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Joe
Recruit
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 69
Location: London / Antwerp / Lucca (Italy) / Singapore
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 Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:12 pm Post subject: VIETNAM: TET OFFENSIVE 1968 (Joe's Pics) - PART 1 |
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VIETNAM: TET OFFENSIVE 1968 (Joe's Pics) - PART 1
31 Jan 1968
GAME BRIEFING
This 28mm Vietnam wargame was set at the start of the Tet Offensive. The US supply base 242, known as ‘Ft Knox’ and located on the Mekong River, was set up to supply US outposts and fire bases further up river. The US objective was to keep open the three routes of supply to these isolated and vulnerable outposts:
By road – overland trail through jungle
By river – for transporting heavy materials by barge
By air – for med-evac and rapid squad deployment
Far upriver, the isolated US outpost at Chau Phu was running low on ammo. A munitions convoy was dispatched by road to re-supply them. The base at Chau Phu was on high alert following the shooting down of a command huey by an RPG shortly after daybreak. It crashed atop a rocky promontory called Ka Nhang, located a few kilometers south of the camp. Survivors from the crash radioed for emergency med-evac by helicopter.
At the start of the game, the US Army was unaware that the North Vietnamese Army had infiltrated in force along both banks of the Mekong between Ft Knox and Chau Phu. Their first day objective was to cut the supply lines between Ft Knox and its forward bases. Vietnamese positions and moves were plotted off-board, moderated by the umpire (Martin Monks). The North Vietnamese figures were brought on to the table only when a contact between troops occurred.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Tet Offensive was a military campaign conducted between 30 January and 23 September 1968, by forces of the Viet Cong, or National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese army, or People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the United States, and their allies during the Vietnam War. The purpose of the offensive was to strike military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam and to spark a general uprising among the population that would then topple the Saigon government, thus ending the war in a single blow.
The operations are referred to as the Tet Offensive because they began during the early morning hours of 31 January, the day of the most important Vietnamese holiday, Tết Nguyên Äán, which celebrates the first day of the year on a traditional lunar calendar. Both North and South Vietnam announced on national radio broadcasts that there would be a two-day cease-fire in honor of Tết, also called "Spring Festival." In Vietnamese, the offensive is officially called Cuá»™c Tổng tiến công và nổi dáºy năm 1968 ("The General Offensive and Uprising 1968"). The common name is (Xuân) Máºu Thân ("[Spring] Year of the Monkey").
The Vietcong launched a major offensive beginning with a wave of attacks on the morning of 30 January in the I and II Corps Tactical Zones. This early attack did not, however, cause undue alarm or lead to widespread allied defensive measures. When the main communist operation began the next morning, the offensive was countrywide in scope and well coordinated, with more than 80,000 Vietcong troops striking more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the national capital. The offensive was the largest military operation yet conducted by either side up to that point in the war.
The initial Vietcong attacks stunned allied forces and took them by surprise, but most were quickly contained and beaten back, inflicting massive casualties on the communists. The exceptions were the fighting that erupted in the old imperial capital of Huế, where intense fighting lasted for a month, and the continuing struggle around the U.S. combat base at Khe Sanh, where fighting continued for two more months. Although the offensive was a military disaster for Vietcong forces, it had a profound effect on the American administration and shocked the American public, which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the communists were, due to previous defeats, incapable of launching such a massive effort.
Courtesy Wikipedia
Copyright: Public Domain
PHOTO FEATURE
The pics of the game are divided in two parts.
Each part contains 127 pictures with captions.
Part One follows here.
For Part Two, use this link:
http://ilovewargameing.21.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=2139
CREDITS
Figures & vehicles: Ron Ringrose
Terrain & scenery: Ron & Sue Ringrose
Customised figures: Terry Thornton
Umpire: Martin Monks
Photography & Text: Joe Dever
Game played: 25-01-09
001: Ft Knox, looking up river towards Chau Phu (far top left)
002: Helicopter squads receive their briefings
003: The Ft Knox Vehicle Park
004: Air Rescue squad get ready to depart
005: HMG post on roof of base hospital
006: Close-up of a .50 cal on APC
007: ‘Good Morning Vietnam’
008: Ft Knox base hospital
009: Heavy material for the motor barges
010: Ploughing a furrow through the muddy Mekong
011: “Able company, mount up!â€
012: West bank checkpoint
013: “Move out!â€
014: East bank checkpoint
015: ARVN Headquarters
016: 128th Artillery Battery in their fire base atop Hill 103
017: The Hill 103 fire base commands a sweeping view of the Mekong river basin north of Ft Knox.
