PAVN Divisional Fire Support
(VPABX09)
includes one Divisional Mortar Company with one Command AK47 Assault Rifle team, three Type 53 120mm mortars with crew & one optional Observer AK47 Assault Rifle team, one Divisional Recoilless Gun Company with one Command AK47 Assault Rifle team, three Type 65 82mm recoilless guns with crew, one Anti-air Company with one Command AK47 Assault Rifle team, three ZPU-1 14.5mm guns with crew, one Small two-hole base, three Small three-hole bases, six Medium four-hole bases & six Large six-hole bases.
Equipped with an array of different armaments for a diverse number of roles; the PAVN Divisional Support was armed with equipment that was either Chinese copies of Soviet equipment or actual Soviet-made weapons.
For example, the Type B10 82mm recoilless gun was Soviet-made and much more modern than the WWII-era 75mm examples used at the regiment level and provided a better anti-tank capability. While the Type 53 120mm mortar were copies of the Soviet 120-BM-38 heavy mortar and were capable of firing a round more powerful than the American 105mm howitzer.
Perhaps no piece of equipment was more important than the ZPU-1 14.5mm gun, more powerful than the Type 54 12.7mm Anti-aircraft machine-gun. These guns posed even more of a threat to the helicopters the American forces relied upon for mobility, firepower and supply.
The AK47 Assault Rifle Team in Flames of War Vietnam
AK47 Assault Rifle team
Mobility: Infantry
Range: 8”/20cm
Rate of Fire: 2
Anti-tank: 1
Firepower: 6
Full ROF when moving
The ZPU-1 14.5mm Gun in Flames of War Vietnam
ZPU-1 14.5mm gun
Mobility: Man-packed
Range: 16”/40cm
Rate of Fire: 4
Anti-tank: 5
Firepower: 5+
Anti-aircraft, Turntable
Guns on Turntables
Some guns, mostly anti-aircraft guns, are mounted on turntables allowing them to turn in any direction.
Gun teams on Turntables can fire in any direction.
The Type 65 82mm Recoilless Gun in Flames of War Vietnam
Type 65 82m recoilless gun
Mobility: Man-packed
Range: 24”/60cm
Rate of Fire: 2
Anti-tank: 13
Firepower: 3+
Recoilless gun
Firing Bombardments
Range: 48”/120cm
Anti-tank: 3
Firepower: 6
Recoilless Guns
These weapons vent propellant gasses from the rear of the gun to counteract the recoil of the shell being fired. Although this creates a large cloud of dust and flying debris behind the gun, it does allow it to do away with the heavy recoil-absorbing carriage of most artillery.
Recoilless guns never count as Concealed if they fired in their last Shooting Step as the dust cloud gives away their position.
Because of the danger from flying debris, you cannot fire aRecoilless gun when any part of a friendly team is directly behind and within 2”/5cm of the Gun team. Recoilless guns cannot fire from within Buildings.
Observer teams need a good view of the battlefield in order to do their job correctly. Be sure to deploy them in a position where they have an excellent view of the battlefield such as on a hilltop or on the top floor of a multi-level building.
The Type 53 120mm Mortar in Flames of War Vietnam
Type 53 120mm mortar
Mobility: Man-packed
Range: 56”/140cm
Anti-tank: 3
Firepower: 3+
Fire Assault
Assaults by the People’s Army were often accompanied by a mortar bombardment fired from carefully reconnoitred positions.
The Bộ Binh Mortar Company may be held off table using the Fire Assault special rule on page 114 of Tour Of Duty. Only the Observer team appears on table.
