ARVN Guard Tower

"I feel like a mean motherfucker!"

-  Guard Tower gunner after he killed a Vietcong squad.

Background
The Vietnamese jungle is a treacherous foe to both the ARVN and the Allied forces that support them. Apart from the natural dangers that the jungle poses to soldiers, ranging from dangerous creatures to tropical diseases, there is also the ever-present threat of the Vietcong, who are familiar with the ways of the jungle and quick to exploit it to their advantage. The cover and camouflage that the terrain affords has assisted the Vietcong in their campaign of guerrilla warfare, allowing them to strike with very little warning. Vietcong ambushes have already claimed many casualties on the Allied side, and the numbers continue to go up.

One strategy of Allied and ARVN forces to wrest control of the jungle from the VC has been to establish multiple forward outposts, which provide logistical support for further pushes into the jungle, as well as bases for ARVN Ranger patrols to operate out of. Naturally, as the ARVN continued to establish more and more of these forward outposts, the Vietcong began to target them, seeking to disrupt the foothold of Allied and ARVN forces in the jungle.

Most outposts consist of little more than a modular command tent, which means that the ARVN must post forces to protect them from assault. Fortunately, even the most rudimentary outposts will have at least one or two Guard Towers on the lookout, the sentries inside watching for any potential attackers or infiltrators. Simple but sturdy structures of wood, Guard Towers are a ubiquitous sight at ARVN bases, from the simplest forward outposts to the larger ARVN bases. The height of the tower provides an excellent vantage point and field of fire for the sentry inside, and the simplicity of construction has allows the ARVN to deploy them quickly and on a wide scale.

All Guard Towers come with a few pieces of equipment; apart from the pair of binoculars issued to the sentry, every Guard Tower possesses a single Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun, which has proven itself capable of tearing through thick jungle foliage and lightly armoured Vietcong soldiers with equal ease. Sustained fire from the machine gun will eventually tear up light vehicles, but against heavier armour the bullets aren't likely to have much effect, and the wood construction of the tower means that it can't be expected to survive more than a few well aimed shots from a tank. While in the past the Vietcong rarely made use of vehicles, these days there are rumours of VC forces with Mammoth tanks...