018: Gills Bar, on the outskirts of Sa Dec village
019: Buddhist monks settlement
020: ARVN HQ & Hill 103
021: Chan Li – the ‘Mr Fix-it’ of Sa Dec village
022: Swift boat ‘Macho’ policing Vietnamese river traffic
023: The Paradise Club – Sa Dec village
024: Sa Dec Bridge (top right)
025: US Army munitions convoy crosses Sa Dec bridge.
026: Swift boat ‘Maverick’ escorting a supply barge
027: “Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmâ€
028: Paddy farmers & US supply barge
029: Ruined temple of Ganesha
030: Supply barge receives word that Charlie is coming!
031: Paddy fields, jungle, Hill 103.
032: Munitions on the move.
033: Fire Base Delta
034: Armoured riverboat (with heli-pad) at Fire Base Delta
035: Innocent peasants… or VC infiltrators?
036: Fire Base Delta catches sight of the munitions convoy
037: Vietnamese junk – river trader or enemy craft?
038: Munitions convoy scout car recce’s ahead.
039: The downed Heuy, ablaze atop Ka Nhang promontory.
040: Swift boat ‘Snoopy’ guards the Xian Xi bridge near the Cambodian border
041: Turn left for Chau Phu
042: The first supply barge reaches Chau Phu
043: Looking south towards Ft Knox from the Xian Xi bridge
044: Remote jungle lagoon
045: Peasant village
046: Nth Vietnamese activity spotted by Chau Phu lookouts.
047: It’s a long way to Ft Knox from here.
048: US Army commander calls in air support
049: Chau Phu province - the lull before the storm
050: Armoured barge steams to intercept suspicious river traffic
051: 1st US Air Cav parked up at Chau Phu base
052: Chau Phu base – field hospital and forward trenches
053: Forward observers with heavy weapon support
054: Chau Phu - front line emplacements
055: Chau Phu – indirect fire support group
056: The river view at Chau Phu
057: Gooks spotted up river
058: Chau Phu field hospital and fire support
059: 1st Air Cav brings in new grunts from Ft Knox
060: Chau Phu heli-pads
061: Chau Phu river watchtower & strong point
062: VC insurgents?
063: The Ka Dheng Bridge
064: Crash site atop Ka Nhang.
065: Saving the injured survivors
066: Fire Base Delta (from west bank of Mekong)
067: From Ka Nhang to Fire Base Delta
068: Armoured supply barge, munitions road convoy in background.
069: The NVA commander sends a runner (in disguise) to activate an insurgent cell hiding in the riverside hut.
070: North face of Hill 103
071: 128th Artillery receive their fire orders
072: Artillery spotters and snipers deployed on Hill 103
073: Ft Knox, from the top of Hill 103
074: Fire support awaits the order to open up on Charlie
075: Chopper crews embarking at Ft Knox
076: US Army bulldozer on East Quay, Ft Knox
077: ARVN deploy to secure their headquarters
078: US Army medics prepare for a busy day
079: 2nd squad prepares to go
080: All quiet on the lower Mekong… for now!
081: A package is delivered at the gate, addressed to the US base commander
082: It’s always party time at the Paradise Club
083: Confucius say: “Eagles may soar… but weasels don't get sucked into military jet engines!â€
084: Mekong water buffalo cooling off.
085: Munitions convoy, infantry support squad
086: Fire Base Delta on full alert
087: Looking north towards Chau Phu from Fire Base Delta
088: Convoy heading north from Sa Dec Bridge.
089: Vietnamese saying: ‘War doesn't determine who is right; war determines who is left’.
090: “I’m gonna save my boys up there on Ka Nhangâ€
091: Insurgent NVA unit activates on west bank of Mekong
092: The choppers are delayed. Revised ETA is now game move 3.
093: The Sa Dec Bridge
094: Two squads of NVA occupy this area, all hidden.
095: NVA forward observers – deployed having themselves been spotted by the Chau Phu watchtower.
