Matrix Games Forums

Posted: **Thu Sep 04, 2025 9:21 pm**

A new beta for testing. This is another in the 1968 Soviets-invade-Turkey WWIII series, although it is another on the "northern front" with the Soviets trying to force NATO to keep some resources out of the Mediterranean. It is a follow-up to Operation British Harpoon, 1968. This time the Wasp task group and some vessels from the newly formed STANAVFORLANT have to hunt for subs in the Norwegian Sea and stop a Soviet surface group from taking control of Jan Mayen. They'll have a little help from some RAF and USAF and USN aircraft. This includes a detachment of KC-135A tankers.

As always, please let me know what you think. Suggestions and feedback on all aspects of the scenario--readability, clarity, and plausibility of the background and brief, gameplay, units chosen for the scenario, events, scoring, settings, missions set up for the Soviets, technical or historical issues that need to be fixed, even if you think the title is a good one, etc.--are welcome. What can I do to make this a more interesting, more fun, and/or more challenging scenario?

Thanks in advance!

Version 2 uploaded 10:05 CST September 9, 2025.

: Stan Wasp 1.JPG (276.03 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

: Stan Wasp 2.JPG (252.62 KiB) Viewed 1196 times

Posted: **Fri Sep 05, 2025 2:34 am**

Sweet! Just what I was hoping for!

Posted: **Sat Sep 06, 2025 11:37 pm**

After some trial and error, I managed to pull off a triumph with a score of 720

One has to be careful to detect the Soviet subs some distance out from the ships, as if they get close enough, you might be screwed. Lost HMS Hampshire to a Badger launched missile, so I felt it imperative to move Wasp much closer to Iceland, and rely on Orions to look for the Soviet surface force. The Wasp's lack of Skyhawks (which I'm given to understand is period-correct), make it a very dicey proposition to give adequate air cover, due to the distance from the F-102s at Keflavik

When I did spot the surface force, i was able to pull off a devastating first strike with a pair of Buccaneers at long range. One has it's 4x bombs slam into the Kresta cruiser, immediately blowing it up. The other Bucanneer damaged the Sverdlov.

The Soviet ships got caught with their pants down as I sent the Bucanners in low with their radars off, guided by an orbiting Orion. God I love the Blackburn Buccaneer!

Successive raids wiped out the Soviet ships, with just the oiler left barely afloat at one knot.

A combonation of Orions, STANAVFORLANT ships, and aircraft from Wasp allowed me to take out 2x Charlies, 1x November, and a persistent Victor that survived alot of torpedoes, due to that class being able to match or slightly outrun the air-dropped torpedoes of the day. I did get it before I launched any weapons, but I expended more ASROCs than I would have liked.

As a follow-up on my larger feedback on your WW3 1968 campaign, I recently completed this newly released book (https://a.co/d/1eQoJva), and it gave me some fascinating perspective on the ASW challenges of this time, particularly ship-based ASW. The threat of longer-range, wake homing and pattern-running torpedoes was recognized over a decade before 1968, and some tried to argue that an ASW helo alone was better to have than a Helo AND shipboard ASW weapons (no doubt to save money).

Posted: **Sun Sep 07, 2025 2:46 am**

Thanks for the feedback. Anything in particular you think I should work on for this one? Do you think it will be challenging enough for the average player?

FYI...I find https://www.seaforces.org/usnair/current-units.htm and http://www.gonavy.jp/index.html very helpful in tracking down which aircraft were on a particular carrier at a particular time. http://www.gonavy.jp/CV-CV18f.html had the information I needed.

HalfLifeExpert wrote: Sat Sep 06, 2025 11:37 pm After some trial and error, I managed to pull off a triumph with a score of 720

One has to be careful to detect the Soviet subs some distance out from the ships, as if they get close enough, you might be screwed. Lost HMS Hampshire to a Badger launched missile, so I felt it imperative to move Wasp much closer to Iceland, and rely on Orions to look for the Soviet surface force. The Wasp's lack of Skyhawks (which I'm given to understand is period-correct), make it a very dicey proposition to give adequate air cover, due to the distance from the F-102s at Keflavik

When I did spot the surface force, i was able to pull off a devastating first strike with a pair of Buccaneers at long range. One has it's 4x bombs slam into the Kresta cruiser, immediately blowing it up. The other Bucanneer damaged the Sverdlov.

The Soviet ships got caught with their pants down as I sent the Bucanners in low with their radars off, guided by an orbiting Orion. God I love the Blackburn Buccaneer!

Successive raids wiped out the Soviet ships, with just the oiler left barely afloat at one knot.

A combonation of Orions, STANAVFORLANT ships, and aircraft from Wasp allowed me to take out 2x Charlies, 1x November, and a persistent Victor that survived alot of torpedoes, due to that class being able to match or slightly outrun the air-dropped torpedoes of the day. I did get it before I launched any weapons, but I expended more ASROCs than I would have liked.

As a follow-up on my larger feedback on your WW3 1968 campaign, I recently completed this newly released book (https://a.co/d/1eQoJva), and it gave me some fascinating perspective on the ASW challenges of this time, particularly ship-based ASW. The threat of longer-range, wake homing and pattern-running torpedoes was recognized over a decade before 1968, and some tried to argue that an ASW helo alone was better to have than a Helo AND shipboard ASW weapons (no doubt to save money).

Posted: **Tue Sep 09, 2025 8:57 pm**

Sorry for delay in replying.

I don't think there's alot to actually change, as the main challenges are inherent in the technology of the time, but I do have a couple notes:

1) Maybe reposition the Wasp group somewhat closer to Iceland at the start? The player should still have to move it some distance, but given the threat from Badgers and the fact that the Wasp doesn't have any interceptors leads me to think that SACLANT wouldn't want to put an ASW carrier that far out on its own.

2) Maybe merge all the STANAVFORLANT ships together rather than having them split as they currently are? My immediate instinct was to merge TG Hamburg with TG London, as the former seemed pretty vulnerable on its own. The isn't the first hours of the War, so I think there would be time for a split STANAVFORLANT to rally together into a single combined force.

And in such a grouping, I think the HMCS Annapolis would be the lead vessel

Posted: **Wed Sep 10, 2025 3:08 am**

Just uploaded version 2. Thanks to HalfLifeExpert for his suggestions. (I've re-positioned both the NATO ships and the Soviet submarine patrol zones...I hope this will make it a little more challenging.)

Please, everyone, let me know what you think. Is there anything else that needs to be fixed, added, improved, etc. or is this ready for the Community Scenario Pack?

Thanks in advance!

Posted: **Fri Sep 19, 2025 6:14 am**

Any thoughts on Version 2? Are there any other changes, corrections, etc. necessary or is it ready for the Community Scenario Pack? Thanks.

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STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing

Re: STANAVFORLANT Holds the Line, 1968 -- new beta for testing