Marvelous Marvin

ARVN force for Chain of Command NAM.

IV Corps
IV Corps was the southernmost of the four major military and administrative units of South Vietnam in the 1960s and early 1970s. Its headquarters were located at Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. Also known as Military Region 4 (MR 4), IV Corps was the fourth allied tactical combat zone. It consisted of the following provinces: Chau Doc, Kien Phong, Kien Tuong, Hau Nghia, Kien Giang, An Giang, Vinh Long, Dinh Tuong, Long An, Chuong Thien, Phong Dinh, Vinh Binh, Kien Hoa, Go Cong, An Xuyen, Bac Lieu, and Ba Xuyen. The 7th and 9th ARVN Divisions (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) played major roles in IV Corps military activities. The United States Ninth Infantry Division operated extensively throughout IV Corps, attacking Vietcong units in their strongholds in the Plain of Reeds, the 
U Minh Forest, and the Seven Mountains areas.

Courtesy www.vietnamwar.net

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
"The South Vietnamese armed forces are criticized for being mediocre troops with untrustworthy leaders. That may have been so in some cases but I believe that most of the South Vietnamese soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines were good troops, led by competent officers who put up a damn fine fight --
until the only friends they had walked out on them".

Courtesy www.vnafmamn.com

This list covers a standard ARVN infantry platoon.

NB: There is not a great deal of information around concerning the ARVN forces.
The following is based on what I have been able to find.


ARVN Rifle Platoon

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)

57 mm Recoilless Rifle

• AP:3  HE:3

90mm Recoilless Rifle

• AP: 14 HE: 4
• Can only be used when the ARVN are defenders and can take entrenchments. (Base Defense)

106mm Recoilless Rifle

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

M113

• Armour: 2, 50cal M2HB MG Flexible on cupola mount, Fast, Capacity: 13

M113 with M74 twin-MG turret

• Armour: 2, turret mounting twin .30 cal machine guns, Two 7.62mm M60 light machine guns pintle mounted with gun shields.  Fast.
• Twin machine guns count as mounted MMG firing at 1.5 times effect.

M113 ACAV

• Armour: 2, Hatch armor and gun shield for mounted 50cal M2HB machine gun, Two 7.62mm M60 light machine guns pintle mounted with gun shields.

M41 Walker Bulldog

• Armour:3 AP:4 HE:5, Co-Ax MG, Fast.

ARVN RIFLE PLATOON 1965 - 1971

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
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 Before 1968: -3
Regulars From 1968: +0 
Command Dice: 5
 
Green Before 1968:  -7
Green After 1968: -5 
Command Dice: 4 + 1 additional different coloured dice counting any 5 or 6 rolled only and ignoring any 1-4 rolled.

Before 1968
Rifle Platoon HQ
1 x 2nd Lieutenant, Senior Leader with SMG
1 x Platoon Sergeant, Junior Leader with SMG

Rifle Squad x 3
1 x Sergeant, Junior Leader with SMG

BAR Team
1 x BAR with 2 crew
1 x Rifleman with M1 or M2

Rifle Team
1 x Corporal, Team Leader with M1 or M2
3 x Rifleman with M1 or M2



From 1968
Rifle Platoon HQ
1 x 2nd Lieutenant, Senior Leader with M16
1 x Platoon Sergeant, Junior Leader with M16

Rifle Squad x 3
1 x Sergeant, Junior Leader with M16

Fire Team 1
1 x Grenadier, M-79
2 x Rifleman with M16

Fire Team 2
1 x Corporal, Team Leader with M16
3 x Rifleman with M16

ARVN 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 (From 1969) (6)

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

List 3
Sniper Team
57 mm Recoilless Rifle team, 5 men (1)
M1919A6 MMG with 4 crew (Before 1968) (2)
M-60 MMG with 3 crew (From1968) (2)
Pioneer Flamethrower Team, 4 men (1)*
Forward Observer and 60mm Mortar Section (1)

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

List 5
ARVN Regular Squad with Junior Leader (1)
M113

List 7
M41 Walker Bulldog with Junior Leader

List 8
90mm Recoilless Rifle with 3 crew, base defense*
M113 with M74 twin-MG turret,  Driver two crew for m60s and Junior leader.
M113 ACAV with Driver two crew for m60s and Junior leader.

List 9
106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle Team with 4 crew, base defense*


The following can only be selected in scenarios where the enemy may take entrenchments or static defences and the ARVN are the attackers.
*Pioneer Flamethrower Team, 4 men*

Base Defence
Can only be used when the ARVN are defenders and can take entrenchments.
*90mm Recoilless Rifle with 3 crew 
*106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle Team with 4 crew