AAR - Battle Ocean '64, Baltic Convoy

[cf_dallas]

Major Victory, 590 points.

I gathered the sheep into two groups for easier management and set courses. I put up an ASW patrol at the straits where the DDR no-nav-zone pinches your available nav options, put a pair of F-104s on loiter in about the same area, and started the sim.

First thing I noticed were a lot of planes hanging around... investigate, discover they're Russian, but still unfriendly, so I leave them alone. At this point the ships still haven't left home waters, and these VERY nosy Russians are really poking around. I spend time investigating all the surface contacts I can find, and meanwhile realize... hey waitaminute, those are Badgers over West Germany. Not sniffing around the periphery, but actually buzzing around over land. I said screw it, once they're inside Hawk range they're clearly the ones committing the international incident. I launch another couple F-104s and start shooting, and pretty quickly have a lot of the Russian air power whittled down. I think I got lucky on the timing, most fighters had RTB by the time the shooting started, so I had free run at the bombers.

About the time that's all happening I find a sub the old fashioned way... by looking for the smoke plume from a burning ship. One of my Jaguars is on the way to the bottom, but at least I know where he was. Re-focus my ASW patrols, and either a helo or one of the Gannets got a Whiskey class.

I've got the convoy moving at 20 kts, and about as they round the northern corner of the no-nav zone, Russian air shows back up. I'm methodicaly dealing with them (pair of F-104s beats single MiGs every time), but somewhere along the way a Badger got off an AS-2. My fighters were completely out of position to defend, shipboard defenses did nothing, scratch one Zerstorer. But the convoy is still moving,

In between all this, I sent my Sabres to hammer whatever surface contacts I was finding. That was highly successful, I never had any of them get within range of the convoy.

Found another "Goblin".... it wasn't moving, and I had no aircraft available anyway. I have zero experience with ASW Mortars or depth charges, something I should clearly rectify. So I assumed this was another false contact... nope. Scratch 3 transports, before I got the convoy sped up, and out of danger. I did get a Gannet to the area to kill the sub (Foxtrot this time) but too late.

Oh, and zig-zagging... probably should have done that too. I'm clearly going to be relieved of command.

Anyway, I arrived in Kolobrzeg with 6 of 9 freighters and 3 of 5 escorts. Not exactly an overwhelming success, but I loved the scenario and can't wait to play the next one.

One suggestion: You might give the Russians a no-fly zone over West Germany, to keep them from doing something obviously shootdown-worthy. I'm not sure what would eventually have triggered hostilities, but me smoking a bunch of bombers certainly did the trick.





SIDE: West Germany
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x P 6059 Jaguar
1x D 170 Z1 [Fletcher]
3x Commercial Container Vessel - Small Feeder [750 TEU, 9,500t DWT]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
3x MIM-23B I-HAWK
4x MIM-14B Nike Hercules
34x AIM-9F Sidewinder
16x Mk82 500lb LDGP
48x Generic Active Directional Sonobuoy
43x Generic Passive Non-Directional Sonobuoy
11x Mk44 Mod 1
7x 12.7mm/50 MG x 6 Burst [150 rnds]



SIDE: Soviet Union
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
4x Tu-16K-10 Badger C
2x Tu-16R Badger E
1x SKR Petya I [Pr.159]
1x PL- 613 Whiskey III
6x MiG-21PF Fishbed D
1x PL-641 Foxtrot
2x RK Osa I [Pr.205]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
1x Generic Chaff Salvo [4x Cartridges]
10x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
13x 53-57 Pattern [NATO 53-56]
16x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
4x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
1x AK-726 76mm/60 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]
1x AS-2 Kipper [K-10SDV, ASM]
3x 53-51 Pattern
2x AA-2a Atoll [R-3S]
1x Generic Acoustic Decoy
48x AK-230 30mm/65 Twin Burst [50 rnds]



SIDE: Neutrals
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
2x False Contact (Medium)


EXPENDITURES:
------------------

[AlexGGGG]

I guess I got lucky with subs, detected one on the surface recharging, one submegred by ASW aircraft.

Good thing enemy did not have much in a way of standoff ASM, because there is nothing to shoot them with (on ships).

Triumph 1120

SIDE: West Germany
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x P 6059 Jaguar <- Lost to missile
1x Commercial Container Vessel - Small Feeder [750 TEU, 9,500t DWT] <- Lost to missile
1x F-104G Starfighter <- Lost to bomber's tailgun



EXPENDITURES:
------------------
56x Generic Active Directional Sonobuoy
12x Mk44 Mod 1
24x AIM-9F Sidewinder
12x Mk82 500lb LDGP
48x Generic Passive Non-Directional Sonobuoy
9x MIM-14B Nike Hercules
32x 127mm/38 HiCap
52x 100mm/55 Model 1953 PFHE
3x 127mm/38 AA-VT
9x 76mm/50 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]



SIDE: Soviet Union
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x PL- 613 Whiskey III
4x MiG-21PF Fishbed D
4x Tu-16K-10 Badger C
1x SKR Petya I [Pr.159]
2x Tu-16R Badger E
2x RK Osa I [Pr.205]
1x PL-641 Foxtrot


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
2x AA-2a Atoll [R-3S]
10x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
3x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
10x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
2x AS-2 Kipper [K-10SDV, ASM]
4x AK-726 76mm/60 Twin HE Burst [2 rnds]
4x Generic Chaff Salvo [4x Cartridges]
2x Generic Acoustic Decoy



SIDE: Neutrals
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
3x False Contact (Medium)