Going Downtown

[Seminole]

United States vs. North Vietnam
Date/Time: 1st December, 1967 / 23:00:00 Zulu / 06:00:00 Juliet (Local)
Location: Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam
Playable Sides: US Navy
...
This scenario takes place in 1967 during Operation Rolling Thunder. You are put in command of the USS Ranger Strike Group, about to launch an early morning strike on North Vietnamese targets.


Air Force attack coming across the DMZ in 12 separate flights:

MIG CAP 1-4, each flight has a pair of F-4C Phantom II loaded out with 4 AIM-7E Sparrow II, 4 AIM-9E Sidewinder
Four flights are box formationed around the Thuds
SEAD 1-2, each flight has a pair of F-105G Thunderchiefs loaded out with 2 AGM-45A Shrike
flights are located on the left and right side of the formation, between CAP corners
STRIKE 1-4, each four F-105D Thunderchief loaded out with 2 Mk82 500lb LDGP, 6 M117 750lb GPB
Snowstorm #01 and #02 are EB-57E Canberra providing jamming support behind the formation


Available on the Ranger:

16 F-4B Phantom II
10 A-7A Corsair II
8 A-4C Skyhawk
8 A-6A Intruder
3 RA-5C Vigilante (recon - 1 needs 4 hours to be ready)
2 EKA-3B Skywarrior (ECM)
2 RA-3B Skywarrior (recon)
1 E-2A Hawkeye
1 KA-3B Skywarrior (Tanker)
1 UH-2 Seasprite (SAR)

[Seminole]

Scenario only has 6 hours to complete, and changing loadouts take abour 5 hours. Magazines don't give me any options, so the only choice I really make is how to arrange and divide my forces for the assignments I create to complete the mission.

1 E-2A Hawkeye (VAW-115 Liberty Bells) launched first moved northeast of Yankee Station for air trafic control and early warning. It will spot SAM launches and help identify the location of SAM radars for SEAD, as well as monitor and track enemy aircraft for CAP.
2 single flights of EKA-3B Skywarriors (VAW-13 Zappers) launched with Hawkeye to provide ECM support for SEAD and bombers ingress/egress
8 pair of F-4B flights launched
4 from VF-21 Freelancers (group names Lancer 01-04)
4 from VF-154 Black Knights (Knight 01-04)
Form up in two boxes off the NV coast EMCON silent
3 pair of A-7A Corsairs (VA-147 Argonauts) armed with AGM-45A Shrike (Viper 01-03)
These pairs will target SAM to clear the path into the bridges for the follow on bombers.
2 pair of A-6A Intruders (VA 165 Boomers) armed with 4 AGM-62A Walleye I each. (Boomer 01-02)
I will assign these bombers to hit the primary target bridges
2 pair of A-6A Intruders (VA 165 Boomers) armed with 22 Mk82 500lb LDGP each. (Boomer 03-04)
Backup to the primary flight they will otherwise engage targets of opportunity
1 flight of four A-7A Corsairs (VA-147 Argonauts) armed with 12 Mk82 500lb LDGP each. (Argo 01)
Will be used against targets of opportunity, including SEAD
2 flights of four A-4C Skyhawks (VA-22 Fighting Redcocks) armed with 6 Mk82 500lb LDGP each. (Cock 01-02)
Will be used against targets of opportunity, including SEAD

E-2 spots a gaggle of bogies rise up from the NV air bases to meet the USAF attack

[Seminole]

USAF CAP closing in on bogeys, but still no positive ID, so under the ROE they can't yet fire

[Seminole]

"They're shooting at us!"

[Seminole]

Lyndon Johnson will now let the USAF F-4s engage the one bogey that fired a missile.

[Seminole]

Furball is ginning up, as many as 15 enemy aircraft entering the fray, but USN fighters are still getting off the deck.

While bombers are still forming up the USN fighters aloft are vectored into the fray to aid their USAF brothers.

[Seminole]

Lancer 02 and Lancer 04 are dispatched to aid MIG CAP 1 to the east.
Knight 01 and Knight 03 are ordered to aid MIG CAP 4 south of Haiphong.

[Seminole]

Knight 01 expends all Sparrows and all but one Sidewinder in poor angle shots trying to clear Shotgun 04's tail (surving member of MIG CAP4). Knight 01 ordered RTB

Knight 03 remains enroute east to aid MIG CAP 3.

