CSV try III Ian is NLF larry is Allies csv_lgf_v1.0.sce

[devoncop]

Turn 44

VP's drop to +6 to the US (From +9) and EVV rises again to 35 as the US Draft is increased (+1 EVV) and more troops are pulled in.

The NVA MiGs were up last turn and air losses by end of my turn were 9 friendlies and 38 US aircraft hostiles (though some of these were from a curtailed rocket attack at Tuy Hoa airbase...see below)

The intense VC activity in the Delta continues and Vi Lanh was reoccupied by the VC in the area and multiple bridges dropped.

Up in Quang Tri the 1st Marine Division's tanks launched an attack on the NVA 304th and 316th Divisions and the NVA suffered badly though the US tanks also took significant loss losing 19 Patton M48's and 4 M50's.

Battalions of the 1st Marine Div were also the target of heavy shelling as was the 2nd ARVN Divn HQ which lost over 60% of its strength and most of its heavy guns.

Incidently the US 1st Marine Divn must surely be in a bad way by now as it has been almost constantly engaged since the war flared up. It is certainly doing a lot of the heavy lifting !

The rocket attack on the airbase mentioned above started well with 31 F100 Supersabres lost to the US (although only 7 actually destroyed) but the following round they were wiped our by air interdiction before they could resume their mission. Sad times.

I have had to move the NVA Sth Vietnam Army HQ to the bridge down on the trail as the Divisional HQ's don't have much of an engineering capacity. The advantage of this is that the Army HQ also has decent AA capability so it is hoped normal service on the trail can be resumed soon !

[devoncop]

Turn 45

VP's static at +6 to US and EVV increases again to 36.

A heavy shelling of NVA lines evaporates an infantry battalion and more MAF assaults causes heavy casualties on both sides. In response a Korean regiment is decimated by shellfire.

The US 199th Lt Brigade is now apparently operating in the Delta and several VC units in the area are destroyed though others are resisting and new arrivals keep the presence significant. A a combined on rocket and infantry attack on the important Delta city of Con Tho garrisoned by ARVN Militia and the ARVN Army Command is only repelled as a result of heavy US air support and the HQ suffers 50% losses.


In the far west in Phuoc Long Province a full ARVN regiment is attacked and destroyed by a combination of NVA and VC units and An Loc is recaptured again.

The action is definitely now hotting up.

The next monsoon season should be interesting if I can maintain this level of VC activity so the next surge by the VC can add to it. It is difficult to overstate how effective the US Airpower is in rescuing the ARVN out of monsoon season...

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what I Corps looks like now. The NVA and I are probing back and forth and there are artillery duels and I'm

losing more and more arty tubes each turn. Maybe a lot more direct attacks on his arty stacks are in order. I can't reach

him with my ships any longer. I'm going to do a lot more one-dot attacks and let the air power do most of the work for me.

[larryfulkerson]

I've moved a lot of the aircraft to Thailand. I estimate that about 90% of the planes are parked in

Thailand. The VC can't get at them there. The problem is that it's so close to Hanoi that my INT missions

frequently target Hanoi and get into furballs and or attack the AA guns there and that's not a mission I'd like to do

often. And I can't trim the range to exclude Hanoi because then it wouldn't be able to reach anything in-country very far.

So I live with it.

[larryfulkerson]

Ian is so sneaky that he has cut off the flow of supply to a lot of the Delta. I've got to fix that fairly quickly.

He and I are in a battle of the bridges. He drops them and I try to repair them. I can't be everywhere at once and even

with the infusion of the 199th Lt Bde I'm not able to get a handle on the VC attacks. I've started parking

the airmobile units on the bridges and that has cut down the broken bridges a tiny bit.

[devoncop]

Turn 46

A huge turnaround.

Following heavy fighting up in Quang Tri with the NVA and US both losing around 85 Infantry squads along with the results of the VC activity in the south which showed new activity in 5 provinces the VP's now show +8 to the VC (from +6 to the US last turn) but the EEV remains stable at a low 36

The NLF MiGs perform well again in restricting US interdiction and 29 US planes are shot down for the loss of 9 friendlies during the turn.

The main action takes place in the south where the VC go into full conquest mode. The Provincial capitols of Quang Lon,Moc Hoa and Tam Ky are occupied, the latter being taken by the 1st VC Regiment which stormed the city destroying the ARVN 1st Division Regional Force defending it. In addition the ARVN 1st Corps HQ is still under heavy siege in Can Tho and the command team succumbed to rocket fire this turn.

