The Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam

The Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam map is a Generation 1 map.

Historical Background
The Gulf of Tonkin "incident" may be better know as a direct action by the North Vietnamese that got the US more involved than they previously were in the war. Although it was a small battle that lasted less than a day, it changed the tide of the war. PAVN naval forces noticed a US destroyer, the USS Maddox, was doing its routine patrols in the waters off of the mainland. The PAVN forces then moved in with 3 small and lightly armed torpedo boats. The crew of the Maddox took this as a direct threat and fired warning shots towards the approaching vessels. The vessels refused to back off and the Maddox opened fire. At the end of the engagement, the torpedo boats wound up severely damaged with 4 sailors killed and 6 severly injured. The Maddox, however, only had a single bullet hole in the superstructure. A US F-8 Crusader jet was also slightly damaged.

Gameplay
The Gulf of Tonkin map is the first map you are put into in Heliborne. As it is the first and only Generation 1 map in the game, it should be a fairly easy and smooth battle. The main idea of the mission is to be easy enough that it gives you a general introduction to combat and flight controls of the game. There are 5 LZs and 2 piers, all of which are capable of having troops deployed on them. The game mode of the map is capture, which is shared only with the Generation 3 map Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan.

Tactics and Battle Flow
Your Mission: Capture the Forward Landing Zones and defend them from impending PAVN attacks. Scout/Recon role: scout out enemy positions on LZs and be on patrol for enemy watercraft. Air/Assault Transport role: Drop off troops on the LZs and Piers and target the enemy assault watercraft before they can regain control of a captured base. (Hint: Piers under friendly control will eventually spawn friendly watercraft that will support friendly LZs and engage enemy watercraft. Once LZs and Piers are in friendly control, your mission is to keep them in your control and complete the side missions that appear sporadically. If everything goes according to plan, you should wind up with a big "Victory!" on your screen.