CSV Ian Allies larry NVA csv_v.1.0.sce

[larryfulkerson]

Ian and I are going to switch sides and play the very same scenario again, it's T2 and nothing much is happening. I've moved the RR engineers onto the very first broken rail hex and he's busy repairing rail all the way through Cambodia to the water down south.

I blew some bridges in the delta in T1 and then disbanded the VC units that blew the bridges. I'll eventually manage to bust some bridges nearer Saigon just to see which ARVN units are active. I'm hoping to be able to break a lot of his aircraft too. I've found them to be very vulnerable to rocket / arty fire.

It looks like Ian went for the Early Vietnamization and Economic Aid and he's called in the 1st Marines and the 9th Infantry and of course the 1st Cav. The EVV is already up to at least 15 and I'm going to see what I can do to boost it even higher as soon as I'm in a position to do so. I want to flood the delta with VC's and invade near Plekieu ( spelling ? ) in the Ia Drang area, in the mountains where they will be hardest to get pushed out of position. I'm going to take an entire Division for that little project.

So I'm going to try to take the fight to the entire country.

I notice that Ian didn't call in any aircraft, not even the MAF that usually gets called in when the Marines do. The 1st Cav is airmobile because they have their own lift helicopters but the Marines don't have an organic lift capability and they are going to have to borrow some lift from Saigon's reserve if there is one. Unless Ian doesn't want them airmobile, but what use is a Marine unit if it can't move like the wind, I ask you. The use of lift helicopters is a force multiplier....same for the air power that could have been called in. It's going to be interesting to see how the Marines can operate on foot without much air support.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the supply situation from the northernmost regions at the top and looking south and you can see that the supply situation is poor for most of the map. There's adequate operating supply levels immediately around the supply sources but before you get very far away the supply level drops off fairly fast. That's going to limit the places where I can successfully operate. And there's no easy way to move everybody south. That will have to be postponed until a little later in the war, maybe a year from now when the rail is further south. I wouldn't put it past Ian to try to break my rail where it crosses a river by downing the bridge.

And there's always the chance that he'll violate border limits just to grab one or more of my supply spots. If he coordinates it he can deploy his paratroopers and rangers to all three or four of the supply spots and then hopefully leave the next turn for a total tax of -1 EVV point. And he's got lots of EVV points to play with before it becomes a problem.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the supply situation down south near Saigon. It's early in the war and the supply flow might not have stabilized yet and the numbers might change next turn but I'm guessing it's going to be relatively the same for all the hexes and there's a sweet spot in Cambodia where supply is max and thanks be to the gods that it's on the trail. I'll have to do some research in the old AAR to see approx. how long it took Ian to repair the rail all the way down to Cambodia. I'm guessing about two years of game time.

[larryfulkerson]

The Inventory and Losses dialog says I'm going to be getting a bunch of mechanized stuff about T60 or so and that coincides with the appearance of the Mig-21, the best of the NVN fighters. I used to fly missions into northern Laos on the HCM trail and we used to have an F-4 escort just in case the Mig-21's wanted to play. And I had an SA-7 heat seaking missile shot at me about 01:30 in the morning sometime in September of 1974 from the surburbs of Cholon which is a satillite of Saigon, right up next to Saigon to the north and the flare ejector didn't work. Somebody shot off a flare pistol and the missile followed the flare so we survived. The Col. that was in the pilots seat decided that that was all the missiles we were going to see that night and stayed in orbit over Saigon for another three hours before we landed at Thanh Sonh Nhut to rearm and refuel.

[devoncop]

Turn 2 Allies.

In my attempt to play as the US/ARVN I have decided to try a somewhat radical strategy of letting the ARVN do 90% of the heavy lifting and so have chosen the economic aid and early Vietnamisation theatre optins. This will boost ARVN numbers by 40% over the next 2 years....a time before the VC reach maximum strength.

The issue with the Marine helicopters mentioned by Larry above is cock up rather than conspiracy as I was under the mistaken impression the Marines came with integral heliborne capacity.

The VC turn saw a couple of bridges dropped and one successful and one unsuccessful attack on ARVN militia holding remote regional centres. Mac Ho was captured by a VC battalion but I managed to utilise the ARVN Rangers supported by helicopter gunships to surround and destroy them and regain the 3VP's lost. Unfortunately most of the ARVN remained in reorganisation and the US airpower was still missing so there was little else that could be achieved but to chase down and destroy the unsuccessful VC unit close to Saigon.

The 1st Marine Divn is now in country and the 9th Division is starting to arrive down in the Delta.

[larryfulkerson]

It seems that Ian has called for a lot more formations to be shipped to Vietnam and it's a lot of units. The 3rd Marines, 25th Infantry Regiment, 1st Ait Cav of course, the 3/82 Airborne regiment, and 173rd Airborne. They should all arrive next turn.

[devoncop]

Turn 4 Allies

The VC and NVA are both active with the NVA pushing through Quang Tri asnd taking Con Thien and the VC taking some Regional centres in the deep south. Marines and Air Cav arrive in the nick of time to destroy the VC and recapture the towns but its a hectic start.

