Tonight, Misha and I were determined to finish the titanic 2nd Battle of Tsushima Strait, made with the Harpoon community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.
After the second intermission, the situation stood as follows:
My Destroyer flotilla was closing on the Soviet SAG [Surface Action Group] after the Soviets had expended their long-ranged SSMs for no hits. My Harpoons had a range of 75m, but the Soviet SAM defences were nothing short of awesome. DDG Soveremennyy still had her full complement of Sunburn SSMs with a range of 80nm. Along with her 130mm naval gun, she was the most dangerous of the Soviet ships since that gun had greater range than the 127mm guns aboard my own ships. Although the BCGN and carriers were more tempting targets, she would be the prime target. Even with its offensive striking power mostly expended, this Soviet force would still be a hard nut to crack.
The Soviets were well screened by submarines. As the flotilla made its attack run, sonar suddenly reported an incoming torpedo. Damn! My sonar was virtually blind during the high speed attack manoeuvres and now I was paying the price. A Victor-III class sub had been laying for the group and loosed a single Type 65 torpedo. To make matters worse, the Sovrmennyy added a few Sunburn SSMs to the party. The SSMs were shot down by Standard SAMS while all the ships turned to run, but the phenomenal range of the torpedo easily chased down and killed DD Hatakaze. Her 127mm guns were going to be sorely missed along with the eight Harpoons in her mounts.
The flotilla had split into two groups due to their speed differential, but both made a simultaneous attack on the Soviet squadron. I had 48 Harpoons at my disposal. I elected to fire 28 at the Sovremennyy and 12 at the BCGN. I didn't expect any to actually hit the BCGN, but I needed to soak up her potent SA-N-6 Grumble SAMs. Originally, I thought that 36 missiles should be plenty to sink the lone destroyer (I forgot that 8 sank with the Hatakaze). I could not be more wrong. Of the entire attack, the destroyer suffered a single hit. Later, I would pay dearly for my divided fire allocation later.
Once the SSMs were expended, it came down to a naval gun battle, like it did in 1905 -- nearly 90 years earlier. Misha threw everything he had at me in order to soak up my Standard SAMs and he did admirably. Upon reaching 20nm range, I fired the entire remaining inventory at his DDG Sovremennyy. Once again, the defensive SAM fire from the DDG was phenomenal and only a few struck home. Unable to destroy the enemy group, I ordered the flotilla to close for direct gunfire.
At this point, my failure to destroy the Sovremennyy came back to haunt me as she managed to sink one of my destroyers and cripple another before finally succumbing to a massed barrage from the surviving 5 destroyers. With only the CV Kuznetsov and CVH Kiev remaining, the JMSDF closed to administer the coup de grace (or so they thought).
As they came into gun range, the Kiev still sported torpedo mounts for the USET-80 and several were fired back in my direction. My ships turned to flee this new threat. I think that they would have claimed the crippled destroyer, had they been able to run to completion, but I was awarded victory for sinking 3 Soviet ships and the game ended.
What a monumental battle. It was quite surprising and exhilarating to actually re-fight Tsushima and end it, once again, with a gunnery duel. Thanks for a fantastic fight, Misha, and thanks to HarpGamer hosting it on their server.
Jerome (a.k.a. Angle of Attack), a native of Argentina, and I had played Malvinas II several times. Each time, AoA played the Argentines while I played the UK. After several losses, we switched sides to see if I could do better. Malvinas II, has been made with the Harpoon community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.
We began, as usual, with a round of scouting and counter-scouting. AoA had his AEW helos airborne in hopes of locating my surface fleet. I immediately activated the jamming suite on DD Hercules to counter his efforts. While his helos were brightly radiating their position, I ordered my Mirage fighters to creep in and shoot them down from low level.
Once the UK was effectively blinded, I focused on his Harrier CAP, next. The Harriers were much slower than the supersonic Mirage, but they carried the lethal Sidewinder AAMs that far out-ranged my own Magic missiles. It was quite a tricky task to engage them. Luckily, he flew his CAP at high altitude so they were clearly seen by my own radar stations on Malvinas and the Hercules. Several were caught from behind and shot down before they even knew I was in the neighbourhood by using Ground-Controlled Intercept solutions. However, revenge was swift. In the end, I managed to kill 8 Harriers for the lost of all 12 of my Mirage. It was a steep price, but it had to be paid.
Generally free from Harrier depredation, my Trackers roamed the skies. I had grouped my surface forces near Port Stanley to await the invasion force. A sudden missile attack on them was repulsed after using up nearly all my SAMs. However, the attack suggested the presence of a submarine so a search was conducted by Tracker.
Sure enough, a sub was detected 6nm away from the ships. As the Alouette and Trackers began their attack, the submarine showed here teeth by firing a spread of torpedoes back at me. My blood froze when I detected these phenomenal weapons. With a top speed of 70 knots, there simply would be no escape from them in a straight chase situation. The only defense would be to put a wall of earth between my ships and the torpedoes. The Trafalgar died quickly, but she would have been quite surprised to see my ships dart behind the bay. When they reached their Pre-planned Activation Points [PAP], they promptly slammed into the shore. Whew, that was close. However the tactic was not without cost. DD Sarandi somehow managed to beach herself (another stupid game bug) and thus ended up as a partial mission kill.
I used the trackers to generally locate the enemy amphibious forces and sent in my Exocet-armed Super Etendards. Although the positions were very hazy, they were sufficient for the Exocets. I needed to soak up some of the dangersous Sea Dart SAMs the enemy carried.