096: Wise old village elder, he say: “A day without sunshine is like… nightâ€.
097: Armoured barge gunner
098: Choppers ahoy!
099: Central Mekong river, looking south towards Ft Knox
100: Gill was not amused. War on the doorstep is bad for business.
101: Heuy #1 arrives at Chau Phu
102: Heuy #1 and Chopper 16 look for signs of NVA activity
103: Heuy #2105 arrives from Fire Base Delta to eyeball the crash site.
104: Chopper #16 spots NVA howitzer on jungle track directly below.
105: Army Helicopter 2105 makes radio contact with crash site survivors.
106: Munitions convoy pulls into Fire Base Delta for a brief rest stop.
107: Junk causes a jam at river island, supply barge forced to change course
108: Snipers in position on Hill 103
109: Armoured river support leaves Ft Knox quay
110: Chopper calls in an artillery barrage on the NVA howitzer, sighted in jungle below.
111: Umpire rules that the NVA gun team is sighted and must deploy.
112: Chopper #16 takes hits from small arms fire
113: Chopper #16 bugs out
114: Sa Dec Bridge guard
115: Fire Base Delta troops go to battle stations
116: Hueys converge above Ka Nhang crash site.
117: The January sale is still on at Gill’s Bar
118: Huey #1 makes a tricky landing on top of Ka Nhang
119: Recovery of the crash survivors begins.
120: Swift boat ‘Snoopy’ makes a stop & search
121: Med-evac in progress
122: “Did you hear that?!†The Chau Phu river lookouts start to get mighty jumpy.
123: Change of orders. The 128th are told to stand down… for now.
124: North Vietnamese soldiers break cover and fire on US guards posted at Sa Dec Bridge
125: Junk sails away from Fire Base Delta
126: The 3rd squad gets ready for their air lift to Chau Phu province
127: Ft Knox observer (in helicopter) spots a NVA T-34/85 emerge from the jungle. It is heading towards the Sa Dec Bridge |
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ugley
Joined: 01 Feb 2009
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Joe wrote: | VIETNAM: TET OFFENSIVE 1968 (Joe's Pics) - PART 1
31 Jan 1968
GAME BRIEFING
This 28mm Vietnam wargame was set at the start of the Tet Offensive. The US supply base 242, known as ‘Ft Knox’ and located on the Mekong River, was set up to supply US outposts and fire bases further up river. The US objective was to keep open the three routes of supply to these isolated and vulnerable outposts:
By road – overland trail through jungle
By river – for transporting heavy materials by barge
By air – for med-evac and rapid squad deployment
Far upriver, the isolated US outpost at Chau Phu was running low on ammo. A munitions convoy was dispatched by road to re-supply them. The base at Chau Phu was on high alert following the shooting down of a command huey by an RPG shortly after daybreak. It crashed atop a rocky promontory called Ka Nhang, located a few kilometers south of the camp. Survivors from the crash radioed for emergency med-evac by helicopter.
At the start of the game, the US Army was unaware that the North Vietnamese Army had infiltrated in force along both banks of the Mekong between Ft Knox and Chau Phu. Their first day objective was to cut the supply lines between Ft Knox and its forward bases. Vietnamese positions and moves were plotted off-board, moderated by the umpire (Martin Monks). The North Vietnamese figures were brought on to the table only when a contact between troops occurred.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Tet Offensive was a military campaign conducted between 30 January and 23 September 1968, by forces of the Viet Cong, or National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese army, or People's Army of Vietnam against the forces of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the United States, and their allies during the Vietnam War. The purpose of the offensive was to strike military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam and to spark a general uprising among the population that would then topple the Saigon government, thus ending the war in a single blow.
The operations are referred to as the Tet Offensive because they began during the early morning hours of 31 January, the day of the most important Vietnamese holiday, Tết Nguyên Äán, which celebrates the first day of the year on a traditional lunar calendar. Both North and South Vietnam announced on national radio broadcasts that there would be a two-day cease-fire in honor of Tết, also called "Spring Festival." In Vietnamese, the offensive is officially called Cuá»™c Tổng tiến công và nổi dáºy năm 1968 ("The General Offensive and Uprising 1968"). The common name is (Xuân) Máºu Thân ("[Spring] Year of the Monkey").
The Vietcong launched a major offensive beginning with a wave of attacks on the morning of 30 January in the I and II Corps Tactical Zones. This early attack did not, however, cause undue alarm or lead to widespread allied defensive measures. When the main communist operation began the next morning, the offensive was countrywide in scope and well coordinated, with more than 80,000 Vietcong troops striking more than 100 towns and cities, including 36 of 44 provincial capitals, five of the six autonomous cities, 72 of 245 district towns, and the national capital. The offensive was the largest military operation yet conducted by either side up to that point in the war.
The initial Vietcong attacks stunned allied forces and took them by surprise, but most were quickly contained and beaten back, inflicting massive casualties on the communists. The exceptions were the fighting that erupted in the old imperial capital of Huế, where intense fighting lasted for a month, and the continuing struggle around the U.S. combat base at Khe Sanh, where fighting continued for two more months. Although the offensive was a military disaster for Vietcong forces, it had a profound effect on the American administration and shocked the American public, which had been led to believe by its political and military leaders that the communists were, due to previous defeats, incapable of launching such a massive effort.
Courtesy Wikipedia
Copyright: Public Domain
PHOTO FEATURE
The pics of the game are divided in two parts.
Each part contains 127 pictures with captions.
Part One follows here.
For Part Two, use this link:
http://ilovewargameing.21.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=2139
CREDITS
Figures & vehicles: Ron Ringrose
Terrain & scenery: Ron & Sue Ringrose
Customised figures: Terry Thornton
Umpire: Martin Monks
Photography & Text: Joe Dever
Game played: 25-01-09
001: Ft Knox, looking up river towards Chau Phu (far top left)
002: Helicopter squads receive their briefings
003: The Ft Knox Vehicle Park
004: Air Rescue squad get ready to depart
005: HMG post on roof of base hospital
006: Close-up of a .50 cal on APC
007: ‘Good Morning Vietnam’
008: Ft Knox base hospital
009: Heavy material for the motor barges
010: Ploughing a furrow through the muddy Mekong
011: “Able company, mount up!â€
012: West bank checkpoint
013: “Move out!â€
014: East bank checkpoint
015: ARVN Headquarters
016: 128th Artillery Battery in their fire base atop Hill 103
017: The Hill 103 fire base commands a sweeping view of the Mekong river basin north of Ft Knox.
018: Gills Bar, on the outskirts of Sa Dec village
019: Buddhist monks settlement
020: ARVN HQ & Hill 103
021: Chan Li – the ‘Mr Fix-it’ of Sa Dec village
022: Swift boat ‘Macho’ policing Vietnamese river traffic
023: The Paradise Club – Sa Dec village
024: Sa Dec Bridge (top right)
025: US Army munitions convoy crosses Sa Dec bridge.
026: Swift boat ‘Maverick’ escorting a supply barge
027: “Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmâ€
028: Paddy farmers & US supply barge
029: Ruined temple of Ganesha
030: Supply barge receives word that Charlie is coming!
031: Paddy fields, jungle, Hill 103.
032: Munitions on the move.
033: Fire Base Delta
034: Armoured riverboat (with heli-pad) at Fire Base Delta
035: Innocent peasants… or VC infiltrators?
036: Fire Base Delta catches sight of the munitions convoy
037: Vietnamese junk – river trader or enemy craft?
038: Munitions convoy scout car recce’s ahead.
039: The downed Heuy, ablaze atop Ka Nhang promontory.
040: Swift boat ‘Snoopy’ guards the Xian Xi bridge near the Cambodian border
041: Turn left for Chau Phu
042: The first supply barge reaches Chau Phu
043: Looking south towards Ft Knox from the Xian Xi bridge
044: Remote jungle lagoon
045: Peasant village
046: Nth Vietnamese activity spotted by Chau Phu lookouts.
047: It’s a long way to Ft Knox from here.
048: US Army commander calls in air support
049: Chau Phu province - the lull before the storm
050: Armoured barge steams to intercept suspicious river traffic
051: 1st US Air Cav parked up at Chau Phu base
052: Chau Phu base – field hospital and forward trenches
053: Forward observers with heavy weapon support
054: Chau Phu - front line emplacements
055: Chau Phu – indirect fire support group
056: The river view at Chau Phu
057: Gooks spotted up river
058: Chau Phu field hospital and fire support
059: 1st Air Cav brings in new grunts from Ft Knox
060: Chau Phu heli-pads
061: Chau Phu river watchtower & strong point
062: VC insurgents?
