Cold War gone HOT: a storyline of AAR's

[CV32]

Since a lot of new HCE players appear to be tackling the earliest scenarios firstly, here are a collection of After Action Reports (AAR's) that I did for Harpoon Classic's first battlesets, GIUK, NACV and MEDC.

If you haven't yet played out all of the scenarios in these battlesets, be aware that the AAR's may contain spoilers.

These AAR's try to follow a storyline of sorts, drawing upon scenarios taken from each of the above battlesets to create an account of what might have happened had the Cold War gone hot. Enjoy. [:)]

[CV32]

Scenario 1: NACV 1.0 – Any Port in a Storm

Background

Although war at sea has been raging for several days, many merchant ships have not yet made it to safe haven, and additionally, many NATO warships have not yet organized themselves into task forces. There is a race between NATO combatants to shepherd the scattered merchantmen to port, and Soviet submarines to sink as many of these merchantmen as possible.

What Happened

At dawn on the first day, about 40 nm east of Rockall, the Akula class nuclear attack submarine Puma sunk the SS Aurora and the SS Texas Clipper, both commercial merchant ships bound for Bergen. Hours later, the tanker Anco Challenger was sunk by the same Akula, this time some 50 nm east of Rockall. These losses in the opening days of the war were sufficient to let NATO know it was going to be a tough slog.

The Okean AGI Ekholot later spotted the container ship Sea-Land Economy, north of Rockall, and made a contact report, but soon thereafter she reported coming under attack by Harpoon missiles and contact was lost.

It was a brutal start to war in the Atlantic.

[CV32]

Scenario 2: NACV 2.0 – War off the Eastern Seaboard

Background

Soviet submarines have declared open season against coastal shipping off the US East Coast. US ports, bases and airfields are also vulnerable to attack from these units. Together, it was hoped that these attacks would tie up valuable NATO ASW forces which were badly needed elsewhere. For the Soviets, it was important that NATO shipping be put at risk along the entire transit route, from pier to pier, not just at sea.

What Happened

The Okean spy trawler Reduktor was caught only 70 nm east of Boston when war broke out. She didn’t last long. The Okean AGI Repiter, suffered a similar fate.

Several Soviet merchantmen, caught by fate and politics off the coast of America when war broke out, were quickly singled out for capture or destruction because of the likelihood of their passing information about Western shipping movements along to Moscow. Almost universally, their crews refused to surrender. The Soviet registered merchant Okha was sunk somewhere north of Chesapeake Bay, while enroute to New York. Likewise with the merchant Aleksey Chirikov, which sank west of Nova Scotia after coming under attack by an unknown assailant.

The story of the merchant Kandalaksha, sailing east about 125 nm south of Halifax, was more glamorous, if there can be such a thing in war. The skipper was an ex Navy man, and he gave great account after the war. As with the others, his ship also came under attack, apparently by AGM-65 Maverick. She took several hits and even destroyed a P-3C Orion with a manportable SAM before succumbing. The crew abandoned ship and were later picked by a US Coast Guard cutter.

Soon after approaching and attacking the tanker Victory, the Victor II attack submarine K-476 came under attack herself and was hit and damaged by a lightweight torpedo. Her wake homing torpedo, however, chased down and sank the Victory. This sub also claimed to have put a couple of Type 53 torpedoes into the Mobil Condor but the massive supertanker did not sink.

Another Victor II, the K-495, sank the tanker Stolt Viking, and soon afterward, it was also able to tag the commercial transport Federal Maple.

The Victor II SSN K-517 encountered and sank the commercial transport Hellenic Glory. However, he came under air dropped torpedo attack almost immediately, but managed to escape and recovered to attack and sink the merchant Atlantic Freezer. This submarine later encountered a US Navy group and while he managed to fire several torpedoes, he came under attack and was lost. The Knox class frigate Trippe claimed the kill.

The Kilo diesel sub B-177 intercepted the same US Navy group later, hitting the Sacramento oiler Seattle. A second torpedo finished the oiler, and the Kilo escaped cleanly. No such luck for the Charlie II class SSGN K-212. He was maneuvering into a position to launch her missiles when he was attacked and destroyed. The capable crew of the Trippe also claimed this kill.

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Scenario 3: NACV 3.0 – Bears at Bay

Background

Much of NATO's sea power was based in European Atlantic ports. The shallow waters of the Bay of Biscay is a virtual highway for merchant and naval traffic. Because shallow water makes ASW detection more difficult, Soviet submarines hope to attack here with a good chance of success. Rather than focus on merchant shipping, however, Soviet sub skippers were directed to seek out and destroy NATO warships, particularly NATO ASW forces.

What Happened

The USSR hoped to knock France out of the war early on by convincing her that the cost of conflict would be much higher than her population were willing to pay. Numerous Soviet submarines were deployed to the Bay of Biscay to intercept shipping heading to France.

Just as with what happened on the North American east coast, the Soviets also lost 7 merchants that were in the local area. The real story, however, lay with the submarines. Everywhere, Soviet sub skippers complained that torpedo performance was miserable, and their boats had to expend a lot of their onboard warload. Nevertheless, they managed to inflict serious damage on NATO.

Having lurked quietly in the days before the outbreak of war, the Victor III class attack submarines K-244 and K-254 immediately attacked, sinking the French Navy's Georges Leygues frigate La Motte-Picquet and the helicopter carrier Jeanne D’Arc. A patrolling British Nimrod pounced on the K-254 and it was sunk while attempting to carry out an attack against the destroyer Cassard. K-244, meanwhile, was attacked by both a Nimrod and an Atlantique, and suffered heavy damage. He came to the surface and some of the Soviet crew managed to escape before the submarine sank.

To the west, the Victor II sub K-371 sank the tanker Mobile Marketeer and the merchant United Pioneer. The skipper simply could not pass up the opportunity. The K-371 later encountered a Spanish task group some 120 nm west of Brest, and managed to sneaked into the middle of the formation and engage. Her attack sank the Descubierta frigate Infanta Cristina and the helicopter carrier Principe de Asturias, before coming under attack herself. During his successful escape, the K-371 sank the missile frigate Santa Maria. The crew was decorated for their bravery and skill.

The Charlie II cruise missile sub K-308, which was patrolling about 120 nm northwest of La Coruna, Spain, and being escorted by the Sierra attack sub Tula, fired two SS-N-9 Siren missiles at the commercial transport SS Oriental Lady. One struck and sank the targeted merchant.

Also off the coast of Spain, the Kilo diesel B-190 sank the transport Lucky Two and the merchant Olive Bank.

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Scenario 2: GIUK 2.0 – Gauntlet

Background

The Soviets will attempt to seize Norwegian bases in any all-out-war. This will be done by physically seizing some bases, and cutting off others from the rest of NATO. NATO must resupply these bases using naval convoys. The success or failure of the convoys will be of paramount importance to both NATO and Soviet commanders. A small NATO replenishment group, believed to consist of two to three merchantmen, and escorted by a similar number of combatants, has been sighted along the Norwegian coast. Using the available air, surface, and submarine units, attack the group. Priority targets are the merchantmen, although the escorts may be attacked if this will further the primary mission.

What Happened

Soviet special forces had seized the Norwegian airfield at Banak in the early hours of the conflict, and by now the USSR had forward deployed initial force of Soviet Air Force aircraft into the area to enable better access to the enemy installations arrayed along the Norwegian coast to the south.

As soon as they were operational in their new facilities, six Soviet Air Force MiG-23 Floggers took off from Banak with the objective of knocking out the radar at Narvik. There were no SEAD assets available, so the Floggers were pressed into the anti-radar role with commanded guided AS-7 Kerry tactical air to surface missiles. The Floggers took advantage of the rough terrain to mask their approach, and no opposition was encountered. Nine of the AS-7 missiles struck home, inflicting moderate damage in and around the Narvik radar installation but nothing sufficient to knock out the radar. It was still active. A follow-up strike several hours later inflicted more damage, but still the radar stayed up, a testament to either its rugged design or the unsuitability of the weapon in the SEAD role. And worse, the local supply of AS-7 Kerry missiles was now exhausted. The local Soviet commander elected not to pursue further strikes against the Narvik radar. There were more pressing targets arising from local Norwegian resistance.

Meanwhile, at sea, the Victor II attack submarine K-513 picked up a surface contact about 250 nm south of Narvik. More contacts were soon detected as the sonar plot firmed up. Identifying an Oliver Hazard Perry class missile frigate, the Victor II moved to attack.

Using his periscope to visually survey the enemy group, now identified as the NATO replenishment group earlier reported, the skipper of the K-513 was late in noticing an approaching SH-60B Seahawk helicopter. Soon thereafter, and before she could complete the approach, the K-513 came under attack. He managed to evade, however, and once again moved to prosecute the NATO group. The K-513's torpedoes sank the lead escort, the Perry frigate USS Boone. Performance of the Type 53-65 torpedoes was dismal overall, but a pair of wake homers did find and sink both the merchant Eastern Valor and the Royal Navy Type 22/2 frigate HMS Brave.

It was enough to turn back the NATO group. The Soviet Navy had achieved its first victory at sea.

[CV32]

Scenario 3: GIUK 3.0 – Hide and Seek

Background

Soviet submarines were a grave threat to NATO plans to resupply Europe. But for Soviet submarines to get into the convoy routes, they had to pass through the narrows around Iceland. It was here that NATO hoped to concentrate its outnumbered ASW forces in an attempt to catch and kill Soviet submarines as they attempted to transit to and return from the convoy routes of the North Atlantic. Soviet submarines north of the GIUK Gap were ordered to 'transit to the southwest through the gap, attacking any targets that present themselves.' Those submarines that were south of the Gap and in need of resupply were ordered to 'attack any targets encountered while moving northeast toward port.' The area was known to be heavily patrolled by at least one NATO ASW surface group, with possible SSN support. Due to the success of Soviet Spetsnatz raiding parties in Iceland, however, NATO's land based air support was expected to be minimal.

What Happened

This initial transit of Soviet submarines both north and south was largely uneventful. And although no submarines were lost during these first hours of hostilities in the GIUK Gap, neither did they achieve any kills. The only Soviet unit to have reported any action of significance was the Juliett class SSG K-85.

Her skipper detected a pair of contacts detected about 50 nm from the western coastal icepack, in the Greenland-Iceland region of the Gap, and launched all three of his SS-N-3 Shaddock missiles at one of them. Although all three missiles launched successfully and were believed to have performed within expectations, none found their target, and it is believed they must have either failed in the terminal phase or were shot down by point defences. No evidence of a successful engagement was ever found by the skipper of the Juliett, and NATO still refuses comment on the matter.

The K-85 withdrew to the north to refuel and rearm somewhere north of Jan Mayen.

[CV32]

Scenario 4: GIUK 4.0 – Convoy, Medium Opposed NATO Transit

Background

NATO forces in Norway required resupply of war materials to continue resisting the Red Army forces that were rapidly gaining ground. These supplies could only be transported in sufficient quantity by sea. It was therefore as important to NATO to get their merchants safely into port and unloaded, as it was to the Soviets to sink them before delivery. NATO resupply could only delay the USSR's inevitable victory. A specific convoy, consisting of 4-8 merchants, cargo ships and tankers, and escorted by NATO surface forces, was sighted moving north along the Norwegian coast. Its expected destination was Narvik.

What Happened

A pair of MiG-29s probing air defences around Narvik encountered and shot down a trio of RAF Harrier II GR.5 jump jets about 50-60 nm south of the port. Behind them came a flight of Su-24 Fencers configured for SEAD, and a portion of these were now directed to strike the radar at Narvik (where the earlier attack by MiG-23s had failed the day before). Two of four AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles struck Narvik, immediately shutting down its radar. Four of the Su-24s pushed on to attack Bodo.

The Fencers were jumped by a fourth Harrier, probably a survivor from the group shot down by the Fulrcums earlier. But in any event, they used their superior speed to evade this GR.5 and launched their remaining four AS-12 missiles at the Bodo radar. The air defences at Bodo, however, were made of sterner stuff, and HAWK SAMs shot down all the Kegler missiles. A pair of MiG-23 Floggers lagging behind the Fencers killed the GR.5 with an AA-7a Apex shot.

About 285 nm south of the port at Narvik, the Tango diesel sub Gorkovsky Komsomolets detected a surface contact. A Royal Norwegian Navy surface action group, comprising an Oslo frigate and four Hauk missile craft, were spotted coming out of Narvik. Unknown to them, a Soviet group, centred on the Kresta missile cruiser Severomorsk, was lurking off the coast, and it now energized its radars. Immediately, a second NATO surface group comprising at least two combatants was detected about 275 nm to the south, also heading north.

Although its radar was down, Soviet aircraft still avoided Narvik due to the danger posed by RBS70 laser beam riding SAMs. The Soviets were instead focusing their attention on the more serious threat, the airfield at Bodo.

Two MiG-29s encountered and shot down two of a quartet of Norwegian F-16s about 60 nm north of Bodo. Two Floggers following behind the Fulcrums killed one of the surviving F-16s, but the other evaded their AA-7a Apex shots. Contact was lost with the nimble F-16 as he ducked into a fjord, but when he came out, the Floggers were in position and waiting, and the NATO fighter was hit with a pair of AA-8 Aphid heat seekers.

Meanwhile, two Norwegian F-16s that approached the Soviet SAG were shot down by SA-N-4 Gecko air defense missiles from the Krivak II frigate Razitelny. Two more F-16s approached the Soviet naval group, but again, air defences reached out and killed them both, namely SA-N-7 Gadflys from the Sovremenny destroyer Bezuprechny and more SA-N-4s from the Razitelny.

Later in the day, four Su-24s returned to attack the Bodo radar and they let loose their SEAD warload from maximum range. Six AS-12 missiles hit home and the Bodo radar was destroyed.

About 15 nm north of the second of the oncoming NATO surface groups, the quiet Kilo class diesel sub B-227 came under torpedo attack, but managed to evade. A short while later, B-227 again came under helo launched torpedo attack and again it evaded. The NATO torpedoes seemed to have trouble with the shallow rocky bottom along the Norwegian coast.

