CapnJim's Vietnam Stuff...More VC and Civilians - Page 24 - 05 May 25)

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Excellent report.

[CapnJim]

Excellent report.

Thanks!

Fun report to read, Jim. I like the effort with the low light photos, but I really couldn't see much with them  Where did I put my damn night vision goggles?? 

Everyone having fun with the game? Who all showed up last Friday for the game?

Your reports are getting me inspired to starting paint my 28mm Vietnam figs I bought. As soon as I get these Colonial Marines from Another Glorious Day in the Corp finished off, I believe they're next...!

Mike Demana

Thanks, Mike.  The pics had the intended effect (dark, but still visible) on my PC.  Viewing on a cellphone may require increasing the brightness on your screen.  I'll keep that in mind for AARs of future games set at night...

And, yes, so far everyone is enjoying the campaign.  I ask to make sure after each game.  And it was me (VC) against Dave, Gene, and Ted (US).

[mikedemana]

The pics had the intended effect (dark, but still visible) on my PC.  Viewing on a cellphone may require increasing the brightness on your screen.

And it was me (VC) against Dave, Gene, and Ted (US).

I was viewing on my laptop, but good suggestion on playing with screen brightness! Full house, eh? Good to see the whole gang is able to get together. 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

I was viewing on my laptop, but good suggestion on playing with screen brightness! Full house, eh? Good to see the whole gang is able to get together. 

Mike Demana

I had the same problem looking at my report on my phone.   Adjusting screen brightness did the trick.  But I will lessen the "dark" effect for future night fights...

And it looks like all 4 of us will be there for this Friday's game.  Speaking of which...

Here is the scenario sheet for Game 4 of our Nam '68 Tour of Duty campaign: 



Here is a better view of the map:



Are here is the Platoon Roster, this page being the Platoon HQ and the gun teams...



This one the rifle squads...



There will be 8 civilians in this game, some of whom may be less than friendly toward the US troops.  And a good number and variety of VC will appear, mostly Local Force and Regional Force, but a few Main Force there for good measure... 

I'm painting a few more civilians and VC that will appear in this game.  Pics of them should appear here in a few days...

[carlos marighela]

Great teaser Jim! All it's missing is ominous music in the background.

[CapnJim]

Thanks, carlos.  And scratch the mention of defending the base in the first paragraph of the scenario info sheet...oops...

[CapnJim]

Well, we did indeed play today (25 April).  Ted took 1st Squad and the Platoon HQ, Dave took 3rd Squad and a gun team, and Gene took 2nd Squad and the other gun team.  I, of course, played the VC and the civilians.

While I sort out the rest of the many photos I took during the game, and formulate my AAR, I'll set things up here.  And away we go...

AAR Prologue

You know how every now and then, you have one of those days when everything seems to go right?  You draw the perfect hand in poker, or maybe you get just the right roll at the craps table  You pick the winning lottery number, everyone is nice and cheery, and it's a nice bright sunshiny day?  You get the point.  For 3rd platoon, B Company, 2-12 Cavalry, this was not one of those days.  But, boy it sure could have been...

The villagers in the little hamlet in Hung Hai (Vietnamese for Brutal, as it turns out...) were going about their business.  3 of them were working the garden on the south side of the hamlet:



2 more were walking along what passed for a road at the west side of the hamlet.  Chickens scurried out of their way.  Another one, a woman, was putzing around in a pen in the center of the place:



Another woman was carrying a basket of stuff out of the shed attached to a hooch at the south end of the village:



And another was hauling a load to a wheelbarrow on the north side of the hamlet:



They all knew the Americans were coming.  The woman in the pen in the middle of this little cluster of hooches in particular saw them.  That was her job... (cue ominous music)

And come the Americans did.  SGT Page and PV2 Skowronski walked point (carefully of course) west along the road right into the middle of the place, while SGT Richards followed up to the east end, just south of that road, with the rest of 2nd Squad and SP4 Bartles' gun team.  Suddenly, as Page and Skowronski got near the well in the middle of the place, they darted to the well and took cover.  Using hand and arm signals, they indicated a possible contact at the west end of town. 

 

The object of their attention was a bunker.  The Old Man was right.  It looked like the VC had indeed infiltrated Hung Hai.

 

This is where the action at Hung Hai begins.  I should be posting AAR Part 1 hopefully within a few days.  Stay tuned...

 

[Lord Raglan]

Well done Jim, you have set the scene perfectly 🎬

[mikedemana]

Your terrain is great! Love the storytelling in the lead up to the game.

Where did you say you got your civilians from...? As my 28mm Vietnam project is underway, I'll likely be needing to get some. (NOT as in, "Get some, get some!!"  )

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Thanks, fellas.  I'm getting there on sorting out the AAR.  Very soon, Is my plan...

Mike, the civilians are from Empress.  They make armed and unarmed versions of each one.  Age of Glory here in the States carries them.  Gringo40s also has civilians.

[Lord Raglan]

Westwind Miniatures also have a good selection of Vietnamese civilians

[CapnJim]

Full Metal Miniatures sells civilians, too. But most seem to be currently "out of stock"...

Meanwhile, back in Hung Hai, it's time to tell you the story of 3rd Platoon's action there.  This one will be a 2-parter.  Now, for...

