28mm BOLT ACTION: VIETNAM GAME

On Thursday I went to Hugh Wilson’s for our latest 28mm Bolt Action game.   This game is set along the Mekong River in the Vietnam War.  This allowed us to adapt the terrain that Hugh provided for the Don River game. Colin Jack and Dave O’Brien provided most of the figures.  Colin provided the scenario and the Vietnam buildings whilst Hugh Wilson built the excellent terrain.  We used the rules I developed for a Vietnam game last year.   These revise the weapon effects, deal with helicopters and river gunboats.  Campbell Hardie, Dave O’Brien and I commanded the Vietnamese troops and Hugh Wilson, Bart Zynda and Tim Watson the US forces. Colin Jack umpired.   

View from the north bank looking towards the firebase and river squadron base

The NVA and the VC are blockading a US firebase and infiltrating the local villages.  The US players have to defend the firebase, get a relief/supply convoy thru by road to the base, control the river traffic to prevent arms reaching the VC and pacify the villages.   Quite a set of objectives but they have lots of equipment. 

Huey ablaze at the first village

My VC forces were assigned to block the north road, Campbell’s troops were across the river on the south bank and Dave’s troops engaged the firebase.  We had effectively 3 platoons of NVA and VC troops but only a single RPG, RCL, mortar and MMG for immediate support.  Somewhere in distant support of table were 2 T54s and a PT76.  The US players’ plan was to force their relief convoy along the north bank road whilst their heliborne force captured the villages on the south bank.  The brown water squadron would sail to inspect the river traffic and support the operations on the north and south bank.

Lurking RPG takes out the M48

The VC forces lurking near the firebase simply sniped at the base with their mortar hoping to lure a US force out on patrol.  The US air landing at the first village on the south bank proved a desperate enterprise.  The first Huey which landed was knocked out by the 82mm RCL and the survivors of the squad which got out of the wreck were overwhelmed by a VC assault.  The second squad which landed fell victim to 2 ambushing NVA squads.  The supporting Huey Cobra’s rocket pods did cause casualties on the Red forces.   The main action was on the north bank as Bart forced his road column along the narrow track.  The leading M48 tank and M113 both fell victim to my RPG team.  Having eliminated the RPG team the US continued their advance but ambushes and assaults by my 3 infantry squads knocked out a further 6 vehicles.

Monitor inspecting innocent looking junk

At the end of the evening we decided to continue the game with a further relief attempt to be planned by the US forces.  Once again thanks to Suzanne Wilson for the catering on the evening.

All my photos with descriptions at

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill26048/sets/72157643797616734/

Soft transport ablaze on the north bank road