The firefight over the handful of bamboo and wooden huts still rages on in Mines & Men from the Battle Pack Alpha scenario for the Heroes of the Nam module from LNLT.

USMC does win init in Turn 3. They immediately reinforce and immediately seek to resolve the melee. They kill of the strongest squad with ease, bringing massive firepower to bear. The reciprocating attack is not as effective. Success but still locked in the hex and time is a wasting.

Further up the trail the LVTP manoeuvres to get a sight picture on the primary targets. They come under flanking fire before they can turn to bring their marginally stronger armor to bear. However they roll like a rock star and defeat the incoming rounds. As they are under Assault Move orders they then fire back, and shake both units…. I suspect the wise move here was to not fire for the VC! But I felt that the VC had a pretty good shot on the flank… I hate dice!

The VC pass, and the USMC does not! Now that ½ squad opens up with its chunk, chunk, chunking m60.

Tight shooting! Kills the VC and wounds the leader!

Turn four sees a lot of shuffling around and no resolution to the melee with Arnat and her VC.

At the top of next turn we can see that the Melee continues, and the VC control 3 of the huts. Its going to be hard to score all the required points here unless the VC in melee die quickly and we can clear the wire bottom left of screen. Which during the last couple of turns has proved hard to do.

Sgt Ash organizes the men for one more run at the VC, while the LVTP moves position and the rest of the troops close up. Our mortar fire is ineffective.

Turn 6 of seven.

With the fringe huts clear its time for the USMC to hustle.

The final Wire hex it tackled. And men close up. With some losses mounting we have been ‘fortunate’ that the losses were direct kills and not step losses. This as best I can figure means no helo extract required. Denying both sides extra VPs. The melee was very expensive for the USMC but they got the job done.

It’s the final turn.

Ash doubletimes to the village The USMC squad grabs the RPG from the still warm hands of the VC leader Arnat and they close in also. The LVTP props adjacent unbuttoned against the wounded leader and caps his ass. The ½ squad then closes in to secure the huts. Ash charges the last VC unit, melees and wipes it out, capturing the village hex. The final wire hex remains.

Recap.

Despite a lack of useful mortar fire and some long delays via the village huts holding Arnat the USMC prevailed but paid a higher price than I would have preferred. The melee ‘lucky’ rolls on 2:1 really hurt the troops. The forward defense ideas for the VC almost panned out. I think if the Helo wounded retrieval was enacted that would have sucked another squad from the battle and really pressed the USMC to take even more risks. Plus I suspect the VC should have held fire in a number of instances instead of trying to get potshots off. Which would have forced the troops or the vehicles to close adjacent. Another excellent scenario from the Lock’N Load series.