The cutting of supply to the south west part of the Delta took a long time to achieve but I don't expect it to hold but the disruption to the ARVN is welcome.

Up in Quang Tri where I had been seriously considering scrapping the NVA offensive and disbanding the NVA to preserve it for later , the success of the VC persuades me to continue to try and tie up US troops. I just noticed Free World Allies forces receive replacements but do not reconstitute so decided to focus artillery fire on the already depleted Korean 28th Infantry Brigade and eventually it disintegrated...hopefully never to return.

If I can push VP's above +10 then I believe EEV increases by +1 every 2 turns which will help.

I do expect more US troop arrivals from the US given the low EEV at present but for now the morale of the VC has picked up after a difficult few turns.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what Ian did on his turn. His bombardment is nickel and dime-ing me to death. And I see a furball, an NLF furball,

in which three American aircraft units evaporated. And at least one land attack. The broken bridges in the Delta are a

major hassle and there's not nearly enough engineers to fix them all. Things are going downhill for the Allies.

[devoncop]

Turn 47

Current VP's reach +10 to the VC and EEV remains at 36 as the US attacks wipe out several VC battalions though once again at some cost. The US loss penalty is now 11 so even with only two provinces registering new VC activity this turn the VP's managed to edge up from 8 to 10.

This turn it is decided that the NVA need some R and R after months of going toe to toe with US Marines and ARVN regulars in Quant Tri. Covered by Artillery that manages to destroy another Korean Regiment and badly degrade a Marine battalion the NVA pull back away from the US lines.

The MiGs are also put up to cover the withdrawal and In attempting to interdict some NVA movements it seems at least one more US air formation disintegrated after MiG attack.

In contrast the VC offensive is maintained for now and significant areas In the western provinces in particular but also in the Delta are coming under VC influence. No more provincial towns can be taken and no rocket units are available to cause mischief but the aim should be to at least try and hold VP levels stable whilst the NVA rests ready for the next push.

[larryfulkerson]

Ian has pulled his forces back and so I drove into the spots where he had his stuff and converted the hexes and it seems like we're on course for the next monsoon season. That's when Ian likes to do his pushes.

[devoncop]

Turn 48

Predictably with the suspension of hostilities by the NVA save for long range bombardment from Cambodia the VP's go back to just +2 to the VC from +10 last turn aided by the US recapturing the recently lost Provincial Capitals. EEV ticked up again to 37.

Three rocket and mortar battery's arrived for the VC this turn so spent the turn
bombarding ARVN city garrisons before being disbanded because I really want them available for the next big offensive which I am hoping could be a really significant one.

In my turn An Loc changed hands again as did a provincial capital in the Delta though there is no way I am strong enough to hold them yet.

[devoncop]

Turn 49 (January 1969)

As we enter 1969 a brief respite and a period of phoney war. VP's tick up to +3 to the VC and EVV remains stable at 38 as Larry evidently decided against calling up more guys from the US.

Only my MiG's are active and by the end of the VC turn they have notched up over 30 US aircraft for the loss of a single plane as the US tried to up its interdiction.

A few bridges continue to be blown in the Delta and there is a report of light shelling of the ARVN garrison in one of the western provinces from Cambodia but otherwise nothing.......

The next offensive can surely be only days away ?

[devoncop]

Turn 50

A small uptime in VC activity across six provinces sees VP's move back to +6 to the VC and it seems Larry may have called up more reinforcements to face a new offensive as the EVV increases to 39.

This is however a truncated turn as it has bare!y begun before a failed proficiency check brings it to a halt. It remains to be seen what damage the US can do as a result with a number of VC guerrilla units out of position and some political cadres helpless in the field....

In a small plus the MiGs again down multiple US aircraft who continue to focus on interdiction.

[devoncop]

Turn 51

Hopefully a crucial phase of the game begins.

As the turn begins the VP's have increased to +6 to the VC and EVV remains at 39 as the 1969 Offensive begins, for once out of monsoon season. Large numbers of VC battalions are mobilised and there are NVA ground invasions in both Quang Tri (as oreviously) but also into Thua Thien just to the south supported by several VC battalions.

The rationale for the attack out of monsoon season reflects increasing confidence in the NVA MiGs which again destroy almost 40 US planes this turn, but also the improvement in supply that non monsoon conditions bring.

A US Marine battalion acting as a picket in western Thua Thien is eliminated but an attempt to degrade ARVN and US artillery assets that appear to be concentrated in Khe Sahn in Quant Tri sees the NVA come off worst.

For the first time VC units are operating near to Saigon with effect and record numbers of bridges are downed to try and cut off the ARVN garrisons in the Delta.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what I Corps looks like now. The NVA has driven east from the trail to bump up against my screen. I need to reposition my troops to face the threat. This attack comes during a non-monsoon season and represents a braver approach to the game than before. Is this what the erst of the game will be like? If so I need to call up some more troops yet to handle the new circumstances.

[larryfulkerson]

MAG 11 is down to just 1/3 of it's original strength because of rocket attacks. I've started parking a lot of the planes in Thailand and that's cut down on the losses due to rocket attacks but it leaves no room for more planes. Every field is stacked up to the max. I've got an overflow area near Saigon that hardly ever gets a rocket attack, knock on wood. So Saigon and Bien Hoa are for those planes on the map. There's also a few planes parked here and there but not many and they are mostly for special purposes. I've got a Cobra group in the I Drang Valley for an interception platform specific to that area with a range of 75 and he's been doing good work for us there.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm calling in the 1st Infantry Division for the added firepower they have. I'll need them in I Corps

[devoncop]

Turn 52

The Offensive shows an immediate return as VP's hit +10 to the VC with EVV up to 43 as Larry calls up the 1st infantry Division.

The bad news is that the 1st Infantry will outmatch anything the NVA can field so it makes operations in the north much more risky. For now however they are still en route.

In Larry's turn there were repeated air and land attacks on the NVA 174th Regiment in Quang Tri including with battery fire.The 174th are decimated but extract a heavy price with the US losing 26 M48 tanks,14 M50's and 24 fixed wing aircraft plus two Cobra helicopters. As the MiGs again intervened most of these US air losses were again down to the NVA fighters.

The attacks continue across South Vietnam and in Thua Thien elements of the 27th,33rd and 274th NVA Divisions surround and destroy the Marine Amphimious Force artillery and 3rd Battalion of 27th US Marines that were protecting them at Bien Dien. The NVA reach to within 5km of Hue which is empty of a garrison but are unable to reach the city.

Further south the 32nd ARVN Regiment is destroyed in Long An Province and US Marine 3rd Battalion of 187th Regiment evaporates up north at Khe Sahn.

The 44th ARVN Rangers are rocketed and then assaulted by the 3173rd VC battalion in the Delta and also disintegrate.

As the turn ends.....The monsoon arrives to add icing to the cake !

[larryfulkerson]

Ian has been busy in the Delta blowing bridges and capturing province capitals and isolated villages. I've been busy repairing bridges but there's way more to repair yet. I'm trying to keep the road from Saigon leading SW but sappers keep blowing the bridges. I'm going to have to park a garrison on the bridge I guess.

[devoncop]

Turn 53

EVV rises to 44 but VP's fall back slightly to +9 for the VC as the ARVN/US counter attack gets underway. Only two provinces show new VC activity and a number of VC battalions are crushed. There are large numbers of ARVN units now operating in the Delta which is making it very dangerous for the VC to operate.

The NVA artillery in the north manages to disintegrate the 51st ARVN Regiment south of Khe Sahn however and the NVA for the moment are standing their ground in Quang Tri though have pulled back from Thua Thien in the face of superior forces.
The Monsoon continues but the US nevertheless engage in effective interdiction helped by a decision to rest the NVA MiGs.

[devoncop]

Turn 54

EVV = 44.
VP = 9

The counter attacks continue against the VC though there are no moves of note against the NVA in the north.

It seems the US Marines Tank contingent along with the newly arrived 1st Squadron of the 4th Armoured Cavalry from 1st Infantry Division have garrisoned and dug in to Khe Sahn so a decision is made to try and encircle and overwhelm them whilst under cover of the monsoon.

After concentrated bombardment and the encirclement by regular NVA regiments an assault goes in. Over 180 rifle squads are cut down by the Americans in desperate fighting but the NVA prevail and the Americans are wiped out, losing 50 M113 APC's, 20 M50 tanks, 40 M48 tanks and 5 M67's. A famous victory is declared in Hanoi though in truth the strategic situation is little changed.

Down in the South rocket attacks wipe out a US Special Forces unit operating in Chong Thien, and another bridge is blown in Saigon.