Dien Bien Phu Tourney

[TheBigRedOne]

Standings

cazart! 125
Yorick 125
tallin 100
Barnacle Bob 100
Rabbit 100
kolc 95
---
Nikb 90
Paulinski 90
Laza 80
rahamy 75
Glyn 75
TheBigRedOne 70
StEvremond 65
Landser34 60
billk1 55
Alpha Two 20

Scenario Scoring:

25 = Major Victory
20 = Minor Victory
15 = Draw
10 = Minor Loss
5 = Major loss

Tourney Bonus Points:

1st Place -- 100 points
2nd Place -- 75 points
3rd Place -- 50 points
All Others -- 25 points

The tourney, ideally, should be played as a simultaneous mirror in order to 1) aid in getting the scenarios finished in a timely fashion and 2) avoid potential advantages given if the games are played back-to-back. It's up to each pairing as to how to play, of course. Timeliness is the crucial part here. I'm hoping for a 6 week turnaround on the games, which is around 3 turns a week. This is more than reasonable for most players.

Optional Rules to Use:

Vehicle Fire Over
Quality Loss Modifier

Use only these two rules for all scenarios.

Some light reading to whet your appetite for this conflict.

[TheBigRedOne]

DBP Tourney Round One:

Roadblock At Ban Kho Lai

22 March, 1954
S of main DBP Fortified Camp
Size: Company (+) Vehicles
Side: Best as French or PBEM

The French positions at Dien Bien Phu included one called Isabelle which was several kilometers south of the main French fortifications. The road between the main positions and Isabelle was vulnerable to Viet-Minh occupation. Regiment 57 had thrown up two rows of trenches, cutting RP41 and isolating Isabelle. Moving south from the main position, Legion paratroopers supported by Ney's tank platoon ran up against the entrenched Viet Minh. Attempts to break through or flank the position were thwarted and so from the Isabelle position, Algerians from II/RTA as well as another platoon of Bisons moved north in support. Not until an additional platoon of tanks from Claudine was committed would the village be cleared and the road opened. The fighting was fierce, but the French forces joined hands, giving them their first real victory in the fighting.

Optional Rules to Use: Quality Loss Modifier, Vehicle Fire Over

Matchups:

(Viet Minh v French)

Laza (15 Draw) v Barnacle Bob (15 Draw)
Barnacle Bob (15 Draw) v Laza (15 Draw)

Landser34 (15 Draw) v Alpha Two (15 Draw)
Alpha Two (5) v Landser34 (25 Major Win)

Nikb (15 Draw) v Paulinski (15 Draw)
Paulinski (25 Major Win) v Nikb (5)

kolc (25 Major Win) v Rabbit (5)
Rabbitt (25 Major Win) v kolc (5)

tallin (15 Draw) v Yorick (15 Draw)
Yorick (25 Major Win) v tallin (5)

rahamy (25 major win) v Glyn (5)
Glyn (25 major win) v rahamy (5)

billk1 (25 Major Win) v StEvremond (5)
StEvremond (25 Major Win) v billk1 (5)

TheBigRedOne (15 Draw) v cazart! (15 Draw)
cazart! (20 Minor Win) v TheBigRedOne (10)

[TheBigRedOne]

DBP Tourney Round Two:

032 Ban Him Lam

5 December 1953
NE of DBP Fortified Camp
Size: Company
Side: French or best as PBEM

As per General Cogny's Directive 739 on 30 November 1953, the Colonial Parachute battalions (BPCs) were to begin their sorties outward from Dien Bien Phu to secure the outlying villages. Major Souquet's 1st BPC took the lead patrol on Route 41 to clear the road. A bare 3 miles northeast of the center of Dien Bien Phu itself, the road twisted through a narrow valley overshadowed between two hills that led to the T'ai tribal village called Ban Him Lam. Major Souquet was to push forward to the village and did not expect any enemy force to be operating that close to home.

Optional Rules to Use: Quality Loss Modifier, Vehicle Fire Over

Matchups:

(Viet Minh v French)

Paulinski (5) v cazart! (25 Major Win)
cazart! (15 Draw) v Paulinski (15 Draw)

Landser34 (5) v Yorick (25 Major Win)
Yorick (15 Draw) v Landser34 (15 Draw)

Laza (20 minor win) v StEvremond (10)
StEvremond (10) v Laza (20 Minor Win)

kolc (25 Major Win) v billk1 (5)
billk1 (5) v kolc (25 Major Win)

rahamy (10) v Rabbit (20 Minor Win)
Rabbit (15 Draw) v rahamy (15 Draw)

Barnacle Bob (15 Draw) v Glyn (15 Draw)
Glyn (15 Draw) v Barnacle Bob (15 Draw)

Nikb (15 Draw) v tallin (15 Draw)
tallin (20 Minor Win) v Nikb (10)

[TheBigRedOne]

DBP Tourney Round Three:

Retaking of Huguette 1
060/Huguette 1

23 April 1954
Western Sector of main DBP Fortified Camp
Size: Company (+) Vehicles
Side: Best as French or PBEM

After taking both Huguette 6 and 7, the Viet-Minh attacked the length of the runway and overran the next French strong point of Huguette 1. A counterattack by 2 BEP was ordered to retake the position. The mission was plagued by snafus. The 6th Company became lost in the maze of tunnels and trenches and arrived late at the jump off; the commander of the battalion, Maj Liesenfelt, was tuned to the wrong frequency; the artillery was unfocused; all leading to a disaster. In disarray, the French forces fell back to their lines.

The operation was a disaster for the French - an elite paratroop battalion had been defeated in a stand up fight, their operational reserves no longer existed, artillery ammunition expenditure was far above the allotted amount, and they failed to retake any ground whatsoever. The noose tightened again.


Optional Rules to Use: Quality Loss Modifier, Vehicle Fire Over

Matchups:

(Viet Minh v French)

Yorick (20 Minor Win) v kolc (10)
kolc (5) v Yorick (25 Major Win)

cazart! (25 Major Win) v Laza (5)
Laza (5) v cazart! (25 Major Win)

Rabbit (10) v Paulinski (20 Minor Win)
Paulinski (5) v Rabbit (25 Major Win)

Glyn (5) v TheBigRedOne (25 Major Win)
TheBigRedOne (20 Minor Win) v Glyn (10)

Barnacle Bob (15 Draw) v rahamy (15 Draw)
rahamy (5) v Barnacle Bob (25 Major Win)

tallin (20 Minor Win) v StEvremond (10)
StEvremond (5) v tallin (25 Major Win)

Nikb (20 Minor Win) v billk1 (10)
billk1 (5) v Nikb (25 Major Win)

[TheBigRedOne]

The tourney is FINALLY complete!

I'd like to congratulate our winners:

1st Place (tie)

cazart! (Mike Cox) and Yorick

Congrats on a hard-fought title. Not bad to share the spotlight with the main scenario designer, eh, Yorick! Good work, both of you.

2nd Place (3-way tie)

Barnacle Bob
tallin
rabbit

3rd Place

kolc

I will be giving everyone their bonus points shortly, the medals have been awarded. I'd like to thank all of you for participating in this tourney, I hope you enjoyed it!