The enemy was no slouch, either. Once I carried out my AShM attack, he replied with an AShM strike of his own delivered by Sea King helos. I had re-positioned my ships into a bay in hopes of the tall valley walls providing some semblance of protection from missile strikes as my own SAMs were severely depleted. A second strike was also repulsed, but DDG La Argentina took a missile strike that left her limping along at 8 knots. I was in fear of losing her, but her valiant crew managed to limit the flooding to 50% and she sailed onward. Unfortunately, the ships were now virtually naked as nearly all SAMs had been expended.
A final round of SSM attack was mixture of Harpoons from the destroyer escorts combined with the remaining Sea Eagle from the Sea Kings. It felt like Ft. Apache with missiles coming in from all directions. Without any SAMs to counter the threat, several ships were struck and destroyed. However, some did survive.
At this point, I decided to throw the dice and gamble the game on one stroke. The five Etendard were re-launched along with 12 Skyhawks from Port Stanley. With the enemy SAM shooters closing on the base, air operations would soon be too dangerous to conduct since they would be launching and landing under the enemy's SAM umbrella.
The Trackers had located the Amphibious vessels thus allowing my strike elements to make their long circuitous journey around the enemy CAP and knocking directly on his back door. Unfortunately, the surprise party was prematurely detected by a roving Harrier. It shot down one of the Etendard before the release point. All hope of further surprise went down in flames with the unlucky plane and the strike leader decided to initiate the attack immediately. (This was probably the best point in the game. AoA nearly wet his pants when he saw the mass of Skyhawks appear next to his Amphibs and said, "That's it. I'm dead. Game over" on the mIRC channel :D)
The four surviving Super Etendard released their Exocet at the nearest DDG. They held no expectation of actually getting a hit, but they hoped that the salvo would occupy the DDG long enough for the Skyhawks to slip past the defenses.
The Skyhawks hugged the waters and drove in their attack at 30m altitude. The SAMs got a few and four of them decided to suppress the DDG on their ingress. They dropped their loads of Mk82 bombs and emptied their 20mm cannon on her to leave her a mass of flames as the strike split up to pass east and west of her to bore in on the Sir Galahad.
The western element died when it was shot to ribbons by Sea Wolves as it tried to split the defences between two Broadsword frigates. The eastern element took losses, too, but 3 survived long enough to deliver their bombs on target. Unfortunately, this was insufficient to sink the vessel. The damage was significant, but the flooding was eventually stopped at 30%. (I'll never know if the four bombers that took out the DDG Birmingham would have made the difference if they had survived long enough to bomb the Galahad. )
With no surviving strike assets, AoA merrily continued his parade to the beach. I had 3 diesel subs waiting for him, but with a surfeit of ASW helos to conduct a thorough search of the waters, they were soon located and killed by aerial torpedoes.
Thanks for yet another superb game, AoO. Games that are fought to the last round of ammunition are the best. Thanks also to HarpGamer for the use of their server.
Ed and I met up for our weekly ANW match. This week, we elected to try out Bart Gauvin's first scenario production, Ice Picket, made with the Harpoon community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.
I played the Soviets while Ed commanded the NATO forces. My orders were to prevent NATO from reinforcing the Jan Mayen Island outpost with a PhibRon.
Right away, one of my spy trawlers [AGI] picked up radar transmissions and one of my Victor III subs detected the distinct acoustic signatures of Tarawa-class and Wasp-class vessels and moved in to investigate. The AGI soon spotted a SH-2 SeaSprite helo coming over to give her a look. The pilot was very cagy and came in slowly while the AGI had trained a pair of Gremlin SAMs tracking her all the time. Closer, and closer, she came until she was just outside of maximum range. Crap. She fingered the AGI, so there was no further need for stealth. She went to flank speed and raced to nail down the position of the enemy PhibRon.
Soon enough, a pair of AH-1 SeaCobras came in on an attack run to fire Hellfire missiles. However, they got too close and one was brought down by a Gremlin. The AGI was burning furiously and listing, but still afloat and she had confirmation of the course and speed for the PhibRon. This was transmitted to SubSquadron 31 and the nearest Victor III calculated an intercept course. Unfortunately, the PhibRon was moving at a very high rate (24kts!) so there was no chance of the SSN catching it without moving at a high speed, herself. Captain Ivanov ordered the sub to full speed (23kts) and hoped that he would survive long enough to deliver his attack.
Once she transmitted her data, the AGI had outlived her purpose. When two Harriers from the PhibRon came to finish her off, she was determined not to go down without a fight. They Marine pilots fired Mavericks, but they also came in too close and one of them suffered the same fate as the previous SuperCobra and was blown from the sky by a Gremlin. The Mavericks found their mark and the AGI was soon sinking by the stern.
Captain Ivanov was approaching perpendicular to the course of the PhibRon. At his closest approach, he decided to let loose his Type 65-76 wake-homing torpedoes. Their phenomenal range meant that they could actually catch the large landing ships. He fired them on bearing-only launch.
As soon as they left the tubes, the NATO sonar operators must have heard their launch transient for a helo came out to investigate. The crew kept their fingers crossed and hoped to live long enough to deliver the rest of their ordnance. Once the tubes were re-loaded, a second, then a third, brace of lethal 650mm killer torpedoes were launched.
This also gave the helo systems operator sufficient information to further localize the onrushing submarine and a Mk46 ASW torpedo was dropped. Although nearly blind in their haste, K-305's sonar operator detected the high-pitched eminations from the approaching torpedo. As a final act of desperation, the K-305 fired the 3 USET-80 torpedoes in her tubes on the last generated sonar bearings just as the Mk46 struck. With 92% of their flotation destroyed, the crew blew the ballast tanks and tried to fight their way to the surface. The pressure of the North Atlantic ended their race at -190m when their pressure hull imploded.
