Two Brothers in Vietnam

Started by bigjackmac, 04 January 2021, 04:31:42 AM

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bigjackmac

All,

1230 Local Time
15 July 1966
Ngan Valley, Quang Tri Province, RVN
Operation Hastings

This morning Marine A-4 Skyhawks and F-4 Phantoms pounded LZ Crowe, followed by an artillery barrage, before the CH-46s carrying 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (3/4) descended into the valley and began disgorging their heavily-laden Marines.  The LZ was too small and quickly three Marine helos were down, badly damaged; two collided, and the third hit a tree while trying to avoid the other two.  Even worse, the incidents left two Marines dead and seven more injured, all before the enemy had even fired a shot.

Nevertheless, 3/4 formed up and began setting about its tasks: India Company was charged with holding the LZ's perimeter, while Lima Company marched off to occupy a nearby hill, Hill 200, which it took after some light skirmishing.  Meanwhile, the boys set off with Kilo Company, which was charged with moving south to cross the Ngan River and establish blocking positions for 2/4, which was being lifted into LZ Dove a few klicks to the east and was scheduled to sweep west, into K/3/4 and Hill 200.  As Kilo Company moved south there was a brief firefight as they encountered some lightly-armed North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars performing a rearguard action; when the dust cleared the Marines were hardly prepared for what they found: a building containing a 200-bed hospital, and an ammunition dump containing 1200 rounds of small arms ammunition.  "Hold up," Nik begged.  "How the hell did they get all this stuff down from North Vietnam, and how's it just sitting here, unmolested, like they're not in somebody else's country?  And how many of them must be out there right now if they're comfortable enough to build permanent-ass buildings up here?"

The Marines destroyed all they found and then continued their trek south towards the river.  Kilo Company halted and sent out scouts locate a river crossing, and that's where the squad ran into trouble.


Overview, north is to bottom left.  This is my first attempted rendition of the geography up near the DMZ; lots of hills, cuts, saddles, ravines, heavy forest in the draws, small, shallow rivers, with clumps of bush clinging to the hillsides/hilltops.  It's hard to see here, but there are significant elevations in all four corners of the table, with forested draws at left, top center, right, and bottom center.

The hills are: Hill 110 at top left, Hill 155 at top right, Hill 142 at bottom right, and Hill 160 at bottom left.  The Marines are clustered on the hill in the north (Hill 160, bottom left), while the NVA are clustered on the hill to the south (Hill 155, top right), across the river, though they have pushed a squad north across the river (in the trees at far right bottom, near Hill 142).


A look south from the Marine Command Element's position on Hill 160.  You can see the MG Team at far let, the fireteams in column moving down the hill and up to the river at right, and even some NVA on the far hill, Hill 155.


As the sound of small arms fire reverberates throughout the valley!  The NVA squad near the river crossing (bottom right) opens fire at point-blank range on Nik's 3rd Fireteam (top left)!


And then a rocket comes screaming in from the west!


Sergeant Little (bottom left) tries to assert control: he gets Jackson on the radio to call for support and directs Doc Eakle to move downhill to help 3rd Fireteam's casualties as he fires on Hill 155 with his M-14 and McCaffrey fires his M-79...


The NVA at the base of Hill 155 (left) rally as their MG Team (bottom left) continues dueling with the US MG Team (top right)...


A fierce fight breaks out at point-blank range ont he Marine right, atop Hill 142, trying to drive back the encroaching NVA squad in order to keep 3rd Fireteam (at the river, just off camera to top center) from being overrun.

To see how the fight turns out, please check the blog at:
https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2021/04/two-brothers-fight-19.html

More to come.

V/R,
Jack


Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

FOG IN CHANNEL - EUROPE CUT OFF
Lord Kermit of Birkenhead
Muppet of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021

fsn

Great reports.

Sorry. I should say this more often.

I do look forward to what I am ashamed to say I think of as "the Teddy Bear Wars". 
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Matt J

Great stuff again Jack

Your tables are brilliantly presented  :-bd

Something I hope to emulate myself
2012 Painting Competition - Winner!
2014 Painting Competition - 3 x Winner!
2014 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!
2015 Painting Competition - 2 x Winner!
Beep

bigjackmac

Thank you gentlemen, I greatly appreciate the kind words.

The 'Teddy Bear Wars, eh?  I can dig it ;)

And your tables look great to me, Matt!

