WWM Season X: Vietnam War

[Zipline 11]

A WWM season themed around the Vietnam War could provide quality gameplay. Consider:

• Easily-explained participant nations include America, China (they already have a Vietnamese AA), USSR, Great Britain (representing the Commonwealth forces that took part), and with some hand-waving, France (the former colonial power)
• The time period allows for late-WWII vehicles as used by both Vietnams early on, all the way up to 1970s equipment, but without allowing anything too advanced like thermals, so the power gap is smaller than in this most recent season
• Using the jungle-y maps would provide a nice change of pace

 

Though it wouldn't have to be strictly limited to the vehicles actually used in the war, those include, according to Wikipedia:

• America
  • Aircraft: Skyraider (6.0), A-26 Invader (5.0-5.3), Canberra (7.7-8.0), F-4 Phantom II (10.3), F8F Bearcat (6.0-6.3), F-100 (10.0), F-104 (10.0)
  • Helicopters: UH-1 Huey (8.7-9.3), AH-1 Cobra (8.0-10.0)
  • Ground: M24 Chaffee (3.3), M41 Walker Bulldog (6.0), M-48 Patton (7.3), M551 Sheridan (8.0), M-163 (8.0), M3 GMC (1.7), M8 Greyhound (1.0), M-56 Scorpion (6.7), M-50 Ontos (6.7), M-42 Duster (6.0)
• Great Britain
  • Aircraft: Canberra (7.7-8.0), F-4 Phantom II (10.3)
  • Ground: Centurion (5.7-6.7)
• China
  • Ground: M8 LAC (1.0), SU-76 (2.0), M24 (3.3), T-34-85 (5.7), PT-76 (5.3), Type 62 (6.7), SU-100 (6.3), Type 59 (8.0), M-48 (7.3), Type 63 (6.3)
• USSR
  • Aircraft: IL-28 (8.0), MiG-15 (8.7), MiG-17 (9.0), MiG-19 (10.0), MiG-21 (10.0-10.3)
  • Helicopters: Mi-4 (8.3)
  • Ground: PT-76 (5.3), SU-76 (2.0), SU-100 (6.3), SU-122 (2.7), T-34-85 (5.7), T-54 (7.7), ZSU-57-2 (7.7), ZSU-23-4 (8.0), BTR-152 (3.0), GAZ trucks (1.0-2.3)
• France could use anything they would have fielded in the 1950s-1970s

 

Obviously there are some pretty extreme BR differences in places, which thought would have to be given to. But overall, what do you think?

[Panssarikolonna 1,086]

Sounds interesting but I would also add navy vessels.

USA river boats would be nice (without air spam).

[Kanyiko 8,568]

I think most of the larger conflicts from the early-1950s to the mid-1970s would make for an interesting scenario as they would allow for asymmetric warfare.  The equipment would generally range from surplus WWII equipment to the (at the time) most modern Eastern and Western equipment.

 

Discounting those conflicts which saw highly dissimilar warfare, the following conflicts would make for interesting scenarios:

 

• 1948 Arab-Israeli War (or more generally, the 1947-1949 Palestine War)

A conflict which pitted the newly established Israeli armed forces against the armed forces of the Arab League (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi-Arabia, Syria and Yemen)

In terms of equipment it would be one of the more unique conflicts as both sides used reasonably 'low-tiered' ground equipment: the Hotchkiss H39, Cromwell and Sherman (75) on the Israeli side, and the British Matilda II, Valentine and Crusader tank, M22 and Vickers VI light tank, Humber and Marmon-Harrington armored cars and even a handful of sIG33 auf Pz II on the Egyptian side.

In terms of air forces both sides had mid-rank equipment at their disposal: the Israeli side fielded the Spitfire IX, Mustang P-51D and Avia S199 (perhaps portrayed by the Bf 109G for the occasion?), the Bristol Beaufighter, De Havilland Mosquito FB.6 and the B-17G; while the Egyptian side fielded such diverse equipment as the Spitfire IX, Hurricane IIC/IV, the Macchi 202 and 205, and the Short Stirling. (Syria also fielded T-6s as light attack aircraft while Egypt fielded C-47 Dakotas converted as light bombers.)

