1-2-3-4 United States Marine Corp

USMC for Chain of Command NAM

I CORPS Zone 
"The location and terrain of this region made it both strategically important and hard to protect. In the north, I Corps bordered the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separated South Vietnam from its northern enemy and in fact was far from demilitarized. On the west, I Corps abutted Laos and the enemy bases supplied by the Ho Chi Minh Trail. North Vietnamese troops could easily invade the region from either direction, and their long-range artillery could shell northern Quang Tri from the relative safety of North Vietnam and Laos. I Corps covered 10,000 square miles.

The terrain within I Corps favored the enemy. The rugged, jungle-blanketed mountains that cover the western pan of the region hid Communist supply bases and the camps of main force units and facilitated the infiltration of North Vietnamese replacements and reinforcements. East of the mountains, a narrow rolling piedmont quickly gives way to a flat, wet coastal plain much of which is covered by rice paddies and beyond which lie beaches of the South China Sea. Most of the Vietnamese inhabitants of I Corps live in the flatlands, either in the thousands of villages and hamlets interspersed among the rice fields or in the large cities of Hue and Da Nang.

Concealed among the civilians were the enemy's political agents and guerrillas, and from the populated areas the enemy drew recruits and supplies.

An estimated 78,000 enemy troops operated in I Corps. According to allied intelligence, the Communist order of battle included about 49,000 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars, perhaps 6,000 main force Viet Cong (VC), over 12,000 VC guerrillas, and about 11,000 supply and administrative personnel. Almost half of these troops, some 42 infantry and 11 support battalions, were believed to be massed along or near the DMZ, while the second largest concentration-16 combat and 4 support battalions threatened Da Nang in Quang Nam Province...

In January 1970, the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) was responsible for defense of the five northernmost provinces of South Vietnam. Constituting I Corps Tactical Zone (I CTZ), these provinces were from north to south Quang Tri, Thua Thien, Quang Nam, Quang Tin, and Quang Ngai. Marines had operated in these provinces since 1965 and had taken a valiant and costly part in some of the war's heaviest fighting, including the sieges of Con Thien and Khe Sanh and the house-to-house fighting in Hue City."

Courtesy FOX COMPANY 2nd Battalion 9th Marines 3rd Marine Division website
http://www.foxco-2ndbn-9thmarines.com/


U.S.M.C RIFLE PLATOON

The following U.S.M.C list is not definitive but more a guide which can be added to or adjusted.

Refer to the below RAND reports for further details regarding USMC field strength platoons.

http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R818.html
http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R819.html
http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R821.html
http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R823.html

NEW DETAILS EXPLAINED

Team Leaders
Team Leaders command a specific team whether that be a fire team or a support weapons team. They may also be a vehicle commander.
These are present to represent forces with strong JNCO leadership, giving them more flexibility in using the command dice they have.

• Team Leaders are activated on a 2.
• They have 1 initiative point. 
• A team leader can only influence his own team and he must be within unit integrity of them. 
• They only test for leader casualty if their own team suffers a casualty. 
• If their team suffers as many casualties as men in the unit then they are automatically hit. 
• Team leaders that are hit are immediately killed (they do not roll on the leader casualty result).  
• A team leader killed causes a roll on the Bad Think Happens table under Junior Leader wounded.

 60mm Light Mortar Barrage

• This barrage covers a 12 inch square area.

M-79 Blooper

• Activated same as rifle grenade.
• Close range 7-36. Effective range 36"+.
• Fires with 2 dice.  
• Roll for hits as though target is in the open unless target has overhead cover.

3.5" Bazooka

• May only be used when an individual man is commanded by a Leader using a Command Initiative.
• Can target armour, infantry or bunkers.
• AP:11 HE:2 Min 4", range bands of 12" (from 0)
• Limited Ammo - 3

LAW

• May only be used when an individual man is commanded by a Leader using a Command Initiative.
• Can target armour, infantry or bunkers.
• AP: 8. HE: 3         
• Range 4-24", Range bands of 12" (from 0)

106mm Recoiless Rifle

• AP: 16  HE: 5
• Can only be used when the US are defenders and can take entrenchments. (Base Defense)

LVTP5A1

• Armour: 1  Cupola mounted 30cal M1919A4 MG, Average. Capacity: 37

M50A1 Ontos

• Armour:2 AP: 16  HE: 5,  6 x 106mm Recoiless Rifle, Average
• The Ontos, with its six 106mm recoilless rifles, fires an individual round per leader initiative.   Each shot is rolled for individually even when firing a volley to determine the outcome.
• Reloading is time consuming and only occurs at the end of each turn.

