RECON: Anzac Forces

America wasn’t the only western power involved in the Vietnam War. Among the others, Australia and New Zealand played a notable role in the conflict, as part of an assistance pact with the USA.

Since RECON uses the fictional “Stateside” in place of the USA, I’ve decided to go with similar terms for other nations involved (even though we all know who’s being talked about). Thus, I felt “Anzac” was a suitable name to give Australia in the game; the only other option I could think of was “Down Under”, and Anzac has a much nicer ring to it as well as historical significance. From hereon, Australia and New Zealand will be referred to jointly as “Anzac” and their people as “Anzacs”, while the following information is – as in the RECON rulebook – a fictionalized version of real history rather than an attempt at genuine historical accuracy. Don’t take this as a history lesson, folks!

Anzacs in Nam

Anzac soldiers are – like Stateside troops – a mix of conscripts and volunteers. Most were young and many had never seen combat before. However, Anzac forces arguably have several advantages over Stateside troops in Nam. Firstly, many of their soldiers come from rural backgrounds, meaning that “bush-native” (country) recruits face less culture shock than that faced by young Statesiders plucked from urban environments. More importantly, Anzacs take a different approach to combat in Nam, favoring small units and counter-insurgency over the overwhelm-with-force “stand-up” warfare more often employed by Stateside forces. Anzac patrols are typically smaller and more lightly equipped, and thus move quietly and quickly rather than blasting through the brushland with tanks and mortars. This is, of course, not always true, but generally Anzacs should be treated more like RECON’s “LRRP” teams than standard Stateside grunts when it comes to missions and tactics.

Anzac intelligence – roughly their version of the CIA – is called ASIO (Anzac Security Intelligence Organisation), and was formed in 1949. During the 1960’s and the war in Nam, they monitor anti-war sentiment on the home front with particular zeal.

Playing Anzac Characters

Generally, character creation is the same for an Anzac soldier as it is for a Stateside one. The choice of MOS is generally the same as for Stateside characters, as is all stat generation.

Regular Anzac soldiers will be their army, while Anzac special forces are the “SASR” (Special Air Service Regiment).

To approximate playing a “US army” campaign, players should be Anzac army regulars. To play a smaller, covert “special ops” campaign (similar to US Recon or Navy SEALs), players should be members of the SASR. Obviously, like their US counterparts, SASR soldiers will be much more experienced and skilled than newly recruited army “grunts”.

A Note About Anzac Snipers

The Anzac army have no organized sniper training until the late 1970’s. Because of this, in Nam, Anzac characters with the Sniper MOS will be rare and should generally be discouraged by the Mission Director. However, a select few Anzac soldiers did receive marksmanship training from Stateside instructors “in country” (usually with the M14 or M21), making an Anzac Sniper MOS character possible if someone really wants to play as one.

Lacking a dedicated sniper rifle of their own, pre-1972 Anzac snipers will typically use either “borrowed” M14s/M21s from their Stateside allies, or – more likely – the aging (but still deadly) Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I .303 bolt-action rifles originally issued in WWII, fitted with scopes. After 1972, the Parker Hale M82 7.62mm semi-automatic rifle will become the Anzac army’s sniper weapon of choice.

Anzac Standard Equipment

Weapons

Anzac alternatives to standard Stateside-issue weaponry is listed below. Stats for these weapons can be found in either the core RECON rulebook or in my previous homebrew weapons post HERE.

Sidearm: L9A1 Browning Hi-Power.
Assault Rifle: L1A1 SLR or M16.
Light Machinegun: L2A1 AR or M60.
Shotgun: Ithaca M37.
Submachinegun: Owen Gun (pre-1963) or F1 (post-1963).
Grenade Launcher: M79 or XM148 (mounted on a rifle).
Sniper Rifle: Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I (pre-1973) or Parker Hale M82 (post-1973).

Anzac Special Forces (SASR) will somewhat differ, often preferring Sterling submachineguns and Stateside weapons such as M14s, M16s, CAR-15s and M60s.

All other Anzac-issued weapons such as grenades, mines and heavy weapons (M-72 LAW, M-20 Rocket Launcher, etc.) can be assumed to be the same as – or equivalent to – Stateside issue armaments.

Field Equipment

The AN/PRC-25 backpack radio used by Stateside is also the main communication device used by Anzac forces.

Unlike their Stateside counterparts, you will almost never see an Anzac wearing a flak vest or even a helmet. Instead, they almost exclusively wear wide-brim cotton boonie hats (referred to by the wearers as “giggle hats”) when in the field. Also unlike Stateside helmet covers, altering (such as graffiting) one’s “giggle hat” is strictly forbidden to Anzacs.

Vehicles

In place of Stateside Jeeps, Anzac forces primarily use Land Rovers as their automobiles of choice.

Anzac tanks – the Centurion MBT – arrive in Nam in 1968. Many Anzacs were initially skeptical that tanks designed for open battlefield warfare would be useful in the jungles of Nam, however they soon prove decisively effective, especially against bunkers and fortified positions. At bases, they also serve as additional artillery. Anzac’s tanks are withdrawn from Nam in 1971, leaving those soldiers who remained until 1975 more vulnerable.

Centurion Main Battle Tank
Combat Weight: 114,243lbs (51,820kg)
Length: 32ft (9.9m)
Crew: 4
Max Range: 118 miles (190km)
Max Speed: 21.5mph (34.6 km/h)
Typical Armament: 105mm gun, 12.7mm heavy machinegun, two 7.62mm machineguns.
Armor: Stops pistol, rifle, machinegun and fragments.

Anzac forces also widely use the M-113 Personnel Carrier (see Deluxe Revised Recon, page 66) for troop transport.

In addition, Anzacs also field a modified variant of the M-113 dubbed the “Fire Support Vehicle”, which swaps the M-113’s open turret with an enclosed turret from an Alvis Saladin armored car, thus replacing the .50 caliber machinegun with a 76mm gun and turning the former troop transport into a hybrid light recon tank. The two M-60 machineguns typical of the Stateside M-113 are replaced with .30 machineguns on the FSV.

Aircraft

The Royal Anzac Air Force (RAAF) utilizes the same UH-1 “Huey” helicopters as Stateside (see Deluxe Revised Recon, page 74). These are used to deploy troops, transport supplies and for evacuating wounded.

Anzac Equipment After Nam

If you want to play in “modern” military setting with Anzac forces, use the following equipment substitutions:

Sidearm: Browning SLP M3.
Assault Rifle: AuSteyr F88 IW or Colt M4 Carbine.
Light Machinegun: F89A1 Minimi or FN MAG 58.
Shotgun: Remington M870.
Submachinegun: H&K MP5 or H&K MP5SD.
Grenade Launcher: SL40 GLA or M203 (mounted on a rifle).
Sniper Rifle: Accuracy International SR-98 or Accuracy International AW50.

These are also suitable as guidelines if you are playing a modern (1990s+) Anzac mercenary, as this is the gear they would most likely be used to using.