Vietnam Combat Operations: Volume 7 - Playtest AAR

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #60[/center][left] [/left][left]The 9th Battalion of the VC Regiment 273 and the 1 Cu Chi Local Force Battalion attack the ARVN Armor and Infantry Schools located in Thu Duc, a suburb of Saigon. The only other unit present is the 61st Independent Artillery Battalion who promptly retreats before the assault. The VC enters Thu Duc and destroys both schools, inflicting more casualties than it takes.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attacks #61[/center][left] [/left][left]The heaviest fighting so far takes place in Bien Hoa when the VC Regiment 274 attempts to breach the perimeter of the Air Base defended by the 3d SPS and the 326th Engineer Battalion. With support from several artillery battalions and the timely arrival of 2-506 Inf from the 101st Airborne Division, the defenders repulse the assault, inflicting heavy losses.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #62[/center][left] [/left][left]Just next to Bien Hoa, the VC Regiment 275, the 274th's sister Regiment, attacks the Long Binh Complex and the basecamp of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Camp Frenzell-Jones, at Ho Nai. The battle is furious, but the VC are repelled with heavy losses.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #63[/center] 
The 401st Sapper Regiment launches an all-out assault on Quang Ngai, headquarters of the 2nd ARVN Division. The defenders, surprised at first, receive some reinforcements and hold their positions, killing scores of VCs.
 [center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #64[/center] 
In Tam Ky, the 5th Battalion, NVA Regiment 21, backed by the D70 LF Battalion, attacks the 6th ARVN Regiment compound. The Southvietnemse suffer here one of their worst defeat, one battalion, 3/6, is even totally destroyed.

[center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #65[/center][left] [/left][left]In Dien Ban, the Headquarters of the 51st ARVN Regiment is attacked by the D72 VC Local Force Battalion and the Q81 LF Company, supported by an NVA mortar battalion. Only the timely arrival of a South Korean Marines battalion restores the situation.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #66[/center][left] [/left][left]In Da Nang, the R20 VC Battalion and the C130 LF Company attack the compound of the ARVN I Corps Headquarters. The I Corps MIKE Force and a USMC MP Battalion rush to the defense, but the VC manages to destroy Boat Division 55 and its 19 PBRs before being repulsed.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #67[/center][left] [/left][left]In Pleiku, the H15 VC Battalion and D408 Sapper Battalion, backed by two Local Force companies, assault the Headquarters of the ARVN II Corps. It takes two ARVN Ranger battalions and the whole II Corps MIKE Force to repell the attackers.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Boonierat]

[center]Attack #68[/center][left] [/left][left]At My Tho, three VC battalions (D261A, D263, D514C) attack the compound of the 7th ARVN Division. Despite the defense of three ARVN battalions backed by the gunships of Troop D, 3/5 Cav, the VC dislodge the Soutvietnamese and occupy the city center.[/left][left] [/left][center][/center]

[Deathtreader]

Hi,

Great AAR!!

I've noticed that even though there hasn't been a lot of airpower make an appearance yet, those that have shown up have not been shot out of the sky by rifle armed targets. This is in stark contrast to Larry's 2 AAR's. Can't help but wonder why.....[&:]
Have you been tinkering?? [;)]

Rob.

[Boonierat]

ORIGINAL: Deathtreader

Hi,

Great AAR!!

I've noticed that even though there hasn't been a lot of airpower make an appearance yet, those that have shown up have not been shot out of the sky by rifle armed targets. This is in stark contrast to Larry's 2 AAR's. Can't help but wonder why.....[&:]
Have you been tinkering?? [;)]

Rob.

I have indeed, and removed AA values from most NVA/VC equipment, couldn't stand watching B-52s getting shot down by VC guerillas anymore [8D]

[Boonierat]

Because of handling errors, I missed a couple of VC attacks:
 [center]Attack #69[/center][center][/center][left]At Thang Binh, a VC sapper Company tried to overrun the RF outpost but the 1-14 Inf, 4th Infantry Division, operating nearby counterattacked and destroyed the Vietcong unit.[/left][left] [/left][center]Attack #70[/center][center][/center][left]Phu Nhon, a small district capital in Pleiku Province was attack but the VC Local Force Company was repulsed with heavy losses.[/left][left] [/left][center]Attack #71[/center][center][/center][left]In the Delta, Phu Vinh, capital of Vinh Binh Province was attacked by the D501 LF Battalion but the defenders from the 9th ARVN Division held their ground.[/left][left] [/left][center]Attack #72[/center][center][/center][left]Finally, the city of Hoi An south of Da Nang was occupied without combat by the V25 VC Battalion. It will be a tough fight for the 2d ROK Marine Brigde to dislodge them.[/left]

[Boonierat]

After the initial wave of attacks (I'm experiencing with a MRPB of 5 in this scenario), Elmer pressed on some of his assaults, here's the most significants:

At Hue, the NVA finally overrunned the Citadel, forcing the remnants of the Hac Bao Company to rout:

[center][/center]

[Boonierat]

At Da Nang, the VC attacked the III MAF Headquarters, forcing it to retreat, and the perimeter of the Air Base and got almost totally wiped out. At Dien Ban and Hoi An on the other hand, he chose to dig in and wait for the allied counterattack:

[center][/center]

[Boonierat]

Farther south at Quang Ngai, he finally succeeded in entering the city, but payed a heavy price:

[center][/center]

[Boonierat]

The PAVN/PLAF made their most significant gains in the Central Highlands. The 24th PAVN Regiment finally conquered Kontum, destroying 2/42, but suffered severe losses. At Pleiku, they also entered the town, badly damaging Troop D, 7/17 Cav sent from Camp Enari to relieve the southvietnamese troops:

[center][/center]

In Ban Me Thuot, the 33rd PAVN Regiment joined force with the local VC and cleared the town, splitting the defenders in two:

[center][/center]

[Boonierat]

In the Saigon area, the helicopters based at Phu Loi Army AF were forced to evacuate the base but the VC didn't press on his attack. Tan Son Nhut finally fell under a concentrated attack from three battalions, and the recapture of the airport will be one of my top priorities:

[center][/center]:

[Boonierat]

Finally in the Mekong Delta the situation remained relatively unchanged. The VC dug in in My Tho and the MRF will have a tough job recapturing the town. To the south at Ben Tre, a last ditch defense from the ARVN stopped three successive attacks:

[center][/center]

[larryfulkerson]

I love it.  Keep these reports coming.  Great AAR.

[Hyding]

Yes thanks for AAR. And all this in the first half of the turn.

As an aside. My father was at Tan Son Nhut during Tet. He told me that one of the reasons the base was defended successfully. The perimeter was shallowly penetrated but the VC never appraoched any built-up areas. He told me there were several companies of ARVN troops to be flown out to a hotspot. When they arrived their destination was closed due to bad weather so they happened to be camped on base waiting for it to clear when the assault on the base started.

I can't recall where else I read of this but I ran across another reference to a battalion+ of ARVN rangers stuck at Tan Son Nhut in this way. This and a very quick lights on rush by a quick reaction force of M113's and a few tanks that were butchered but cut off the initial assualt force from the bulk of the VC force were what saved Tan Son Nhut.

The armored reaction force may or may not be able to reach the base so quickly (following elements were blocked by blown bridges, ambushes, and attacks on their own installations) but does your OOB for Tan Son Nhut included any transient troops on post that were not a regular part of the garrison?