Historical Theatre of Operation: Locations

[Pyros]

Stephane (or anyone else who is interested),

Could you please make a selection of 10 historical battles/operations of the 1st CAV division in order to form the historical ToOs?

If you could add some description/location and little info for each battle/operation it would be great!

I hope next week we could make an early selection of the historical battles/operations for the campaign and then we may use this selection as the backbone of the campaign.
Then we will add other fictional battle in between and we should start the designing of the appropriate chapters.

In each ToO, we will include 1-3 Historical chapters (probably connected) and a couple of fictional chapters for mission diversity.

So,
1. First we choose the Historical battles/operations and this way we define the campaign ToOs.
2. We design/define the historical chapters (inside the ToOs) and we try to add a couple (or more) fictional chapters in a novel type of history (we have to respect campaign connectivity)
3 Then, we should describe exactly the type of mission in each chapter.
4. Then, according to the number of ToOs and the nature of historical chapters we should decide the evolution of the core force (very difficult and critical activity).
As a general rule you should respect that the early missions should be design for a light core force, while the late missions should be designed for a quite big core force.
Of course we may achieve equilibrium and balance in the early missions by adding AUX friendly units.

Critical activity
But for the moment we should focus on the formation of the ToOs and then in the writing of exciting campaign scenery with a lot of "up and down".

Cheers,
Pyros

p.s I think you may find in the 1st CAV DIV thread a lot of historical info for the dates and types of battles/missions.

[Boonierat]

I'm doing it right now, should be ready when you're coming back from vacation.

[Boonierat]

Here's the first part of what I did (first two ToOs), tell me if that's what you have in mind:

Steming the NVA: The Ia Drang valley Campaign Sep-Dec. 1965 (ToO#1) [*]Chapter 1, A New Home: the 1st Cav arrives at An Khe
Here we can have some shake down operations to get the player accustomed to his units, for example:
Op. Op.Good Friend II/Sayonara (joint Army/USMC/ROK road security along Route 19 from Qui Nonh to Binh Khe)
Op.Happy Valley I & II (pacification in Vinh Thanh Valley)
Op.Lonesome End (security of the famous Mang Yang Pass)[*]Chapter 2, Plei Me under Siege: Send in the First Team
Here the serious business begins, the Cav must relieve a besieged SF camp and pursue the retreating NVAs:
Op. All the Way with a battle for an NVA field Hospital, an ambush near cambodian border, an battle for a hot LZ etc...[*]Chapter 3, Cavalry Pursuit: Breaking the NVA
Here are the famous battles of the campaign with terrible fightings for LZ X-Ray, Albany and Columbus.

The Coastal Campaign: The 1st Cav in Binh Dinh province Jan-Mar. 1966 (ToO#2) [*]Chapter 4, A Change of Scenery: The Coastal Sands
Operation Masher/White Wing begins here, the largest search and destroy operation to date with US (1st Cav), ROK (Capital Div) and ARVN (22nd Division) units aimed at breaking the NVA and VC grip on the populous Binh Dinh province north of Qui Nonh. We can have such missions as an Air Assault on a fortified Village (Cu Nghi), the rescue of a downed Chinook, etc...[*]Chapter 5, Into the Valley: Clearing the An Lao
Here Operation White Wing leaves the coast with the 1st Cav entering the feared An Lao valley NW of Bong Son and evacuating its population.[*]Chapter 6, Striking South: Battle of the Kim Son
Continuing Operation White Wing, the cav assaults another NVA stronghold, the Kim Son valley (aka the Crow's Foot). Here we can have pretty tough battles vs NVA bunker complexes and B-52s arc light raids!

[narwan]

Looks good Boonierat!

[Listy]

well I posted else where, and to me this seems almost tlaior made for Paltoon then Company then battlion style you want:

Details: (P29)
Left Charlston on Aug 16th on the transport ship USNS Maurice Rose
Arived Qui Nhon mid september

Joined up with advanced party who with the help of the 101 Airborne had secured an area of scrub jungle.
Rougth discription:
North of An Khe, 42 miles west of Qui Nhon.
On east side, an old airstrip with ahree story building on the NW side of the airstrip.

When complete the base:
12 mile long, 100 yard wide defense parimiter. Able to hold the divisions fixed and rotory wing assests. no permamant structures apart form bunkers.
battlions take turns in holding parimter, running patrols and setting OP's.
During the first few weeks a few light probes from VC.
Sniper activety on patrols.
Another battlions mascot (A mule) KIA.


