Grab Them by the Belt Buckle

Viet Cong Main Force for Chain of Command NAM

VC FORCES EXPLAINED

VC Mainforce Regulars
Known as 'hard hats' since they wore the ubiquitous pith helmet, these forces operated and were organised along traditional military lines. Organised into battalions consisting of 3 Rifle Company's and a Combat Support Company these troops were, on the whole, well trained, aggressive and well led.
On larger operations they could be organised and deployed as regiments of 2-3 battalions.

VC Mainforce Regional Guerrillas
The Mainforce Regional units of the Vietcong more often than not operated as independent companies but often split up and dispersed into platoons, squads and cells. These soldiers were fulltimers and were better equipped and trained than the local guerrillas. The personnel of these units were often local to the area in which they served.
Generally these units operated within their home region and fought as fully formed units.

VC Local Guerrillas
These were the archetypal 'farmers by day, soldiers by night', comprising those either too old or too young to fight in the regular VC units and dressed as local peasant farmers.
Whilst their primary activities consisted of intelligence gathering, sniping and emplacing booby traps, these troops were employed in the support of VC Regional and Main Force units operating in their locality as porters, scouts and guides.
Force size was dependent on the size of the local village or hamlet and ranged from a single 3 man cell to a platoon of 3-4 squads. Generally operated at the squad level of 12 men.

Courtesy Grunt Online

The following list covers Main Force Units. 

VC Local Guerillas and smaller scale insurgent style actions will be covered separately.

NEW DETAILS EXPLAINED

RPD

• Treat as Belt Fed LMG

RPG-2

• 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:2 Min 4", range bands of 12" (from 0)
• Min 4", range bands of 12" (from 0-48")
• Limited Ammo - 3

RPG-7

• 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:3 Min 4", range bands of 12" (from 0)
• Limited Ammo - 3

60mm Light Mortar Barrage

• This barrage covers a 12 inch square area.

60mm mortar Team, 3 crew

• Treated the same as Chain of Command main rule book

0.30 Cal MMG in a Bunker

• Tri-Pod Mounted MMG
• Treated as Hard Cover including from above.
• Can be deployed using the rules for Ambushes without requiring the use of a Chain of Command dice.
• May not be selected as a support option in scenarios where the player cannot take entrenchments.

57 mm Recoilless Rifle

• AP:3  HE:3

75 mm Recoilless Rifle

• AP:4  HE:4

POLITICAL CADRE
A Political Cadre is a Senior Leader armed with an SMG.  He may be attached to and influence ANY VC troops in the game, whether from the core platoon or supports.  He counts as one man for morale purposes when considering Shock levels and one man in any Close Combat. A Political Cadre does not fire or crew crewed weapons.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Allows VC  player to either deploy one unit an additional 6” further from a Jump-Off point than would normally be the case OR to move a jump-off point up to 18” in any direction, so long as it is further than 12” from any enemy troops or Jump-Off Point.

MAIN FORCE VC PLATOON 1965 - 1968

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Human Wave
A VC Senior Leader can use all of his Command Initiative to order all the units within his Command Distance that haven’t been activated yet in that Phase, to assault the enemy. Any troops so activated can choose to  move up to 4D6 straight towards their chosen enemy (terrain dependant), each squad dicing for its own movement. They halve their Shock for Movement purposes (rounding up). Any Squad or Squads which gets within 4” from enemy initiates Close Combat. Defenders will count any unit that moved 4D6 as 3D6 for defense purposes.

Hard to Detect
The VC tactics of dispersal, rapid concentration and excellent camouflage mean they are hard to target during their build up. If an opponent takes a pre-game game barrage the VC player will add +1 to their dice when attempting to bring forces onto the table.

Our Land
VC Patrol Markers use 14” as both their move distance and the distance from a friendly Patrol Marker within which they must remain.
Other than this additional 2” they operate as normal Patrol Markers.


PLATOON FORCE RATING:
Regulars Armed with SKS: +2
Regulars Armed with AK47: +4
Command Dice: 5

Green troops Armed with SKS: -4
Green troops Armed with AK47: -2
Command Dice: 4 + 1 additional different coloured dice counting any 5 or 6 rolled only and ignoring any 1-4 rolled.

Rifle Platoon HQ Section
1 x Lieutenant, Senior leader with SKS
1 x Senior Sergeant, Junior leader with SKS

Rifle Squad x 3
1 x Sergeant, Junior leader with SMG or SKS
1 x RPG-2
1 x RPD with 2 crew
5 x Riflemen with SKS

Options
From 1968 Replace SKSs with AK-47s.
From 1968 replace RPG-2 with RPG-7.

VC SUPPORT LIST
Figures in brackets denote max allowed

List 1
Barbed Wire (2)
Entrenchments for one Team

List 2
Roadblock (1)
RPG team, 2 men (1)
Local Knowledge*
CoC dice (1)
Sniper Team

List 3
60mm mortar Team, 3 crew (1)
Forward Observer and 60mm Mortar Section (1)
Political Cadre (1)
0.30 Cal MMG 5 crew (1)
57 mm Recoilless Rifle team, 5 men (1)

List 4
Sapper Penetration Cell* (1)
Green Infantry Squad with Junior Leader (3)
Forward Observer and 82mm mortar section (1)
DSHK 12.7mm HMG (Can be tripod mounted as A/A) with 5 crew (1)
0.30 Cal MMG 5 crew in a Bunker (Hard Cover)  (1)
75 mm Recoilless Rifle team 5 men (1)

List 5
Regular Infantry Squad with Junior Leader (1)


SAPPER PENETRATION CELL*
Can only be selected in scenarios where the enemy may take entrenchments or static defences.
Special Characteristics - Elite and Diehards
4 men, 2 x AK-47, 2 x Wire Cutters, 3 x Bangalore Torpedoes
Team counts as a Mine clearing Team a Wire clearing Team and a Demolition Team

Next cab off the rank the ANZACS.