Although they did not live to see it, their torpedoes ran true and first LHA Saipan, the LHD Wasp were struck by the massive Type 65-76 torpedoes. Both were lost immediately. The USET-80 torpedoes selected the CG Leahy for their terminal run and two were more than enough to leave her listing with here engine room flooded.
With his three High Value Units sinking, Ed conceded the game. Jan Mayen would get no re-inforcement this day.
Thanks for a very nice game and congratulations to Bart on the first MP session for his debut scenario. Thanks, also, to Harpgamer for hosting the server.
AAR: Sea King to Chile Incident [Spoiler Alert] A Harpoon ANW scenario Author: Freek Schepers
Jerome Chiecchio (a.k.a. Angle of Attack) and I elected to try out this hypothetical scenario set in the Falklands.
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One of the most mysterious events of the war happened on May 16th, when a Sea King was found burning and abandoned near Punta Arenas airbase. The British claimed a 500nm navigation error but, after the war, it became clear that SAS Special Forces had been planning a raid to take out the Exocet-armed Super Etendard aircraft which had sunk Sheffield and Atlantic Conveyor. Speculation on the nature of this operation still ranges from SAS-Hercules aircraft landing on Rio Grande airbase in order to destroy the planes on the ground to the setting up of covert radar facilities to provide early warning for the fleet.
Fact is that Chile felt it was the next target of the Argentine junta and, therefore, open to cooperation with the British.
With most of my ships off replenishing their stores, I only had Invincible and a lone escort with which to accomplish my mission. My orders were to transfer two Sea King helicopters with SAS forces to Chile and take out the Super Etendard aircraft that had been a plague on Her Majesty's forces thus far.
I decided to gamble and ferry my two available Harriers and the Sea Kings to the ad hoc RAF base in Chile. I hoped to provide my vulnerable helos with a modicum of escort at least part of the way. They took a long round-about path to Punta Arenas by flying around Tierra del Fuego and off the coast of Chile in order to stay below the radar horizon of Rio Grande air base. It was a long and tense journey as I had no airborne early warning capability. The first sign of an enemy presence might very well be tracer rounds or the smoke trail of an in coming missile. However, no of this came to pass as all the aircraft landed safely in Chile. Part one of the mission was complete.
The second phase of the operation was the tricky part. I had to locate the enemy Etendard unit before I could send in the air strike. There were four possible locations for the unit: Rio Grande, Rio Gallegos, San Julian, and Comodoro Rivadavia. I only had a few unarmed PR.9 Canberra reconnaissance aircraft at Punta Arenas and a few aircraft along with an SAS unit on San Felix in the Pacific. It was a difficult order, but I decided to send in single aircraft on virtual suicide missions to photograph the four bases. I would lose the asset, but at least I would be certain of the Etendard aircraft. One flight from Punta Arenas would at least have the benefit of an armed escort in the form of the two recently arrived Harriers.
One PR.9 Canberra took off for Rio Grande accompanied by the two Harriers. They hugged the deck and hoped not to be detected. As they climbed to cross over the island and approach Rio Grande from the landward side, they must have been detected. I saw no indication of it until an F-86 Sabre suddenly appeared in visual range! Both Harrier pilots quickly loosed a single AIM-9 Sidewinder at the target and began evasive manoeuvres fearing return fire. The Argentines also had the Sidewinder.
The F-86 exploded in a ball of flame with no loss to my UK forces. However, the element of surprise was lost and the Canberra was much too far from the base to continue the mission so it was aborted. The best part of this encounter was the repeated inquiries from AoA, "Was that your aircraft? Was that Chilean? Are you in control of the Chilean forces?..." He really had no idea what had transpired as he was unable to make visual confirmation of the attack. He never even knew it was delivered by Harriers since the Chileans also used a version of the Sidewinder. I just stayed mum over the whole affair and replied with my usual, "No Free Intell" response. It was to pay significant dividends in the long run.
After my shaken crews returned to Punta Arenas, they planned for a second mission. This time, they would try to approach Rio Gallegos. Since there were no Sidewinders available at the ad hoc base in Punta Arenas, they would have to do so with only 6 available missiles. Soon after launch, an unknown contact came zooming in a low level on an intercept course! A thousand thoughts raced through the minds of the pilots. "Had the Argentines figured out where that last mission launched from? Did they know that RN forces had deployed to Chile? Was this the payback they had been fearing?" With nervous trigger fingers, they watched it come closer and closer. It was well inside Sidewinder range, but still outside visual range. If it was hostile, the Harrier pilots decided that we would both go down in a blaze of glory since neither side could escape the other's Sidewinder missiles. Finally, at a range of 1 mile, it was confirmed to be a Chilean Hawker Hunter. With a huge sigh of relief, the Harrier pilots re-engaged the Master Arm safety switches for their weapons. An international incident with the country covertly aiding them was avoided this time.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, the exact same thing was happening over at Rio Grande air base. Evidently, a Chilean flight was near the border when it was intercepted by Argentine patrols. In the ensuing confusion, the Argentines must have fired upon the Chileans which in turn put the Chileans automatically into a state of war with the Argentines! My little reconnaissance mission on Rio Grande had reaped untold rewards. As a direct result of my clandestine activities, I had managed to provoke a war between my opponent and a neutral country.
