Not Here! Not Now! (No spoilers)

[scJazz]

Hey WB,

MV with 61 US/ARVN casualties (KIA/WIA) versus a body count of 330 VC.

TO: MACV HQ
FROM: Lt Colonel Watson
RE: Enemy Action During Tet

Our base near Ben Tre came under heavy attack by main force VC elements along with infiltrators and ARVN traitors. The attack lasted for around 1 hours and only timely intervention by patrol boat units and Navy SeaWolfs prevented my HQ from being overrun. During the attack General Kao (referred to as Warlord Fat Cat in earlier reports) was successfully evacuated along with his family (wife and 3 mistresses). The evacuation resulted in the destruction of two SEAL teams (3 KIA, 5 WIA, none expected to return to theatre). Actually to be honest it was the overly aggressive nature of the teams as they tried to counter-attack the assassination team sent after Kao. The local ARVN commander Sergeant Lon Than and his HQ team were all killed by ARCN infiltrators. Lon Than's CO Lieutenant Gi has not been seen in weeks. While we managed to hold the base and the bridge over Ben Tre the total breakdown in morale and command around here is becoming epidemic. Neither of our APC crews had full loads of ammo aboard a fact that cost the lives of more than a few good men. I would like to recommend the crews of PBR Hard Times and Lady Luck for posthumous awards, details to follow. You may be receiving reports of US MPs forcing ARVN units to advance over the Ben Tre bridge at gunpoint. This is untrue. The MPs were pinned by enemy fire earlier in the fight and the ARVN squads managed to get to the bridge and begin crossing first sadly the ARVN squads managed to get caught in a crossfire with main force VC on the east side of the bridge and ARVN infiltrators (using M-16s) on the SW side). The ARVN squads took severe casualties re-taking the bridge.

Thank God my tour is nearly up! I'll be back in civilization in 3 weeks.

Godspeed an end to this waste of good men,
Lt Colonel Watson

[scJazz]

Superb scenario WB I loved the tension of being hit from everywhere all at once. The river ran red with blood from the kill pocket I created with arty, air, riverboats, and the 1 infantry MG squad that managed to get into position.

[WBWilder]

Nice, Jazz. Very good AAR in a military sitrep mode. I liked it. I really did.

Its a wild melee and you jumped right into it. Navy Cross for some of those PBR crews.

Damned Seals, too gung-ho for their own good!

My thanks, buddy, for a job well done.

A marginal is something to be proud of.

WB

[scJazz]

Hey WB given any thought to doing some battalion or regiment sized scenarios? I've noticed a tendency for you to create company sized engagements heavy on the infantry. I certainly do enjoy those fights but you seem to do such a good job that I wonder what you could do with a larger setting.

[WBWilder]

Occasionally I do, Jazz. I'm much more into the smaller 1-2 hour play scenarios. Most gamers want that.

But I'm quite up to a battalion sized engagement. In fact look for one this month..Vietnam style.

Wild Bill

[OGBerger]

That was a nutcracker for sure!
Lost my sentries on the east bank within the blink of an eye. Clung to the western shore with a security section and a ARVN Squad brought in by the M113s. They managed to defend the bridge long enough until a Skyraider attacked the VC that tried to cross it. That strike killed most of the ones on the bridge. A section of the bridge was so badly damaged it collapsed and limited the VCs advance to the fords just north of it. But there they were caught by the PBRs. Three of them surived, none without being hit, all having lost one or more crewmen and weapon stations.
However that damn MG Squad that bagged the first PBR now roasts in hell. The ARVN barges and that ship were lost in crossfire from the east bank and that sampans.

Had the two other sentires from HQ deployed south to escort the General back but these ran into some VC squads. However the General (minus most of his family) is save and sound, thanks to the Seals who in a display of bold courage covered his back as he ran. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in doing so.

With the sentries away it was up to the clerks and the HQ staff to keep the VC and that false bastards at bay until they were relieved by the local militia.

Managed a marginal victory and only because that A1 took the bridge down. Lucky coincidence i would guess since most of the VC were still on the eastern shore when it was over.

S!

[Mustang]

Decisive victory, USA 3985 points Vietcong 250 points!

The bridge is the key to the whole scenario. The ARVN camp will have trouble initially with the VC infiltrators, but have numerical superiority and will hold. As for General Kao, get him off to a safe corner of the map and lay down arty smoke or just let him sit there out of sight. The only place where the VC have a chance is getting across the bridge fast and early. I tried to evacuate the east bank garrison because I knew it would be overrun but I wasn't able to. So the APCs were the only people holding the bridge, which they did very well until the PBRs came. After that, it was just PBRs massacring Vietcong as they tried to get across the narrow bridge. Once enough of them died, I ran the APCs (now out of ammo) to secure the east bank objective while helos and PBRs guarded the west bank. The enemy didn't have any AT armament at this point and so wasn't able to stop my APC from taking the east bank.

In other words, hold the bridge, and you win the scenario.