Lancer 02 kills 2 J-6 Farmers to clear Shotgun 05's tail (surviving member of MIG CAP 1)
Lancer 02 out of Sparrow, ordered feet wet.
Lancer 04 sent north to help MIG CAP 3 (Shotgun 02 dueling MiG-17)

[Seminole]

Lancer 04 expends all missiles fruitlessly - ordered RTB
Lancer 02 turns back north to take over for Lancer 04

Viper 01 fires 2 Shrikes at SA-2 - missile failure and miss.
Viper 01 fires 2 Shrikes at Radar tower - target destroyed.
Viper 01 drops 4 CBU-59 on SA-2 and strafes once before RTB Winchester.

Lancer 02 splashes MiG-17 with Fox Two and moves back to feet wet station.

Viper 02 fires 2 Shrikes at SA-2, one hits an associated vehicle (Spoon Rest radar) while the other misses

Cock 01 and Cock 02 are ordered in to clean up the SA-2 sites hit by Viper 01 and 02 so the Alpha Strike can move to the primary target.
Cock 01 and Cock 02 eliminate targets and RTB Winchester.

RVAH-6 Fleurs is shot down attempting to get a positive ID on airborne contact.
"Thanks, Mr. President!"

[Seminole]

Viper 02 is destroyed within a span of six seconds when a 23mm ZU-23-2 and 57mm S60 open up on them while making bombing run on SA-2 site. Both eliminated on hits with 1% probability to hit. Sky isn't so big after all...

[Seminole]

In less than 30 seconds USN has lost 3 aircraft.
A pretty good day has turned ugly.
SAR isn't in the scope of this scenario, but all of those dudes, if they got out, are in North Vietnam.

Knight 04 splashes a MiG-17
Lancer 01 chasing last MiG-17 threatening ingress.

Two Bogeys from Kien An airbase in NV have been pursuing Knight 02 and Knight 03 (both armed only with Sidewinders) south.
Lancer 02, feet wet armed only with Sidewinders, is vectored north to assist if necessary.
Lancer 03 is ordered west to assist with Sparrows when Bogeys are IDed.
RA-3B Skywarrior directed toward Bogeys as bait.

[Seminole]

Lancer 01 saves RA-3B Skywarrior with Fox Two.
Airspace clear to primary target for bombing flights.

RA-3B Skywarrior tagged by SA-7 and lost.
I wasn't even expecting this threat. I guess I need to pay more attention to the briefing...

Lancer 03 cleans up both Bogeys from Kien An after eyeballed as hostile. No hostile or unindentified aircraft on radar.

Viper 03 staging for attack run on SAM site protecting north side of bridges.
Argo 01 and Boomer flights staged for follow on bombing runs.

Fighters spaced over egress route to follow home after bombing runs.

[Seminole]

Lancer 02 ordered RTB - want to re-arm with Sparrows ASAP in case of egress ambush

Lancer 03 and Knight 03 are defending egress with E-2 (direction) and RA-3B (spotting - bait)

Knight 02 ordered west to rotate in for Lancer 01 and Knight 04
Lancer 01 and Knight 04 are providing CAP at the target ingress, moving north to engage

[Seminole]

Viper 03 assigned to land strike mission against SAM site north of target area
Argo 01 assigned to land strike mission against Yen Vien Railyard (secondary mission target)
Boomer 01, 03 assigned to land strike mission against Paul Domer Bridge (primary mission target)
Boomer 02, 04 assigned to land strike mission against Cau Vinh Tuy Bridge (primary mission target)

[Seminole]

Lancer 01 uses all missiles and is plotted back to Yankee Station at military power, 36k ft.

Knight 04 is only dedicated F-4 CAP accompanying over bombing ingress.

Hawkeye picks up Bogey from Kien An airbase southeast bound.
RA-3B will ID bogey while Knight 03 circles in from the sea for a Fox Two
Will attempt to preserve 3 Sparrows carried by Lancer 03 (defending Hawkeye in center).

Bogey IDed hostile and eliminated

Boomer 01 eliminates the bridges in two passes with Walleyes
Boomer 02 targets SAM sites to the east that return to active status.
Argo 01 bombs Gia Lam air base with Mk82 500lb, destroying two large and one medium aircraft on the ground.

Boomer 01 and 02 RTB along jamming egress

[Seminole]

Argo 01 and Viper 03 stay on station with Sidewinders to assist Knight 04 in CAP over target area

Boomer 03 and 04 are in bound on the railway from opposite sides.

