It is the year 1965, Brazil just had an abrupt change of government and is now under a military dictatorship and in the middle of the cold war. A successful joint intervention in the Dominican Republic alongside the US has marked the period, strengthening ties with the USA and expressing a commitment against communism in all its forms by the new Brazilian government. The shadow of the Vietnam war is now hovering over the United States, Brazil is dealing with a covert war against Cuba. It is the time of the urban guerrilla and the peasant insurgency. 

President Lyndon B Johnson sent Marshall Castelo Branco, the Brazilian president, an offer he could not deny, an offer that would mean widespread modernization of the country’s logistics and industry in return for direct military involvement in Vietnam. By 1966 the first Brazilians were arriving in Nha Trang to operate in the Vietnamese highlands under the II corps, in 1968 a new parachute brigade was created for deployment in Vietnam while the original brigade dealt with political problems and insurgencies, the second brigade was directly involved in the counter-attacks against the Tet offensive in 1968. Now it’s the year 1972, one that would become a turning point in the war for reasons that would remain shrouded in secrecy until the Konvergence event happened decades after.


29th of March, 1972 | 2nd Parachute brigade, first battalion, special operations platoon | Central highlands, camp Caxias.

Corporal Osorio walked through a wooden pallet path towards his company area. He passed through the HQ building. It was a wooden shack built on top of a suspended platform in front of it a set of flagpoles with the Brazilian flag, the American flag and the RVN flag. They all fluttered in the tropical winds coming from the coast. It was just the start of the monsoon season and the muddy ground and cold weather was already showing itself.
Osorio kept on going, passing through the motorpool and the helipads filled with mechanics, pilots and personnel moving and working about, today was a busy day for them, many helicopters were already taking off filled with men and munitions. 

He finally reached his company area, a row of wooden buildings inhabited by the first company of the first battalion, this was their home when they weren’t in-country deployed for patrol or operations around one of the many firebases the Americans established. 
He entered the  building owned by the first platoon of the first company, the special operations platoon. 
A human skull greeted Osorio by the entrance of the building, it was pierced by a bayonet knife and fixed onto a wooden pole, the skull was taken from a Vietcong commander with a reputation for torture and terrorism against the local population some months ago, even the chaplain was ok with that, albeit begrudging. 

Osorio stepped inside the humble yet spacious building,human noise and activity dominated the inside. It was an open room decorated with maps, documents and weapon diagrams. A big metal cross with a crucified Jesus figure was fixed on a wall close to the roof which reminded Osorio that Easter was coming. 
The other men from the platoon were around the room bustling about, charging weapons, doing maintenance and preparing their bags. The platoon commander had a large operational map splayed on top of the central table alongside strange looking papers signed by the American high command, called MACV, and the central intelligence office, the infamous CIA.

Mr Westmoreland the commander of the MACV was expecting a NVA offensive in the following days and the second brigade was preparing to send all its manpower to the front to take positions close to the Cambodian border near the limits of the central plateau in expectation of a large infiltration coming from the border towards Hue. The maps splayed over the central table detailed a very different region, with Saigon at the center, tactical markings pointed towards the north, towards an ominous region known to every man in the country. The iron triangle, the North Vietnamese labyrinth of tunnels that was impossible of being invaded, contained or even properly located, every week dozens of soldiers specialized in underground combat, nicknamed tunnel rats would go down those perilous tunnels, not many returned.
The platoon commander, Lieutenant Rodriguez, briefed them on the situation. They were being separated from the rest of the brigade for a special mission under direct command of the MACV itself. A special mission on the Iron Triangle seldom could mean anything good for the unit’s life expectancy but brigade command wouldn’t give away their best men for a suicide mission.
Osorio armed himself up, prepared his bag and joined his squad, the final briefing would be done when they reached the AO. They were inspected by the brigade and battalion in a abrupt and simple ceremony consisting of standing in formation and identifying themselves in front of the commanders before moving out towards the helipads where two CH-37 Mojave helicopters donated by the USMC were waiting for them.

The Mojave helicopter was enormous, although not as big as the newest ones the Americans put on service and obsolete for their standards. Its large carrying capacity and rusticity made it vital for operations here, although the hot weather made it heavy, slow and awkward to fly, it was the best we had for heavy lift missions or for getting things from the flotilla into deep country. The mechanics worked miracles maintaining them in-theater with old P47 parts.