The other NATO SAG – comprising a Spruance destroyer, Perry frigate and Knox frigate - had closed to missile range, and now fired six Harpoons at the Soviet formation. The Bezuprechny and the Mod Kashin destroyer Slavny fired their SA-N-7 and SA-N-1 Goa SAMs, and knocked down all the Harpoons. Two more missiles were spotted incoming at wavetop height, but again Bezuprechny swatted them down with Gadfly.

The Gorkovsky Komsomolets had in the meantime maneuvered into an ambush position and now engaged the lead NATO group, shooting two torpedoes at the racing Spruance. Both torpedoes missed, and so the Tango's crew frantically prepared and launched two more. The American destroyer had slowed to creep speed, evidently having detected the first two torpedoes as they raced past, and was now listening for the attacking Soviet sub. It was a fatal mistake, as the next two torpedoes did not miss. Both hit and blew up the USS Stump. During the chaos that followed, Gorkovsky Komsomolets was able to fire another torpedo that hit and mortally wounded the Knox frigate USS Paul.

Three Su-24 Fencers now approached from the ravaged northern NATO group from the northwest, having skirted wide to the open ocean side. They were more than a little eager, and expended their full missile load against the surviving Perry frigate. Five of the 12 AS-14 Kedge hit and obliterated the USS Doyle. The Fencers received cheers from the sailors as they passed west of the Soviet SAG, just outside the AAW envelope (just to be sure).

On the northern edge of the Soviet surface group, the Nanuchka III missile corvette Storm fired its load of six SS-N-9 Siren missiles against the Oslo group that had just emerged from Narvik. One Siren hit and destroyed each of the fast attack craft Terne and Hauk, and another hit and destroyed the Oslo frigate Trondheim. The Slavny fired two SS-N-2C Styx missiles at the two remaining Hauk missile boats that continued to race in from the north, now only 29 nm away. Both the Tjeld and Orn were hit and destroyed.

A pair of Royal Navy frigates, believed to be a Leander/3A and a Type 22, were detected a little further south and closer to shore, but also moving north. Then a Type 42/3 destroyer appeared. These were soon determined to be escorting what appeared to another Leander frigate (possibly a Leander/2B) and at least three, maybe four, merchants as well as a pair of oil tankers. It was undoubtedly the convoy ! It was clearly evident that NATO was really trying to push this one through. A new strike flight was immediately prepared and launched from Banak.

Before the second NATO group could be engaged, however, 8 Harpoons were detected incoming. All were shot down but they required close range intervention from the SA-N-9 Gauntlet systems aboard the Udaloy destroyer Admiral Spiridonov.

The Gorkovsky Komsomolets, which had turned its attention to the new target, was detected and attacked by a Lynx HAS.3, but miraculously both Sting Ray torpedoes passed aft and the sub survived.

The flight of six Fencers from Banak finally arrived on the scene and made their attack run. Two Su-24s launched all of the remaining AS-12 Kegler, 8 missiles in all, at the Type 42 destroyer. The next four Fencers launched 12 TV guided AS-14 Kedge missiles, three at the nearby picket Leander/3A frigate Andromeda and the remainder at the Type 42. During their egress, they came upon and killed the HAS.3 helicopter that had been prosecuting Gorkovsky Komsomolets earlier, with an AA-8 Aphid shot, just as it was returning to ship to rearm and refuel. (The survival of the Gorkovsky Komsomolets would later prove to be a critical component of the Soviet operation). None of the anti-radar Keglers got through, but five of the AS-14s struck along the length of the Type 42/3 destroyer Gloucester, and she was destroyed by their hammering impact.

With the convoy now 145 nm south of Bodo, the skipper of the Kilo diesel sub B-227 displayed remarkable patience and skill in maneuvering inside the ASW screen. He waited for the Type 22/3 frigate Chatham to pass to his north before he engaged the Leander/3A frigate from long range, firing a single 533mm torpedo. The Leander/3A frigate Danae ate the torpedo amidships and sank in minutes.

The NATO convoy was now exposed and in a very bad position. The Chatham was 30 miles to the north, and the Soviet surface ships were able to slip in behind her and in front of the convoy. The convoy ran right over the top of Gorkovsky Komsomolets and she fired torpedoes at all of them. Chatham was now racing back at 30 knots, but it was too late. Torpedoes struck each of the merchants Apollo, Fortune Victory and Queen Sea, as well as the tanker Aquarius. The crew aboard Gorkovsky Komsomolets raced to reload, and fired again. This second salvo killed the merchant Aurora and the tanker Virgo.

With the merchants destroyed, the Nanuchka III missile craft Tucha turned its attention to Chatham, and launched three SS-N-9 Siren missiles. One of these monsters hit home, and she was finished.

[CV32]

Scenario 5: GIUK 5.0 – Gatekeeper

Background

The GIUK gap is one of the most important pieces of naval real estate in the world, connecting the Norwegian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Because NATO owned it, Soviet forces have to run through a barrier of ASW defenses before they can reach their targets in the Atlantic. At the beginning of the war, the Soviets were surging large numbers of submarines through the GIUK gap. It was vital to the Soviets that they get through to attack NATO convoys and naval forces operating in the Atlantic. Other Soviet subs, possibly damaged or with their weapons expended, will be moving north for repair and resupply. These units were valuable to the Soviets, but not as valuable as the combat ready subs moving south. If NATO could erect a barrier here, they hoped to catch some of the Soviet subs trying to get into the open ocean of the Atlantic. These NATO units would likely include ASW aircraft based in the UK and Iceland, British nuclear and diesel submarines, and British ASW hunter-killer groups centered around Invincible class helicopter carriers.

What Happened

More than 30 Soviet submarines were now enroute to the infamous G-I-UK Gap.

The Victor II sub K-488 was dropped on by an ASW aircraft late in the afternoon, but it was able to evade. Two hours later, the cruise missile submarine it had been assigned to escort, the Oscar class Minsky Komsomolets, was also attacked. Numerous torpedoes were dropped on the Oscar, but they were sufficiently far away that he was able to outrun those that managed to track and chase him. During the melee, the K-488 was re-attacked but again escaped. The Minsky Komsomolets eventually received a single hit amidships that inflicted only moderate damage, but uncontrolled flooding and then a second hit aggravated the huge sub's troubles. By the time he sustained a third hit, the situation had become grave. Later that evening, while the crew struggled with the damage and as the Minsky Komsomolets attempted to limp away, he took a fifth hit and that was enough to finish her. The K-488 recorded the collapsing noises as the Oscar's wreckage spiralled down to the ocean floor.

About 200 nm southwest in the middle of the eastern Gap, the Victor I class attack sub B-369 was also hit by a torpedo and lost.

Half an hour later, the cruise missile sub that the B-369 had been escorting, the Echo II class SSGN Krasnovardeets also came under attack. She returned fire with a torpedo, and sank the Leander/3A frigate Scylla, which had probably been responsible for sinking the B-369 earlier. The Krasnovardeets took a hit that caused moderate damage. He evaded another torpedo but then took a second hit, which inflicted very serious damage, including breaking some of the steering gear. She was crippled now, and another torpedo was detected. The crew worked frantically to repair the damage. The crew of the Krasnovardeets managed to repair his damaged steering mechanism but then they came under attack again. Fortunately the new torpedo appeared to be tracking north and not homing. This torpedo soon ran out of fuel, but another fresh torpedo was dropped very close. Miraculously, the Krasnovardeets evaded this one as well.

Meanwhile, in the western Gap, the Victor I class attack sub 50 Let SSSR had been dropped on, but the torpedo was far away. Her cohort, the Echo II cruise missile sub K-134, immediately moved to the north to avoid approaching the enemy torpedo as it searched in relentless, robotic circles. The 50 Let SSSR was attacked again about an hour later. She took a hit that inflicted severe damage. A second hit finished her.

It was about 4 o'clock in the morning when the Akula attack sub Kashalot detected a distant surface contact just north of where the Echo II sub Krasnovardeets had been attacked earlier. Murmansk passed this information to Krasnovardeets and she surfaced to prepare to fire her missiles. In the darkness it took longer than the usual 15 minutes to prepare, but the seas were calm and she soon fired all four of her SS-N-3 Shaddock missiles at the contact, now some 110 nm away. Unfortunately, the time to impact came and went, and the Kashalot later reported that she had heard no explosion. Kashalot reacquired the contact again shortly before dawn, and she slowed to analyze the track. It was evidently a warship, running at sprint and drift in an obvious ASW prosecution method. Kashalot fired a single Type 65 torpedo from long range. The contact was eventually identified as a Type 22/2 frigate, and by now there was a second contact. The torpedo missed. Kashalot now elected to attack the second contact, and fired a second Type 65. Running at 50 knots, the mammoth torpedo ran down and destroyed the Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll. Soon afterward a carrier and another ship was detected about 27 nm to the southeast, too far for a torpedo. Kashalot passed the info to Murmansk, but there were no other cruise missile submarines or bombers available or within range.

Early that morning, about 75 nm west of the Icelandic coast, the Victor I sub K-306 and its cohort, the Charlie I cruise missile sub K-121, detected a pair of torpedoes from long range. A NATO submarine was immediately suspected. Its skipper had probably tried to run his torpedoes in at slow speed and long range, hoping to surprise the Soviets. It became apparent that one torpedo each had been assigned to the K-306 and K-121, but they were still far away. The K-306 slowed to steerage speed in an attempt to assess the risk and try and detect the NATO sub. The Charlie moved off to the north to await the results of the engagement. Then the incoming torpedo then kicked up to 35 knots. Tigerfish ! The K-306 went to flank speed and moved north. The Tigerfish ran out of fuel shortly thereafter and the K-306 was able to return to the cat and mouse game. A second torpedo was soon detected. Again K-306 was forced to run away.

The Tigerfish that had been chasing K-121 had long since run out of fuel, but a lightweight torpedo was soon detected right on top of the Charlie I. A trap ! The NATO sub skipper had fired his torpedoes from long range simply to flush the Soviets and allow attack by an orbiting aircraft. The K-121 succumbed to this new assault, but even so managed to surface and put off survivors. The skipper reported sighting a P-3 overhead, and released a communications buoy before the boat slipped back beneath the waves.

Meanwhile, the K-306 had also been dropped on and was now running for its life. He evaded the lightweight torpedoes, but as it slowed to listen, it detected a Mk 24 Tigerfish still distant but running. Contact with this torpedo was soon lost. Minutes later, however, another torpedo appeared about 2 nm distant. Again the K-306 went to flank and ran away. She slowed again in a while to listen, but was almost immediately hit, probably by an air dropped lightweight torpedo, and was lost.

Before noon, about 108 nm to the west, the Foxtrot diesel B-833 had a Mk 46 NEARTIP dropped on her. It was close, and he could not evade it, and was lost.

Later in the afternoon, about 300 nm west of Keflavik, the Foxtrot diesel B-135 was also dropped on. She was hit by one and possibly two torpedoes, and was lost. The Foxtrot diesel B-139, which was 30 nm to the northwest, reported later having heard two distinct explosions.

The Soviets had lost 7 submarines, and one Echo II class SSGN was heavily damaged and out of missiles, and would probably have to head for Cuba.

But the first wave of the surge was through the Gap before midnight that night. More than twenty Soviet submarines had now broken into the open Atlantic.

[mack2]

Okean assignment would have been suicide in a real war..

Those are the missions that had Kirov's instead of the Okeans in some old versions right?

[CV32]

Scenario 4: NACV 4.0 – Infiltration

Background

NATO's southern Atlantic sea lane enters the Mediterranean to provide reinforcements to southern NATO countries. Although this sea lane takes longer to transit than the direct route across the Atlantic, NATO considered it to be less prone to attack due to its greater distance from Soviet air and submarine bases. Soviet submarines are now concentrating on attacking the NATO forces to the north of the convoy route, while the submarines that have infiltrated the sea lane would attack merchants.

What Happened

About 30 nm east of the Azores, the Victor III attack sub Daniil Moskovskiy encountered a NATO task group and engaged. It sank the Descubierta frigate Infanta Elena, but was then quickly pounced upon and struck by at least three lightweight torpedoes that destroyed her.

Meanwhile, 240 nm south of Sable Island, the Sierra attack sub Krab encountered and successfully attacked and sank the Perry missile frigate Simpson. During the engagement, he escaped several torpedoes that had been launched against him. Later, northeast of Bermuda, the Krab encountered a merchant group of three vessels. He sank them all - the merchants Pearl Delta and Queen Sea, and the container ship Sea-Land Commerce.

Northeast of the Azores, the Charlie II cruise missile sub K-308 came under torpedo attack. He was struck by a single lightweight torpedo and severely damaged. The crew had a great deal of difficulty dealing with flooding and damage to her propulsion systems, but managed to escape several more torpedoes and eventually ran north, heading home.

The Victor II sub K-495 was not so lucky, taking a single torpedo hit and was destroyed 70 nm to the south of the K-308.

[CV32]

Scenario 5: NACV 5.0 – Ambush: Soviet attack on a NATO carrier group

Background

NATO intended to reinforce Iceland's defenses by stationing a carrier battle group in the area. Once the carrier arrived, the combination of forces at Iceland would be almost impossible to penetrate. The Soviets of course wanted to prevent this and felt that they must sink the carrier before it reached Iceland. A combination of submarines and land based aircraft were assigned to to attack the primary target: an American aircraft carrier.

What Happened

Two Soviet spy trawlers which had moved up from the Caribbean into more lucrative but dangerous positions along the US East Coast were eventually spotted and sunk. To Moscow's chagrin, they were unable to give any significant information regarding the US Navy movements before their loss.

The Akula attack sub Pantera eventually found the US CVBG about 140 nm southwest of Halifax. Eager to score a major kill, her skipper launched a single Type 65 heavyweight torpedo at what he believed to be the carrier contact, from long range. This torpedo, however, found and sank the Belknap cruiser USS Wainwright. Later, as he continued to stalk the carrier battle group, the Pantera launched three more 650mm wake homing torpedoes at the carrier. At least one of these struck its target, and damaged it. An couple of hours later, with the limping carrier now only a few miles away, the Pantera launched two more 533mm torpedoes. Both struck home, causing the Nimitz class nuclear carrier USS Eisenhower to list heavily and eventually sink. The Pantera crept away in the confusion and on the way out, sank the Improved Spruance destroyer USS Deyo.

