Tactical Distractions: ChelteNam Campaign

HQ has recieved credible intel that Wardaddy and Machine are alive and being held captive on the Western Bank of the Tonle, an area firmly under enemy control. While there is another informant who can provide a more precise location, this informant is currently trapped in a small fishing village NW of Supply Station Oriole - on the enemy side of the river. Evaluating the ways across the river (rejecting helicopter insertion or attempting to force a river crossing at the Psar Krom bridge) 1st Platoon drives up to the supply station and boards patrol boats to move along the river itself.

Contact is at first moderate, but after they disembark and begin to try to secure the village, increasing amounts of local forces converge on their position, eventually bringing in armoured vehicles. The informant provides a roughly one kilometre search area to find the POW camp - an area of high jungle, gorges and cliffs. 1st Platoon calls in airstrikes from F105 Thunderchief and A1 Skyraider close air support aircraft to hammer the northern side of the village across the tributary, and eventually attempt to break contact by moving west into the jungle, but become bogged down within a hundred meters by small groups of Chelt Cong.

Meanwhile, despite the horrific impact of continued exposure to Cheddar and the Wurzels upon their already precarious mental states, Wardaddy and Machine manage to escape their cages and secure limited weapons and ammunition from the camp guards. The other prisoners are too injured to take part in an escape attempt, and so the dynamic duo leave the camp alone to hopefully return with reinforcements after linking up with friendly forces.

They are unaware of their location, but the increasing sound of battle from the north east leads them to believe that danger and the chance for freedom lie in that direction. There are some small skirmishes with roving patrols, and they avoid a large regular NorthChelteNam army roadblock. At one point they collapse with exhaustion, but a friendly local villager brings them around and they are able to continue their escape attempt, finally entering the small river village from the north while 1st Platoon is attempting to exit it to the west.

Fortunately the two groups are able to link up (Tonk and Kent spotting Wardaddy and Machine entering a house just as they are leaving into the jungle) and a helicopter is called in for an emergency extraction, the overlooking SAM site being struck by a flight of F105G with the loss of one aircraft. Fortunately the Jolly Green Giant that arrives has enough capacity - and is heavy enough to shrug off the ground fire it receives, at least enough to get back to friendly territory.

The day's work is not done, and the platoon rearms ready to quickly strike at the POW camp before the prisoners can be moved or worse, executed. Dropping in quickly and close by via Huey (despite accidentally overflying a regular army base and taking significant ground AA fire), the platoon assaults the camp and the prisoners are freed, two having expired in the meantime. The same HH-53 arrives to extract, with the platoon forming a defensive circle until all are able to board and extract successfully.