063: The Ka Dheng Bridge
064: Crash site atop Ka Nhang.
065: Saving the injured survivors
066: Fire Base Delta (from west bank of Mekong)
067: From Ka Nhang to Fire Base Delta
068: Armoured supply barge, munitions road convoy in background.
069: The NVA commander sends a runner (in disguise) to activate an insurgent cell hiding in the riverside hut.
070: North face of Hill 103
071: 128th Artillery receive their fire orders
072: Artillery spotters and snipers deployed on Hill 103
073: Ft Knox, from the top of Hill 103
074: Fire support awaits the order to open up on Charlie
075: Chopper crews embarking at Ft Knox
076: US Army bulldozer on East Quay, Ft Knox
077: ARVN deploy to secure their headquarters
078: US Army medics prepare for a busy day
079: 2nd squad prepares to go
080: All quiet on the lower Mekong… for now!
081: A package is delivered at the gate, addressed to the US base commander
082: It’s always party time at the Paradise Club
083: Confucius say: “Eagles may soar… but weasels don't get sucked into military jet engines!â€
084: Mekong water buffalo cooling off.
085: Munitions convoy, infantry support squad
086: Fire Base Delta on full alert
087: Looking north towards Chau Phu from Fire Base Delta
088: Convoy heading north from Sa Dec Bridge.
089: Vietnamese saying: ‘War doesn't determine who is right; war determines who is left’.
090: “I’m gonna save my boys up there on Ka Nhangâ€
091: Insurgent NVA unit activates on west bank of Mekong
092: The choppers are delayed. Revised ETA is now game move 3.
093: The Sa Dec Bridge
094: Two squads of NVA occupy this area, all hidden.
095: NVA forward observers – deployed having themselves been spotted by the Chau Phu watchtower.
096: Wise old village elder, he say: “A day without sunshine is like… nightâ€.
097: Armoured barge gunner
098: Choppers ahoy!
099: Central Mekong river, looking south towards Ft Knox
100: Gill was not amused. War on the doorstep is bad for business.
101: Heuy #1 arrives at Chau Phu
102: Heuy #1 and Chopper 16 look for signs of NVA activity
103: Heuy #2105 arrives from Fire Base Delta to eyeball the crash site.
104: Chopper #16 spots NVA howitzer on jungle track directly below.
105: Army Helicopter 2105 makes radio contact with crash site survivors.
106: Munitions convoy pulls into Fire Base Delta for a brief rest stop.
107: Junk causes a jam at river island, supply barge forced to change course
108: Snipers in position on Hill 103
109: Armoured river support leaves Ft Knox quay
110: Chopper calls in an artillery barrage on the NVA howitzer, sighted in jungle below.
111: Umpire rules that the NVA gun team is sighted and must deploy.
112: Chopper #16 takes hits from small arms fire
113: Chopper #16 bugs out
114: Sa Dec Bridge guard
115: Fire Base Delta troops go to battle stations
116: Hueys converge above Ka Nhang crash site.
117: The January sale is still on at Gill’s Bar
118: Huey #1 makes a tricky landing on top of Ka Nhang
119: Recovery of the crash survivors begins.
120: Swift boat ‘Snoopy’ makes a stop & search
121: Med-evac in progress
122: “Did you hear that?!†The Chau Phu river lookouts start to get mighty jumpy.
123: Change of orders. The 128th are told to stand down… for now.
124: North Vietnamese soldiers break cover and fire on US guards posted at Sa Dec Bridge
125: Junk sails away from Fire Base Delta
126: The 3rd squad gets ready for their air lift to Chau Phu province
127: Ft Knox observer (in helicopter) spots a NVA T-34/85 emerge from the jungle. It is heading towards the Sa Dec Bridge |
gvfgvjuclfds,ddnjdjmd |
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Cacadores
Field Marshal Cacs
Joined: 07 Nov 2007
Posts: 8461
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| Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Is that you lost for words, ugley? 
Thanks for these great pictures and an interesting report, Joe. |
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