Mission 4: Search. February 15th, 1967
Support Points: 3
Command has credible intel that there is an armored vehicle in our local zone. The squad is being sent to confirm that.
“Okay, boys.” Sergeant West spoke quietly. “Our objective is just over this rise, right in the thick. Corporal, take Strider and Harlin around to the right, we go left, and we’ll meet on the other side.”
The men approach the apparently deserted huts quietly, and without any opposition. Just then, three VC come walking down the road and turn into the huts. So they aren’t deserted anymore.
The jungle is thick here. It’s hard to see clearly for any distance, but Oliver can as least make out the wall of a hut.
Oliver is suddenly attacked from behind! A VC had been hiding in the undergrowth! A short scuffle ensues, ending with the VC lying face down in the grass. The area isn’t as deserted as first thought!
The three VC soldiers are taking up positions near the huts, they may have heard the fight.
Sgt West and Pvt Oliver make their way through the jungle and approach a hut from the rear. They can hear the VC on the other side, but don’t know exactly where they are.
On the right flank, Harlin and Quartermain are moving to the huts, but can’t see anything. But Strider can, he can see one of the VC crouched behind a vehicle and holding an RPG. That’s not good.
He takes cover beside a tree and lines up his grenade launcher for the shot. (Now, if Strider misses the shot there’s a good chance of the grenade going over the hut and landing on West and Oliver. I know that. But there’s no way Strider could know that, so I take the shot with him…)
Boom! The grenade lands on target, blowing the RPG carrier to pieces. Also blowing away the quite of the jungle and any chance there was that the VC didn’t know the Marines were around, and things start popping!
Carter hunch runs to a tree to get a better angle on the huts, and hits a tripwire, snapping a spiked branch into the tree above him. If he hadn’t been crouched….he’s shaken by it.
Bester lines up a shot with his scoped rifle, and drops a VC near the huts. Quartermain drops the other, but doesn’t have to line up anything as his huge roaring M-60 just blankets the area.
A whistling suddenly fills the air. “Incoming!” someone shouts, it’s not clear who in the thick jungle. VC mortar shells start landing right near Harlin and Strider. One after the other, all concentrated.
Strider is shaken by the blasts, but unharmed. Harlin runs for the huts, the shells landing all around him, guns roaring from his comrades, shots splintering bark beside him.
Harlin makes it to the huts and slides to a stop on the loose dirt. “Woah”, he stands for a moment shifting his hat. “Well, that’s an armored vehicle alright.”
Harlin then proceeds to search the tank. It’s unoccupied, and with the state of the interior, it certainly doesn’t work. (I asked “does the tank work”, and my determination dice came up as “No”.)
Quartermain reaches the huts and enters one to search it. Oliver comes around and enters the other hut to search. Hopefully there’s something here to tell them how the VC managed to sneak a tank this deep into the sector.
“Harlin”, Corporal Quartermain barked, stepping back outside. “Pop a red smoke marker on that tank!” Turning to the jungle, he waved to Bester and signed for a strike. Bester tossed a thumbs up and pulled out the radio.
He reaches HQ and calls for an airstrike on an armored target. Gives the coordinates, and that the target is marked by red smoke.
“Standby” the radio crackles. “Negative, no assets available at the moment.”
He’ll have to try again later!
While the Marines are completing their searches, VC soldiers have entered the area behind them.
Carter is on a vigilant overwatch, but he's focused on the huts. A VC moves up behind Carter and shoots him down! Carter is out of action!
More VC soldiers arrive in the area, this time coming up behind Strider.
And still more are moving through the trees from across the road, approaching the huts.
The VC are closing in on the huts, firing as they go, keeping the Marines pinned down beside the tank. That’s kind of a problem with an impending airstrike.
Harlin and Quartermain open up on the jungle. Harlin runs himself out of ammo, while Quartermain keeps blazing away, dropping one of the approaching enemy.
One of the VC spots Strider and rushes him! The fight isn’t won easily, blows are traded back and forth, but eventually Strider manages to get his knife into his enemy.
Quartermain runs from the huts. He sees, and charges, a VC soldier. Unbelievably, the huge Corporal loses the fight and goes down wounded!
Oliver runs from the huts too, trying to escape the airstrike they don’t know is delayed, gunning away at the VC in the trees. He drives him off.
Sergeant West slips into the jungle and takes a VC by surprise, taking him out of the fight.
On the hill above him, Bester makes contact with HQ again, and this time the airstrike request is approved. “It’s on it’s way, coming in hot!”
Strider pulls his pistol and shoots at the remaining VC, driving him back.
Harlin, now reloaded, runs from the huts. He shoots dead a VC hiding in the trees on his way by.
Quartermain stands, wipes the blood from a wound that doesn’t seem to be there anymore, and chops the VC in front of him to pieces with his machine gun. After a moment, he wipes his brow, then turns and runs into the jungle to get his fallen brother, Carter.
The Phantom arrives! Missiles streak from the fighter towards the smoke marked target!
Boom! It’s a hit! The tank is destroyed!
Sergeant West watches the explosion through the trees. "Stuff exploded. Everything's on fire. Guess we're done here."
West and Bester move down from the hilltop to catch the VC in a pincer of fire...
...but Sergeant West doesn’t see the VC soldier coming over the hill behind him…
West is shot and goes down Wounded! Strider sights up and bloops a grenade onto the VC that shot his Sergeant, blowing him away completely.
Harlin crests the hill and shoots down a VC soldier, while Oliver and Strider move towards the evac point.
Quartermain comes over the hill, Carter slung over his shoulder in one hand, his M-60 roaring from the other, and kills a VC.
The VC are almost continuous now! One approaches the fallen Sergeant, and gets a bullet in the head from Bester.
Bester then runs West and helps him up. “I’m good” the Sergeant growls. “It’s fine, get going!”
More VC are coming from the road, closing in on Bester and West.
Still more VC appear from the North, right behind the Marines!
Strider spins around and takes care of them with one shot from his grenade launcher.
Clear enough for the moment, the men safely exit the board.
Mission Success!
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After Action
The squad earned 8RP for this mission.
+7 RP Mission success.
+2 RP 4 confirmed kills out of 17
-0 RP for the Airstrike (Support points paid it)
-1 RP Out of Action Marine (Carter)
26 RP Total
Private Carter – Knocked out. He’s fine for action.
Sergeant Manfred West – KIA. Died from the Wounds he received in combat on this mission.
Private Oliver – Reached his DEROS date. Oliver has returned home to the States with an honorable discharge.
Campaign Events
The mission is so successful that it’s written up in Stars & Stripes. Morale +1.
The Squad is given 4 days R&R.
Private Deke Dent is assigned as a replacement for the departing Oliver.
Private Rocky Anteries is assigned to the squad due to an understrength status.
Sergeant Glenn O’Mally is assigned to lead the squad as a result of Sgt West’s death.
Sergeant O’Mally requests, and receives, a Corpsman for the squad. HM3 Mycroft Brackett.
The arrival of Pvt Dent has had a negative effect on squad moral, due to his motivation for joining up being one of Ambition. It conflicts with the Patriotic motivation the majority of the squad has. Morale -1.
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I love this game.
This particular jungle set-up was absolutely awesome, or a complete nightmare, depending on your view.
It looked great, and it provided a “real” jungle feel as far as line of sight and distances. But it was also extraordinarily difficult for ME to see what the figures could see!
I made extensive use of my little plastic periscopes, my phone, and especially my endoscopic camera!
That was the only way to get in there and see what could be seen. I love that thing!
This is a photo taken from the app. The photo resolution isn’t great, but resolution on the live camera is.
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