Operation Hammer. The Battle of Bihn Ba. A Bolt Action Vietnam game. 28mm

Got together for a game of Bolt Action with John and Phil over the weekend. This time we played  using a set of stats modified for the Vietnam War. We played the following scenario that the Australians were involved in.

Operation Hammer also known as the Battle of Bihn Ba was a battle during the Vietnam war  when Australian Forces assaulted the village of Binh Ba to fight a combined force of NVA and Vietcong.
The Australians assaulted the village with armour and helicopter gunships. They managed to clear the village after close quarters house to house fighting.
In the end the Vietcong and NVA suffered heavy loses and the Australians lost one man but there armour did suffer some loses to RPG fire.

You can read about the real battle on this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Binh_Ba


In this game we took a large NVA force with a T55 tank, (There was no NVA armour in the real Battle.) and the Aussies were backed by two Centurion Tanks and four M113 APC's.

Unlike the real thing in our game the Aussies suffered heavy loses but they did mange to complete the task of clearing all Communist Forces from the village, however due to the heavy loses on both sides we called it a draw.

Binh Ba.

The Aussies with a HQ and 4 x 9 Man sections.

The Aussie armour with 4 x M113 APC's...

... and 2 x Centurion Tanks.

The NVA forces moving into the village.

NVA setting up ambush.

NVA HQ.

NVA RPG team.

NVA waiting in ambush.

More NVA waiting in ambush.

The Australian line of departure.

"Contact Front" The NVA open up with an RPG but miss.

making contact, the Aussie APC's move up to open fire.

More NVA wait to spring there ambush.

NVA T55 also waiting for a kill.

The Centurion fires back at the building with the NVA in it that fired, but fails to destroy it.

Having made contact the first section of Aussies de bus from there APC ...

... and move in to try and start clearing the village.

First section engaging building housing an NVA Squad.

The NVA fire an RPG taking out the first APC.

The NVA start to spring there ambush one by one taking out another APC and destroying it forcing the Section on board to bail.

Another APC ambushed is affected forcing the crew to bail after catching fire killing most the Section and one of the HQ members.  It was at this point the Aussies started to take heavy casualties. 

The Australians in heavy contact.

One of the Aussie Centurions taken out by an RPG. 

Another APC lost to an NVA RPG.

What's left of a 9 Man Section tries to take on an NVA Squad.

The battle with the Aussies on the right and the NVA on the left.

Heavy fighting. The Australians ended up loosing all there armour except for one Centurion Tank, mostly to NVA RPG fire.

An NVA Squad assaults what's left of an Aussies Section taking it out. 

The Centurion and T55 face of with each failing to take each other out.

Australian left flank with there armour destroyed.

A destroyed APC burns while an Aussie section moves up covered by a Centurion tank.

The Aussies infantry start to clear the village .

The Aussies start to take the fight to the NVA clearing the village, but at a high cost.

All that was left of the NVA was a squad on the outskirts of the village.. 

... and the T55 tank.