Here's the first part of how it went for me.
SITUATION
The struggle for the eastern Mediterranean continues, and this time we’re expected to cripple the Soviet invasion of Greece and Turkey, first by wrecking the Black Sea fleet near its beachhead, and then by battering the Bulgarian airbases which are supporting the enemy offensive. Our Greek and Turkish forces are modest, mostly composed of an assortment of less capable aircraft – basic F-16s, F-4s, F-5s, Mirages, and even old F-104s – without large quantities of modern PGMs. Our main air striking power comes from the Nimitz and Ark-Royal carriers which are passing through the south side of the theatre, plus some Marines and UK Harriers at Souda and Heraklion on Crete. There are three surface groups up in the Aegean; some Greeks, some Turks, and the battleship Iowa, plus parts of a Marine amphibious group and some more Brits further south. We’ve also got an assortment of submarines in the northern Aegean and one in the Black sea.
The Russians are reported to have three major surface groups and some missile boats operating north of the Bosporus, and copious SAMs guarding their extensive landings in the region. They occupy almost the entire north side of the Dardanelles, and rumours are flying that our battleship is being asked to head north to bombard entrenched artillery in the area. The Soviets have a colossal amount of airpower in the region. Fortunately, their truly good stuff (MiG-31s, Su-27s) isn’t here, but that just leaves an endless supply of MiG-25s, 29s, 23s, and 21s which we have to cope with, along with the threat of scores of heavy bombers operating out of Crimea.
Unfortunately, munitions restrictions are the name of the day, and we can’t simply drown the enemy in a flood of PGMs. We’ll probably only have one truly powerful shot, and after that we’ll be on a restricted diet, so we’ll have to choose our moment wisely.
THE PLAN
The Nimitz is ordered to slow down, and wait for the Ark Royal and her scattered escorts to catch up, before proceeding west along the north side of Crete, and eventually angling southwest and leaving the theatre. We’re needed elsewhere in the west, so this will have to be a drive-by shooting. Our first priority is a heavy anti-shipping strike on the Russian fleet, so our strike aircraft are directed to begin loading as many anti-ship missiles and HARMs as possible.
The oiler Cimarron is to leave the safety of its comrades, and proceed NNE into the Ionian sea with a single escort, hugging the Greek cost until they can reach Brindisi for resupply.
Our extensive array of subs in the Aegean and Sea of Marmara could, theoretically, try and pass through the straits and attack the Soviet naval forces, but there are rumours of mines, and the passages are likely to be closely guarded, so the subs are ordered to patrol near chokepoints in the region. Only the TCG Saldiray, which is already in the Black Sea, is ordered to proceed to attack the Soviet fleet.
Our aircraft which are not loading for the anti-shipping strike are ordered to conduct initial reconnaissance, and then hold the line against any incursions the Soviets might make. We may be able to bite off small exposed groups of aircraft, particularly over the Black Sea, but no large sweeps are anticipated there at the moment. The Greek pilots do get a warning order about a heavy fighter sweep late in the morning, to try and draw the enemy’s fangs in western Bulgaria, provided nothing interrupts us before then.
The big question is the situation with the Battleship Iowa. Headquarters wants us to take it north to bombard entrenched artillery near the Dardanelles, but that would leave the battleship very exposed within enemy bomber and missile range, and its escorts have very few of their SAMs left. However, we do have some attack helicopters on the nearby Kearsarge which might be able to sneak in, dispose of local air defences, and engage the artillery directly. Therefore, the helicopters are ordered to make their attack first, while the Greek and Turkish surface groups converge on the Iowa/Kearsarge and form up into a more defensible group, and await further orders.
FEB 22 – INITIAL MORNING OPERATIONS
Operations get underway with some aggressive Soviet submarine activity, as startled ESM operators report submarine radars near our amphibious group at Mykonos, and up in the top of the Aegean 33 miles west of Gallipoli. I guess they really want to find us! The USS Bowen immediately turns and charges the sub near Mykonos, lobbing an ASROC in her general direction to keep her occupied, while her own helicopter closes in and does the sinking. It only takes a few minutes more for helicopters from the Iowa group to close in and sink the second sub.
RF-4s and assorted ELINT planes taking off to go hunting, getting a good look at the Gallipoli area and probing along the FEBA and borders. MiG-29s come hunting for the RF-4s, but they have plenty of gas to evade, and the over-extended MiGs get jumped by F-16s instead. The F-16s also start hunting out over the Black Sea, picking off a few isolated aircraft, getting good radar contact on the enemy task groups closing on the Bosporus, and spotting small cargo aircraft heading to and from the bridgehead. There seems to be some sort of logistical hub there, which is worth future consideration.