Unfortunately for the US Navy, between the decapitated carrier battle group and Sable Island lay two more Soviet hunter killers, the Victor III type 50 Let Komsomolsk-na-Amur and the Victor II sub K-387. The 50 Let detected a submarine contact far to the northwest, ahead of the American formation. This contact soon materialized at 10 nm distance as an American SSN moving at flank speed, probably a Los Angeles. The 50 Let came to shallow depth and launched an SS-N-16 standoff ASW missile. It was a gutsy move this close to the enemy battle group, but the skipper wanted an American sub badly. It worked. The SS-N-16 dropped a lightweight torpedo right on top of the target, and it had nowhere to run. The torpedo hit and it was over. (The SSN turned out to have been the Improved Los Angeles submarine USS San Juan).

The next sonar contact was a surface ship only a dozen miles away. When this contact firmed up, 50 Let engaged again, this time with a Type 65 torpedo. The monster wake homer missed, however, and so the Soviet skipper followed up with a 533mm torpedo. This one struck and sank the Knox frigate USS McCandless.

It was a huge victory for the Soviet Navy, and it was enough. The remaining American ships returned to port. For them, the reinforcement of Iceland would have to wait for another day.

[CV32]

Scenario 6: NACV 6.0 – Brawl

Background

An escorted convoy was slowly moving from Norfolk to Portsmouth. For NATO, the importance of getting these supplies, men and material to Europe could not be overstated. For the Soviets, it was just as important to prevent it. Air attacks against the convoy's escorts would facilitate submarine attacks against the more valuable merchant ships.

What Happened

Just before dawn, west of Ireland, the Victor III attack sub K-502 detected a surface target just 4 nm to the north. The Soviet skipper fired a single 533mm torpedo at the target, and scored a hit. It was the end of the war for the Type 22/3 frigate HMS Campbeltown. Not long afterward, another target was detected some 40 nm to the west, and so the K-502, ever on the hunt, headed in that direction.

Three hours later the contact was now only 7 nm away and had been joined by another contact … a carrier. Another hour drifted by, and the two targets had been identified as the Invincible VSTOL carrier HMS Illustrious and the auxiliary Fort Austin, with a third unknown surface contact further to the north. The formation was passing broadside to K-502.

The Soviet skipper elected to shoot one torpedo at each of the Illustrious and Fort Austin. A hit was scored on the Fort Austin and she blew up immediately. The other torpedo was also a hit, badly damaging the Illustrious, but she was still making speed. A second 533mm torpedo was dispatched to finish her, but it missed.

A short while later, K-502 launched another torpedo at the limping carrier and another at the northerly target. A hit was achieved on the Illustrious, and through his periscope, the skipper of the K-502 could see that she was settling into the water, clearly sinking. However, the torpedo that had been fired at the northerly target, now believed to be an escort, had missed. By now, this escort was conducting a hunt of its own. K-502's skipper swung round the periscope only to see the Type 42/3 destroyer HMS Edinburgh bearing down at high speed. Torpedo in the water ! K-502 launched a final torpedo of her own, and dove at flank speed, angling south. The last Soviet torpedo – a down the throat shot – was a hit and the Edinburgh was broken in half.

Meanwhile, some 170 nm south of Halifax, the Kilo diesel sub Komsomolets Tadjkistana reported coming under torpedo attack, probably from an American Orion. At least four air dropped torpedoes followed, but the Tadjkistana evaded them all. The US Navy sub hunter was relentless, however, and the fifth and final torpedo homed true. The Soviet sub was lost.

To the north, only about 40 nm south of Nova Scotia, the Kilo diesel B-404 also came under torpedo attack. It evaded two air dropped torpedoes and it appeared for a while that the assailant had been evaded. But two hours later, B-404 was attacked again, around noon. Again a myriad of lightweight torpedoes were evaded. Once again, some sense of calm, however fleeting, returned to the crew. Later that night, however, just before midnight, B-404 came under attack again. She evaded two more torpedoes, but not the third. Two Mk 46 torpedoes struck in rapid succession and the B-404 was sunk.

At dawn the next morning, some 400 nm west of Ireland, B-7, one of two elderly Foxtrot diesels hunting together, came under attack. He was bracketed by multiple torpedoes, and unable to run, was hit and sunk. Then the other, B-855, also came under attack and it too was lost.

Early in the afternoon of the same day, the Foxtrot diesel Valdimirsky Komsomolets was attacked and sunk northwest of Ireland, ending a bad day for Soviet submariners.

It wasn’t until dawn of the following day that a new NATO target was found, by the Sierra nuclear attack sub Krab about 450 nm east of Newfoundland. Her skipper picked up at least 10 contacts, likely a convoy if not the objective convoy. Krab engaged a while later, but immediately came under torpedo attack. The Krab was lost in the melee, but not before destroying the Perry missile frigate USS Stark. Details remain sketchy, but some reports indicate that the Krab may have used a nuclear torpedo. Both sides continue to deny the allegation to this day.

A group of six Tu-22M Backfires were dispatched from the Kola and were heading to the last known position of this convoy when they were intercepted by RAF Tornado F.3s about 300 nm west of Ireland. They evaded several Sky Flash and AIM-9L missile shots and scrubbed the mission, heading home.

Around noon, about 560 nm west of Iceland, the Kilo diesel B-354 detected a surface contact. The target, eventually identified as a Type 23 frigate, passed within 11 nm before contact was lost an hour later. Late that night, B-354 picked up the target's signature again, closer now at only 6 nm. But again contact was lost shortly thereafter. When contact was finally regained, the target was 13 nm away and moving south at high speed. The opportunity had been lost.

Just after midnight, about 300 nm southwest of St Mawgan, the Charlie II cruise missile sub Berkut detected a contact. Her skipper ordered the sub to come to shallow depth and launch four SS-N-9 Siren missiles, but no explosion was detected. The contact, now positively identified as a warship, probably a Royal Navy frigate, was now headed northwest toward the Berkut and her escort, the Victor III attack sub K-414. It was no doubt investigating along the bearing where the missiles had originated. To deal with the threat, K-414 loosed a Type 53 torpedo from long range and settled down to wait. The reward was a distant explosion a little while later. K-414 had sunk the Type 22/3 frigate HMS Cumberland.

During the night, in the mid Atlantic, the Foxtrot diesel B-397 came under torpedo attack, and in reply fired its own torpedo down the attack bearing. The assailant turned out to be the Perry missile frigate USS John L. Hall. The Soviet 533mm torpedo struck home, sending the Perry to the bottom.

It was, however, the last time the Soviets would gain contact with the enemy convoy. The Backfires could not sneak through the Iceland-UK Gap as long as American and British fighters patrolled the skies. Two days later, the NATO convoy safely arrived in Europe.

[CV32]

Scenario 6: GIUK 6.0 – Fortress Keflavik

Background

Iceland was a vital base for NATO anti-submarine and air defense operations. Soviet bombers trying to fly south had to pass near Iceland or more heavily defended Britain, and moreover, Soviet submarines operating in the Norwegian sea or trying to reach the Atlantic could be attacked by patrol planes based at Keflavik. It was critical to the Soviets to stop these operations, and they hoped to do this either by using bomber raids to reduce the effectiveness of these forces or attempting to take control of the island. Since Iceland had no armed forces of its own, and strictly limited the armed forces of the NATO partners that occupied the airfield at Keflavik, an assault by Soviet forces was probable. Using the forces assigned the USSR would reduce the NATO defenses on Iceland, and then launch an amphibious invasion of the island. The NATO air defenses were thick, expected to consist of up to seven squadrons of fighters, plus SAMs and radar stations. E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft were stationed at Keflavik and would patrol in the vicinity.

What Happened

In the mid afternoon, a flight of 12 Tu-22M Backfires took off from the airfield at Kirovsk. At the same time, six Tu-95 Bear G departed from the airbase at Monchenegorsk. Later, at a predetermined time, six Tu-16 Badgers took off from the Soviet occupied airbase at Bodo in Norway. All three bomber flights were headed for Iceland.

US Air Force F-15s patrolling the outer periphery of Iceland's airspace forced the Bears and Backfires to alter course and swing wide to the west. The slow moving Bears were eventually discovered and all of them shot down in screaming panic somewhere west of Scoresbysund, Greenland, but the Backfires pushed on. About 150 nm south of Scoresbysund, they released their load of 36 AS-6 Kingfish missiles. Three Backfires were caught and killed on egress, but they had accomplished their mission. 15 missiles struck the Keflavik airbase, knocking it out of service. The six Badgers weren't needed, they turned for home, sparing their missiles for another day.

The Minsk VSTOL carrier group was operating some 525 nm north of Keflavik, only 60 nm southeast of Jan Mayen, and as it approached NATO controlled battlespace, the group commander called for air support. Four Su-27 Flankers departed from Bodo to give CAP to Minsk. By now, the American F-15s were probing the area, and it was only a matter of time before the Minsk was discovered.

As the Su-27 flight orbiting over Minsk was already getting low on fuel, and some F-15s were known to be in the area, the flight lead elected to try and lure the Eagles into the missile envelope of the naval formation. The tactic worked, and as the Eagle drivers chased the Flankers, the Slava missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov lit up its radars and engaged. All four F-15s were knocked down by SA-N-6 Grumble air defense missiles.

Revealing his presence first was a risky move for the Soviet commander, and now it was NATO's turn to show why. With the protection of the Su-27 Flanker combat air patrol gone, at least for the time being, 8 missiles were detected approaching the Minsk group. An orbiting pair of Yak-38 Forgers closed and identified them as Tomahawks, splashing four of the cruise missiles with their Aphid heat seeking missiles. The Udaloy destroyer Admiral Tributs knocked down several others with SA-N-9, and the rest fell into the water, apparently out of fuel.

The Minsk SAG now went fully active, the threat from Keflavik having been eliminated and their presence now known to NATO. 16 more missiles were detected incoming, again determined to be Tomahawks. Forgers managed to splash six, Minsk and her SA-N-3B Goblet killed another, and the rest were knocked down by Ustinov. A lone P-3C Orion, likely an orphan of Keflavik, was spotted west of the Minsk SAG. It brazenly approached and launched four Harpoons. Both the Orion and her Harpoons, however, soon fell victim to Grumble.

A group of British RAF Nimrod MR.2 maritime patrol aircraft were detected approaching the Minsk group from the south, and soon afterward, 12 Harpoons. Forgers splashed three of the missiles and the Nimrods, and the remaining Harpoons were also shot down by surface ship air defenses. But now the Ustinov's magazines were empty of the venerable SA-N-6. More Orions had arrived to exploit this opportunity and launch yet more Harpoons, and four of these struck the Udaloy destroyer Admiral Tributs. She blew up immediately.

More missiles, likely Tomahawks, were detected to the southwest. It wasn't over yet. The SA-N-3B Goblets from Minsk and SA-N-4 Gecko local area air defence SAMs soaked up the 12 incoming Tomahawks, with help from the Forgers. Four more Harpoons were shot down by the Sovremenny destroyer Osmotritelny. Finally, Bodo's Flankers returned to the area, and the marauding Orions were intercepted by the long legged Soviet fighters on their return to Stornoway.

The Minsk CVBG soon picked up a SH-2 Seasprite helicopter about 160 nm to the southwest. Likely from a NATO surface action group, and no doubt the source of the Tomahawks. 12 Tu-16 Badgers were directed to scramble from Bodo immediately.

Far to the south, at the entrance to the eastern Gap, the Victor II sub K-495 came under torpedo attack, apparently from a Tigerfish fired by a Royal Navy SSN. Sonar showed only faint whispers of the NATO nuke boat. K-495 evaded the torpedo but the enemy sub was still out there, somewhere.

Finally, a Spruance destroyer was detected 130 nm to the southwest of the Minsk CVBG. Then a Coontz destroyer and a Perry frigate appeared on ESM. 8 Harpoons were launched from the NATO SAG, but the Forgers were able to splash them all.

When the Badgers finally arrived on scene, they launched 8 AS-6 Kingfish missiles at the Perry and Spruance pickets (four for each) and retired to observe what happened next. Two missiles hit and destroyed the Spruance destroyer USS Thorn, but the rest were shot down. The remaining 16 missiles were then launched along what appeared to be the bearing of the Perry and Coontz. Three of these missiles got through and struck the Perry frigate USS Robert G. Bradley, obliterating her. The Badgers now had a good idea of the composition of the enemy group, as ESM picked up Belknap and Leahy missile cruisers, a Virginia nuclear powered missile cruiser, an Iowa battleship, a Knox frigate and a Wichita replenishment vessel. This explained why so few Kingfish had managed to penetrate the NATO SAG defences. The Badgers forward deployed at Bodo were now low on missiles, so 10 Tu-95 Bear G and four Backfires were launched out of the Kola to deal with the new threat.

8 more Harpoons arrived from the NATO SAG. Forgers splashed five of them but the Soviet VSTOL jets were now in danger of themselves coming within the enemy SAM envelope. One Harpoon got through and struck Ustinov, causing minor damage. Not long after, 20 or more new Harpoons were detected. The Soviet commander braced for the worst. But miraculously, almost all of these Harpoons fell short of their target, apparently having been launched on bad BOL data.

The Bears finally arrived hours later, and launched 20 AS-4 Kitchens from a position just north of Jan Mayen, focusing their efforts on the large guided missile cruisers and the battleship. The four Backfires, which had taken a flight path further to the south and were much closer to the Minsk group, waited until the Kitchen missiles had streamed overhead before launching their own 12 AS-6 Kingfish missiles. The hope was that the US Navy SAG would commit to engagement of the slower moving Kitchens before the Kingfish missiles arrived, thereby buying the AS-6 missiles precious seconds in penetrating the AAW screen. It worked.

SM-2ER Standards began to rise from the enemy SAG just as the AS-4s entered their envelope. The US Navy cruisers continued to pump out SM-2ER missiles against the Kitchens until the Kingfish flight passed the slower missiles about 30 nm out. One AS-6 penetrated the screen, struck and exploded the Coontz destroyer USS Dewey. Two AS-4s struck and sank the Belknap cruiser USS Josephus Daniels, while another slammed against the thick hide of the battleship USS Iowa, causing only moderate damage.

At dawn the next morning the US Navy group was continuing to shadow the Minsk group, following from about 80-90 nm away. It was decided that the less capable Bear G's would be sufficient to deal with the continuing threat, and 10 of these bombers took off from Monchenegorsk.

The Bears arrived later that morning without incident and fired a total of 20 AS-4 missiles. The Soviet SAG now joined the fray, firing four SS-N-12 Sandbox surface to surface missiles from each of the Minsk and Ustinov. It now appeared that the bulk of the American anti-air warfare defence was being performed by a Leahy cruiser. Two SS-N-12s and two AS-4s all dived on the Virginia nuclear cruiser USS Mississippi and exploded her.

Five more AS-4 missiles struck the Iowa, and this brutal hammering was enough to finish her. Although still afloat, the Iowa was on fire from bow to stern, and her surviving crew abandoned ship. The hulk continued to drift for hours afterward before finally rolling over and sinking.

With the anti-air threat now significantly reduced, and with the Leahy's magazines believed to be empty, three Yak-38 Forgers took off from Minsk to assess the enemy group and if necessary, finish her. Three of their four AS-10 Karen TV guided missiles struck the Wichita AOR Savannah, causing serious damage and starting a fire aboard. Two more AS-10s struck the Leahy cruiser USS Dale, again inflicting serious damage. The remaining four AS-10 missiles were launched at the Knox frigate USS Aylwin, but here none of them struck home and one of the Yak-38s was downed by a RIM-7H Sea Sparrow for its efforts.

The US Navy SAG began to move off to the southeast, skirting the northeast coast of Iceland, obviously withdrawing from the battle zone and retiring to the UK for repairs. The Minsk SAG and her phibs continued to Keflavik and Reykjavik without further incident.

[CV32]

Scenario 7: GIUK 7.0 – Doolitov's Raid

Background

NATO committed massive amounts of air power to the land campaigns in Norway and on the Central Front in Europe. As a result the Soviets were finding it tough going in these theaters. If they could successfully strike behind the lines, in much the same way the US did to Japan during World War II, and inflict serious damage on the cities and NATO bases on the British Isles, NATO might be forced to withdraw air assets from the front lines to better defend the British home turf. A large Soviet force was given orders to strike bases in the British Isles. The force consisted of a large SAG and a number of submarines carrying conventional warhead missiles, as well as a force of long range bombers and various other air assets.

What Happened

While the Soviets had a stranglehold on northern Norway, its seizure of the airfield at Orland in the south was not yet secure. A NATO counter-attack was expected at any time.

With the Minsk group having delivered its load to Iceland, and now withdrawn for repair and resupply, the Baku group was pushed south to support the strikes against the UK. The Baku group was now cruising about 250 nm north of Vagar, and moving south, launching Forgers to probe the area ahead. But soon the Yak-38s had to turn back, with Royal Navy Sea Harriers in hot pursuit. Two of the Yaks were lost to the Sea Harriers, but managed to bring down one of the British jets. The surviving Sea Harrier chased the remaining Forgers right into the midst of the Baku group, and was shot down by gunfire from the Soviet ships. An RAF Buccaneer S.2B that also been following behind – no doubt conducting reconnaissance - was also claimed by gunfire. Two more Buccaneers that strayed into the missile envelope were shot down by SA-N-7 Gadfly shots from the Sovremenny class destroyers Sovremenny and Okrylenny.

A similar story was repeated to the east, with MiG-23 Floggers flying out of Orland probing the North Sea zone between the UK and Norway. They encountered RAF Lightning F.6s but the British planes turned back rather than engage. Two other F.6s were also encountered, and these were shot down by AA-7A Apex missile shots.

Seven Tu-22M Backfires had been launched from Kola to strike at the three front line British bases at Vagar and Saxa Vord, and the Norwegian port of Bergen. They arrived at their initial points without incident. Six AS-6 missiles were launched against Bergen. Five of them struck in and around the port facilities and put it out of action. Six AS-6s had been launched against Saxa Vord and nine against Vagar. Three of the AS-6 missiles struck the airfield at Saxa Vord, causing heavy damage. Six more hit Vagar and put it out of action.

Four RAF Phantom FGR.2 fighters attempted to penetrate and destroy the group's Hormone B helicopter but are shot down by four SA-N-6 Grumble from the Kirov battlecruiser Kalinin. Soon thereafter, another British Phantom and six US Navy F/A-18 Hornets approached, launching 24 Harpoons. The RAF Phantom, leading the pack, was shot down by SA-N-6. Forgers were scrambled to try and deal with the Hornets and Harpoons. All of the latter attackers were shot down, but at heavy expenditure of precious SAMs. The three Yak-38 Forgers then encountered two F.6, and an exchange of fire ensued. Three Yaks were lost to the elderly but effective Red Top heat seeking missile, and both F.6 were downed by AA-8 Aphid.

Two Royal Navy naval groups were soon suspected to be lurking on both the western and eastern sides of Vagar.

RAF assets continued to probe the Baku group. Three Harrier II GR.5 jets and a Tornado F.3 were shot down by SA-N-9 missiles from the Udaloy destroyer Marshal Vasilevsky. The Kalinin also opened fire on several Tornado F.3 fighters approaching the formation, shooting down three, but the orbiting Ka-25 Hormone B helicopter was hit by Sky Flash and destroyed. Not long afterward Marshal Vasilevsky shot down four Hawk T.1A jets that had been following behind the Tornados. The British were quite obviously reaching deep into their reserves to defend the homeland.

Six Floggers, enroute to strike Saxa Vord, shot down a Harrier II GR.5 and a pair of Lightnings. Seven of their AS-7 command guided missiles went on to hit the airfield, and following this attack, it was very badly damaged. While returning to base, the Floggers were jumped by a lone Tornado F.3, but the RAF pilot had bitten off more than he could chew, and was shot down by the Soviets.

9 Tornados were now orbiting near the Baku group, and soon, three of them moved off to the east. These three F.3s were later detected near Orland, but fortunately for the Soviets, they had moved an SA-10 Grumble battery to protect the seized facilities there. The SA-10 crew shot down all three Tornados just north of the airfield. Late that evening the remaining four Tornado F.3s departed from their patrol positions near the Baku group and returned to base.

The next day the RAF fighters returned to keep an eye on the Baku group. Kalinin engaged and shot down three Tornado F.3s that had strayed into the missile envelope, while Marshal Vasilevsky shot down three Phantom FGR.2 jets that were attempting to penetrate the formation.

Soviet long range bombers were now ready to conduct another strike. Seven Backfires launched to attack the large RAF airbase at Kinloss. This attack would be timed with several other strike operations. A new flight of Floggers were launched from Orland to finish off Saxa Vord. At Keflavik, which was just now beginning to being operations of forward deployed Soviet aircraft, Fencers launched to carry out a SEAD strike against Stornoway. All of these attacks were timed to occur just after dawn.

During their ingress, the Floggers spotted a helicopter about 75 nm east of Saxa Vord, and another about 25 nm north, but there were no interceptors detected. The Floggers began their attack runs without meeting any fighter resistance at all, and a handful of AS-7 Kerry missile hits finished Saxa Vord. During their egress, the Floggers killed a Sea King HAS.5, probably one of the two helicopters spotted earlier.

The Backfires launched their 21 AS-6 Kingfish missiles safely, about 90 nm east of Saxa Vord, and just west of a major storm system that was now lashing the North Sea coast of Norway. Six missiles got through to strike Kinloss, causing havoc among the flight line (destroying at least half a dozen parked Tornado F.3s and other aircraft) and putting the airfield out of action.

To the west, the Fencers also got through, and 7 AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles and put down the Stornorway radar for good.

The precarious position of the British was now clear, and the Soviets were hoping to exploit the situation as quickly as possible, but there were "friends" in the neighbourhood who intended to intervene.

A single RAF Tornado F.3 had resumed a high orbit near the Baku group, and while this did not appear to be especially unusual at the time, shortly thereafter 20 enemy missiles were spotting coming in on the deck from the south. Five of these missiles, and the Tornado, were dropped by SA-N-6, but then the remaining 15 missiles disappeared from radar. For a few moments, the radar operators frantically searched their screens. The enemy missiles, now believed to be Tomahawks, re-appeared to the west. Three Yak-38 Forgers joined the fray and knocked down several of the Tomahawk cruise missiles with AA-8 Aphid shots. The rest of the missiles were brought down by a mixture of SA-N-6 and SA-N-7. Three had Tornados attempted to move in and collect the Forgers, but they were also intercepted by SA-N-6. The Tomahawk attack was a strong indication of the presence of a US Navy force somewhere southwest of Vagar.

The Udaloy destroyer Marshal Vasilevsky came under torpedo attack as the group came within about 115 nm of Vagar. She immediately fired her own torpedo down the bearing, and turned north to launch a helicopter. The hostile torpedo was soon classified as a Mk 24 Tigerfish. Sonobuoys dropped from the Ka-27 Helix soon located a Royal Navy Swiftsure class attack boat some 17 nm south of the Baku group. The Helix hammered the NATO SSN with active sonar, and then dropped a E45-75A lightweight torpedo. It missed, and the Helix dropped another. The second did not miss. Crushing noises from implosion were confirmed. (The SSN was later reported to have been HMS Sovereign).

Not long afterward a second torpedo was detected, this time to the west. Again a helo was dispatched to investigate. This torpedo was soon classified as an American Mk 48 ADCAP. A second helo was launched to join the hunt, but contact with the hostile torpedoes was lost, and with no contact on an American sub materializing.

A pair of ships, believed to be Royal Navy auxiliaries, were spotted near Vagar. A pair of Forgers, armed with TV guided AS-10 Karen missiles, were launched to investigate these contacts. Two AS-10s each struck the oiler Appleleaf and the merchant New Sea Pioneer, causing moderate damage to both ships. They were being escorted by a Type 22 frigate, which the Yaks purposely avoided. On their way back to Baku, the Soviet pilots spotted a Lynx HAS.3 that appeared to be trying to sneak in close to the formation. They had no fuel to pursue this new target but instead passed the information to Marshal Vasilevsky, whose radars and SA-N-9 went into action and soon knocked down the enemy helicopter.

A new torpedo contact was detected to the north of the Baku group, but it was quite distant. A Ka-25 Hormone helicopter sent in that direction to investigate found nothing and returned without success. No sooner had it returned to ship, then another torpedo was detected to the north. This time a Ka-27 Helix was sent back again to look for the NATO submarine. To assist, the Akula attack sub Pantera, which had been escorting the Oscar SSGN Arkhangelsk back to the Kola peninsula and was now only 50 nm west of the area, was diverted from its mission to look for the NATO sub. It never did locate the enemy submarine and returned to its previous task.

A new pair of Forgers swooped in on the auxiliaries they had damaged earlier, pounding them with 57mm rockets. The New Sea Pioneer, already afire, blew up and sank. The Appleleaf took more hits and was extensively damaged, but still afloat and mobile.

Forgers soon returned to their old punching toy, the Appleleaf, this time loaded with 500 kg iron bombs. The pair swooped in low and released eight bombs, but embarrassingly, none hit. The Baku commander was furious. He immediately ordered both targets, the Appleleaf and the Type 22/1 frigate HMS Brazen, attacked with SS-N-22 missiles. One missile was fired from each of the Sovremenny and Okrylenny. Amazingly, the Appleleaf survived once more, its assigned missile passing harmlessly aft, much to the amazement and relief of her weary crew, but the HMS Brazen was hit and blown up by a Sunburn. The crew of the Appleleaf surrendered shortly thereafter, taken prisoner aboard Baku and their ship scuttled.

Murmansk was satisfied for the time being that sufficient damage had been inflicted on the British Isles, and ordered the Baku group to withdraw northward.

[CV32]

Scenario 1: MEDC 1.0 - Coastal Action

Background

In the Mediterranean, the Warsaw Pact was concerned about NATO forces attempting to use their smaller forces to penetrate their coastal boundaries, especially around partner Syria.

What Happened

War in the Med started slowly. Soviet surface forces operating in the Eastern Med comprised two surface action groups, primarily made up of various corvettes and fast attack craft, for a total of 18 ships. It was decided that it would be better to disperse these units to maximize "search and maneuver" operations, and the two SAGs were therefore split up into four smaller groups. Several hours later, an unknown naval group was spotted visually on the horizon, south of Cyprus. It was a Turkish Navy SAG, comprising a Yavuz frigate escorted by a pair of Dogan missile boats. Hell soon broke loose with missiles fired in each direction. The Harpoons arrived first.

The Soviet Nanuchka III missile craft Grad succumbed first, struck by a pair of Harpoons. His destruction was followed by the Petya II class corvette P205, which was destroyed by a single hit. Although the Mod Kashin class destroyer Smyshlenny fought valiantly, her point defence guns knocking down at least one Harpoon in spite of the complete, utter and unexplained failure of her SAM systems, he was struck and blew up after being hit by three Harpoons.

The Soviet group had already loosed all of its SSMs, a mixture of SS-N-9 Siren and SS-N-2 Styx monsters, but these failed miserably. Those that were did not dive into the sea after suffering some failure or another were swatted down by the Yavuz's Seasparrows. Their only success came in achieving a kill on the Dogan fast attack craft Marti, which was obliterated by two Styx hits.

Further to the north, and closer to the shores of Cyprus, a second Soviet group launched a salvo of missiles against the Turkish survivors. Three of the four Sirens directed against the Yavuz instead tracked on the Dogan missile boat Ruzgar; needless to say, she was destroyed.

