rain stops another fireteam is inserted by helo. just on the eastern side of the village at the edge of the fields.
Unfortunately for them. It turns out there is a previously unspotted heavy weapons bunker right before them.
More and more NVA reinforcements are starting to join the fight via the tunnel network.
Even with an armored troop transport a BTR152. Unfortunately for it it gets bogged down in a desperate firefight with the Marine force recon element.
The Marines have yet to engage any NVA troops in combat. But they are starting to take losses. While crossing a field a Marine steps on a landmine. He is instantly killed an the one next to him is wounded and one other becomes suppressed.
The Marines call in firesupport from on call artillery. On the house where the RPG attack came from. It kills one NVA and wounds a civilian.
But again the RPG gunner is left unharmed and he rushes out of the burning building. And as he does so he pops a shot at a MG team across the fields. Wounding them both.
Meanwhile a massive firefight have broken out between the Marines from the M113 and a squad of NVA from the tunnels. So intense in fact that they do not notice that the fires started by the napalm is spreading around them.
The NVA squad from the BTR152 have given up on winning a firefight against the force recon marines. So they fix bayonets and charge in. with some initial success.
The fire from the napalm spreads even further. In fact blocking the Marines from entering the village.
The NVA has managed so set up some mortars and as they fire on some Marines just clearing the treeline devastating them and at the same time the fireteam that landed on the east of the village is gunned down by the combined efforts of the heavy machine gun bunker and a squad of NVA. The game ends. The Marines are unable to reach the village and are forced to retreat.
But the Marines who reach home base can report 10 NVA killed and only 8 Marines.