Once again, as my Canberra and Harrier escorts crept towards Rio Gallegos, they were detected. I tried to push the matter by making a high speed photo pass at the base to see if the Etendards were there, but the Argentine combat air patrol stood their ground and firmly blocked any possibility of breaking past them with my lumbering Canberra. All thoughts turned to escape. I engaged the fighters with my remaining Sidewinders and dove to the deck to evade. Again, both Argentine pilots died in fireballs. However, I was now defenceless as the Harriers and ran for the border. Another Argentine interceptor was detected closing on the fleeing Harriers and I thought that the game was over for them since they had only their 30mm Aden cannon to fight back with. Closer and closer it came until it inexplicably turned away without ever opening fire. I guess the pilot just lost his nerve and didn't want to end up with a missile shot in the face.
I was to learn that AoA was having other Chilean problems at Rio Grande. Once enraged, the Chilean Air Force had mounted an air raid on the base and destroyed the very Etendard planes that I had been searching for! What a truly macabre set of circumstances. I managed to get my opponent to fire on a neutral country which in turn returned fire and accomplished my mission goals for me. At this point, AoA realized that he had lost the game and conceded defeat.
A truly magnificent game with all the flavour of real world brinkmanship. Thanks to AoA for a fabulous match and to HarpGamer for the use of their server.
Jeronimo Chiecchio (a.k.a. AoA) met up to try out a new scenario. We chose Ralf Koelbach's Mixed Doubles, re-made with the community's favourite database, the PlayersDB. These scenarios were written by Ralf Koelbach for the HUD3 and Harpoon ANW and have been re-written for compatibility with the PlayersDB and Harpoon 3 by Herman Hum with the consent of the author.
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This is the third scenario of the PaSon battleset. These scenarios are designed for beginners. They presume that the USSR did not collapse back in the early 90s. In fact, the Cold War went hot and NATO and the USSR got their shoot out. They met with their best equipment and fought it out. All scenarios of this battleset use the same map, starting with using smaller parts of it. The complexity and difficulty of the scenarios increases steadily.
I was in charge of a Russian Surface action Group [SAG] ordered to break out into the Atlantic and AoA was the NATO commander standing in my way. We started the scenario and I found myself with a number of submarines just outside of torpedo range from his little flotilla. As he cruised along blissfully unaware of my presence, my Akula-class SSN opened fire with Type 65 torpedoes. I was aiming for the Ticonderoga with her superb AEgis system, but I'd pretty much settle for anything I got.
The 4x 50 knot torpedoes raced in against the 30 knot task force and caught them after a long chase. Unfortunately, they only managed to kill a single Spruance destroyer. The response was quick and devastating. My Akula sub was sunk along with another diesel sub in close proximity as was an Echo II missile-guided sub (but not before she launched her missiles ).
Not long afterwards, AoA was to return the favour. One of his diesel-electric subs had also found my ships. I managed to get a quick sonar contact off of him from a range of 5nm and turned just before he opened fire with a brace of Mk24 Tigerfish torpedoes. Unfortunately (for him), his torpedoes could only make 35kts while my ships ran at 30kts. The speed difference was unable to close the distance. A pair of SS-N-14 Silex missiles landed torpedoes right atop his position and the brave little submarine could not evade both of them.
As my other submarines closed on his task group, they stumbled over a second diesel boat. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, my Victor II commander dropped a pair of UGMT torpedoes from SS-N-15a Starfish rockets onto him. He didn't want the situation to escalate, so he did not elect to employ his nuclear-tipped weapons. However, he did a magnificent job of evading both. A Kilo-class SSK boat heard the commotion and also dropped a pair on him. Again, with no result. That little sub was good. The enemy quickly detected my two attacking boats and sank them with Mk46 ASW torpedoes. As a sop to my pride, the NATO SSK kept firing Seehecht torpedoes at a phantom contact that must have been on his sonar screen. Both of my subs were already dead, but he kept firing torpedo after torpedo at the ghostly image.
The sacrifice of my two subs was not in vain as it drew attention away from another pair of submrines penetrating the NATO screens. Another Kilo SSK and a Victor III SSN were just barely able to make the interception. As soon as the SSN was in range of the CG Leahy, he let loose with a pair of Type 65s. I didn't want to risk the chance of detection and then having the targets run. Unfortunately, this ruined the firing solutions the SSK was developing. The torpedoes ran down their targets after a long chase. One Duke-class frigate and one Bremen-class frigate were sunk. Somehow, the big cruiser targets kept managing to escape my torpedo barrages! Once their positions were revealed by the attack, both submarines were tracked down and destroyed soon afterwards.
With only one Tango-class submarine left in my order of battle, I was severely limited in my options. Luckily, he found himself between the enemy and my own ships; a perfect position. As the enemy moved to attack my SAG, he ran right over the sub. Just as she was attempting launch her weapons, a game bug caused her demise. Arrrrgh.
Not long afterwards, the NATO SAG had closed with my own and I decided to open fire with everything at a range of 60nm. It would turn out to be a bit premature as it allowed the AEgis cruiser and the CG Leahy to summarily shoot down all my missiles.
The NATO riposte was quick in coming. A wave of 32 Harpoons appeared on the radar screens and nearly swamped my SAM defenses. It was a good thing that a number of NATO ships had already been sunk. Otherwise, serious damage could have been inflicted. As it was, the fleet was able to bring down all the Harpoon without sustaining any damage.
The NATO mission was to stop me, but my mission was not to kill the NATO platforms. My orders were to break out into the Atlantic to interdict the vital merchant convoys. As NATO moved in to engage with guns and SAMs, I ordered my flotilla to 'sprint for the finish line'. Destroyers Burnyy and Kashin were ordered to screen the rest of the SAG with torpedoes as best they could. While no one likes rear-guard actions, they are necessary and the sacrifice of a few for the overall mission is sometimes a military imperative.