M42A1 Duster

• Armour:2 AP:3 HE: 9 Co-Ax MG, Open Topped, Average

M67A2 Zippo

• Armour:8 HE:6 Flame (.50cal included in this), Co-Ax MG, Average

M48 Patton

• Armour:8 AP:11 HE:7, Co-Ax MG, Average 

 

USMC RIFLE PLATOON 1965 - 1971

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Flak Vests
U.S troops ignore the first kill caused by indirect fire weapons and RPGs and convert it to a point of shock.

Medics
A medic may use his activation to remove one point of shock from a unit that he joined.  To do the this, the Medic must join the unit and spend one activated Phase assisting them.
NB: This is in addition to the Medical orderly rules from the main book .

Offensive Support
Once per game a player may use a Chain of Command Dice to call in offensive support.  This represents artillery, Gunship or Air support being called in.
Offensive Support is designed to disrupt the enemy during an attack or to break up an enemies reserves.
Offensive Support will not kill any of your enemy, but it can reflect the disorder it causes in his ranks by disrupting his ability to deploy reserves onto the table.
A Chain of Command dice may be played at the end of a turn in order to have the following effect during the next turn only:
Units and Leaders must roll to deploy onto the table as though no Senior Leader is present with their force. Section 4.3, Deploying onto the Table. This lasts only for the following turn of the game, after that it has no continuing effect.

NB: This is effectively an in game barrage.  It presents an excellent opportunity to deploy your other toys on the table as we mark this by placing an Attack Helicopter or Aircraft near opponents table edge.

PLATOON FORCE RATING:
Regulars Armed with M14: +7
Lose 1 Fireteam: +6
Lose 2 Fireteams: +5
Lose 3 Fireteams: +4

Regulars Armed with M16: +13
Lose 1 Fireteam: +10
Lose 2 Fireteams: +8
Lose 3 Fireteams: +6

Command Dice: 5

Rifle Platoon HQ
1 x 2nd Lieutenant Senior Leader with M14
1 x Platoon Sergeant Senior Leader with M14
1 x Corpsman Medical Orderly
2 x M60 GPMG with 2 crew (attached to squads)

Squads one to three
1 x Sergeant (Squad Leader) Junior Leader with M14
1 Grenadier with M-79 40mm Grenade Launcher and pistol

Fireteam 1
1 x Corporal (Fireteam Leader) with M14
3 Rifleman with M14s

Fireteam 2
1 x Corporal (Fireteam Leader) with M14
3 Rifleman with M14s

Fireteam 3
1 x Corporal (Fireteam Leader) with M14
3 Rifleman with M14s

Options
From 1967 replace M14 rifles with M16A1 assault rifles.

U.S. SUPPORT LIST
Figures in brackets denote max allowed

List 1
Medical Orderly (1)
Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 4 men (2)
Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 4 men (2)
Engineer Demolition Team, 4 men (2)
Minefield (3)
OC (Adjutant) (1)
Barbed Wire (2)
Jeep, no crew
Entrenchments for one Team
LAW (6)

List 2
Roadblock (1)
Pre-Game Barrage (1)
CoC dice (1)
3.5" Rocket Launcher with 3 crew (2)
1 M60 GPMG with 2 crew (1)

List 3
Sniper Team

MMG (M60) on tripod mount, 5 crew (1)
Forward Observer and 60mm Mortar Section (1)
Pioneer Flamethrower Team, 4 men (1)*

List 4
Engineer Section (2 teams) with Junior Leader (1)
Forward Observer and 81mm mortar section (1)

List 5
USMC Regular Squad with Junior Leader (1)
M2HB .50 cal HMG on tripod with 5 crew (1)
LVTP5A1

List 6
M42A1 Duster with Junior Leader

List 7
M67A2 Zippo with Junior Leader

List 8
M50A1 Ontos with Junior Leader (1965 - 1970)

List 9
106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle Team, 4 men off table base defense*
M48 Patton with Junior Leader

The following can only be selected in scenarios where the enemy may take entrenchments or static defences and the USMC are the attackers.
*Pioneer Flamethrower Team, 4 men*
 
Base Defence
Can only be used when the US are defenders and can take entrenchments. 
*106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle Team, 4 men off table base defense*



Next post will feature the NVA.