Some Small Unit Actions - Finally

I know many of you play 28mm platoon(+/-) type games and therefore a lot of the PDF's I have posted here lately were at way too high a level, battalion and higher, so I thought I would throw in this little gem for all the skirmish players.

USMC Small Unit Actions in Vietnam - Summer 1966

There are 9 short stories of platoon(+/-) actions by the USMC in I Corp during summer 1966.

They are very detailed stories right down to grenade throwing, bayonets and fighting with entrenching tools once the ammo was gone.

The second story "Howards Hill" has a full book written about it, Hill 488.  18 men of a Marine Recon company and by the time the NVA Regimental attack was over 6 were dead and the remaining 12 wounded.  The article on Wikipedia claims a "US victory" and it was to a large degree.



Most of the stories include supporting arms from Amtrac's to artillery to gunships and CAS so all the cool toys can be included in the table top games.

There is some insightful and harrowing reading amongst the stories.

For the rule tinkerers amongst us, it is interesting that it seemed due to the difference in average body sizes and the difference between the frag grenades used by the US and the NVA/VC, the US guys could deliver their grenades further than the NVA/VC giving them a distinct advantage when in close combat. Also, there needs to be modifiers when throwing grenades from the top of the hill down versus from the slopes going up and how many bounced right back at them!

All the stories were written by the same guy who was either on the patrols or was in country and interviewed the combatants immediately upon return from the battles.

Enjoy!

Sounds like my kind of book. I truly am a rules tinkerer. Much to the chagrin of some of the guys who have to put up with it. I really l like your info on grenades.

When he wrote FNG, Darby dealt with the higher likelihood of commie dud grenades.

Tom