V/R,
Jack

Techno II

Great stuff again, Jack !

Cheers - Phil. :)

Ben Waterhouse

This is utterly engrossing, I can't wait for the next instalment of this excellent series!
Arma Pacis Fulcra

bigjackmac

Thanks Phil, and thank you too, Ben, I am humbled.

V/R,
Jack

Techno II

Quote from: Ben Waterhouse on 08 April 2021, 09:05:53 AM
This is utterly engrossing, I can't wait for the next instalment of this excellent series!

Oh..stop encouraging him....He's trying to sell this as a storyboard to Sky.  ;)

Cheers - Phil. :D

bigjackmac

Oh goodness, you're killing me.  I don't know about TV, but I do have some buddies that are trying to get me to turn it into a comic book or something to that effect.  We'll see...

If it does make it onto the big screen, I'll make sure Phil is played by Ian McKellen.

V/R,
Jack

Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

Quote from: bigjackmac on 09 April 2021, 03:15:38 PM

If it does make it onto the big screen, I'll make sure Phil is played by Ian McKellen.

V/R,
Jack

Far far to young for Phil
FOG IN CHANNEL - EUROPE CUT OFF
Lord Kermit of Birkenhead
Muppet of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021

fsn

Ah! But he hasn't aged since the Quickening.

Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

bigjackmac

"Far far to young for Phil"
Fair point, but I was pulling the "I should be played by Brad Pitt" bit ;)

V/R,
Jack

Techno II

Pah !

If they ever make a Judge Dredd movie that features Judge Death, I should be played by the Judge Death actor......At least that'll be a close approximation, build wise. ;)

Cheers - Mr Stick Insect. :)

bigjackmac

All,

2015 Local Time
15 July 1966
Ngan Valley, Quang Tri Province, RVN
Operation Hastings

The boys are with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment (K/3/4), on their first trip up to the DMZ.  They were helo'ed into the area this morning, then found themselves in a sharp firefight trying to cross the Ngan River which saw them repulsed with two Marines badly wounded.  The Company tried twice more to cross the river, but the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars of the 90th Regiment threw them back both times.  Kilo Company then fell back approximately 200 meters to the north and dug in, but the NVA pursued them, harassing with mortars and snipers, and by 1930 Kilo's commander reported to battalion that the company was entirely surrounded.

The squad is tasked with holding a section of the company's perimeter on the northeast side of the hill, and it's gonna be a long night...


Overview, north is up.  The squad's section of the hill is at bottom left, with its highest point in that corner and fingers jutting out to the north (far left) and east (bottom), a steep draw pushing into their center (the cluster of trees at center marks the point where the draw comes together and the hill begins rising to the southwest (bottom left).  There's nothing but trees, grass, and some scattered brush out here.

The Marines are set up thusly: Sergeant Little and his Command Element are in the center bunker, looking down into the draw (left bottom); Danny and the 2nd Fireteam are in reserve, not dug-in, just chilling behind a hedge further up the hill (bottom left), while Nik's 3rd Fireteam is holding down the northern finger (far left) and Cpl Benavides' 1st Fireteam is holding down the southern finger (bottom center).  I didn't put out Claymore or wire because 1) I'm stupid and 2) I wasn't sure how to handle Claymores, afraid of making them too powerful. 

The Marines are currently at 50% (half are sleeping, half are on watch), and they will have off-table arty support, subject to availability rolls.

The NVA are spread across the table from the northwest (top left) to southeast (bottom right), with rifle squads in their assault positions at top left, top center left, center, right bottom, and bottom right, while their mortar and MG teams are positioned atop the knoll at top right.


Another look a the Marine positions, giving you a better idea of the topography (the finger running to the north at far left, the steep draw at top center/right).


Another look to the north, from behind 2nd Fireteam's reserve position.  Nice and lumpy, starting to look like some real terrain ;)  Notice the fall off on the back side of the northern finger, far left.


The NVA cut loose with a B-40 rocket...


And the rocket slams into a bunker, pinning the Marines inside!


The NVA move up the slope of the north finger (left bottom), silencing the Marine machine gun and overunning Nik's bunker!  With the gun out of action the NVA immediately exploit the situation by rushing to the bunker and opening fire on Sergeant Little's command bunker (top right, with 1st Fireteam's bunker visible at top center).

To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2021/04/two-brothers-fight-20.html

More coming soon.

V/R,
Jack