1st Barigade's fight:

Hosptial fight: Nov 1 (P32)
Searching for the NVA who attacked Plei Mei SF base and ambushed the ARVAN relief coloum.
aprox 12 enemy spotted by Air-scout's fired on and scattered.
Moments later another group of NVA spotted, Troops landed on the ground (I Guess about coy strength). leading to the capture of a NVA feild hospital. total enemy KIA 15, POW 44.
That afternoon NVA counter attack, 4 hours later 1x battlion flown in. Estimated enemy KIA 250.

Trail Ambush, Nov 3, (P33)
3 platoon sized ambushes set around the Ia drang River trail.
1 Plt on trial other two set 1 mile to the north.
An NVA coloum appraoches and stops about 120 yards south for rest break shortly after 2100 they move through the ambush site. The Troopers let the coloum pass but when the HW coy arrives they attack with claymores.
Then all troops fall back to LZ for pick up.where they are counter attacked by the NVA. 1 coy is flown in to renforce the troops.
NVA strength 1x Rifle Coy, 1x Heavy weapons Coy.


3rd brigades fight

12 nov. 2323
The brigade's HQ, Avation fuel store and engineer facitlites are attacked, a 1 hour battle follows in which the VC are driven off.

LZ X-ray
LZ Albanay
LZ Falcon

[Pyros]

Listy & Stephane good work!

You may post your proposal and then we will make a joined list.

For the moment a list of events with the method that Stephane is using is perfect.

From what I read, Listy is making almost a tactical analysis of the missions that Stephane has included.
This will be very useful in the next phase.

Keep up the good work!

cheers,
Pyros

[Boonierat]

Here's my proposal for ToO and Chapters, it's pretty flexible and we can easily squeeze any ideas you guys have for scenarios in here:

Steming the NVA: The Ia Drang valley Campaign Sep-Dec. 1965 (ToO#1) [*]Chapter 1, A New Home: The 1st Cav Arrives at An Khe
Here we can have some shake down operations to get the player accustomed to his units, for example:
Op. Op.Good Friend II/Sayonara (joint Army/USMC/ROK road security along Route 19 from Qui Nonh to Binh Khe)
Op.Happy Valley I & II (pacification in Vinh Thanh Valley)
Op.Lonesome End (security of the famous Mang Yang Pass)[*]Chapter 2, Plei Me under Siege: Send in the First Team
Here the serious business begins, the Cav must relieve a besieged SF camp and pursue the retreating NVAs:
Op. All the Way with a battle for an NVA field Hospital, an ambush near cambodian border, an battle for a hot LZ etc...[*]Chapter 3, Cavalry Pursuit: Breaking the NVA
Here are the famous battles of the campaign with terrible fightings for LZ X-Ray, Albany and Columbus.

The Coastal Campaign: The 1st Cav in Binh Dinh province Jan-Mar. 1966 (ToO#2)[*]Chapter 4, A Change of Scenery: The Coastal Sands
Operation Masher/White Wing begins here, the largest search and destroy operation to date with US (1st Cav), ROK (Capital Div) and ARVN (22nd Division) units aimed at breaking the NVA and VC grip on the populous Binh Dinh province north of Qui Nonh. We can have such missions as an Air Assault on a fortified Village (Cu Nghi), the rescue of a downed Chinook, etc...[*]Chapter 5, Into the Valley: Clearing the An Lao
Here Operation White Wing leaves the coast with the 1st Cav entering the feared An Lao valley NW of Bong Son and evacuating its population.[*]Chapter 6, Striking South: Battle of the Kim Son
Continuing Operation White Wing, the Cav assaults another NVA stronghold, the Kim Son valley (aka the Crow's Foot). Here we can have pretty tough battles vs NVA bunker complexes and B-52s arc light raids!