Part 1:  SGT Page and PV2 Skowronski Fight for Their Lives.

Having spotted the bunker at the west end of "town', and signalled it back to his squad leader (SGT Richards), SGT Page told PV2 Skowronski to follow him, and he moved forward along the wattle pen, toward a building a bit closer to the bunker.  Being an FNG and still a bit rattled from the VC base attack, Skowronski hesitated, hunkering down at that well.  The woman in green, in that wattle pen, kept an eye on them.

20 or so yards behind them, SGT Richards moved the rest of 2nd squad into the hamlet, skirting up the south side of the first couple buildings they came to.  SP4 Bartles brought his gun team up along a wood wall, left of the road.  No gunfire yet...







Just as Skowronski moved to catch up to his Sergeant, things went sideways.  That woman in green pulled out a pistol from somewhere, and shot at SGT Page, forcing him to hug that wattle fence.  Three VC with submachine guns came up out of a tunnel entrance in the small garden just north of the hamlet, and moved between buildings, surprising Skowronski with burst of SMG fire.  Page and Skowronski would now be in a very close range gunfight - a fight for their lives!





Skowronski replied with a lob of a hand grenade, using a sideway toss.  Too much adrenaline made the grenade go just a bit too far. 



SGT Page darted around the corner of a nearby hooch, taking cover.

Meanwhile, SGT Richards kept the rest of 2nd Squad moving around the south side of the hooches by them, inexplicably away from his point men's contact.  The M60 team moved further up along that wood wall, carefully avoiding a booby trap they spotted just in time.  SFC Daltry had also brought up the Platoon HQ, and he "encouraged" SGT Richards to move to support his men fighting in the middle of the hamlet.





The Americans weren't the only ones moving.  More VC came in from the animal pen just west of the cluster of hooches - 4 with old bolt-action rifles, one of them scoped.  The one with the scoped rifle moved up behind SGT Page (who by now thought he was f***ed...), as did 2 of the SMGers.  The 3rd VC SMGer stayed back to keep shooting at Skowronski.





SGT Richards finally got some of his men in a position to support by fire SGT Page and Skowronski.  SFC Daltry was trying to get 1st and 3rd squad forward.



Just as SGT Richards got all his men in a supporting position, a woman with a basket, who had come out of a shed attached to a hooch, pulled a grenade out of her basket, and tossed it toward SP4 Bartles and his M60 team.  Fortunately for them, she underthrew it, perhaps flinching as she caught sight of SGT Richards and his men out of the corner of her eye...



More VC poured out of the bunker, obviously a tunnel entrance inside it.  Eight of them altogether, armed with various long arms, save the leader and his assistant (a pistol and an SMG, respectively).  5 of them went right, toward the garden just south of town, and 3 went left, up the road toward the hamlet.



The 3 VC with bolt-action rifles moved a bit further into the hamlet, while the 2 SMGers moved back toward their other SMG-toting comrade.  The VC with the scoped rifle forced SGT Page back, and Page retreated back around the front of the hooch he was by.

The remaining civilians began a confused frenzy to get away from the fighting, and periodically getting in the way in the process.  One had just plopped down in the middle of the road, trying to stay out of the line of fire.





1st and 3rd Squads came up, with 3rd squad moving up the American right, their attached gun team leading the way...



...and 1st squad moving up on the American left.  SFC Daltry moved his HQ over to a place where he could get a better view of the action.  Unfortunately, SP4 Bartles was now down, as was one of his loaders.  His other loader went over and joined up with SGT Richard's squad (not sure why...).  But both VC infiltrators were down, too.



The VC were moving, too.  Some moved up to the stone wall at the south garden, while more moved carefully into the hamlet.  Civilians kept trying to get out of the way, some successful, some not.





Skowronski finally shot down the VC SMGer facing him, and the other 2 VC SMGers moved around to a bamboo copse, to try and flank the American 3rd squad, who spotted and fired at them.

 



1st Squad slowly moved forward near the platoon HQ, hollering for the medic to get over to the downed gun team in front of them.  There, SFC Daltry grabbed the mike from his RTO, and told him "F**k this.  Get me the mortar freq, G** d**m it..."

 

I'll leave it here for now.  The engagement had become general, and men (and women) were down on both sides.  Everyone who had been invited to this party had arrived.  SGT Page and PV2 Skowronski were still froward, trying not to get killed.  And SFC Daltry was about to get on the horn with the mortars.   

I plan to post Part 2: Can American Firepower Save the Day? tomorrow (Tuesday) or Wednesday.  Stay tuned!

[carlos marighela]

Cool!

Wanting to know how the lady in red (well a red skirt) fares. Looking forward to part 2.

[mikedemana]

Great start to the action. Those VC are pretty ballsy with their aggressive attack. Especially the chick grenade throwers... 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Cool!

Wanting to know how the lady in red (well a red skirt) fares. Looking forward to part 2.

Let's just say don't get too attached to her...

Great start to the action. Those VC are pretty ballsy with their aggressive attack. Especially the chick grenade throwers... 

Mike Demana

I'm trying to play the VC as I've read and heard about how they fight.  Tenacious, dedicated, and relentless.  Until they bug out when they've made their point...

Looks like Part 2 will appear here tomorrow (Wednesday).  Stay tuned...