Keeping with the theme of the conflict, prize vehicles could be, for instance, the AT-6 Harvard light attacker (Syria) or the Avia S.199 fighter (Israel)

 

• 1950-1953 Korean War

One of the defining conflicts of the Cold War, which pitted (Soviet and Chinese-supported) North Korea against (UN-supported) South Korea.

The range of equipment used in the conflict was wide, covering armored vehicles from as low ranks as the Su-76M (China/USSR), Cromwell (UK) and M16 (USA) to the IS-2 (China/USSR), Centurion (UK) and M46 Patton (USA).  Similarly, the air forces used a wide range of aircraft ranging from prop-engined fighters such as the Yak-9 (USSR), Firefly FR.5 (UK) and P-51D (USA) to the MiG-15 (USSR/China), Meteor F.8 (UK) and F-86F Sabre (USA)

 

 

• 1956 Suez Crisis

A relatively short conflict (9 days) which would have far-reaching consequences for the region.

This was a four-way conflict involving Egypt on the one side, and Israel, the United Kingdom and France on the other side.

Once again it involved a wide variety of equipment: from the Sherman to the AMX-13/75 on the Israeli side, and from the Sherman to the IS-3 and SU-100 on the Egyptian side.

The aerial component of the conflict would cause some logistical issues: both Israel and Egypt fielded British aircraft types, and due to the relatively antiquated Israeli Air Force and the relatively modern Egyptian Air Force the base tiers in aerial combat would be considerably asymmetric in nature.

The combined French/Israeli/UK line-up would range from the P-51D, F4U-7 and Mosquito up to such jet types as the Venom, Sea Venom, Sea Hawk, Meteor F.8, Hunter, Ouragan, Mystère and Canberra.  The Egyptian Air Force was surprisingly more modern - its last Spitfire F.22s and Sea Furies had been relegated to a training role; in 1956 the lower tier of its air force consisted of British-delivered Vampires and Meteors (F.4 & F.8), while its most modern equipment consisted of the MiG-15, MiG-17 and IL-28.

 

• 1965 Indo-Pakistan War

The first of the Indo-Pakistan Wars (a second took place in 1971) is interesting as it would allow vehicles from an unusual 'coalition' of nations to fight one another.

In this war, the Indian forces fielded mainly British and French equipment while a switch to Soviet equipment had also begun; Pakistan in turn fielded mainly US equipment, while some types can also be found in the Chinese tech-tree.

Both sides had a wide range of dissimular ground vehicles at their disposal, ranging from the M3 Stuart and 75-mm armed Sherman on both sides, to the PT-76, Centurion, AMX-13 and SA50-armed Sherman on the Indian side, and the M41A1 Walker Bulldog, M42 Duster, M47 and M48 Patton on the Pakistani side.  India used the British Sea Hawk, Vampire, Hunter and Canberra as well as the French Ouragan and Mystère; Pakistan used both gun- and Sidewinder-armed F-86Fs, the F-104A and the B-57B Canberra.  (India also used the Gnat light attacker, but this isn't available in the game).

In the later 1971 confict, India also used Soviet-delivered equipment such as the MiG-21 and Su-7B, as well as fielding the British Vickers MBT; by the time of this conflict, Pakistan in turn had received the J6A (MiG-19) and Mirage IIIEP.  Both sides also used helicopters in the latter conflict (Alouette III and Mi-4 on the Indian side; Alouette III on the Pakistani side) but only in a liaison/transport role.

Among those vehicles used in this conflict that are potential interesting prize vehicles would be an Indian variant of the M4 Sherman upgunned with the PT-76s main gun; and the Sea Hawk FGA.100, the larger-tailed German variant of the Hawker Sea Hawk.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Kanyiko