"Operation Chunky Bandit #" Topic

"I've wanted to do this for a very long time; the problem is, it's Vietnam gaming, but I don't want to stop all my other projects and start a new one, so the simple answer was to combine them. I'm going to play out this project, but put it into the timeline of another, so that I can play what I want AND keep the campaign moving along. So, what am I doing? You've seen the movie "Platoon," right? You know, 'the only man that can kill Bahnes, is Bahnes!" that one. Yeah, I love it, and so this is my wargaming tribute to that amazing movie. I have created a roster of the entire platoon, from Lt Wolfe and SSgt Barnes and Sgt Elias, all the way down to the FNGs, Bob Gardner and Chris Taylor, and I'm going to play out a series of fights in 15mm using them. The problem with the movie is that it only has three real fights in it: the initial night ambush (where Gardner is killed and Tex and Chris wounded), the bunker complex (where the platoon gets its ass ripped), and the final battle where the firebase is overrun. That worked great for the movie, but that's not enough for a wargaming campaign! So I'm going to play the 'real' fights from the movie, and I'm going to add in some 'fictitious' fights that are (hopefully) plausible for the Vietnam-era. So I'm going to start at the start, right there with the night ambush, where SSgt Barnes grabs Doc Sanchez and pieces of Sgt Elias' and Sgt O'Neill's squads, and leads them out. In order to make it more 'wargame interesting,' I'm going to plus up the number of NVA, and having them arriving from more than one direction. I hope you enjoy it! And, if you're interested how this fits in with my campaign, see below.

In the context of South Leon (a democratic, but fictional, country in Africa that is dealing with an insurgency egged on by a malevolent neighbor to the north, called FSNL), the 'Platoon' came ashore during the morning of 27 July 1990, Cuba's response to FSNL's invasion on 24 July 1990. The Platoon entered South Leon via amphibious landing, but there hasn't been much fighting, all the heavy lifting was done by the Airborne troops that parachuted in the previous evening. Once they seized the initiative and began taking ground, the Communist forces in the area immediately began retreating eastwards, towards the capital city of Pendrakenville. The major reason Cuba launched the counter invasion is because they already had a small Task Group in South Leon assisting the government with counterinsurgency operations (TF Razor, an Airborne company, TF Redleg, a Marine company, TF Black, an ODA, a squadron of fighter aircraft, and various support personnel); when the FSNL invaded, they swooped down Route 1 from the north and, with strong support from their own air, invested Pendrakenville. This left the Cuban Task Group cut off, north of the capital city. The Cuban invasion forces are now pushing east from the coast, with the going pretty easy, until they reached Route 1, where the enemy dug in. The Cuban invasion force is now in a holding pattern; they wish to use close air support to pound the FSNL defenders, but the air defense system has proven very effective, and very hard to dislodge. A Cuban Special Operations Task Group (TF 23 and TF Dusty) are currently working on the problem. **NOTE: these games have actually already been played, the last being Operation Chunky Bandit #16, in which the Cubans found and knocked out the enemy air defenses; additionally, TF Black assaulted Hill 114 and took the crest, using it as an OP to call in air support on the enemy defenses, serving as the linchpin to spring the trapped Cuban Task Group in the north free, and to begin the Cuban offensive to re-take Pendrakenville.** The Platoon will be part of this latter group, but right now they are holding in place near the Communist front line along Route 1, waiting for the enemy air defenses to be knocked out so that close air support can be wielded and the offensive can kick off. So, in Cuba Libre time, it is currently 0130 on 1 August 1990, and while holding position during the day, they push out ambush patrols at night…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Great imagination……. love the photography.

How good to see the rockets again. that is a simply brilliant effect.

I feel sorry for the Ailuropoda melanoleuca. He is a long way from home but there seems to be enough bamboo to keep him/her going.

Glad you enjoyed it my good friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Thanks for posting, Tango!

Deadhead – Glad you liked it. The 'ailuropoda melanoleuca' is the byproduct of a by-gone era; once upon a time TMP was haunted by a certain War Panda (and a coyote and a goat-lover, for that matter!). We used to place silly little animals next to our silly little toys as a bit of a joke. I haven't outgrown it ;)

V/R,
Jack

A votre service mon ami!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand