Umpire Eyes Only

Players Do NOT Read Any Further!

NVA forces

Elements of the 270th Independent NVA Regiment
1 9-man infantry squad, 6 armed with AK47's, 1 LPD gunner + loader with SKS, 1 runner detached Exp. 8
1 10-man infantry squad, 8 armed with AK47's, 1 LPD gunner + loader with SKS Exp. 8
1 RPG - 7 team (RPG gunner and loader with SKS) Exp. 8
1 command squad - 3 men with AK - 47's, + 1 radio operator, 1 FO Exp. 9
1 12.7mm HMG with 3 man crew. Exp. 7

Infantry squads will take 5 casualties each before withdrawing. The RPG team will take 1 casualty before withdrawing. The HMG crew will take 2 casualties before withdrawing. The command squad will take 1 casualty before withdrawing (with radio).

NVA support
2 82mm mortars (off board)

nva operational orders

On turn 2 the runner from the 1st NVA squad will leave his starting position and head for the treeline in full view of the America's. If he survives, he will disappear into the treline, fire two shots at the Americans, and flee. His purpose is to lure the Americans into watching the treeline and, if possible get them to attack it instead of the burial mounds.

The defense should give the attackers time to do this before opening up on them, letting the Americans get well into the open terrain. Mortars will begin firing on turn two thereafter. If the command squad is forced to retreat for any reason or is killed, the mortars will continue to blind-fire on their last impact zone for three turns. The mortar fire should be used to harass the Americans into moving forward into the killing zone or going to ground behind a paddy dike. The NVA forward observer knows to look for radios and command sections, and if these stop moving he will direct his rounds there. Otherwise, he will aim at the largest group of slow moving or stationary Americans.

The Infantry squads are in camouflaged bunkers (hard cover, 1/2 expertise to spot); the RPG team is in a weapons pit because of their backblasts (medium cover, 1/2 expertise to spot) and the HMG is also in a weapons pit to allow it to fire at ground and air targets. Given the chance, the AAMG gunners will shoot at aircraft, especially a helicopter, but will cheerfully gun down infantry too.

The burial mounds are earthen barrows approximately 4 - 8 feet high. The NVA have dug bunkers into them; the ref may choose which ones have NVA inside. The raised footpath acts as a paddy dike for cover purposes.

special rules

Terrain: Craters offer light cover to troops sheltering inside them. The rice paddies are dry, but the rice is thigh high and impedes movement by 1/2. U.S. reinforcements will arrive on board 2 + D3 turns after communist fire breaks out. Fire by or at the runner does not count.

Due to heavy demands placed on support elements by other U.S. units engaged at this time, U.S. support may not be called until absolutely necessary (i.e. until heavy concentrations of the enemy have been positively identified). Remember that aircraft and artillery may not be on board at the same time. Truly sadistic GMs can impose a D6 roll after each fire request. On a 5 or 6 the battery is already on a firemission somewhere else. Aircraft become available after turn 5. The Al will arrive 1 turn after being called; the F -4 will arrive 3 turns after being requested.

more notes for gms

after action report

The sweep commenced at 1330 with Lieutenant Smith's Alpha two on the left and Lieutenant Kimball's Alpha three on the right. The Captain moved behind the two platoons with Alpha One in reserve. Alpha two and three were about a hundred yards across the paddies when a grunt from Alpha three spotted a lone NVA sprinting from a burial mound towards the treeline. Lieutenant Kimball was convinced that an NVA ambush waited for them within the treeline and quickened his platoon's pace towards the cover of the burial mounds located in front of the ville. The running soldier had been a lure and the assault line of Alpha three ran straight into the NVA, who were actually deployed among the very same burial mounds that Alpha three was heading for.

The GI's of Alpha Annihilator Two and Three were completely surprised by the NVA ambush and became pinned down behind the dikes of the rice paddy. They were unable to react to the vicious fire from the entrenched NVA machine guns and 82mm mortar fire that was pounding the Americans. As the men in Alpha three scrambled for cover, another assault force of NVA charged out of the treeline on the right, catching Alpha two and three in a crossfire. The Captain detached a squad from Alpha One in a attempt to counter the sudden assault from the right. Lt. Kimball made several attempts to call in an artillery strike, but his transmission was cut off in the confusion.

Completely disorganized; Alpha Company began a withdrawal, the attached FO called down smoke and HE rounds, and two fighters finally began running air strikes on the enemy positions to cover their retreat back to Nhi Ha. The NVA were filled with victorious enthusiasm, not caring who saw them; some were shouting and discharging their weapons while jumping up and down on their bunkers. The final official bodycount was fifty NVA, but the command staff was skeptical of this number because of the inability to gauge the amount of kills attributed to artillery and air strikes. Alpha Annihilator lost 12 men in the action.

reading material

The Magnificent Bastards, Nowlan, Kieth William; Presidio Press, Novato 1994

This book, as well as being a riveting and sometimes harrowing grunt's eye view of the joint USMC and U.S. Army's vicious campaign for Dai Do, is also an excellent source for scenarios for Charlie Company, complete with maps. Players may complain that these scenarios will be too bloody for their characters. They probably are, but they all happened and in 1968 it wasn't lead and pewter miniatures that were being played with.

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