The ARVN in the Delta actually perform well and destroy another VC battalion. All told 4 VC units are destroyed and with help from the navy 1 NVA unit is destroyed and another badly damaged.

US bombers have now arrived and also help but they are still very under strength.

VP = +4
EVV= 29

[Hyding]

I'm curious devoncop, which air group did you bring in?

[devoncop]

Hi Hyding

I don't have the game back with me yet but I believe it was SAC.

[devoncop]

Turn 5

The EVV remains stable at 29 and VP's also stable at +4.

The VC get a bit frisky down South taking Chau Phu near the Cambodian border and are surrounded and destroyed by rapid reaction forces in the area. A failed attempt to take another small boony town on the coast fails however which allows the navy to help with the clean up.

US bombers get Intel on Ho Chi Minh trail improvements going on so decide to try and take out some rail engineers to be a nuisance. Relatively successful but no total wipe out sadly.

[larryfulkerson]

It appears that the Allies had themselves a nuclear attack. I'm wondering what this attack is a symptom of if it's not a bug. I'm not sure Ian ordered that attack or not but I suspect not.

[larryfulkerson]

I mis-read the dialog....there were three nuclear attacks. I'm wondering if maybe Ian designated some attacks by aircraft on the carrier and THEN moved the carrier, even just one hex. That will screw up the attacks I've discovered.

[devoncop]

Well done Larry you solved the mystery !

I scheduled attacks from the carrier group before moving it .... If that costs me loads of VP's or has caused you loads of casualties we may need to restart but hopefully it is just a glitch without consequences....

[devoncop]

Turn 7

EVV now 33 so the students have started revolting in Washington. Naturally I order the National Guard out so they don't put people off their apple pie while watching the ABC News.......

VP's however are +10 to the US which is heartening.

The Strategic Bombing Command catches some artillery assets of the NVA in Cambodia and manages to destroy a large proportion.

Two VC are encircled in central South Vietnam but I don't have the immediate forces nearby to wipe them out which is a pain.

The Early Vietnamisation is paying off a bit as more ARVN reinforcements are coming onstream.

[devoncop]

Turn 8

The VC try and break out from the encirclement but are slaughtered. More VC attacks on Con Tho, Cao Lanh, and Chau Phu are made and all fought off though they do capture Phu Loe but this is quickly recaptured.

Strategic bombers destroy a RR unit making trail improvements which was excellent news though I then failed a proficiency test.

EVV is stable on 33
VP's increase again to +14

The number of dropped bridges in the Delta and on the main North South coastal highway is a pain but there are not enough units to defend every bridge.

[larryfulkerson]

Ian has been decimating my AA units in Hanoi and I'm not sure he knows that he's doing that. He may not want to do that. On the other hand he's destroyed all my aircraft as well. I wonder if that's by design.

[devoncop]

Allies turn 9

The NLF take out a couple of weak border units but fail in an assault on Chu Lai thanks to air combat support and are destroyed during my turn.

Strategic bombers make repeated runs at the trail improvements squad now joined by some NVA engineers to repair the bridge I blew. Decent damage is done. Long range artillery manages to cause significant casualties to a large NVA stack West of This Thien including multiple rocket launchers as part of an attempt to blunt a probable invasion in monsoon season.

Another VC unit is discovered by ARVN Rangers in the Delta and destroyed.

EVV is still at 33 and VP's increase to +17

[devoncop]

Allies Turn 10

EVV = 33. .......... VP's = +19

Only a single ARVN Militia unit destroyed by the NLF and relatively subdued VC activity allows VP's to tick up to 19. US artillery manages to wipe out an NVA artillery unit on the Trail West of This Thien.

It is obvious the NVA has gathered ready for an invasion in strength during the monsoon so things are likely to get ugly soon.

In more positive news the fresh ARVN 23rd Division has mustered and seems relatively strong.

[devoncop]

Allies Turn 11

EVV ticks up to 34

VP's fall back 1 to +18 as the VC start to get stroppy, taking An Loc (notoriously vulnerable) and Bo Loc (sp?) in the central jungle areas adjoining Cambodia and also taking Khe Sanh before melting away again.

Khe Sanh and An Loc are retaken without a problem but Bo Loc hangs on.

Xuan Loc was also attacked but this time the garrison hung on.

In reply more air attacks were made on the trail engineers who took significant losses and the bridge on which the engineers were sat west of Thua Thien was dropped again. My intention is to make supply south of Thua Thien difficult so that any NVA activity is concentrated in the north.

[devoncop]

Allies Turn 12

EVV annoyingly increases to 37 (Economic Aid option being partly to blame) but VP's hit a high in this game so far of +21.

Still no monsoon so not sight nor sound of the VC who are remaining under their rocks.

Another Border unit was destroyed in Larry's turn but this time no towns were taken.

I use the pause to continue to target the NVA engineers and also spot a big concentration of VC Cadres on the Trail waiting to mobilise and hit them with strategic bombing. Multiple casualties caused which is gratifying but the bombers are getting tired and some will need a rest. They will need to rest up during the monsoon anyway so they can have a break then.