NATO saw the manoeuvre and tried to cut them off, but I sporadically launched USET-80 torpedoes to keep the enemy at a distance. The screening destroyers paid a heavy price for their actions as SAM after SAM hit them, but they were fulfilling their duty. As NATO surged forward recklessly, they ran right into the USET-80 torpedoes. The remainder of the NATO force was soon slipping beneath the waves as the battered rear-guards slowly re-joined the SAG and moved into the Atlantic and victory.
Thanks for a phenomenal match, AoA. Over 10 hours of combat in one session. And thanks to Freek Schepers for the use of his server.
AAR: Matchplay #4 - Battle of Britain II [Spoiler Alert] - Dutch A Harpoon 3 scenario By Freek Schepers
Quote:
The purpose of this scenario is to investigate war between pretty much the entire military forces of two modern countries.
Holland has moved ground forces into Belgium and defeated French attempts to interfere. The Charles de Gaulle has been sunk and the French air force is licking its wounds.
The UN has authorised all members to take steps to reverse this situation and the UK has taken up the call of duty.
SITUATION
The Campaign against Belgium and France has concluded. Flanders has rejoined the Kingdom. A daring raid against Denmark has resulted in the liberation of 30 Danish F-16s previously sold to Netherlands. Delivery was withheld due to the war.
The Queen has re-instated the "Militaire Willemsorde" and more Willemsorde's have been awarded for this one raid than in all of WW2. Losses have been severe, but Belgian and Danish F-16s, now operational in the KLu, have made up for combat losses. All airbases except Florennes are operational. AMRAAM and Patriot Missiles are still scarce. The Navy has been hard hit and its surviving Frigates are short of SAMs.
The Security Council has issued a resolution urging all UN members to force the Netherlands to relinquish Belgian territory. Germany is thought to remain on the sidelines due to the stranglehold we have on the Ruhr through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.
The UK, however, has mobilised its forces and has issued an ultimatum requiring unconditional Dutch compliance with the UN resolution within the next 24 hours.
Jonkheer van Hoorn was the S-4 officer for the wing of F-16 Falcons based at Volkel. As such, he was responsible for providing and coordinating supply and maintenance. He was just finishing up his part of the briefing to the pilots gathered around the theatre.
“As you know, our operations against the French have severely depleted our supplies of the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Brits are coming into this war and they have their bunkers full of the damned things. Now, I’ve managed to find a few more in, of all places, the bunkers of the Belgians that the army has overrun! So, if you fire off your AMRAAM, divert to the airfields at Kleine Brogel and Florennes. It’s easier for you to go to the missiles than for them to come to us. However, if you use them up the way ‘Piss’ does, then there’s no hope for you or any of us and you’ll end up throwing rocks at the Tommies when they come over the coast.”
This brought a wave of laughter from the assigned pilots as the briefing broke up. Lt. Jeroen (pronounced ‘urine’) “Piss” Girerd had acquired his nickname during combat with the French. His Falcon had stumbled upon a French E-3F Sentry. In his excitement at such a prize, he had pickled off all six of his AIM-9M Sidewinders when he could just as easily have shot down the lumbering plane with his internal Vulcan cannon. Except for the scathing rebuke he received from his squadron commander, “Piss” was pleased with himself over his first combat experience. He was more than happy to bear his new nickname so long as no one ever found out about the little ‘accident’ he had when his plane was ambushed by a Mirage over Belgium. His flight suit had dried by the time the mission was over.
Reports were coming in from all around the UK. Many aircraft were seen to be launching and the Royal Navy was planning to sortie. SSK Walrus detected multiple ESM contacts from her periscope mast in the direction of Liverpool and moved to investigate while SSK Dolfijn was ordered to block the channel near the Pas de Calais.
Since the Netherlands did not operate any dedicated Airborne Early Warning [AEW] aircraft, a P-3 Orion from Valkenburg and two helos from de Kooy were launched to provide surveillance and a modicum of early warning. Expecting a sortie from the Royal Navy, frigates van Spejik, van #%&*$#, and van Heemskirck moved south-westwards to intercept. They kept close to the Dutch shore in order to be protected by the SAM umbrella provided by the Zeven Provincien and land-based Patriot batteries.
More information was coming in from the submarines. One vessel was confirmed as DDG Exeter. The jamming environment was fierce so FFG Zeven de Provincien was ordered to radiate her radar systems. The picture cleared up quickly, but not quickly enough. An Orion had moved in to try and pin-point the RN ships apparently departing Liverpool. Only ESM bearing-only [BOL] contacts were detected and more precise data would help SSK Walrus to intercept them. She promptly ate a missile just off the coast. A second Orion crew noted that a radio transmission from her was interrupted in mid-sentence and quickly surmised the fate of the crew. They would not venture as close as their fallen brethren.
Sky Flash met AMRAAM for the first time that day, high over the skies of the English Channel. A pair of Falcons intercepted a Tornado contact. After loosing a pair of AMRAAM, the Falcons turned and fled on afterburner. The Tornado, to her credit, managed to return fire with a pair of Sky Flash Super TEMP, but these dropped into the sea after losing guidance when the Tornado was destroyed by the AMRAAM. Two more Falcons repeated the performance on another unsuspecting Tornado. That was the most common story of the day. When AMRAAM met Sky Flash, the Falcons usually walked away from the scuffle.
And then Typhoon radar was detected! At about the same time a Lynx helo providing AEW support exploded in mid-air! Surprise... Both Falcon flights went to afterburner to close the distance and managed to loose four AMRAAM. They got her, but lost three of their own from return fire. Typhoons are Scary! Another was detected loitering over the Mid-lands. It was decided to postpone the ground missions until aerial superiority could be achieved. Even one Typhoon was very bad news for lightly armed strikers.