These did not go unanswered, however, as a second group of Harpoons were soon detected incoming. The Mod Kashin class destroyer Ognevoy opened up with her SA-N-1 Goa SAM system, managing a couple of hits before being rapidly overwhelmed. Four hits finished the Ognevoy. The Nanuchka III missile craft Zyb fell next. The last of the Russian group to fall was the Osa II missile boat Brestskiy.

Further to the west, a third Soviet group sought revenge, launching another six Sirens in the direction of the Turks. Despite this last stab at the enemy, the local Soviet commander had to acknowledge defeat, and directed his forces to return to the relative safety of the Syrian coast. It wasn't known until later that three of these final Sirens had struck and destroyed the Yavuz frigate Turgut Reis.

[CV32]

Scenario 2: MEDC 2.0 – Breakout

Background:

The soft underbelly of Europe was too inviting a target to pass up. The USSR intended to distract NATO forces from the Central Front by sending air strikes against Turkey, Greece and Italy, while the Soviet Black Sea fleet hoped to break out into the Mediterranean Sea after these NATO defenses were smashed. Soviet forces would then have the opportunity to strike at NATO merchant shipping and coastal military targets as they freely roamed the Med. Of course, first they had to get the initial wave of Black Sea forces out of the Aegean and into the Mediterranean.

What Happened

Two large Soviet SAGs from the Black Sea Fleet were assigned the grim mission of attempting to break out of the Black Sea. Not unexpectedly, the first of these to approach the chokepoint at the Bosporous-Dardanelles was immediately pounced upon.

NATO had good intelligence, and just as it did near Cyprus, the Turkish Navy was again able to achieve surprise. Without warning, the Petya II corvette P207 was struck and mortally wounded by a Penguin Mk 2 missile. A full missile exchange ensued. SS-N-2 Styx missiles claimed the Kartal class fast attack craft Atmaca and Karsiga. With that, the Turkish group lost their nerve, turned tail and ran back to their coast. One of six Sirens fired against an unidentified Yavuz frigate struck home and claimed her.

Meanwhile, in the eastern Med, two Syrian groups were operating north and south of Cyprus when they came under missile attack from an unknown assailant. The northern group, comprised of Osa I and II missile boats escorting a Petya II, was obliterated by Harpoons. The focus of the attack on the southern group (which had a similar composition) came against the Petya II, which was also sunk. Contact was lost with this second group in the hours that followed, and presumably they suffered a similar fate.

In a bold move, a pair of Syrian MiG-25 Foxbat interceptors took off from the airfield at Minakh in an attempt to intercept a NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS which was then orbiting west of Incirlik, Turkey, under the protection of two pairs of American F-15 Eagles. The Foxbats used their tremendous speed to blow past the Eagles and evade a score of Nike-Hercules SAM launches to attack the AWACS, downing it easily. Their timing was impeccable, because a second AWACS was taking off from Incirlik and it too came under fatal attack. A pair of Eagles attempted to intercept the Foxbats on their egress and return to Minakh, and missiles were exchanged but without result. The damage had been done. So severe was this Syrian blow against NATO that the Turkish border was quickly shut down and a massive manhunt ensued in search for spies friendly to the Warsaw Pact.

Meanwhile, back in the Black Sea, the leading Soviet SAG came under air attack. A mixed force of Italian Tornado and Greek Starfighter aircraft launched Kormoran and Bullpup missiles against the Soviet ships. A Bullpup hit and destroyed the Tsiklon, a Nanuchka III missile craft. A Kormoran likewise hit and sank the Nanuchka III ship Raduga. The Starfighters lingered in the area after expending their missiles, orbiting just outside SAM range. The reason why soon became clear. Several more groups of aircraft were soon detected closing on the Soviet formation from the south. Mavericks launched from Turkish F-16s claimed more Soviet ships, including another Nanuchka III, a Petya II and a Mod Kashin destroyer. The Mod Kashin destroyer Slavny did manage to claim an F-16 that strayed too far inside the defensive AAW envelope.

Finally, four Su-27 Flankers arrived on scene. (Some Russian Navy officers who were willing to talk to Western media after the war did acknowledge that it was a major mistake not to provide more extensive air cover for these ships). The Flankers immediately confronted and ravaged the NATO strikers, shooting down numerous NATO strikers and claiming a 4-to-1 kill ratio, losing only one of their own, before being forced to retire for lack of fuel and weapons. Another pair of Flankers approaching from the east had similar success.

The destroyer Slavny and missile corvette Molniya continued to fight valiantly, claiming another Turkish Navy Kartal class missile craft, Pelikan, and several Greek Air Force Corsairs, but they no longer had air cover and succumbed soon thereafter.

NATO attempted to mimic Syrian success in killing the AWACS. Four Greek F-4E Phantoms attempted to penetrate north and snag an orbiting Soviet A-50 Mainstay, but these brave pilots were intercepted and destroyed by Su-27 Flankers, at a loss of two of the precious Soviet fighters. Closer to Sevastopol, a pair of Flankers running CAP were surprised and destroyed by a pair of Turkish Phantoms. Even further north, a trio of Greek Phantoms unknowingly overflew the second large Soviet SAG in the Black Sea darkness and were shot down by gunfire. Two others were dispatched by SA-N-7 Gadfly missiles from the Sovremenny class destroyer Bystry. The crew of the Soviet Mainstay escaped, shaken but unharmed. Several hours later, to the east, a pair of American Eagles attempted to snatch the Mainstay orbiting near Sevastopol, but were themselves bagged by Soviet Flankers before they could close to lethal distance.

Meanwhile, an emboldened Syria launched a second assault against Incirlik. Three groups of MiG-29s, 15 aircraft in all, took off from Minakh, while 12 Su-24 Fencers departed Damascus, all of them headed for Incirlik airfield. A pair of Foxbats flew down the Syrian coast and again using their extremely high speed, managed to down a pair of orbiting F-15 Eagles. The initial assault by the Fulcrums inflicted moderate damage on Incirlik with a barrage of iron bombs. However, the first group of Fencers was jumped by F-15s on their ingress, and four were lost before the survivors scrubbed the mission and returned to Damascus. A pair of F-15s pursued the Fulcrum strike force as it returned to Minakh, but one was felled by their MiG-25 escorts and the other fell victim to Syrian SA-6 Gainful batteries arrayed in defence of the airfield.

The Soviets seemed to learn their lesson after the loss of the first SAG, and now quartets of Su-27 Flankers were on CAP almost constantly. One group of four penetrated south of Istanbul and surprised six Italian Harriers, killing them all before turning homeward, whereupon they bushwhacked five Greek Mirages on their return.

A large group of Starfighters flew into the SAM envelope of the surviving Soviet SAG, apparently enroute to Sevastopol, and half of these were felled by SA-N-3 Goblet missiles from the Kara class cruiser Ochakov. This seemed to signal a second large NATO anti-ship strike. The remaining half dozen Starfighters were intercepted and destroyed by a trio of Fulcrums just south of Sevastopol. MiG-23 Floggers arrived on the scene, intercepting four Harpoons that were streaming in toward the Soviet SAG and then chasing down the P-3 Orion that had just launched them. Again NATO had attempted to penetrate the Soviet airspace and destroy the second SAG just as it had done to the first (albeit with heavy losses). This time, however, the Soviet Floggers and Flankers shot down several Italian Tornados and their Greek Phantom escorts.

The Soviets had thus far largely been unable to garner effective support from either of its Warsaw Pact partners Romania, Hungary or Bulgaria, but fortunately, the United States was having the same difficulty in gaining support from its ally Israel. The lack of Israeli involvement was probably what made it possible for the Soviets to convince the Syrians to attack Turkey. Soon the Syrians made a second attempt on Incirlik. Half a dozen Fencers took off from Damascus, armed with all the remaining AS-14 Kedge missiles in the Syrian arsenal. The follow-on strike on Incirlik was very successful, inflicting heavy damage on the airbase.

Despite this success, the Syrians continued to suffer at sea. A group of four Syrian Osa I and II missile boats patrolling near the Syrian coast, northeast of Cyprus, were surprised and pounced upon by a group of Italian Tornados. The NATO strikers killed three of the missile craft with Kormoran missiles before breaking off.

Soviet Su-27 Flankers probing the area around Istanbul and the entrance to the Bosporous-Dardanelles detected a force of 9 Greek Mirages, no doubt enroute to making another antiship strike against the Kara SAG, and these were jumped by the Flankers over the city of Istanbul. The Greeks were annihilated, their flaming wrecks falling into the city. More importantly, however, one of the Flanker pilots spotted what had to be a NATO naval group operating in the Sea of Marmara.

The NATO surface group discovered in the confined waters of the Bosporous-Dardanelles was soon found to comprise at least two Turkish Navy Yavuz frigates and two Dogan missile boats. The twelve Flogger J aircraft that had been pressed into the naval strike role rather than their usual ground attack function immediately loosed their warload of AS-14 Kedge and AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles. The Yavuz frigates Yildirim and Fatih were hit and destroyed, as well as one of the Dogan fast attack craft.

Earlier, a force of nine Tu-16 Badger bombers took off from Krasnodar, together with six Su-24 Fencers configured for SEAD. The Fencers' targets were the surviving long range air surveillance radars at Incirlik and Konya, deep inside Turkey. Four Su-27s continued to push south past Istanbul, clearing the way for what was to come next. While the Turkish navy was being devastated, 230 miles to the east the SEAD Fencers loosed their AS-12 Kegler ARMs near simultaneously. The Tu-16 Badgers that had been trailing the strike formation now rose to high altitude and launched no less than 18 AS-6 Kingfish missiles against their target – the airfield at Cigli. No sooner had they completed launch procedures than a half dozen F-16s were detected 50 nm to the west and closing. Seconds later, the radars at Konya and Incirlik went off the air. The Fencers had done their job. Cigli was now the only undamaged Turkish air force base, and it was about to receive some very nasty visitors. Although relatively inaccurate in this role, the AS-6 cruise missiles carried huge blast-fragmentation warheads that were bound to cause severe damage to exposed airfield. At least half of these are believed to have struck home; the airfield at Cigli was rendered inoperable and the Turks were unable to repair it for the duration of the conflict.

NATO was relentless in its objective, however, the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet. A trio of MiG-29 Fulcrums that were performing combat air patrol in defence of the Kara SAG now moved to intercept a group of approaching F-16s. All of F-16s were killed in exchange for a single Fulcrum. Six Greek A-7 Corsairs were discovered flying up the Romanian coast and were intercepted by MiG-23 Floggers out of Odessa. Another four were detected closing on the Kara SAG, but with the most recent Soviet air strikes now over, the local Flanker and Fulcrum gap was withdrawing, and the naval group was now exposed. Fortunately, the SAG was capable of defending itself against the threat, and all four Corsairs were downed by SA-N-3 Goblet SAMs launched from the Ochakov. Twelve more Tornados were detected streaming in, but again the Soviets had a flight of Flankers available nearby, and these ate the Tornados alive.

With NATO, and especially Turkey, now on its heels, the Soviets launched a further strike against Konya. This time with Su-24 Fencers flying from Odessa. Their Su-27 Flanker escorts encountered only minimal resistance on ingress, knocking down two Turkish Phantoms and an USAF F-15. A pair of unfortunate S-2E Trackers, departing Konya at the last moment, also fell victim. The Fencers obliterated the airfield at Konya with AS-14 Kedge missiles and 500 kg iron bombs.

At Incirlik, a similar fate was suffered. The Syrian Fencers returned, and met no resistance. The already badly damaged airbase was blanketed with cluster bombs, leaving what was not destroyed outright coated in deadly submunitions for the foreseeable future. With Turkish defences broken wide open, the Soviets now moved to exploit the pathway to the eastern Mediterranean and the soft underbelly of NATO and the shipping lanes.

A pair of Syrian MiG-25s on reconnaissance patrol spotted a NATO SAG west of Cyprus, and again the Badgers of Krasnodar were called into action. Two new NATO groups were subsequently discovered, for a total of two Greek and one Turkish SAG. With no Turkish air support remaining available and the nearest NATO airfield over 300 miles away at Crete, the NATO ships were terribly exposed. A few Greek Starfighters did arrive on scene eventually, but the appearance of these elderly fighters was really only a token effort. They could not hope to keep up with the Foxbats and were batted aside easily.

Skirting the northern coast of Cyprus, the Badger lead commanded a climb to high altitude. From the numerous blips on his radar screen, he selected what he believed to be the remaining Turkish missile craft and a few of the Greek capital ships for engagement. There was no Aegis here, and the Kingfish missiles tipped over and dived at break neck speed. Single missiles struck the Greek FRAM I class destroyers Kreizis, Kanaris and Sachtouris, and two hit the Kortanaer frigate Elli. It was more than enough. Another blasted the Dogan missile boat Volkan.

A few Soviet submarines had lurked the Mediterranean before war start, and these also saw action. The K-138, a Victor III class SSN encountered the remnants of the ravaged Greek SAG southwest of Cyprus later that day, and moved to intercept. The Cannon class light frigate Panthir was torpedoed and sunk, but two other Greek frigates that reported coming under attack by wake homing torpedoes managed to evade them. (The Tango class diesel sub B-319 later reported being attacked by a torpedo from an unknown source, west of Cyprus, but it evaded successfully. Its assailant was most likely the Greek group that later themselves fell victim to the combined action of the Badgers and the Victor III). Meanwhile, B-225, another Tango class diesel winding its way south through the Aegean, also reported being attacked by a torpedo. Its luck did not hold, however, and contact was lost; it is presumed the sub was sunk.

Having survived the waves of NATO anti-ship strikes, the surviving Soviet SAG now approached the Bosporous-Dardanelles. Unknown to the Soviets, the surviving missile boat Dogan, which had lurked among the panicked commercial shipping in harbor at Istanbul, now managed to surprise the Kara SAG as it approached the chokepoint. It launched four Harpoons at the Soviet group once they came within range. The orbiting Flankers shot down three of the missiles, and the fourth was downed by SA-N-4 Geckos from Ochakov. The Dogan was dispatched by 130mm gunfire. As the Kara SAG entered the chokepoint, the Greek Air Force continued to throw what it had left at the Soviets, but these assets largely comprised elderly Starfighters. Though valiant, they stood no chance against the Su-27s.