The engines of the helicopters turned on with a deafening boom, the rotors started to wind up throwing dust up as the clam-shell noses opened, revealing a dark cavernous cargo space.
The helicopters themselves were decorated with eyes and shark mouths in a way that made it look like the mouth was opening. 
The platoon boarded the helicopters, one by one the stream of men climbed aboard disappearing into the dark cramped interior.
The doors were closed and the helicopters took off, destination: Saigon. 

Throughout the entire dusky afternoon the helicopters flew by the coast towards the capital of the Viet Republic. Assisted by the auxiliary power boost system, a upgrade consisting of a central fuel tank on top of the rotor mast and a series of jet nozzles in the point of each rotor-blade, upon the pressing of a button in the pilot’s cockpit these jets would spring into life, improving the helicopter’s performance and making the lumbering obsolete hulks capable of reaching Saigon with their radial piston engines. The soldiers inside the helicopters could seldom hope to understand such mechanisms, their rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers were enough trouble.
The helicopters made a brief stop at an airbase close to Phan Thiet for refueling before continuing their voyage towards the Tan Son Nhut air base in the heart of Saigon.

The men inside the helicopters sat looking towards each other, illuminated by gloomy red lights the paratroopers made the final checks on their equipment, their uniforms made them unique in theater as one of the few troops to wear camouflage as standard issue, the weapons being used were fairly un-standardized thanks to the elite status of the platoon.

Grenadiers were issued XM174 automatic grenade launchers fed by belts of 40mm rounds usually held inside a circular drum, this weapon was shorter and lighter than the GPMGs usually issued, and could unload a full belt before the first grenade hit the ground, making it a powerful weapon against ambushes or night raids. Some grenadiers also used China lake pump action grenade launchers.

Squad leaders and the radioman were issued the MD series 5,56 chambered FAL derivative, sharing ammunition with the newest stoner designed rifles the Americans were issued, some sergeants even had theirs converted into a bullpup configuration using parts kits and the help of the unit’s armorers. 

The soldiers loved the FABRL round these guns fired thanks to its performance in the thick brush and the gory terminal effect it had on the unfortunate vietcongs that were targeted by it, using it in the brigade was a symbol of status and every once in a while the grunts would ask to be issued them in a wide scale amid a torrent of complaints about their rifles’ long barrels and ample weight. 

Squad leaders were also issued another highly coveted piece of kit that was becoming infamous in the country, the single shot 30mm M303 launcher, attached under the rifle alongside a cheese grater looking front piece, it’s explosive payload was inferior to the 40 millimeters’ but it had way more velocity and was much lighter and smaller.

LMG gunners used FAP rifles with extended magazines and heavy barrels, simply FALs modified to fill the support weapon role, some gunners also liked to carry the heavier medium machine guns, the FN MAG that was also used by the platoon headquarters gunner, some had it slightly modified with a shorter barrel and an assault sling similar to the ones used by the grenadiers’ XM174s, perfect for firing from the hip.

Pump action shotguns, RPDs and RPG-7s were also present, alongside a generous amount of grenades, LAWs and ammunition for all kinds of weapons.

The platoon wasn’t new to the war and it showed in every motion of their men, a generous amount of green duct tape was always available, usually applied as camouflage on their armament or as a method to keep dangling bits of their kit secured, the platoon was aware that the best way of surviving and winning was by stealth and surprise, few units in the MACV force enjoyed such a level of fieldcraft, survival training and familiarization with jungle terrain. Such capabilities were being improved every year thanks to the work of the army school regiment in Camp Caxias who strove tirelessly to improve the level of training for the new cadres and the units already in-country. 

The equipment was usually handled by the brigade commander, a man who loved unorthodox equipment and tactics and always tried to equip the brigade with the best that was available in the free world’s arsenal, thanks to the flotilla the brigade was able to have it’s own supply chain, arranging weapons deliveries from the US to Brazil and then to Vietnam was sometimes as simple as asking. 
The helicopters arrived at the Ta Son Nhat air base in the heart of Saigon, the men of the platoon would stay the day there, before being briefed and moved to their mission