Cross Link Scenarios: Timeline/Core army evolution

[Listy]

modified Units:
The UH-1 ARA "Hog"


A huey with a total of 48 2.75 FFAR's used quite extensively in the 1st cavs battles around LZ X-ray, normally taking over from the Tube arty to cover the final approach of the Slicks. Then to provide close air support to the Infantry once on the ground.

Normal Mode of operation was to dump half the rockets carried in one go at an area around the LZ to keep the NVA's heads down while the Slicks unload. Then to use the rest in support of the infantry.

IT was named the Hog because due to the massive weight of the rocket packs it was very sluggish.

To model this accurately I would have preferred to create a separate unit, and weapons in the OOB, but we're not allowed to.

So, to use in a senario:
Get a UH1 Gunship, change all 4 weapon slots to weapon #148 (4x FFAR), and give each weapon 3 rounds of HE ammo. However that doesn't work as good as it could, as It only really suppresses the unit it's aimed at.

On a side note If you need something more fancy for you helicopter gunships:
http://tri.army.mil/LC/CS/csa/aahist2.htm#UH1M
In fact that page seems to cover most Helicopters in the period, even if not in detail.

[Boonierat]

I think the best for a Cav campaign is to build the core force progressively around the 1st Sqn, 9th cavalry, which was the reconnaissace unit of the 1st Cav, a 100% airmobile unit and a concept experimented for the first time in Vietnam. The Squadron had 3 Air Troops, each with a "White" aero-scout platoon (light obs helos like the loach), a "Red" aero-weapons platoon (with hueys and cobras gunships) and a "Blue" aero-rifle platoon with an infantry platoon and transport helos. It had also an Ad Hoc ground troops (Troop D) outfitted with gunjeeps and upgunned 3/4 ton trucks.

[Listy]

Well the recce unit could have a single troop as the advanced party for clearing the an khe area of enemy, with the help of the 101.

[Boonierat]

Here's the TO&E of an Air Cavalry Troop, Vietnam-style (as per Stanton's Vietnam Order of Battle )

-Officers: 14
-Warrant Officers: 33
-Soldiers 147

-.50-cal Machineguns: 7
-7.62mm M-60 Machineguns: 4
-5.56 M16 Rifles: 101
-.45-cal Pistols: 15
-.38-cal Revolvers: 78

-AH-1G Cobras: 9
-OH-6A Loaches: 9
-UH-1B Hogs: 2
-UH-1D Slicks: 6

-2 1/2-ton trucks: 8
-3/4-ton trucks: 6
-1/4-ton utility Vehicles: 3

[Listy]

That's a troop? I'd hate to see what a squadron comprises of..

Of course we've almost certainly running into that age old problem of what I call a troop, isn't what you call a troop...

[Boonierat]

Listy said:
That's a troop? I'd hate to see what a squadron comprises of..

Of course we've almost certainly running into that age old problem of what I call a troop, isn't what you call a troop...

Well a Troop is the Cavalry equivalent of a Company, and a Squadron the equivalent of a Battalion, at least that's what it was in Vietnam

[Pyros]

I think we should exclude the AIR assets (as Core force; only available as AUX reinforcements) until the 2 or 3 ToO.
Now the big question is what we have available to use from the US OOB?

What are our possibilities?

Here is just a first quick proposal (to serve as a base for further discussions)

1 ToO: Ad Hoc ground troops (Troop D) outfitted with gunjeeps and upgunned 3/4 ton trucks
2 ToO: Off-map Divisional Artillery
3 ToO: Divisional Engineers
4, 5, 6 ToOs, any combination of White, Red, Blue
7 ToO: an additional Air Troop
8 ToO: an additional Air Troop (this way the core force will have the strength of a reinforced Air squadrom
9 ToO: Free use of Core force points for alternate history ToO.

What do you think?

cheers,

[Boonierat]

Pyros said:
I think we should exclude the AIR assets (as Core force; only available as AUX reinforcements) until the 2 or 3 ToO.
Now the big question is what we have available to use from the US OOB?

What are our possibilities?

Here is just a first quick proposal (to serve as a base for further discussions)

1 ToO: Ad Hoc ground troops (Troop D) outfitted with gunjeeps and upgunned 3/4 ton trucks
2 ToO: Off-map Divisional Artillery
3 ToO: Divisional Engineers
4, 5, 6 ToOs, any combination of White, Red, Blue
7 ToO: an additional Air Troop
8 ToO: an additional Air Troop (this way the core force will have the strength of a reinforced Air squadrom
9 ToO: Free use of Core force points for alternate history ToO.

What do you think?

cheers,

Well, I'm not sure we should include the ground troop, it will be ill-suited for most of the scenarios, but for the rest I agree, maybe we should start with the aero-rifle platoon (one platoon of infantry, 6 hueys and 2 escort gunships)? we might have problems towards the end of the campaign though, as an Air Cav Squadron is a powerful unit that includes like 27 Cobras, 27 Loaches, 18 hueys, thats a lot of units to move around...

[Listy]

On basic line troops.

There doesn't seem to be anything we could take.
My understanding is that the US Aircav forces had the following gear: 8 men (the load ability of an early huey) with M16's, one M60 and M79. there would have been some M1911 .45's as well.

Nothing in the list comes that close to the above.

Forces available.
1 ToO: 1x infantry troop, raising to a company or battalion in the later stages of this ToO. Of course aloft of the extra troops could conceivably be Aux units from the same battalion.

[Boonierat]

Maybe we shouldn't try to built the core force around actual TO&Es and real untis but let the player built whatever he wishes using Pyros idea of 1-turn missions. We could start with a single infantry platoon, then at the end of each ToO let him chose between several options like an additional infantry platoon, a 105mm battery, a 155mm battery, an Aerial Rocket battery, an aero-scout platoon, an engineer platoon etc....each time adding a platoon or equivalent to his core force so he would end up with roughly two companies, more would be too large to maneuver I think.