VENETIC

AirCav Assault

Laotian Border

21 August 1968

Several hours after the Blue Platoon was wiped out, the AirCav return in force. The advance elements of a company land.

They form part of a platoon that fans out from the LZ and advances towards the cross-border staging post being used to bring NVA into South Vietnam.

They cautiously approach the farthest point of advance of the destroyed Blue Platoon.

And move beyond that point without encountering any VC.

The company commander and his radio men watch from the rear, ready to call in air support at the slightest sign of opposition.

Behind them, two more platoons are being landed at the LZ.

A detachment is sent out to scout ahead on the AirCav company’s left flank.

They encounter VC moving in on them.

The firefight is brief and the AirCav scouts are outgunned.

On the AirCav platoon’s right flank, a squad is moving forward cautiously through the jungle.

Reaching a wide path, another scout detachment is sent across it.

They are already out in the open when they spot a well-concealed bunker.

They receive heavy machine gun fire and are pinned.

Meanwhile, in the centre of the AirCav company’s advance, another squad runs into a second bunker.

They too receive HMG fire, and the lead fireteam is suppressed.

The bunker is hit by return fire from the rest of the squad, but without any effects.

To complicate matters, another bunker with an HMG opens up, and it has a clear field of fire straight up the path that the AirCav squad is on.

Two Cobra gunships are called in to take out the bunkers.

Unfortunately, their approach attracts further fire from AA HMGs up on on the pinnacles overlooking the valley.

Coming from far away, the AA fire is erratic, and the Cobras hover, adjust their sites, and open up with rockets on the pinnacles.

The two AA HMGs are blown away.

In stopping to hover though, the two Cobras have made themselves attractive targets for all the VC concealed in the jungle below. They let loose with volley fire of AK-47s, LMGs and RPGs. An LMG manages to score a catastrophic hit.

Then the second Cobra gunship is also hit by groundfire from another LMG.

One gunship crew manages to survive and they run over to the ruined temple and wait for a rescue party.

On the AirCav company’s right flank, the recon detachment has been gunned down by the first bunker encountered. Some more of the squad moves up and opens fire at it.

The lead stand is pinned, but is soon reinforced by the remainder of the squad and an extended firefight begins, with much erratic shooting on both sides.

In the centre, a platoon is approaching the ruined temple complex.

On the AirCav company’s left flank, a squad advances through the rock formation where its recon element was hit.

Rounding the same corner of a large rock, they too come under heavy fire from the same VC squad.

The squad is wiped out, apart from the squad leader, who is pinned.

On the right flank, the squad engaged in a firefight with the first VC bunker is losing it, but more troopers are coming up to provide support.

The M60 team is hit just as the second squad arrives and opens fire on the bunker, suppressing it.

The squad flanks the bunker, forcing the HMG team inside to surrender.

The two prisoners are led back to the company HQ for questioning.

The advance continues, approaching the stream in the vicinity of the VC staging post.

The stream is crossed but there is still no sign of Charlie.

A second squad crosses the stream.

A third squad crosses the stream and the best part of a platoon advances towards the VC staging point.

Supply shelters are spotted ahead.

An arms and fuel cache.

An adjacent shelter is a radio shack with a map board, and it looks like it has been vacated in a hurry.

The AirCav platoon begins searching for more structures.

They discover a training area.

Leaving the structures to be demolished by those following, the lead squad moves on to the huts spotted from the air.

And runs directly into a concealed 37 mm AA gun, which opens fire on them.

Two stands are killed outright, another is pinned, and another is suppressed.

Undeterred, the remaining members of the squad open fire and destroy the 37 mm AA gun and its crew.

In the centre, the AirCav advance has become stalled at the second two bunkers, which are offering well-bracketed mutual supporting fire to each other.

The survivors of the platoon’s first squad are unable to advance, while the second squad behind them are also forced to take cover, firing ineffectively at the two bunkers.

At the VC staging post, another shelter with fuel drums has been found. These are clearly for refuelling NVA trucks coming down to this crossing point into South Vietnam from the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Moving past the livestock pens, the AirCav company decide to try and outflank the huts and take them from the rear.

A third AA HMG, sited to guard this approach, opens up on them from a lower ledge on the pinnacles.

Their firing is wide though, and the AirCav squad returns fire, hitting them, leaving the AA unit’s commander taking cover high in the rocks.

The troopers move on in an attempt to surround the huts.

Behind them, the supply shelters and the radio shack have been set on fire by other AirCav troopers now moving up to search through the remaining huts.

The training area is torched too.

NVA soldiers appear among the huts and open fire on the squad attempting to surround them.

All but the squad commander are killed.

More NVA soldiers appear on the other side of the staging post and open fire on the second AirCav squad.

Throwing caution to the wind, the third AirCav squad assaults these NVA from their flank.

The assault is disastrous: the whole squad goes down.

Meanwhile, the leader of the leading squad is killed by ongoing fire from the other NVA among the huts.

These NVA advance to reclaim their flank.

In the middle, more NVA are engaged in a firefight with the second AirCav squad.

The NVA advancing to restore their flank then close on this AirCav squad too and it finds itself caught in crossfire.

Worse still, the platoon commander sees more NVA attacking from his rear.

He and his radio man open fire and manage to stall the advance, pinning an RPG team.

The second AirCav squad holds fast and their accurate fire ends up finishing off the NVA holding the centre of the staging post.

Heedless of the NVA on their flank, in a brilliant move, the second AirCav squad then rushes across the path and vanishes into the bushes, escaping the stalled, overly-cautious flanking movement to their right.

Then they move in to support their platoon leader, hitting the NVA firing at him.

They surprise the VC, who take casualties in the ensuring firefight.

At this point, the Red commander had to admit defeat. Although his VC had managed to stall most of the AirCav company, this rogue flanking platoon that had broken through his bunker line had caused mayhem, destroying most of the staging post’s supplies, two AA guns, and killing most of its NVA defenders. Although the AirCav had lost three gunships, a Blue Platoon, and sundry other casualties, there was no question it was all over for the defending force, with this staging post no longer being tenable.