Battle on Two Fronts: Screening the Cambodian border and rooting the NVA out of Binh Dinh Mar-Oct. 1966 (ToO#3) [*]Chapter 7, Sustained Pursuit: Binh Dinh Campaign
Here we can squeeze a village battle in the Bong Son plains during Op. David Crockett and the furious battle for LZ Hereford on a ridgeline of the Kim Son valley during Op. Crazy Horse[*]Chapter 8, Old Grounds: Return to the Ia Drang valley
The Cav returns on the cambodian border during Op. Paul Revere II were we can have the battle for LZ Juliet and a classic hilltop battle with dug in NVA bunkers on Hill 534 on the southern portion of the Chu Prong massif

Pacification: Taming Binh Dinh once and for all Oct 66-Jan 68 (ToO#4) [*]Chapter 9, Renewed Campaign: Operations Thayer and Irving
Here we can have the player experience the frustration of Vietnam with a massive airmobile assault in the Kim Son valley which fails to trap the NVA during Op. Thayer I; the battle for Hoa Hoi during Op. Irving (would be fun to have the player realize that Vietnam was the first TV War, it was during this operation that the french TV team of Pierre Schoendorffer accompanied one of the Cav's company to shoot the famous documentary: The Anderson Platoon and which could join the core force as a special civilian unit); and then we can have the terrible fighting for LZ/FSB Bird, where a skytrooper company and two batteries of artillery sustained a massive night ground assault by the NVA during Op; Thayer II[*]Chapter 10, Winning Hearts and Minds: Operation Pershing
During this operation that took most of 1967, the Cav was employed in a role it was ill-suited to play: pacification of an entire province. Search and destroy operations were replaced by countless days of cordon and search, area security, rice denial and population control. Some heavy fighting errupted though to break the monotony, almost always triggered by 1st Sqn, 9th cavalry, the "Cav of the Cav" -100% airmobile reconnaissance Squadron. A few ideas for battles: Battle of the Dam Tra-O lake (June); foray in the I Corps' Song Re valley and the battle for LZ Pat (August) and the week-long battle of Tam Quan where the cav cornered two full battalions of NVA and annihilated them.

Cavalry to the Rescue! Northern I Corps Tet Offensive Campaign Jan-Oct 68 (ToO#5) [*]Chapter 11, Flexible Response: The Battle of Quang Tri
The Cav helps repel the NVA assault on Quang Tri during Tet[*]Chapter 12, Closing the Gate: Hue City
The Cav cuts the NVA supply line into Hue by air-assaulting right in the middle of it at Thon La Chu[*]Chapter 13, Breaking the Siege: Operation Pegasus
The Cav reopens Route 9 to Khe Sanh, lifting a 77-days siege[*]Chapter 14, Cavalry Raid: Into the A Shau
The Cav assaults the NVA A Shau valley sanctuary but meets adverse weather conditions and formidable anti-aircraft defences, Here we can have such missions as securing an old airstrip for air-resupply by C-123s and the uncovering of a huge NVA logistical system with all weather trails, trucks, food and ammos caches and even russian tanks and bulldozers!

The Cav Moves South: Screening Saigon Oct 68-May 1970 (ToO#6) [*]Chapter 15, Area of Operation: Sheridan Sabre
Here we can have the LZ battles like Grant and Carolyn and also some joint operations with the 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment[*]Chapter 16, Area of Operation: Navajo Warhorse
Here the Cav experiements the NavCav concept in the waterways on the Mekong Delta with the US Navy (we can even squeeze a recreation of the battle scene in Apocalypse Now here)

Into the Unknown: Cambodia Incursions May-June 1970 (ToO#7) [*]Chapter 17, Toan Thang: Total Victory
Here the Cav pushes into the NVA cambodian sanctuaries of the Fish Hook area and discovers "The City"

Stand Down and Redeployement: The Final Years July 70-June 72 (ToO#8)
Here we will have to determine how to end the campaign

[Pyros]

Good work Stephane,

For me these ToOs are great.
I don't know what is the opinion of the other people but I think that if anyone wiushes to make an addition or propose a modification should post as quickly as possible his remarks to this thread.

thanks,

[Listy]

no worries there, I'd just include the ones I worked out.

Oh and as a final battle in ToO#1 we could have hte battle for LZ Falcon, as a sort of rest stop for the units coming from LZ Albany and X-ray.

Sort of have hte Units that did pass through eitehr stay and defend the LZ, and have the possibility of takeing more damage, or alow them to retreat and leave Aux forces to deal with the NVA attack.

[Double_Deuce]

Boonierat said:
Here's my proposal for ToO and Chapters, it's pretty flexible and we can easily squeeze any ideas you guys have for scenarios in here:

Thats all you got? Just kidding, looks good to me. I say lets run with it.