Meanwhile, the four Cobra attack helicopters have been working their way north across Turkey, before turning west towards the artillery at the Dardanelles. They’ve received the reports of the SAMs in the area, and have carefully plotted terrain-masking routes to get into attack range without being shot. This works, and by carefully sneaking back and forth across the ridgelines they manage to destroy both the SA-8 units which are guarding the artillery site, and then attack the artillery itself. The guns may be heavily dug in, but when TOW missiles start flying directly through the embrasures the results are devastating. The fortified position is wrecked, and the helicopters still have enough munitions to work their way up the peninsula and kill an SA-11 site when they get within its minimum range. The commanders of the Iowa group are very relieved by this news, and after forming up with the Greeks and Turks, they turn south and head out of the high threat area.
The Iowa does have a parting gift, however, in the form of four TLAMs which they want to donate to the enemy. Our ELINT and recce planes have identified two relatively isolated SA-11 batteries on the eastern end of the Soviet bridgehead. These are blocking direct Turkish access to the Black Sea in that area, and are an obstacle that our attack planes would have to go far around in our efforts to hit the Soviet fleet. Therefore, the Iowa shoots its four TLAMs at one of the SAM sites, while the distant Nimitz group fires four more at the other. All of them get through, knocking out the systems, and giving us overflight access on that side of the bridgehead.
FEB 22 – MORNING AIR ACTIVITY - TURKEY
I had initially intended to limit my air activity over the Black Sea, but that doesn’t last long, and the Turks from Murted and Eskisehir and bases further inland are soon steadily engaged with MiG-29s and other support aircraft (jammers, ELINT, etc.) over the Black Sea. This actually goes better than I had expected
(the new missile kinematics model makes the weak AA-10s on the MiG-29s fairly ineffective), and our kill claims mount, even including several of the An-26s that are flying cargo to the Bosporus logistics hub. We’re starting to feel confident, despite the Soviet numbers, when we start getting reports of Foxbat radars headed our way. Initial reports suggest eight, then sixteen, and finally a colossal thirty-two inbound planes! There’s no way in heck we can tackle that, and we’re driven ignominiously back from the sea, and the Russians reclaim the airspace as their own. Is this massive effort an escort of some sort, perhaps covering an attack plane strike or bombers? Nothing shows up, and the Russians eventually turn for home.
Their withdrawal gives the Turkish F-5s an opportunity for a bold little attack. We’ve spotted a lone Ropucha out at sea, heading for the bridgehead without any escorts at all. It’s got decent CIWS capability, but those weapons only point to the flank, so our needle-nosed little fighters dart in from the front, plastering the ship with iron bombs and sinking it, while some F-16s fend off the angry MiG-29s which come to retaliate. Then it’s more MiG-25s again, and we withdraw once more.
The MiG-25s are a continual problem throughout the day, but fortunately they seem to be coming and going in smaller ragged packs now (a mere 16!), with eight or so MiG-29s scattered around the north side of the Black Sea in flights of two. Our fighters do their best to avoid the large formations, and pick smaller fights where we can get local numerical superiority, and our kill claims continue to mount. The enemy’s slow-moving flying boats and An-26 cargo planes get heavily punished during this time, whenever the MiG-25s are away. Even when they’re present, our pilots are learning how to draw out and dodge their long-ranged shots and then close in for kills. (Although if the Russians don’t shoot at long range, those IR-guided AA-6s act like very unpleasant ‘uber-Sidewinders’ when our planes merge.) Thank heavens there are no MiG-31s here!
FEB 22 – MORNING AIR ACTIVITY – GREECE
The Greeks get into action mid-morning, with a heavy fighter sweep into the south-west corner of Bulgaria. HQ is pressuring us to hit the Bulgarian airbases, so the intention is to try and provoke a fight and consume their fighter resources now, before strikes tomorrow. The eastern part of the country is densely guarded by SAM sites, so an incursion here in the west is the only place we have reasonable freedom to operate.
The sweep goes in, killing a few MiG-23s, and provoking a surge of MiG-21s from Uzunzhovo and more MiG-23s from Dobroslavsti. The fighting goes in our favour (the MiG-21s, with no front-aspect missiles, are particularly outclassed), but we’re constantly being forced to dive out of position by the incessant barrage of long-ranged SA-5s. Thankfully, these come from so far away that our fighters have plenty of time to make their escape. Pressing further into the country starts drawing fire from SA-10s, and those are a completely different threat level, so our sweep hangs back and tries to avoid them.
The effort lasts for several hours, and isn’t quite as conclusive as planners had hoped. A good number of MiG-21s and 23s are down, but we’re still seeing numerous planes in central and eastern Bulgaria, particularly MiG-29s in the Ravnets / Bezmer area, ensconced in their SAM bastion and unwilling to come out. We’re already hitting munitions limits on some of our planes, particularly the Mirages which have very few of their long-ranged missiles. Fortunately, it looks like the Bulgarians are having problems too. The SA-5s seem to have stopped shooting, possibly due to ammo exhaustion after their profligate expenditure at long range targets, which is welcome news. Unfortunately, we’ve identified four and a half different SA-10 sites throughout the country, and those are going to be a real problem when it’s time to strike.
FEB 22 – AFTERNOON – STRIKE THE FLEET!
