NVA v ANZAC July 8th 2007, DragonFire Games, Australia
Drew (1500 points NVA) and Ken (1500 points ANZAC's), playing a Free Fire Zone mission, had another memorable and bloody contact with the three allied VC cells nearly rolling the ANZAC right flank while the balance of the ANZAC's were face to face with two full strength NVA platoons. Once again some fine Aussie gunnery and the support from the USN F4 Phantom, with some very well placed napalm, finally broke the Communists spirit and they quickly faded back from whence they had come, the over powering "J".
NVA Patrolling Across The Table, ANZAC's in the background
The ANZAC's, with two sections bolstered with MG's from support company, and the platoon commander anxiously crossing some small crops somehow knowing that the calm was about to break.
A birds eye view of the ANZAC's sweeping across the table heading closer and closer to the NVA. The VC are yet to appear at the top of the picture and the ANZAC's currently feel they have a light encounter in front of them with just one or two NVA squads in the elephant grass.
The ANZAC Company Commander, front right, one of his organic MG section and the mortars from support company took a beating early in the game from some well placed NVA artillery, as the plethora of wound and casualty markers atest.
The bulk of the NVA take to the paddies knowing that they will get a 4+ hard save as they hunker down behind the paddy walls. The NVA Company Commander is in the middle and is well supported by an entire NVA platoon.
The NVA commander had set up the HMG section in the middle of the table in an effort to fight off any intruding air support. However an early napalm strike took out half the section and some other elements in the vacinity. There was also a AA section with two SA-7 Grail to the HMG's right and both times the F4 appeared they got off shots, with one missile getting through each time but luckily the F4 pilots were up to the task and fought through the AA defences, on a roll of 3 and a 4 (how lucky was that), to drop their load of goodies on the NVA.
One NVA squad attempts to enter the ville believing, foolishly, that the ANZAC's hadn't seen them. No such luck. This squad was all but destroyed in the next turn by some well trained ANZAC's.
The right flank of the ANZAC's casually coming up to the patch of elephant grass in which they would be nearly turned by 3 VC cells that popped up on their flank from some well positioned tunnel entrances.
The bait, a small NVA platoon and platoon commander, enticing the ANZAC's to enter the elephant grass so that the VC could shoot and scoot but not before causing considerable damage making two ANZAC section's break. At one stage the ANZAC commander, even though the NVA were hugging the ANZAC's belts, brought the mortars down on the NVA. The incoming did drift slightly but luckily still caused more damage to the NVA than to the ANZAC's. Sounds like Long Tan all over again but in the grass and not in the rubber plantation.
Another great battle using this fantastic rule set. The end didn't come until near the end of turn six in the ANZAC fire fight phase by which time the ANZAC artillery and air support had both taken a considerable toll on the NVA platoon in the paddy field and the 3rd ANZAC platoon managed to extracate itself from the combind NVA/VC ambush causing an equal amount of pain, wounds and casualties on the communist forces as it took itself. The NVA finally failed force morale with more casualty markers than fighting elements on the table.