Some hours later, a new NATO naval group was discovered moving north through the Sea of Marmara. This soon turned out to be two NATO groups in close proximity, including what appeared to be large number of helicopters. With the inventory of Kingfish missiles in short supply, the Soviets launched a Fencer group from Odessa to engage. A trio of Italian Sparviero missile hydrofoils were spotted in the lead. Two of these were struck and destroyed by AS-14 Kedge missiles. The larger, southern group was quickly identified as an Italian task force centred around what was probably a Garibaldi helicopter carrier. The frantic warble of the RWR soon indicated Standard SAMs incoming ! The Fencers loosed their AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles and turned northward at high speed. The sky soon filled with the smoky tendrils of missile trails heading north and south. Maybe this was a target worthy of Kingfish after all. None of the Keglers were believed to have found targets, but they soaked up precious NATO SAMs and the Fencers did manage to sink the surviving Sparviero on their egress.

Just before a new Soviet strike formation of Fencers and Badgers arrived on scene, the Italians attacked the Kara SAG with surface-to-surface missiles. At least 10 Otomat missiles were detected incoming. These were knocked down by the Flankers overhead, but two SM-2ER Standards had been launched against the Kara cruiser Ochakov[, and both of these struck home, causing minor damage to her bridge and destroying her Palm Frond radar, and also causing a fire to break out. One of the Flankers was also shot down by Standards. Buoyed by their success in striking Ochakov with the Standards, the Italians launched a flurry of them against the Soviet SAG, following up with another salvo of Otomats. The Soviets responded in kind, loosing all of their Sunburns and Sirens against the Italian helicopter carrier and her escorts. None hit. Several more Standards hit Ochakov, which was by now suffering a fairly serious fire, but thankfully none of the Otomats struck home.

Finally the Badgers arrived. The Garibaldi and Animoso were both destroyed by Kingfish hits, and the Italians were forced to withdraw. Tending the fire aboard Ochakov, the Soviets elected not to pursue, but it was apparent now that they would successfully push through the chokepoint, at least into the Aegean. That much was now obvious to NATO as well, or at least to Turkey, which reluctantly entered into bilateral peace negotiations with the USSR some hours later.

[CV32]

Scenario 3: MEDC 3.0 – Southern Front

Background

With a portion of the USSR's Black Sea fleet having escaped into the Mediterranean Sea, much of Greece and Turkey's military had been effectively smashed. However, a political coup in Syria had effectively disabled their military and had removed them from the war effort for the time being. Now that Soviet lead combat forces were out into the Med, they had to sweep the area clear of NATO submarines and coastal naval vessels, while regional air forces concentrated on the further reduction of the Greek and Italian airfields to allow Soviet bombers to have full control of the Eastern Mediterranean.

What Happened

Advancing Russian forces managed to seize the airfield at Merzifon, Turkey, and immediately flew in enough supplies and personnel to support a flight of 12 Tu-16 Badger bombers. Their supply of AS-6 Kingfish missiles, however, was limited. The Libyans would need every bit of support they could get. Their elderly aircraft would face the Italians and Greeks, whom, though battered, still had plenty of fight left in them. Libyans had three surface action groups operating in the Gulf of Sidra, centred around Al Hani or Dat Assawari class light frigates, and two of these groups were much further north (close to the Line of Death) than was safe. Almost immediately NATO moved to exploit this.

MiG-25 Foxbats out of Bengasi intercepted an Italian AV-8B Harrier that was probing the Dat Assawari SAG in the north Gulf. A second Harrier pilot seemingly lost his nerve (or exercised better judgment) and bugged out. Behind the Harriers, however, was a flight of six Greek Mirages, and fortunately, all of these fell victim to the MiG-25s. Six Greek Starfighters managed to sneak in behind the Foxbats, but they inadvertently overflew the Dat Assawari SAG, and four of them fell in a hailstorm of gunfire.

In the west, Foxbats out of Obka Ibn Nafa airfield jumped six US Air Force F-111F Aardvarks, killing five of them before withdrawing at high speed. MiG-21 Fishbeds tagged the sole surviving F-111F, using a barrage of ancient AA-2 Atolls.

Despite these valiant and impressive efforts by the Libyans, the Nanuchka II corvette Zaquit was hit and destroyed by a NATO missile. It was determined later that the solitary Italian Harrier had swung around in a wide circle and returned to his original objective. He managed to score a hit and then escaped successfully.

The Al Hani SAG group in the southwest was likewise attacked, losing the Osa II missile boat Al Katum to an unknown assailant. A follow-on attack from NATO strikers came quickly. These were heavily escorted by F-104 Starfighters, but their Aspides could not handle the MiG-25s. The Foxbats intercepted and killed three Italian Harriers. MiG-21s also intervened, and managed to down an Italian Tornado, but one MiG-21 was also shot down. The remaining Harriers and Tornados penetrated the Libyan defensive screen and let loose with a volley of Marte Mk II and Kormoran antiship missiles at the Al Hani SAG. Four Libyan ships were lost, including the Al Hani herself.

Foxbats were more successful in deterring the second wave against the Dat Assawari SAG, killing six Greek A-7 Corsairs. It was only a short while later, though, that the Osa II missile boat Al Fikar was sunk by an AGM-65F Maverick.

Later that day, a flight of six Russian Badgers launched AS-6 Kingfish missiles at Souda Bay airfield. At least 7 missiles were believed to have struck home, causing extensive damage and shutting down the airbase. There was now a lull in the action as each side assessed their relative positions and next moves.

South of Crete, a Soviet Naval Aviation Il-38 May maritime reconnaissance aircraft that had been enroute to undertaking a patrol in the eastern Mediterranean inadvertently overflew an enemy SAG. She reported several Egyptian vessels in the formation before all contact was lost.

While enroute to attack this newly reported Egyptian SAG, a flight of Libyan Mirage 5 aircraft encountered a second Egyptian group further south, comprised largely of missile craft. The Egyptian Navy Ramadan class missile boat El Yarmouk was destroyed, but the primary task of dealing with this new group was assigned to the MiG-23 Flogger E force at Bengasi. These were dispatched immediately.

Less than 20 nm north, the Mirages found their targets. The elderly Al Nour gunboats Al Rafia, Al Galar and Al Hakim were all sunk, but the prize was the Descubierta frigate El Abourkir, which was struck and destroyed by three AS.30 missiles.

Before the Mirages broke off, yet another enemy SAG was spotted, another Egyptian group a little further to the northwest, heading southeast. Two Mirage 5s were lost to enemy 76mm Compact gunfire.

When the Flogger E force arrived on scene, they launched AS-7 Kerry missiles, but guidance performance was miserable. A Ramadan missile boat was destroyed and the Jianghu III frigate Najim Al Zafir was moderately damaged.

In the west, a flight of six Italian Tornados were detected heading south, presumably to finish off what remained of the Al Hani SAG. Foxbats conducting CAP nearby were called into action. They managed to shoot down four of the group.

Late that evening, NATO launched a direct strike against the Libyan airfield at Obka Ibn Nafa. A force of 8 aircraft were detected approaching from some 70 miles away. Three Mirage F.1ED fighters were scrambled to respond. They managed to down five American F-111F Aardvark bombers but were themselves destroyed by their AV-8B Harrier escorts. These three Harriers were subsequently shot down by another trio of Mirages.

A second flight of MiG-23 Flogger E strikers soon arrived to attack the Egyptian task force. They had a bit more luck with their Kerry missiles. The Al Nour class patrol ships Al Wakil and Al Hadi were sunk, as was the Jianghu III frigate El Nasser.

With the supply of functional Kerry missiles at Bengasi and Tobruk exhausted, more Flogger E fighters were launched from Ghurdibiyah. This next strike proved to be a disaster.

Two of the Floggers were shot down on ingress, and another on egress, and the four AS-7 missiles they managed to fire at an Osa I missile boat and an Al Nour gunboat missed completely. The surviving Flogger E aircraft retired to Tobruk in shame.

The follow-up strike had much more success, sinking two Al Nour gunboats, the Al Nour and the Al Saddam, and the Ramadan missile craft Hettein. They suffered no losses. Finally, a single Flogger E from Tobruk swooped in on the lone survivor, the Al Nour gunboat Al Salam, and blasted it with 57mm rockets.

Later that day a Soviet Il-38 May was surprised to discover a Turkish naval group operating in the eastern Mediterranean, northeast of Crete near the entrance to the Aegean. It seemed the Turks had not yet learned their lesson from the Black Sea and Cyprus battles. (After the war, it was alleged by some that the continued willingness of Turkish naval assets to engage in battle was more likely due to crippled lines of communication between the ships and their shore based HQ). Also, a Greek SAG was located southeast of Crete.

A Tu-16 Badger flight arriving from occupied Merzifon launched its remaining missiles against the Turkish and Greek groups. Among the Turkish group, two Kartal and two Dogan missile craft and one Yavuz frigate was sunk. Among the Greeks, a pair of Combattante II and Combattante III missile boats and a Cannon frigate were destroyed.

The remaining Turkish ships, believed to be a Yavuz frigate and a Dogan missile craft, elected to leave the battle zone and return to port. The Turkish were now effectively out of the war.

None of the four Styx missiles launched from the Dat Assawari group found targets among the Egyptian surface ships found operating about 130 nm north of Bengasi. Another four were launched shortly thereafter. They were also shot down or fell into the water harmlessly. A more serious missile exchange ensued. The Libyan Nanuchka II corvettes Zaara and the Al Hani class ship Al Ghardabia were hit and destroyed by Harpoons. The Libyans exacted a measure of revenge, however, launching Otomats that sunk three Egyptian Osa I type missile craft and the Descubierta frigate El Suez.

With only two Osa I missile boats remaining among the enemy group, the Al Ghardabia SAG turned its attention to the remnants of the three Egyptian SAGs south of Crete.

Finally an Italian carrier group was located about 160 nm southeast of Sigonella and heading generally southeast into the Gulf of Sidra. The Libyan Foxtrot diesel Al Fateh moved to intercept, but had no success in catching the Italian group.

[CV32]

Scenario 4: MEDC 4.0 – Ambush

Background

In the starting days of a general East-West war, Soviet bombers and submarines hoped to surprise any US battle group trying to lend support to Israel or Egypt. This was most likely to occur after the "Aegean Flank" had been opened up, or possibly as part of initial air strikes. The Soviets were trying to find the carrier group using their reconnaissance aircraft. It was hoped to coordinate local forces to attack the carrier simultaneously.

What Happened

A E-2C Hawkeye was detected and localized about 60 nm west of Crete. A nearby Charlie II cruise missile submarine detected a distant sonar target in the vicinity, and launched its four SS-N-9 Sirens at near maximum range, but none of these were believed to have achieved a hit.

A huge combined Libyan/Syrian SAG, comprising some 35 ships, had meanwhile been assembled south of Crete and now immediately raced west to face the American carrier battle group.

The Libyan/Syrian formation soon came under attack, possibly from a NATO submarine, and a Petya II was lost. Next to go was the Rad, a Combattante IIG missile boat, followed by sister ship Laheeb. Then a Syrian Osa I and a Libyan Osa II died. The destruction that would soon follow would rival the World War II era Marianas Turkey Shoot.

It was a bonanza for the US Navy, killing the missile craft easily with volleys of Harpoon and HARM from standoff range. Even their S-3 Vikings joined the fray.

Their shipboard Harpoons and the carrier's own Harpoon inventory now depleted, the Americans reverted to shooting their Standards at the remnants of the oncoming Libyan/Syrian missile craft group. After four hours of constant bombardment, only four ships remained of the original force of 35. A short while later, the sea was empty, except for floating wreckage, burning oil and the moans of lost sailors.

A force of six Libyan Air Force MiG-23MS Flogger E fighters flying out of Tobruk encountered an equal number of US Navy F/A-18s, and although they killed all of the heavily laden American fighter-bombers, they still lost three MiGs in the furball. The remaining three were then believed to have been destroyed by AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. Two Flogger E fighters then tangled with the new attackers, three US Navy F-14s, and managed to kill all three in a close quarters battle but lost one of their own.

15 Tu-16 Badgers took off from Odessa in an effort to find and strike the US Navy carrier. They approached from three points along the northern axis, and two of these groups arrived at their prescribed TOT point, allowing them to shoot simultaneously. The third flight arrived late, but also launched its warload. All 30 missiles were launched on bearing only. Five of these found the nuclear powered missile cruiser USS South Carolina and exploded her.

Perhaps buoyed by the arrival of a US Navy carrier battle group in the Eastern Mediterranean, and almost definitely also as a result of significant pressure from Washington, the Israelis finally joined the war.

Six Israeli F-16s were detected heading toward the Syrian airfield at Hamah. These were intercepted and shot down by a pair of forward deployed Soviet Flankers.

Four other Flankers which had been dispatched toward the enemy carrier group, however, were intercepted by F-14s over Crete and destroyed. Israeli F-15s later jumped a force of Soviet Flankers and Fencers enroute to attack the US carrier battle group. The Su-27s managed to fight them off, but four Syrian Fencers were lost. The Syrians scrubbed the mission, much to the chagrin of Moscow. The F-15s chased the Fencers back to Hamah but were shot down by local SA-6 SAM defences.

The Su-27 Flankers later spotted a merchant group northeast of Crete.

The Badgers returned later in the day, but had significant trouble locating a target this time, and had to close much more closely than desirable. Attempts by Libyan Flogger E fighters to penetrate the screen and spot targets failed, and several were lost, though one did manage to bag a Tomcat. Five bombers were lost to Phoenix just as they neared their launch points. The remainder bugged out and returned to the Ukraine.

Purely by chance, an elderly Syrian Romeo diesel sub, patrolling in the eastern Med, encountered an Israeli surface action group comprised of Saar II and IV class missile craft. In their haste to attack, however, the poorly trained Syrian crew accidentally broached the surface and was immediately attacked by Harpoon. They were able to dive again safely, launching torpedoes vainly at the Israeli ships. They had no hope of catching the speeding Israeli craft. An Israeli helo dropped torpedoes, but they were off target.

