Ambuscade on Highway 2 1967

Finally got some items unpacked and had some time to play a game.  Read an excellent article in WI 286 entitled, "The Hard Ride" By Joe Trevithick and Piers Brand.  It is about US convoy operations in Vietnam.  What better way to test my ambush scenario from "Middle of NoWhere"? Please note I do not have all my terrain unpacked and do not have all my trucks unpacked.  So excuse the german trucks and american halftracks!  They are all trucks for this scenario.  Using my US squad.  We last saw them assaulting LZ Hotel which was posted in August 2010.  (was it that long ago?)


SSgt Davis did not like it one bit.  He was a soldier not a baby sitter.  Guarding a convoy was like being a target.  Still orders were orders and the LT said this stuff was important.  Davis put Sgt Colton's squad up front in teh first 2 trucks.  Colton and his squad weren't very good so if casualties had to be taken it might as well be them.  Davis would follow up the rear with the 113.

Characters

    SSgt Davis   1st sq    Gr III  Meek/Wealth   Dynamic leader
    Sgt Colton    3rd sq   Gr I    cunning/family
    1st sq  +1 morale -2 men 1 MG attached   3rd squad  -1 morale 1 MG attached
    1 jeep with 30cal    1 m113    5 trucks with 2 men each

   Convoy rolling down Highway 2

As they slowed to take a bend in the road near Xuan Loc the silence was shattered and the lead trucked rolled over on fire.   SSgt Davis got his men dismounted and started taking rifle fire from nearby trees across the road just as the second truck in line exploded.  

 

NVA manned RR quickly finds 2 targets!

1st squad stumbles out of the trucks.

Luckly only losing 2

Sgt Colton tried to rally the squad but they started taking automatic weapons fire from the jungleline.  He ordered the dazed men back to the buildings to rally.  Meanwhile the jeep, and other trucks kept moving forward out of the kill zone. 

Unusual for Colton, he rallies half the squad

and the MG.

The M113 found the range to the recoiless rifle and started a steady stream of fire that slowed the blasts from the jungle.  SSgt Davis suppressed the rifle fire facing him and took his squad into the woods to investigate.  Sgt Colton sent his half squad and MG team towards the jungle to supress the automatic fire there. 

Most of 1st squad slugging it out

The jeep and 2 trucks made it off the table.  1 truck took LMG fire from the jungle and was knocked out.  With 3 trucks destroyed and the rest out of the kill zone the VC/NVA broke contact and left the americans in control of the field and very frustrated. 

Short, vicious, frustrating fight.  Hard for the ambushee to win which is why this scenario was not included in Platoon Forward.  But for a suplement on asymetrical warfare this is bread and butter.  3 trucks I would have considered a minor loss except the US caused NO casualties.  Yep, in spite of copious ammunition expended the NVA walked away scot free.  No blood trails today.  

After the battle morale of the 2 squads did not change.  The battalion commander (who does not like the platoon) has pulled 5 men for special guard duty.  The company commander Lt Jaroze ( who use to be the platoon commander) will ofset this by giving the platoon an extra MG team on their next mission.  

For those of you interested in playing the NVA forces rolled up where

1 75mm RR

1 NVA sq  with gr I hesitant leader     1half squad  VC squad semi auto armed -1 morale with gr I leader

1 VC LMG team with Gr II leader

It was fun to finally play a game again  Now to unpack some more stuff!

Enjoy

Joe