THRUSTING CYCLONE is but a memory. Started last week with Nick R. commanding the US forces and Dale H. running the Nationalist Liberation Front forces (VC), the village is relatively intact (being a non-free fire zone) and relatively few civilian casualties.
Sweeping in from the northwest, the US forces began receiving fire from bunkers situated at the village edge and the Americans shifted Mike (2nd) platoon to the northeast with the heavy weapons and the forward observer attached. They began pushing into the village after the 105 mm batteries laid a wall of smoke to ease their crossing of a large open area of dried-up rice patties and fields, penetrating the woods to prepare their assault.
After hitting more bunkers at the western edge of the village, Thunderbolt 6 (the US company commander) radioed back to base and requested some engineers and tunnel rats and paused his assault to await them. Shortly thereafter, a Huey clattered into the open paddies in the northwest and deposited a number of short, skinny soldiers armed with flashlights and .45 automatics and soon their dirty work began.
To the northeast, Mike platoon had encountered initial resistance and luckily for the engineers and their helo, had managed to silence a AAA machine gun that was placed on the edge of the paddies. However, they were struggling with the bunkered VC in their section of the village, taking machine gun fire and mortar fire, temporarily slowing their attack.
Lima platoon concentrated on reducing a bunker on the edge of the village and after searching it for opposition, introduced the tunnel rats into the complex, two security fire teams covering their actions while other teams laid down suppressive fire in the hooches north of their position. The teams to the north poured combined rifle and grenade launcher fire into the forward positioned bunker, located under a hootch, where they had received fire during their advance.
The tunnel rats crept forward, flashlights gleaming in the darkness, finding recent signs of occupation; rice bowls with rice still warm, Nuc Man (fermented fish) sauce bottles and a plethora of documents. They had crept forward past the first junction and taken the south fork when the lead team triggered a booby trap and caused the team to become suppressed. The second team diverted onto the northern fork and encountered a VC fire team and an intense fire fight broke out, forcing the Americans back.
(At this point, play was suspended and we picked it up the following week with Nick commanding Lima platoon and Brian W. taking over Mike Platoon and the machine gun detachment.)
Above ground, Lima commander continued to pour fire into the lead bunker they had spotted when they suddenly realized that it had been several minutes since they had received any fire from that area. They cautiously crept forward, to discover the bunker empty and tunnels leading back toward the river that bisected the village. Since they had eliminated that point of opposition, Lima platoon began to advance through the villages, the tunnel rats beneath matching pace with the platoon above, despite the occasional booby trap.
Mike platoon continued to try and push into the village but were hampered by first a bunkered fire team and, when that was finally driven out and forced to fall back by the pressure of the two machine gun units and the combined fire teams, they encountered another bunkered machine gun. The machine gun teams had difficulty coordinating their fire to suppress the VC position and then the FO had the idea that he could call fire onto the enemy, if they could observe them from a better position. They made an attempt to dash from the tree line into a hootch to get a LOS (line of sight) on the machine gun position when a previously hidden VC fire team opened fire, suppressing the FO team in the open. A further attempt to fire by the VC lost them the initiative and the Americans poured fired into the machine gun and fire team positions.
Two fire teams of Mike platoon became pinned and taking casualties next to the river in a stand of trees and it looked very grim for them, having to call for evac helicopters, both fire teams becoming casualties. Luckily, a friendly fire team came in from behind a hootch and captured the VC forward observer and eliminated the artillery fire by the Viet Cong.
When they realized that their fire support had been compromised and could no longer be called in, the other fire teams and the command element tried to DIDI MAU across the bridge at high speed and out of the village into the jungle. The VC bicycle porters had already made their escape and it looked as if the FO and command element might, too. But they were pinned then suppressed by rifle and machine gun fire from both Lima and Mike platoons, coming from three different directions. The command element ended up being a casualty and was captured by an element of Lima platoon and the FO was captured also. A large trove of documents and a heavy AAA DshK .51 caliber heavy machine gun was also taken, along with numerous small arms. The colonel proved to be very happy with the operation, with only two American fire team casualties and a minimum of suppressions and pins.
Nick and Brian are both figuring out he benefits of Fire Groups and Crossfires itching he rules, especially if the enemy is in woods or bunkers.
Our next operation will be a revenge attack on the American fire base Arkansas on November 15th. Let us know if you want to participate.
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