Meanwhile, the Al Mitraqah, a Libyan Foxtrot class submarine that had been attempting to move into an ambush position ahead of the American carrier group, was pounced upon by the ASW screen and sunk. Her sister, the Libyan Foxtrot Al Fateh (frustrated from her earlier attempts to intercept an Italian carrier group), also attempted to get in front of the carrier, but it also came under torpedo attack. Her skipper instinctively fired torpedoes down the bearing of the attacker, but none of these found targets, and the Libyan sub was hit and sunk.

The Syrian Romeo reported having encountered another Israeli naval group in the night and engaged. The crew reported having sunk the Saar II missile craft Mitvach and an unidentified Saar III, but these claims remain unverified.

Some hours later, the crew of the Soviet Tango diesel sub B-30encountered a Israeli surface group southwest of Crete, and were able to engage. They were much better trained than their Libyan and Syrian comrades. The Saar II missile boat Kidon and the Saar IV missile boat Tarshish were both sunk. Late that evening, this same Soviet Tango spotted two merchants on the horizon in the dusky light. She torpedoed and sank both of them, the SS Rio San Jian and SS Paolo D'Amico. The next day, this Tango encountered an Israeli naval group heading back to port. While stalking the group, he came under attack, and responded by shooting all three of his remaining torpedoes, one at each contact. One of these torpedoes found the Saar II missile craft Akko and exploded her. The Saar IV missile craft Komemiyut was also struck by a torpedo and sank. The skipper of the B-30 was to be one of the most highly decorated Soviet submariners of the war.

In a successful demonstration of cooperation, Libyan MiG-23 Floggers and Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrums operating out of Tobruk were able to distract US Navy F-14s long enough to allow a small group of 5 Soviet Badgers to again penetrate from the north, flying at low altitude and using the Aegean islands as cover. Ten AS-6 Kingfish missiles were launched on bearing only profiles in the direction of the American fleet. Unfortunately, despite the successful execution of the attack, all of the AS-6 missiles were shot down. One F-14D was shot by a MiG-29 with an IR homing AA-11 Archer, and another by an SA-8 Gecko SAM near Tobruk.

The Syrians finally were convinced to attack the Israeli Navy at sea, but only if the Soviets provided fighter escort. Thus the Soviets deployed Su-27 Flankers to run interference against Israeli F-15s while a group of Syrian Su-24 Fencers made a run against the Israeli navy group operating near Crete. The Flankers succeeded in destroying 10 Israeli fighters, six F-15s and four F-16Cs. Despite their best efforts, however, the Soviets did not count on a group of three US Navy F-14 Tomcats following them back to their airbase at Hamah. They jumped the Syrian Fencers and downed all four aircraft.

The B-97, another Soviet Tango diesel operating to the west, had much better luck penetrating the US carrier group than the Libyans. She identified a Kidd guided missile destroyer and another unknown escort some 80 nm southeast of Crete, heading east at a brisk 20 knots. She attacked and sank the second contact, later determined to have been the Knox frigate Reasoner.

Soviet Flankers that continued to probe the US Navy CVBG from their forward base at Hamah encountered a flight of S-3 Vikings that were apparently conducting long range ASW patrol ahead of the CVBG. Several of these Vikings fell victim. These Su-27s were themselves jumped by Israeli F-15s on their return to Hamah, while MiG-29s out of Tobruk bagged two F-14D Tomcats that were covering the rear of the American CVBG. These Fulcrums were chased back to Tobruk, where one of their F-14D pursuers was knocked down by an SA-6 Gainful SAM.

During the entire melee, however, a flight of Flogger J and Fulcrum strikers were able to get close enough to shoot several AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles at a pair of Spruance destroyers spotted on the fringe of the American formation. At least four AS-12 missiles were believed to have struck the USS Hayler, causing extensive damage. Another pair of Fulcrums probing the US Navy group was jumped by Tomcats. Missiles were exchanged, but without hits. One F-14 managed a gun kill on a MiG-29.

The story was repeated to the northeast of the American carrier, where a flight of Su-27 Flankers was leading a Syrian Fencer strike. They were intercepted by US Navy F-14s, and although missiles were exchanged, both sides evaded and it came down to a gun fight. One Su-27 downed an F-14 in the gun battle.

With the Flanker escorts now "winchesterski", the Syrians decided (again, despite Soviet protest) that the Fencers should expend their warload against the exposed Israeli ships rather than risk trying to penetrate further toward the Americans. AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles struck the Saar II missile craft Miznaq and the Saar III boats Soufa and Gaasch, in the south, and in the north, others struck the Saar 4.5 class missile boat Aliyah and the Saar III missile boat Herev. All of the Israeli ships were shattered under the force of the heavy (and expensive) anti-radar missiles. The Saar II missile boat Eilat was hit by an electro-optically guided AS-14 Kedge and destroyed, as was the Saar IV missile boat Yafo and the Saar 4.5 missile boat Geoula. The Saar IV craft Reshev was also hit by an AS-14 and destroyed.

The strike was considered a huge victory for Damascus, but their valuable missiles had been expended and the American carrier remained intact. The Soviets were less than impressed.

On return to base in Libya, a pilot of a Flogger J's reporting having spotted an Egyptian flagged tanker hugging the coast and moving west. More Flogger J's returned to attack this tanker, the Ouranos, and discovered two other merchants with her. The Ouranos was sunk in the attack. Flogger J strikers were once again dispatched from Tobruk to hunt down and sink the enemy merchants. Their success was marginal, however, and the tanker Hyperion received only light damage from a single AS-14 Kedge hit.

When a new pair of MiG-29s were sent out to search for the US Navy CVBG, it seemed the back of the American carrier air wing had been broken, for there were no Tomcats in sight. The Spruance destroyer USS Hayler, apparently having been undamaged earlier, fired two RIM-7M Sea Sparrows at the probing Fulcrums but they escaped.

Finally the Fulcrums spotted the main body elements of the CVBG, including the Forrestal carrier USS Independence and two fleet oilers. The MiG-29s shot an E-2C Hawkeye that they found, but one of the MiGs fell to an unknown assailant (presumably an SM-2 Standard).

The 15 Soviet Badgers now winding their way through the Turkish side of the Aegean archipelago had climbed to high altitude and released their 30 AS-6 Kingfish missiles. Two AS-6 missiles hit the Cimarron class oiler Monongahela, three more struck the fleet oiler Caloosehatchee, and three destroyed the Hayler. Most importantly, however, four AS-6 missiles found the Independence. She broke up and sank almost immediately.

The Soviets quickly declared victory in the Eastern Mediterranean, and although they made no mention of it in public, much of their success was due to the sacrifice and blind luck of their Syrian allies.

[CV32]

Scenario 8: GIUK 8.0 – Rapier

Background

NATO long feared the overwhelming power of Soviet cruise missile attacks launched from long range land based bombers. Most of these bombers were concentrated in a relatively few airfields on the Kola Peninsula. This fact was not lost on NATO planners. The Soviets expected NATO to attack these airfields with cruise missile equipped submarines in an attempt to disrupt attacks on NATO shipping. NATO submarine forces had long boasted of their ability to get into the Motherland's "back yard" in spite of heavy patrols in this area. The commander of the ASW forces of the Northern Red Banner Fleet was directed to detect and destroy any NATO submarines which entered the Barents Sea, especially before they could do any damage to Soviet forces or attack the many vital bases in the area with their submarine launched cruise missiles. His ships hoped to form a blockade at the edge of Norway in an attempt to keep any NATO submarines out of this sensitive area. This would also put them in a position to sweep east if the situation warranted. Friendly submarines were left patrolling in their assigned sectors. Reports indicated that the force consisted of less than a dozen US and British submarines, probably with two or more Improved Los Angeles class submarines armed with cruise missiles and the remainder of the group being a few older attack boats providing escort.

What Happened

A Soviet surface action group centred on the missile cruiser Slava was patrolling in the western Barents when ten Harpoons (two salvoes of 5) were detected incoming from northwest. Anti-air warfare defense systems went into action. SA-N-6 Grumble missiles from the Slava and SA-N-3A Goblet missiles from the Kresta II cruiser Admiral Makarov splashed several, following up with SA-N-4 Gecko shots from both the Slava and Makarovp. Two Harpoons got through, but luckily they were decoyed by chaff and missed the Slava.

An Il-38 May maritime patrol aircraft orbiting nearby was dispatched to search outward from the bearing of the missile attack, but it was then that a torpedo was detected deep inside the formation. The NATO submarine was apparently much closer than thought. The torpedo was closest to Slava, and so the big cruiser raced to the far side of the formation to evade.

Suddenly a swarm of what looked to be Tomahawks were incoming from the west. Slava's SA-N-6 SAM system went into overtime, but four Tomahawks got through and found the ASW destroyer Udaloy. She exploded just as her helicopter was pulling away from the deck. The helo was sprayed with fragments, but was able to escape without serious damage.

The Victor III attack sub K-448, which had been scouting ahead of the Slava group to the west, detected an incoming torpedo that was still quite distant. As the K-448 slowed to listen for the torpedo, she suddenly detected a submarine contact, much closer. His skipper quickly elected to shoot two 533mm torpedoes at this contact and then dived and reversed course, at flank speed. He heard no explosion from its own torpedoes, and so slowed to try and regain the contact. K-448 came to periscope depth and launched a single SS-N-16 at the closest sub contact. Moments later it launched another. Both missed. The K-448 resumed the hunt but the hostile torpedo was still out there.

Udaloy's surviving Helix helicopter then discovered an Improved Los Angeles type nuclear submarine which had ran over its sonobuoy about 36 nm west of the Slava. The Helix tried to localize the contact and soon found the American SSN cruising under the layer and moving at 16 knots toward the Slava. The Helix dropped both its lightweight torpedoes on the American sub, which had by now changed course to the south and was running at flank speed. Both torpedoes failed to hit the target.

The Soviet SAG had problems of its own, with a new torpedo contact approaching from the north. Once again the ships of the Soviet surface group scattered.

An Il-38 May re-established contact with the Improved Los Angeles a short while later, which had now resumed its course toward the Soviet ships. The Soviet aircraft dropped a torpedo but it missed. This was a tough NATO skipper, always evading but in the direction of the Slava group. A second torpedo also missed. Contact was lost thereafter but regained later when the US SSN ran over a sonobuoy.

It was now close enough for the Slava group to engage with standoff ASW weapons, and so the Krivak II frigate Gordelivy launched a single SS-N-14 Silex missile. It dropped its torpedo payload right on top of the enemy sub and the torpedo homed in immediately. It struck home and sank the USS Albany. Before dying, however, the Albany had launched a Mk 48 ADCAP in the direction of the nearby Kilo diesel B-229. The Kilo had been creeping at 5 kt at the time, and it was amazing that the American even heard him, but nevertheless it forced the Kilo to run away at best speed. When contact was lost with this ADCAP, the skipper of the Kilo slowed to steerage speed to assess the situation.

Another torpedo had appeared to the west. The first ADCAP was threatening the Slava group, but it was still distant and at this range the Soviet ships believed they could outrun the torpedo easily. The second torpedo was also focused on the Slava group, but it too was distant, passing now in front of the sub B-229 at a range of about five miles.

A third torpedo was now detected, following the second Mk 48 toward the Slava group. There had to be another NATO sub out there. This third torpedo now chased the frigate Gordelivy. This torpedo chased down the Gordelivy and was hit and sunk.

Finally, the sub contact materialised, only 2 nm from the B-229 ! The Kilo's skipper instantly ordered the launch of two 533mm torpedoes, at the same moment detecting a hostile torpedo. The Il-38 May had by now arrived on the scene but was unable to engage due to the proximity of B-229. An unidentified Improved Los Angeles SSN was hit by one of the B-229's torpedoes and sunk.

Awhile later, the Kresta II missile cruiser Admiral Makarov detected a new torpedo contact to the north. She turned and raced in the opposite direction. Once again the orbiting Il-38 May was dispatched. Contact with the torpedo was lost but the attacker was not located. Makarov cautiously returned to his position in the formation.

The same drama repeated itself later. Another torpedo attack. This time the Il-38 was near the datum, and she quickly laid a barrier of sonobuoys. Contact ! A British Trafalgar SSN was lurking north of the formation. The May's first air dropped torpedo missed, and her crew launched another. Makarov joined the assault with a barrage of SS-N-14 missiles. The Royal Navy skipper didn't flinch, holding his course and pumping out decoys. Three of the valuable Silex missiles were expended for no hits. The May dropped its final torpedo. Finally the Trafalgar flushed, racing north at flank speed, but still no hits were achieved.

A Ka-27 Helix helicopter was dispatched from Slava to finish the job. She hammered the sub with active sonar, and then dropped a torpedo but it missed. A second torpedo was released from the Helix. Success ! This torpedo struck and sank the HMS Trenchant.

A second sub contact had now been detected a little further to the north. The Helix was out of torpedoes but had sonobuoys remaining, and it moved north to localize the new contact. This sub was located and then classified as a Swiftsure nuke boat. The May arrived and dropped a single torpedo. It had no difficulty tracking and homing on the sub, killing it on the first shot. Sunk was the class namesake HMS Swiftsure.

[CV32]

Scenario 9: GIUK 9.0 – Takeover

Background

Early in the conflict, NATO forces stationed at the air bases and ports in Norway served as a vital block to Soviet operations in the Norwegian sea. They could also attack Soviet units in transit as they attempt to reach the open Atlantic. A Soviet occupation of one or more bases not only reduced this threat, but also provided forward bases for their aircraft and ships. Submarines had their transit time back to base shortened by days, and short-ranged tactical aircraft could be used much more effectively. It was important to NATO that any Soviet amphibious assault force be weakened before it landed. If NATO forces could sink enough troopships the Soviets will not be able to expand the beachhead, and Soviet naval assets which are needed elsewhere would be tied down supporting their land forces.

What Happened

(Information on what had actually happened in northern Norway in the opening stages of the conflict was very sketchy at the time, and only became available much later. What is now known is presented here).

