Motor Boat

Motor Boat
File:VCMotorBoatModel.png
Just another fishing boat…
Minor Faction	Vietcong
Other Faction(s)	None
Unit Type	Escort
Designation	Anti Infantry/Anti Aircraft
Production Building	Tunnel Complex
Secondary Ability	Disguise Disguises as a civilian vessel
Cost	Unknown
Production Time	Unknown
Heroic Upgrade	PKX Heavy Machinegun (splash and disrupter)
Dev. Status	Modelled

Country of Origin	Vietnam
Produced by/ Recovered from	Someone's fishing boat
Key Features	» RDP 7.62mm light machine gun  » SA-1 surface to air missile launcher (taken from dead NVA soldiers)  » 150 hp diesel engine fitted to the hull (with propeller)  » Civilian paint job  » White Furry Puppy (mascot/emergency food supplies)

Tactical Analysis

• Time to go fishing: Little more than a civilian boat acquired via various means, the Motor Boat cruises along the rivers of Vietnam, while its crew inside prepare their weapons for ambushes against ARVN and Allied forces. The RDP machine gun rips through unfortunate soldiers, while the SA-1 missile launcher can knock aircraft out the sky.

• It's just a fishing boat...: Still, the Motor Boat is still a civilian boat, whatever weapons its crew may be armed with. Don't expect it to stand up to enemy fire.

• ...Or is it?: The Vietcong crew can stash away their weapons and pretend to be one of the many normal civilian boats that can be found along the rivers of Vietnam. This tactic has been known to fool many an ARVN or Reservist soldier, and on more than one occasion the crew of a seemingly innocuous fishing boat have suddenly pulled out hidden weapons and opened fire on ARVN or Allied forces.

• Like shooting fish in a barrel: A number of PKX 12.7mm machineguns have been recovered by the Vietcong from destroyed Rhinos. Such weapons are generally given to Motor Boat crews to replace their light machine guns though the difficulty of concealing such weapons limits their use.

Operational History

When the Vietcong looked over their arsenal, they soon noticed that they had nothing with which to patrol the rivers and lakes of Vietnam. Hoping to rectify this, the Vietcong tried to find a boat that was easy to acquire. They considered the Stingray, but the Soviet Union did not have enough surpluses to fill the need the Vietcong had. They acquired numerous boats via various means, ranging from stealing boats from docks to getting them from VC supporters and members.

Once the Vietcong had acquired a large stockpile of boats, the next problem was armament. While some suggested arming the boat with weapons ranging from heavy machine guns to rocket launchers, in the end the Vietcong decided to simply give the crew weapons. Each boat was given an RDP light machine gun, of which the Vietcong had many, and a SA-1 SAM launcher, which they found in abundance after a battle between the NVA and the ARVN.

Finally, to allow the boats to deceive the crews of ARVN Patrol Boats, the Vietcong retained the civilian markings of the boats, added numerous hiding spots for crew members to stash away their weapons, had the crew dress in plain clothes, and rounded off the whole deception with some fishing equipment and various other touches. The boats came to be known as Motor Boats.

They proved to be highly successful, as Motor Boat crews would often hide away their weapons until an opportunity to use them arose, and their resemblance to genuine civilian boats only further confounded the ARVN. During their spare time, the crew would engage in various activities that only added to the authenticity of the deception. It was so effective that it became virtually impossible to distinguish between a VC Motor Boat and a genuine civilian boat, as there was no difference between the two, save some hidden compartments and a couple of weapons carried onboard. Some VC sympathisers and members took the initiative to make the modifications necessary to their own boats, before getting a couple of weapons and hiding them inside.

The Motor Boats have proven so successful that ARVN paranoia has reached a new level, to the point where ARVN Patrol Boats have started to sink any boat that looks remotely suspicious, resulting in numerous innocents being killed or badly wounded, although it has reduced the Motor Boat's effectiveness somewhat.

Behind the Scenes

• The boat itself was modelled by SighNapse live on a hexagon mods cast.