Vietnam Game Types

I guess many people only know about the "classic" Vietnam wargame style - a US patrol in the jungle gets ambushed. This is a "Search and Destroy" operation.

However, the more I read  about the war, the more different types of action I have discovered. Here are a number of examples. I have added notes about rules that I use for various types of game.

Search and Destroy

Patrol and ambush OHSW+[1]  (with Ambush [2] ) – “Search and Destroy” sub rules

Platoon and squad sized patrols

Ambush patrol (at night) US forces set up ambush

Advance to Contact

A variation on the "Search and Destroy" theme where the US are being more aggressive and may even have supporting armour.

Can include armour (M113s and M48s)

Xenos Rampant (with Ambush)

Air support

PBR River Patrol

The Patrol Boat River or PBR was a small fast river patrol boat equipped with machine guns and a crew of about 6 men. They patrolled throughout the Mekong River delta.

Street Fighting

Not all fighting in Vietnam was in the jungle. Notably there was substantial street fighting during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

Xenos Rampant

Firebase Defence

The US set up firebases to provide artillery support for their foot patrols. However, these firebases also became targets for attack.

Xenos Rampant  (night fighting and stealth)

Air support

Combat Search and Rescue

A downed pilot or helicopter crew need to be found and extracted. On or more of them maybe injured. In the famous "BAT21" incident a whole battle was fought just to extract one downed pilot.

OHSW+ (with Ambush)

May include helicopter insertion

Air Assault

The classic sequence in "Apocalypse Now" complete with "Ride of the Valkyries" soundtrack. The Landing Zone (LZ) may be "hot" (under fire from VC or NVA) or "cold".

 “We Were Soldiers” (with Ambush)

Tunnel Warfare

The tunnels of Cu Chi. There was quite a bit of fighting underground in the extensive tunnel complexes built by the communists.

 “Search and Destroy” sub rules

Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP)

Small groups of elite US troops searching out VC or NVA operations. Mike Lambo has produced an excellent solitaire game "Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol" based on this subject.

Convoy Attack

The US supply convoys naturally became a target, ripe for ambush as they snaked along mountain roads. In the face of such attacks US troops improvised and created "gun trucks". Normal trucks converted with improvised armour and machine guns. Some 5 ton truck versions even had salvaged M113 hulls placed on the back.

Xenos Rampant

Riverine Action

The US created entire river borne units,  the US Mobile Riverine Force, using modified LCM-8 landing craft. The "monitors" carried heavy guns.

“We Were Soldiers”

Assault against dug in NVA positions

Hamburger Hill

First Indo-China War (1946 - 1954)

The US involvement in Vietnam was actually the second Indo-China War. Substitute French for Americans and there you are. The French troops at this time looked not dissimilar to US troops of WW2  so you could use your WW2 Americans to stand in for the French.

Memoir '44

Notes:

1. OHSW+ is "One Hour Skirmish Wargames" by John Lambshead with my additional rules

2. "Ambush" is my simple system for conducting ambushes.

There's possibly more to add here at some point.