Chapter 6, Striking South: Battle of the Kim Son

[Pergite]

Chapter 6, Striking South: Battle of the Kim Son

In the mountains west of the Bong Son plains was the Kim Son Valley - sometimes called the Crow's Foot because of the shape of the surrounding hills looked like a bird's foot.. This was some of the worst terrain imaginable: the hills were very steep, the jungle and underbrush very thick, and there were copious snakes and leaches. To make matters worse, February was a rainy season month, often making flying impossible for helicopters, and life miserable for grunts on the ground.

This will be the staging area for my first chapter. It will be 100% based on the action of B Company 2/5 (2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry division), during OP EAGLE CLAW 16-17 February.

http://www.tallcomanche.org/Document...rom_OKeefe.htm

(The personal accounts of OC B Coy Capt Robert W. McMahon, complete with map overlays and narration)



The company was supposed to be a blocking force (the anvil) for two other companies that was tasked to drive a decimated VC force out of the area. B coy however managed to stumbled right into something that later turned out to be a full strenght Heavy Weapons Battalion of the Quyet Chien Regiment.

They charged head into it on their way to their blocking postions. What followed was a withdrawl to the LZ Pete and a desperate defensive battle. A coy was sent to rescue B, but followed a VC commo wire right into the heart of their Bn HQ. There they ambushed soldiers that was about to bring out more heavy weapons to use on B´s postion at the LZ. They also killed these Viet Cong and captured numerous recoilless rifles, and a number of mortars, along with communications equipment, and important documents.

Daring supply helo sorties and massive airstrikes was what saved the day for B coy, huddled up in fresg B52 craters around a clearing in the Jungle.


Secondary mission
"Go get'em, Joe!"
February 17 (Thursday) 9:40

B Company reached LZ Pete in the morning at 9:40 and the platoons spread further out to find blocking positions. This was when they first got enemy contact and the masssive VC onslaught begun.

The commander needs to withdraw his troops back to the relative "safety" of LZ Pete.

Primary Mission
"LZ Pete"
February 17 (Thursday) 10:45

The bits and pieces of the company that the player did manage to save can now be deployed aroun LZ Pete. Its now about stemming the tide and making good use of the ground, the fire support and resupplies.

My idea is to constantly reinforce the VC so that new units keeps popping up out of the jungle, giving a feeling of being surrounded. These units should however be rather easy to route so they withdraw after getting to many losses, giving a impression of assault waves coming and going.
Own supplies can come in on AUX choppers or just being dropped. In this case they will be reinforcments in form of ammo boxes scattered over the LZ. The player then needs to make assaults of his own to be able to get the much needed supplies (just as in the real battle).

The battle will end when the turns are over really...