[Seminole]

Boomer 04 takes out railway, targets Gia Lam airbase for remaining bombs.
Bogey launches from Gia Lam airbase, Viper 03, Argo 01 and Knight 04 all vector to encircle bogey.
Boomer 03 will attack Gia Lam airbase when bogey is engaged
Boomer 03 loses one A-6A to 37mm AAA at airbase after dropping payload

Boomer 03 and 04 plotted egress, RTB

When RTB aircraft reach the airbase (USS Ranger in this case) they will automatically station off of final approach and queue for the runway. The queue is automatically adjusted to permit the aircraft with the lowest amount of fuel to land first.
Nice touch to not have to micromanage something like that.

[Seminole]

Something seemed broken with the behavior of the USAF side aircraft. They seemed to stay in loops around the targets and fell victim to the air defenses and singly launched bogeys from VN airbases on CAP.
I'd like to look at this scenario in the editor and see if the USAF missions can be refined to be more survivable/realistically planned.

Really enjoyed the scenario.
Carrier ops are my favorite aspect of the game by far, and this is a good scenario for getting your feet wet with the interface.


SIDE: North Vietnam
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
3x MiG-21PF Fishbed D
15x MiG-17PF Fresco D
7x Vehicle (Spoon Rest A [P-12])
8x Vehicle (Fan Song C [SNR-75M])
9x A/C Tarmac Space (2x Large Aircraft)
3x Ammo Revetment
16x J-6 Farmer
5x A/C Revetment (1x Large Aircraft)
1x A/C Revetment (1x Medium Aircraft)
21x SA-2d Guideline Mod 1 Single Rail
1x Radar (Token)
14x 23mm ZU-23-2
2x Bridge (Two-lane 60 Tons)
1x A/C Camouflaged Revetment (1x Medium Aircraft)
1x Structure (Railway Yard)


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
2x AA-2a Atoll [R-3S]
96x SA-2d Guideline Mod 1 [S-75M Volkhov, 20D / V-755]
24x AA-1a Alkali Mod 2 [RS-2US]
29x 23mm NR-23 x 3 Burst [60 rnds]
74x 30mm NR-30 x 2 Burst [20 rnds]
64x 57mm ZSU-57 HE
25x 14.5mm/73 Twin Burst [20 rnds]
28x 23mm ZU-23-2 Burst [20 rnds]
68x 57mm S60 HE
14x SA-7a Grail [9M32]
16x 37mm/63 Twin Burst [20 rnds]



SIDE: US Navy
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x RA-5C Vigilante
2x A-7A Corsair II
1x RA-3B Skywarrior
1x A-6A Intruder


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
10x RIM-8E Talos
64x AIM-7D Sparrow III
44x AIM-9D Sidewinder
10x AGM-45A Shrike [ARM]
10x CBU-59/B APAM [717 x BLU-77/B Dual-Purpose Bomblets]
21x 20mm Mk12 x 2 [50 rnds]
162x Mk82 500lb LDGP
5x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
16x AGM-62A Walleye I



SIDE: USAF
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
7x F-4C Phantom II
1x F-105G Thunderchief
15x F-105D Thunderchief


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
31x AIM-7E2 Sparrow III
29x AIM-9E Sidewinder
6x AGM-45A Shrike [ARM]
60x M117 750lb GPB
20x Mk82 500lb LDGP
82x 20mm/85 M61A1 Vulcan Burst [100 rnds]

[Eambar]

Seminole,

Thanks for the detailed AAR, looks like a nice scenario to play with plenty of action.

Cheers,

[GlassHoppa]

Thanks for the AAR, Seminole! I played thru "Downtown" as one of my first intros to CMANO and made a complete hash of it. Good to see it "done right!"

That being said, I also was perplexed by the USAF birds circling uselessly around the Route Pack 6 targets until they get shot down. It's confusing, it's unrealistic, and a well-planned egress should be part of the scenario. Looking at the scenario editor, there are two patrol zones for the USAF SEAD. These are directly over both Hanoi and Haiphong [X(] with prosecution zones over most of the Red River Delta area. I'd think that setting up the patrols 40-50 NM SOUTH of their current locations with same Prosecution Zones would make more sense and change the "Loop till Death" behavior. Otherwise, you'd have to set up some "intelligent" events for the USAF side. For instance, activate some "Go Home" Ferry Missions after the bomber groups are done (dunno how to trigger that).

Hopefully, with the 1.06 patch, we can significantly increase the "intelligence" of the non-human sides. Also, the devs are promising to overhaul the existing scenarios. So, we'll see. Lots to look forward to!

Best...