The Falcon Combat Air Patrols [CAP] re-grouped just off the Dutch coast. Rather than venturing over English territory, they would fight under their own radar coverage. The English obligingly cooperated. Soon, many flights of Tornado GR.4 were detected at low altitude. They were expertly covered by their Tornado ADV [Air Defence Variant] cousins. KLU high command had decided that each pilot would engage “according to his ability”. It was planned that the AMRAAM-armed Falcons would concentrate on their equally deadly counterparts while the planes armed only with short-ranged AIM-9M Sidewinders would close on the enemy strikers. The arrangement worked exceptionally well and the skies were soon cleared of the Tornadoes.
As everyone was congratulating themselves on their good fortune and expertise, the second wave appeared and they blanched. They had already expended a considerable number of AAMs [Air-to-Air Missiles] in repelling the first wave. Now, low on weapons, they were facing a wave as large as the first. The second wave was even more dangerous than the first for it contained the more advanced Tornado F.3. This version was capable of carrying the same AIM-120 AMRAAM carried by the Dutch.
Orders went out to quickly re-arm the bomb-laden Falcons with AMRAAM. Wing S-4 van Hoorn protested, but was mollified when the Wing Commander asked him if he would prefer the enemy to destroy them on the ground.
Again, the waves of English strikers were well timed with their escorts. The escorts engaged the Dutch interceptors at the cost of their own lives. However, they enabled the Tornadoes to reach their launch points and release their ordnance. A storm of Sea Eagle AShM [Anti-Ship Missiles] dropped off their pylons enroute to the few surviving frigates of Her Royal Majesty’s Naval Ships. Although the majority of them were eventually intercepted by a combination of Sidewinder missiles and Sea Sparrow from the ships, one leaker got through and slammed into frigate van #%&*$#. Like in a lottery, you only need one ticket to win. Today, the number for the men of the van #%&*$# would finally be up. The impact was directly over the ship’s torpedo magazine for its Lynx anti-submarine helicopter. The resulting sympathetic explosion left very few survivors.
The furball over the North Sea consumed missiles, planes, and men at a prodigious rate. The Klu was holding their own, but they were using up every missile they carried in order to do so. Finally, something had to give. After receiving appalling losses to its strike formations, the controllers aboard the E-3D Sentries circling over the British mid-lands decided that they could not complete their mission and withdrew. In the test of men and nations, they had lost their nerve. Not until many years later would they learn just how close they came to victory for every single missile aboard Dutch planes and ships had been expended. A window of vulnerability existed, but the British failed to take advantage of it. They would later live to regret it.
Meanwhile, in the English Channel, SSK Walrus was caught with her periscope up just a little too long. An English Lynx ASW helo saw the feathery wake and closed before dropping its Stingray torpedo on her. The Walrus sent one final report before the torpedo struck.
SSK Dolfijn would avenge her. The carrier task force sailed up the Channel and right into the waiting arms of the Dolfijn. By positioning herself directly on their Path of Intended Movement [PIM], she simply sat and awaited her prey. Vengeance would be swift in coming. Once the task force drew near, she launched three Mk48 torpedoes at the carrier and another at the nearest escort. With her cloak of invisibility removed, she immediately increased speed to full and ran directly at the formation while her husky torpedo men raced to re-load.
Sonar immediately called out, “Transient! Torpedo in the water! Bearing 269.” Evidently, the frigate had detected the attack and launched her own fish back down the bearing of contact towards the sub. It was a race between the ‘steel eels’. The Mk 48 caught the frigate first and snapped her keel with 600lb of high explosive.
Although the crew of the Dolfijn heard the explosion through the hull, they had problems of their own. The Stingray had locked onto them and was in continuous-ping mode. It was time for their ‘last-best move’. The skipper ordered white noise countermeasures dropped and hugged the bottom while everyone kept their fingers crossed. Another explosion was heard, but everyone realized that you had to be alive to hear it. The torpedo must have detonated on the sea floor.
Not willing to look a gift horse in the mouth, the Dolfijn immediately sent out a second volley of lethal Mk 48 torpedoes even before their first torpedoes had arrived at the carrier. Every ship in the formation received a present from the men of Dolfijn.
The torpedoes arrived at the carrier and detonated nearly simultaneously and ripped gigantic holes in her hull. She would eventually turn turtle and take 300 of her crew with her after two hours of damage control efforts.
The second round of Mk 48s was just as lethal and gutted the entire formation. Three air-defence destroyers and another frigate were left sinking. Only one stubborn frigate remained. However, this frigate was cagy and refused to approach the little submarine. Instead, he coordinated the approach of several Nimrod ASW aircraft. A second Stingray torpedo was soon in the water. Out of torpedoes and out of luck the Stingray did not miss and the crew of the Dolfijn soon joined their British adversaries on the floor of the Channel
Over the Kent coast, the wave of retaliation was quickly closing on English airbases at Cottishall, Waddington, Wattingham, Marham, Cottismore, and Wittering. With most the air defenders floating in the Channel, only a few Harrier rose in futile defence. Unlike their Battle of Britain predecessors, the Harriers were unable to exact any meaningful price from the Falcon strikers before being torn from the air with AMRAAM. The Dutch survivors quickly dropped their Mk 84 2000lb bombs onto the hangars and crushed them atop the defenders along with any hopes the British had of launching future defences. As they touched down back at their bases, the Queen announced that a message had been received from 10 Downing Street. It acknowledged that the affair between the Netherlands, Belgium, and France was not a concern for the United Kingdom. For now, the war was over.
