Angle of Attack and I decided to play the scenario Convoy set in 1985; a new scen neither of us had played before.
We used AoA's server.
I player USSR, my mission was to prevent resupply of NATO forces to Narvik and sink some 5 merchantmen.
My command consisted of a surface action group, 2 SSK and a captured airbase in Northern norway with some 16 fighters and attack planes.
Intel indicated no or negligable air opposition and an escorted convoy coming from the South.
I decided to use my 2 ready Fencers armed with ARM missiles for an on the deck sneak attack on Norways two operational radars. I escorted the strike with Fulcrums and Floggers. Close to the objective they encountered Falcons, and both sides lost planes. One of my Fencers fired 4 ARM at the radar before being detected and hunted down by F16s on afterburner. I continued to detect radar emisssions from the ground radar after the missiles hit and directed the second Fencer for a followon attack. It was however found and killed before missile release. Some minutes later the radar went off and I realised I'd been snookered by a bug! (in ANW it takes about 7 minutes for ground targets to die - before that they are 'doomed' and radar emissions continue in spite of the ARM attack during that time).
My fighers withdrew but detected an all out F16/Harrier strike on my airbase. My remaining fighters tooks off and took their toll from the strikers before landing 'Winchester'. Amazingly, the remainder of AoA strike force killed 7 ground targets of my now defenseless airbase, including all hangars and revetments. The Soviet Air force was out of the fight.
Meanwhile my SSKs had picked up two distant groups on sonar, an escorted convoy and a SAG including CG Belknap. They set course for the convoy. I sneaked in a Hormone at vLow alt (making use of the fact that all AoA air units with strafing by base) and also killed an orbiting P3. The Hormone gave me a speed and course for the convoy, and indicated that the SAG was racing at 29 knots to cover it from my KUG. I decided to race the KUG at 30 knots to the Norwegian coast, to try to cover my subs under a SAM umbrella and to try to bring my few SSMs (there were only 28 in the KUG, most with range of 25nm or less) to bear on the convoy. I wanted to intercept the convoy before the Belknap could cover it unders its formidable long range air defence umbrella.
My subs had to move at 7-9 knots to make the intercept with the 18 knot convoy and they were too far apart for a Wolf-pack attack.
AoA had clearly detected my KUG and an initial missile barrage (I think harpoon but may have been helo-launched Penguins) killed a Krivak (with its 4 SAMs). Fearing that the SAG could make the intercept, I detached my two Nanushka PGMs and moved them forward at 36 knots towards the convoy. this proved a mistake as halo launched Sea Skua or Penguins killed them some hours later.
My KUG, now down to 3 ships and 8 SSMs, fired 4 SSMs at the type 23 picket FFG on the convoy (all were intercepted), just as it passed my Tango, which had penetrated the outer screen of the convoy. Then AoA detected the sub when I needed to speed up from 2 to 4 knots to get in range of the targets. Helo's dropped torps which killed her.
When my Kilo meanwhile was 40nm along the PIM of the convoy, with my KUG racing in 20 nm behind, AoA had slowed down and even reversed course of his convoy as the KUG closed. This gained me crucial time (and later cost him the ability to meet his vicconds). AoA's SAG came in range and fired a barrage of some 22 harpoons. All were intercepted by my short-range SAMs. I fired my last SSMs at the Type 23 (shot down) and knew I counl not bore in for the kill as my biggest gun was 100mm vs the 114 and 127mm NATO guns. The KUG thus changed course to le-ad the SAG away from my Kilo. AoA followed with a vengeance 9I'm not sure for what) and raced overtop my Kilo with his SAG. I decided not to fire on the SAG as the convoy was my target. AoA started firing guns and SAMs (in ASUW-mode) at my ships and one DD sank. I delayed the inevitable by firing my torpedoes from the surface ships which made the SAG back off but brought in a P3, F16s and Penguin-armed helo's to finish off my now unarmed KUG.
To my dismay, AoA did not resume his old course with the convoy, but chose a more norterly path. I place Kilo on a course to attempt to intercept at 9 knots, although I knew that I would not be able to intercept unless the convoy ziged towards me. I could not speed up as battery power was down after 13 hours underwater and with helo's and P3s everywhere, snorting was out of the question.
In the end the convoy never changed course again and I made my presence known by firing torps at the Belknap, which avaded them at 33 knots and killed my sub.
Thus ended the scenario in annihilation of my Soviet forces by excellent offensive play from AoA. My only achievement was the delay of the arrival of the convoy in Narvik by 3 hours more than the NATO vicconds allowed. Formally the game thus ended in a draw.
-----
After some 'words' with Herman he asked me to look at the scen and see if it could be made 'slightly' more balanced.
The OOB proved pretty equal on the air side (AoA just used his planes much better than I did), but where NATO has 60 SSM (plus embarked penguins and Sea Skua for the helo's), USSR has 28. Where NATO has 100+ LR SAM and 30+ SR SAM, USSR only had SR SAM (which eventually ran out), and where NATO had 14 warships including 6 with 114mm+ guns, USSR had 6 with much smaller calibre/range guns.
My 2 SSK were my only potential offensie weapons. Pity the Kilo did not get a chance to penetrate the convoy (I had loaded my nuclear torpedo - just in case- )
Thanks for AoA for excellent play and use of server, thanks to Herman for an exciting, though uneven scen!
Freek
My last shot at the CG with the convoy drawing out of range along the makred refpoints
