US LAW (Light Anti-tank Weapon) Teams

Although the US M72 LAW (light anti-armour weapon) was ostensibly designed for use against enemy armour, its primary function in Vietnam was that of a 'bunker buster' and in this role it was devastating. To make my LAW stands I used figures from the Peter Pig 'Men of Company B' range - each pack contains 8 figures, sufficient for 4 stands.

When used in Incoming! the LAW stand operates in a manner very similar to that of an RPG. The stand is comprised of 1-2 figures and must be attached to an infantry squad. Only a single LAW stand can be attached to a squad. The LAW stand is treated as part of the squad for movement purposes and must remain within 1 base width of at least one stand from the unit at all times.

US Rifle Squad with integral LAW Team

Whereas the communist RPG was used to great effect in the anti-personnel role, the US LAW was not used in the same manner quite as extensively and the rules for its use differ slightly from those of the RPG.

It may fire in one of two ways:

• The stand may augment the fire of its parent squad or platoon by adding one fire dice to the total number of dice thrown when engaging targets in bunkers or substantial brick or concrete buildings (eg during street fighting in Hue or Saigon). The bonus does not apply against light wooden or similar constructions.
• The stand may fire in the anti-armour role using the normal anti-tank fire rules.

A LAW stand may not fire at targets or augment the fire of a friendly stand if the target is closer than 1 stand width from the firing LAW or the unit is in close combat.

LAW stands are treated as crew served weapons if engaged in close combat and do NOT count towards numbers of stands engaged in close combat.

Benefits of the LAW stand

The benefits of the LAW stand are not immediately apparent until you take into account the rules applying to attacks against bunkers. When attacking bunkers the attacker receives 1 Fire Dice less than normal (e.g a US Fire Team rolls 2 dice instead of the normal three) as well as suffering a -1 pip penalty on each die rolled. The LAW stand adds a dice to the attack and to some extent offsets the benefits that the bunker enjoys. Also, in my own games, I try to reflect the devestating effects of the LAW when employed against bunkers in so far as this dice does not suffer the -1 pip modifier (I use a different coloured die for the LAW roll).

As an example, a US fire team, which normally rolls 3 dice, forfeits one of these. In addition, the remaining two dice each suffer a -1 pip modifier and this significantly reduces the chances of achieving a hit. Since a 5-6 is normally required to hit, the -1 pip modifier means that the attacker requires a straight roll of 6 to hit. With the LAW, the attacker has at least one un-modified dice roll requiring 5-6 to hit. The chances of achieving a 'Pin' are increased and now, with three dice being rolled, it is possible (although unlikely) that a 'Kill' result could occur whereas without the LAW such a result is impossible.

A platoon attack against a bunker, carried out with two rifle squads and the M-60 laying down a base of fire and employing LAWs will give you room to maneuver the third rifle squad into a position for close assault against the bunker.