AAR: Matchplay #4 - Battle of Britain II [Spoiler Alert] - UK A Harpoon 3 scenario By Freek Schepers
Quote:
The purpose of this scenario is to investigate war between pretty much the entire military forces of two modern countries.
Holland has moved ground forces into Belgium and defeated French attempts to interfere. The Charles de Gaulle has been sunk and the French air force is licking its wounds.
The UN has authorised all members to take steps to reverse this situation and the UK has taken up the call of duty.
SITUATION
The UK government has observed the aggressive behaviour of the Dutch government over the past week.
The attacks on Belgium, France, and Denmark are unacceptable, and, in view of the huge losses taken by the Dutch, may not have been wise.
The RAF and RN will now implement the recent UN-resolution and do so in a manner as to take away the ability of the Dutch to wage war.
The Royal Air Force is in transition. The Joint Force Harrier is being created, preparations are being made to replace the older Tornado F.3s with the Eurofighter, and the Jaguars are about to be sold. As a result, many airframes are unavailable.
HMS Spartan had been sitting off the port of Antwerp for the past week in order to monitor Dutch and French actions. Although it would never be revealed to the public, she had been ringside to watch the immolation of the French amphibious group from the Dutch SSMs [Surface-to-Surface missiles]. The latest FLASH message received in the radio room indicated that the Prime Minister had decided to heed the United Nations’ call to action. Spartan intended to play her role.
Multiple contacts scattered around the plot and mixed in with many civilian craft that simply refused to recognize that a state of armed conflict existed between nations. "Can't really blame them, either," though Cmdr. Naismith as the periscope rose from her sheath for the umpteenth time. "I'd have to try and earn a living if I was in their shoes, too." At the same time, he ordered Harpoons loaded into tubes one, three, and five. Spearfish torpedoes are nice, but nothing beats the ability to 'reach out and touch someone' the way UGM-84 Harpoons can.
The first order of business, as always, was to get some ‘eyeballs’ into the air. The two E-3D Sentries from Waddington lumbered into the air. One was destined for a patrol off the east mid-lands while the other would loiter over Luton. Hopefully, they would be able to triangulate on most contacts for more effective management. No sooner had they taken to the air when Falcon radar transmissions were detected. Like the prettiest girl at a country dance, this kind of attention is expected. Tornadoes from Leeming and Leuchars moved to parry the Dutch.
Jamming was intense so DDG Cardiff was ordered to support the AEW aircraft with her radar systems. It was a gamble, but MinDef decided that it was worthwhile. All actions in time of war are risky. To support the move, the only two Typhoons in the Order of Battle [OoB] were also sent to support the effort with their sophisticated radar.
Just off the coast of Cottishall, the first flight of Tornado received a rude surprise as one of the three quickly exploded in mid-flight without any indication of missile launch! Immediately, the two survivors engaged afterburners and hoped to close with the fuzzy contacts on their radar screens. They were not to be so lucky, today. All three Tornado were destroyed within a matter of thirty seconds. The second Battle of Britain had begun.
The Typhoons immediately went to afterburner to protect the priceless Sentries. It took four AIM-132 ASRAAM, sixteen AIM-120C7, and six Sky Flash air-to-air missiles [AAMs] to finally destroy a flight of two Falcons in exchange for three Tornadoes destroyed. This was a most inauspicious start for the RAF since most of the AIM-120C7s in all of Britain had just been expended in one sortie! It was going to be a hard day for the UKADF [United Kingdom Air Defence Forces].
Two more Falcons came roving over RAF Marham and three more Tornadoes moved to intercept. Only a single Tornado walked away from the ensuing fracas. The battle-hardened veterans of the KLu were exacting a terrible toll from the RAF and driving the AEW Sentries from their patrol positions. At this rate of exchange, could the RAF survive as a viable force? There seemed to be no end in sight from the onslaught as yet another flight of Falcons flew over Cottishall to attack the AEW aircraft.
The last unengaged Combat Air Patrol [CAP] moved to intercept and two captured Belgian Falcons were rubbed from the sky. However, the attack had been cunningly planned. Unable to intervene, additional flights of Falcons hammered Cottishall mercilessly and destroyed the hangars along with many strike aircraft preparing for counter-air operations. The defending Rapier battery managed to get four of the attackers, but this was cold consolation for the dozen smoking wrecks now lying under ruined hangars and revetments. Eight Falcons had caused more havoc than an entire air flotilla from the WWII Luftwaffe. The KLu would gladly exchange their four losses for the thirty-six wrecks they left behind.
Three Danish Falcons were detected approaching RAF Leuchars by an outbound CAP flight. AMRAAM were quickly exchanged with the planes stolen from Denmark and one was quickly destroyed. However, the survivors continued on doggedly. It looked as though no base in the entire UK would be free from attack. The Tornadoes closed to re-engage with AIM-132 ASRAAM. Theoretically, they would out-range the AIM-9 Sidewinders the Falcons might be carrying. However, the AIM-120 trumped them all, if there were any left on the Danish planes. Four ASRAAM / Falcon were needed to finally destroy the flight. However, the Dutch were very persistent. A second flight approached and three Tornadoes with AMRAAM barely managed to clear the runways before engaging and destroying them on their ingress.
Meanwhile, one E-3D Sentry had been able to positively classify Dutch frigates Van Speijk and Van #%&*$# in North Sea off the midlands. A flight of Tornado GR.4 configured for maritime strike with Sea Eagle AShMs [Anti-Shipping Missiles] quickly paid them a visit. Unfortunately, the ECM environment was so hostile that their attacks failed as the missiles were blinded by the jamming from the frigates.