The Soviets had assembled a huge amphibious group (phibgru) centered on the Kiev VSTOL carrier about 200 nm northwest of Murmansk. They were enroute to the Norwegian coast, the intended point of entry being Tromso/Andoya.

Achieving any measure of surprise would be difficult for the Soviets, as NATO had moved up at least one (and probably two) E-3 Sentry AWACS to the lonely island airfield at Andoya. A massive SEAD strike would be necessary to both decapitate the AEW&C and ground based radar support.

Performing sweep and escort for this strike flight would be several MiG-29s flying out of Murmansk Rosta. Almost immediately they encountered and shot down a pair of Norwegian F-16s near the border. They also detected a Norwegian naval group consisting of an Oslo class frigate and multiple Storm fast attack craft coming out of the fjord leading into Banak.

Two groups of six MiG-23 Floggers each launched from Rosta to attack the Norwegian airfield at Banak with AS-7 Kerry missiles. At the same time, two flights of four Su-24 Fencers, armed for the SEAD mission, launched against each of Tromso, Andoya and Narvik (8 Fencers each). All the strikers were being escorted by a massive MiG-29 and Su-27 Flanker escort. Behind them, sixteen Badgers from Arkhangelsk would launch standoff missiles at each of Andoya and Bodo after the SEAD strike.

Multiple air contacts were soon detected. Norway appeared to be throwing its entire F-16 force into the defence of the nation. The MiG-29s conducting a fighter sweep ahead of the main strike packages then encountered US Air Force F-15 Eagles flying south of Banak.

Meanwhile, a pair of F-16s flying at treetop level had managed to penetrate close to Murmansk. SA-5 Gammon air defense systems had engaged but could not bring down the NATO jets. Finally, a combination of SA-3 Goa SAMs and dense AAA finally brought them down a few miles outside the airfield.

Flankers engaged the first wave of Norwegian F-16s about 150 nm west of Shagui and killed them all with well placed AA-10 Alamo shots. They encountered four more about 145 nm east of Tromso, and thanks to their ample missile armament, were again able to engage from long range and achieve kills.

A group of MiG-29s likewise exchanged beyond visual range (BVR) missile fire with the American Eagles southeast of Banak, but without hits. When the two sides closed, two F-15s were swatted down with AA-11 Archer heat seekers before the Fulcrums had to bug out. More MiGs engaged and killed four F-16s about 85 nm east of the port of Tromso, and then two more about another 20 miles west. NATO air cover was thick but seemingly fighting a losing battle.

While the air battle over northern Norway was raging, the Victor II attack sub K-517 had been sweeping south and west in front of the advancing Soviet phibgru. Her mission was to locate and destroy any lurking NATO submarines in their path, but instead the K-517 was attacked and sunk just west of Tromso by an unknown assailant.

Two F-16s that were apparently performing a bit of maritime recon in the north approached the Kiev group too closely, and were shot down by gunfire for their efforts. Not long after the same fate befell a pair of American F-15s.

To the north, other MiG-29s shot down a pair of F-16s about 35 nm east of Banak. These Fulcrums again tangled with American Eagles as they approached Banak, but were unsuccessful with their BVR missile shots. The two F-15s were instead brought down by a swarm of AA-7 Apex missiles launched from the oncoming Flogger strike group. The follow-on group of Floggers was similarly forced to defend itself, bringing down two F-16s that had jumped them as they lined up for the attack run on Banak. 7 AS-7 Kerry command guided missiles struck targets around the airfield, causing moderate damage. Then 7 more missiles from the second strike wave arrived, piling on the hurt for even more serious damage. The Floggers returned to base without incident.

The Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers had meanwhile reached their launch points. 16 AS-12 Kegler anti-radar missiles were launched from standoff range at the Tromso radar station. 8 more were launched at Narvik, and a staggering 24 missiles were directed at Andoya. 8 AS-12 missiles got through to strike Narvik, while 14 and 17 missiles struck Andoya and Tromso, respectively. In all cases, NATO radars went off the air under this terrific beating.

Minutes later, an orbiting NATO E-3A Sentry AWACS was intercepted and knocked down by MiG-29s about 30 nm north of Tromso, while Su-27s shot down another E-3A about 20 nm north of Andoya.

With these precious AWACS assets lost in the north, NATO would have to turn to other AEW&C assets at Orland in the south to provide early warning coverage.

NATO exacted some measure of revenge in the hours that followed the initial Soviet strikes. 14 Harpoons were detected incoming southwest of the Kiev group. 10 of them blasted the Krivak II frigate Grozyashchy, and she went up in a fireball. No sailors survived. The missile shooters, apparently a flight of a half dozen US Navy Hornets, escaped to the southwest.

Six F-16s were then spotted moving north along the Norwegian coast in the direction of the Kiev group, no doubt a follow-up anti-ship strike. Yak-38 Forgers were scrambled from the Kiev as there was no other fighter cover available. The nuclear powered missile cruiser Kirov intervened, however, and shot down all six F-16s with SA-N-6 Grumble shots. The Forgers quickly returned to ship, thankful they did not have to tangle with the F-16s.

Four more F-16s approaching Kiev turned back about 70 nm north of Banak, probably after having detected the four MiG-29s moving in quickly from the east to block their approach. These four F-16s were eventually intercepted and splashed by Su-27 Flankers while enroute to their home base at Bodo.

With the initial Soviet SEAD strike complete, it was time for the follow-up attack. The northern flight of Tu-16 Badgers launched 16 AS-6 Kingfish missiles at the primary objective, the airfield at Andoya, but all of these missiles were believed to have either been shot down by NATO fighters, or fell short of their target.

The southern group of Badgers was directed to also shoot half of its warload, 8 missiles in all, at Andoya. Six of these got through and put the airfield there out of action. Only two of the 8 missiles that had been directed at Bodo got through its air defences, but this was enough to inflict severe damage. Overall, the Soviets considered the mission a success.

Su-27 Flankers finally eyeballed the Royal Norwegian Navy surface group in the north, and they now confirmed it comprised not one, but a pair of Oslo frigates, escorted by at least six Storm missile craft. The group was now moving slowly near the mouth of the Banak fjord, and likely on a course to intercept the Kiev group. Two Forgers jump jets were launched to deter their approach, but these fell victim to Seasparrow shots as they tried to get close enough to shoot their AS-10 Karen TV guided missiles.

Later in the day, 12 Floggers were launched from Rosta to hammer the airfield at Banak. Six MiG-23s swooped in on the smoking airbase, firing a barrage of 57mm rockets. But four of the MiGs were surprised and shot down by RBS70 manportable SAMs that had been moved in and camouflaged there, much to Soviet chagrin. A second flight of six Floggers then came in and dropped 500 kg iron bombs from medium altitude, peppering the apron and hardstands, and sending the defenders running for cover.

The Soviets had also launched 12 Su-24 Fencers from Rosta to attack Bodo with iron bombs, anti-runway munitions, and cluster bombs, while still more Fencers and Flankers launched from Shagui to kill the radars there and provide the fighter escort, respectively. The attack at Bodo was curiously unopposed, and at least a dozen AS-14 Kedge TV guided missiles struck the base, followed by a large number of bombs. Bodo was devastated in the attack and unable to support further NATO air operations.

Two F-16s were spotted penetrating Soviet airspace near Shagui. Local air defences engaged with SA-5, but as before, the nimble F-16s evaded the huge SA-5 missiles easily. But then the venerable SA-10 Grumble batteries kicked in, knocking down one F-16 and then the other. (The Soviet SA-5 battery crews were slow to learn their lessons here, and in fact expended the entire local SA-5 missile supply. Although they were unlikely to blame for the fiasco, Moscow was so unhappy that a number of officials at the Degtyarev factory, in Kovrov, were summarily executed as punishment for the poor performance of the missiles they had manufactured).

A second Norwegian naval group was detected somewhere northwest of Tromso, just as the Kiev group swung southeast to make the approach to the beach. The Sovremenny destroyers Otchyanny and Boyevoy engaged the nearest Norwegian group with SS-N-22 Sunburns, launching four missiles each. Results were less than spectacular, however, with only the Storm missile boats Steil and Trygg being hit and sunk.

Six more F-16s were detected moving north toward the Kiev group along the coast. The short legged MiG-29s conducting combat air patrol over the Kiev were already out of fuel, however, and returning to Rosta, their replacements still 160 nm away. It amounted to good timing by the Norwegians. The Oslo group launched six Penguin Mk 2 missiles at the Udaloy destroyer Admiral Zakarov, but these were intercepted by Soviet naval SAMs. The six F-16s turned back, but as before, five of them were intercepted and downed by Flankers about 80 nm northwest of Banak.

The Mod Kashin destroyer Ognevoy launched four SS-N-2C Styx missiles, and moments later, 8 Penguin Mk 2 were launched by the enemy. But no missiles from either side reached their targets.

7 more MiG-23 Floggers were launched from Rosta to hit Banak. The Floggers dropped iron bombs from high altitude this time, now wary of the RBS70 threat, missing the flight line altogether but causing severe damage to the taxiways and other infrastructure, causing severe damage. Behind the Floggers came a flight of four Su-24s that had been launched from Shagui. They pasted the airfield with RBK cluster munitions, destroying all remaining aircraft on the flight line, and finally putting an end to NATO operations there.

Unwilling to expend their valuable SS-N-12 and SS-N-19 missiles, the Soviets permitted the Norwegian fleet to close to gun range. It was then that the Sovremenny destroyer Stoyky opened up with her 130mm. The Oslo frigate Bergen took a direct hit to her magazines right away, and blew up. The Stoyky then shifted fire to the frigate Oslo, and the Storm missile boats Skudd, Djerv, Storm and Arg. One by one, they fell victim to the brutally effective pounding of the 60 lb shells. It was a hard lesson for the Norwegians.

Four Su-24s, loaded down with heavy AS-14 Kedge air to surface missiles, were launched to attack the new Norwegian naval group now located 75 nm about north of Tromso. Two AS-14 missiles struck the Oslo frigate Trondheim, and three more hit her sister ship Stavanger. Both sank quickly. Two Yak-38s were then launched from Kiev (armed with AS-10 Karen missiles) to attack the remaining Storm missile craft. Two AS-10s hit and destroyed the Tross, while single hits destroyed the Odd and Rokk.

Although the Royal Norwegian Navy had been devastated by these attacks, yet another Norwegian naval group was detected about 55 nm west of Bodo. They were brave, if not very smart. The Tango diesel sub Gorkovsky Komsomolets, 20 nm to the east, now moved to approach this group, which was sitting at the entrance to the Narvik fjord.

An attempt by a trio of Floggers to lay down 500 kg iron bombs on the four Storm missile boats now approaching the Kiev group ended in failure, none of the bombs striking the speeding craft (moving at nearly 37 knots) and two of the Floggers were shot down by Bofors 76mm gunfire.

The Sovremenny destroyers Otchyanny and Boyevoy then each launched two SS-N-22 Sunburn anti-ship misiles. One hit and obliterated the Brott. The Stoyky fired another three SS-N-22s, and two of these killed the Gnist and Hvass. The last Storm missile craft, Brann, then opened fire, launching a single Penguin Mk 2 at Stoyky. This was brought down easily by an SA-N-7 Gadfly air defense missile. Moments later, Brann launched another at the Udaloy destroyer Admiral Makarov. The Kresta II cruiser Admiral Isakov engaged this missile with its SA-N-3A Goblet system and shot it down. Another two Penguins were then fired at Makarov. Isakov killed the third, but had trouble with the fourth missile. This narrowly missed Makarov's exhaust stack. Another two Penguins were launched at Makarov. Isakov killed one, and Makarov dropped the final missile with an SA-N-9. The Brann had by now strayed into the gun envelope of Stoyky, and its 130mm weapon destroyed it in short order.

The Tango sub B-146, which had been patrolling outside of the Narvik fjord to the west, now detected the third Norwegian group. It appeared to be moving north along the coast. The B-146 engaged the group at maximum range, firing two torpedoes at the lead ships, but the group was moving too fast. She put up her scope and radar mast and scanned the group, and was rewarded with a Penguin Mk 2 missile arcing down toward her. The group comprised one Oslo and several Hauk missile boats. Down scope ! She fired another salvo of torpedoes, and then came up to take a look again. She broached too far this time, and her conning tower was exposed. Three Penguins slammed into the tower, destroying the sub. The Oslo frigate Narvik nevertheless took a hit from a 533mm torpedo and was sunk.

The rushing Hauks later approached the lurking Tango diesel Gorkovsky Komsomolets, some 35 nm northwest of Tromso. Only the Skarv was hit among the first salvo of four torpedoes. The Stegg and Lom were then destroyed in the second salvo. The third salvo claimed Lo, Falk and Ravn, leaving only a single Hauk remaining. This Hauk soon entered the outer edge of the Kiev group, and passed close to one of the screening submarines, the Charlie II cruise missile sub K-209. She engaged with torpedoes. These missed, and so she fired a single SS-N-9 Siren that struck and sank the Hauk missile boat Teist.

The Victor III submarine K-299, which had been screening to the southwest of the Kiev group, came under torpedo attack. She fired her own torpedo down the bearing. K-299 evaded this torpedo, but soon detected another. A Helix was dispatched to investigate. Its sonobuoy pattern soon revealed an Oberon diesel sub some 95 nm north of Tromso, and 60 nm south of the Kiev group. A single torpedo was dropped by the Helix, and the war was over for the Royal Navy diesel sub HMS Oberon.

The K-209 came under torpedo attack as she approached to within about 65 nm north of Tromso. She returned fire. A Helix was also launched. Fortunately the torpedo was distant. The Helix laid a barrier of sonobuoys but could not find the NATO sub. (It was later surmised that the attacker in this instance may in fact have been a CAPTOR mine, but no information has been forthcoming from official authorities).

A torpedo was detected incoming against Stoyky. An attacking sub was possibly inside the outer ring of the formation. Then another torp was detected on the west side of the formation, attacking the Krivak II frigate Pytlivy. Another Helix helicopter was dispatched. The enemy submarine was never discovered, but Kiev group completed the amphibious assault at Tromso without further incident.