At 1330 local, the first of our tankers start taking off to preposition themselves for the upcoming strike against the Soviet fleet. The British will be sending all their Sea Harriers carrying Sea Eagles, the Marine and Nimitz-based F-18s will go in with Harpoons, most of our HARMs, and a few TALDs, while the usual array of escorting F-14s and EA-6s go along for the ride. Planners had initially intended the Greek A-7s to work together with the Turkish F-4s and use LGBs against the pack of lightly defended missile boats, but those are in the middle of the enemy formation now, where it’s much too dangerous to use LGBs, so that part of the strike is reluctantly called off.
The strike arrives mid-afternoon, tanking over the Eskisehir area, before heading north over the wrecked SA-11 sites, and then hooking north west, to attack the fleet from the rear. The Soviet ships are deployed with the Gorshkov and her two escorting Sovremennys in the center, and the older cruisers and destroyers on each flank. All the anti-shipping missiles are fired at the three central ships, which are the heart of the fleet air defence, while the HARMs are spread out more liberally throughout the fleet. The fast-moving anti-radiation missiles get multiple hits, starting growing fires on several of the outlying ships, but they don’t manage to shut down our three main targets. The Sovremennys’ SA-N-7s cut down numerous Harpoons and Sea Eagles, but while they’re defending themselves, they’re not engaging the missiles headed for the Gorshkov. Multiple hits batter the big cruiser, and then some of her ordnance detonates, and she rolls over and sinks within moments. The Sovremennys each take a single big missile hit, and stagger away listing and on fire, their upperworks riddled with HARM fragments, while an unlucky Krivak takes a hit from a leftover Harpoon and is destroyed.
Enemy air cover is almost completely absent at the moment, so our strike aircraft withdraw unmolested, while our escort sweeps out into the Black Sea to pick off a few targets (like those pesky jammer planes) before retiring when they get lit up by the Crimean SAMs.
Several smaller follow-up strikes happen over the next few hours, trying to find gaps between the returning Soviet fighters. A pair of P-3s manage to sink a HARM-wounded Kresta with Harpoons, while Turkish F-16s bomb an AGI and one of the outlying Kashins, although they nearly get swatted by the Kerch’s Gecko, so further bomb runs are called off. Some A-7s arrive just before dusk to make an attack with Mavericks, but they’re driven off by the Krivak’s SAMs, and circle around and hit a more lightly defended Kashin instead. Some of the other ships continue to burn, the two Sovremenny’s eventually sink, and by the time night falls only the cruiser Kerch and a few of the escorting destroyers are still fully operational.
FEB 22 - NIGHT – SUBMARINE MENACE
The Turkish submarine Saldiray has been advancing towards the location of the Soviet fleet throughout the day. She’s been a little indiscreet at times, snorkelling a bit too close to the fleet before finally pulling in her masts, but fortunately our planes have been happy to pounce on some ASW helicopters that seem to have been hunting in her direction. Now, with a final update on the fleet location, she closes in stealthily at four knots, hoping that her elderly sonars can pick up the sounds of her targets.
At first there’s nothing, but then there’s a single large ship, very close, and moving quickly. It’s the Kerch, headed in the general direction of the Saldiray’s last snorkelling position at 9 knots. The anxious sonar operators report the target will be passing slightly to port, well within RBU range if they are detected. The captain slows to 2 knots, waits, turns in to port, and at 500 meters starts to open fire with his eight torpedo tubes. The Kerch is taken completely by surprise, and the first torpedoes are crashing into the sleek grey hull before the last of them can be launched. Multiple hits completely wreck the only undamaged cruiser the Russians had, sending it to the bottom within minutes.
The Saldiray moves on for a few minutes, raises a scope, and spots a wounded Kara, battered by multiple HARM hits. A short intercept move later generates another kill at 500m, and a leftover torpedo is guided to a Kresta which is still fighting fires from the initial air strike. It hits, slowing the cruiser, and allowing the Saldiray to close in and finish her off. A nearby Kashin is claimed by two more torpedoes, leaving the submarine with only a single torpedo. Enough is enough! The captain orders her down below the layer, and leaves the area at full speed, slowing down again after a few miles, turning east and proceeding home again in triumph.
NEXT STEPS
So far, HQ is quite pleased with our progress. The attacks on the Soviet fleet have been an unqualified success. All major surface combatants are down, leaving only the pack of missile boats, a lone Krivak, and an AGI to contest the waters north of the Bosporus. The artillery position in the Dardanelles has been destroyed, and the Iowa and friends are sailing south, ready for their next mission. The fighter sweep into Bulgaria may not have been a triumph, but it produced a useful number of kills and seems to have run down the available number of SA-5s.
Now, we have to try and tackle the Bulgarian airfield infrastructure itself, and that may be more difficult. The first steps in that direction will be a low-level night attack, with night-vision equipped planes like our Harriers. Their goal? Elimination of the two SA-10 sites in south-western Bulgaria! Should be exciting…