At the south end of the North Sea, HMS Spartan decided to try and “pull a fast one”. She had detected FFG de Zeven Provincien from her distinctive radar emissions. Although she only had a warm fuzzy feeling about the exact position of the air-defence frigate, Cmdr. Naismith decided to gamble and fired all of his Harpoons at the current solution. The unexpected move must have taken the frigate by surprise as three of the four Harpoons slammed into the frigate and left it a pyre.
Throughout the skies over the North Sea and British coast, Tornadoes clashed with Falcons. The advantage of Dutch AMRAAM over the British Sky Flash was sorely felt this day. All the brave British aircrews could only do their best by running towards the Dutch on afterburner and accepting heavy losses in order to return fire with the near obsolescent Sky Flash AAMs. Like the tactics employed by American Sherman tank crews in WW2, every Dutch Falcon was swarmed by at least four Tornadoes and UK HQ expected two not to return. The price was appalling, but had to be paid for the years of neglect in the British armed forces.
While the RAF fought the Dutch KLu to a bloody standstill, Strike command paid a return visit to FFG van Speijk and van #%&*$#. This time, they carried ALARM Anti-Radiation Missiles. The combination of Sea Eagle and ALARM were sufficient to set both ships ablaze. Without adequate air cover, it was only a matter of time for the little frigates.
Over the Channel, the Dutch proved that they could be just as cunning and devious. With UK radar severely degraded by jamming, RAF Wattingham did not notice an air raid by AH-64 Apache helos until they appeared on their doorstep, literally! The local Rapier battery commander immediately ordered his unit to engage. However, it was already too late as the stream of Hellfire missiles slammed into the airbase. Made to smash the armour of main battle tanks, the missiles had little difficulty demolishing the relatively thin ‘armour’ of the base facilities. Although too late to prevent the attack, Tornadoes from Leeming did manage to bring down all the helicopters as they attempted to make their egress over the Channel.
However, it was the last gasp for the KLu. Their ranks were severely depleted from the near continuous demands of the previous week. Although they acquitted themselves well, there simply weren’t sufficient resources to defeat a second fully equipped air force. With no one left to vie for supremacy of the skies, Strike Command decided to conduct phase two of the orders from MinDef.
Led off by a stream of Storm Shadow ALCMs [Air-Launched Cruise Missiles] from Tornado GR.4s, additional Tornado strike teams followed closely behind. The Tornadoes excelled at low-level penetration attacks and they were hugging the earth at 20m off the ground. However, in order to release their ALARM, they had to climb to 100m and the Patriot SAM batteries could engage them at that altitude. It was a race between inbound and outbound missiles. Both sides scored successes. Six Tornadoes fell to the lethal SAMs, but the concentrated ALARM volleys also silenced the ground batteries.
With no enemy aircraft rising to contest the airspace, the Tornado crews calmly climbed to 20,000 ft. in order to release their GBUs [Glide-Bomb Units]. Instead of hurriedly delivering their payloads, crews worked in teams to assess the damage from previous strikes before re-attacking from a different angle. Although strike doctrine normally called for a single pass, these were basically undefended targets. Slowly and methodically, Strike Command shut down every airfield in Holland and Belgium. Once this task was complete, the Jaguars proceeded to hammer the invading army formations in Belgium. After hours of incessant air attack, the Dutch government recognized its inability to even hold onto the gains it made during the past week and signalled its intent to withdraw behind its borders. The Second Battle of Britain was over and, once again, "Never was so much owed by so many to so few".
That's very flattering. However, I seriously doubt that anyone would pay real money for my scribblings.
I write them to thank the scenario authors and encourage more releases (for me to play -- yes, I have a selfish ulterior motive). And, to tell others of the enjoyment I had playing the game in hopes of them joining me in the future.
#2987095 - 04/01/1001:59 AMRe: AAR: Matchplay #4 - Battle of Britain II [Spoiler Alert]
[Re: Herman]
Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,920Moses
I have a Rather Large
Moses
I have a Rather Large
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,920
Tulsa, Ok, USA
So which version is this? H3 or ANW? I have H3 I think it is Ver 3.6, i looked for an update for 3.6 to 3.9 but didnt see one available. i think Really would like something that hits 1900x 1200 Like Harpoon classics way, but updated.
AAR: Matchplay #4 - Battle of Britain II was played with Harpoon v3.6 If you are fortunate to still have that version, it is the best for the game, IMO. The author, Freek Schepers, has also tested the scenario under ANW, but I do not think that it functions nearly as well in H3.
If you are looking for a game to support 1900 x 1200 graphics, I think that you might have to use / get ANW or HCE. I do not think that H3.6 will support it. You can grab the ANW/HCE demos to see if your computer will support their graphics.
There is a demo available for ANW. It is now expired, but if you dial your system clock back to January 1, 2009, I think that you can still run it.
Great to hear that you enjoy HCE. There is no update for transforming H3.6 to ANW. ANW is a separate game and must be purchased independently. However, ANW (supposedly) can run the H3 scenarios (in a degraded state, IMO). Since you already own H3, you may not wish to spend the additional funds for ANW.
However, if you decide to teach your co-workers how to play Harpoon and want them to play against you in Multi-player matches, the only choice is ANW. HCE does not have multi-player capability.
p.s. What the hell kind of job do you have that allows you to play HCE at work!? (And how do I make an application?)
#2987794 - 04/01/1011:09 PMRe: AAR: Matchplay #4 - Battle of Britain II [Spoiler Alert]
[Re: Herman]
Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,920Moses
I have a Rather Large
Moses
I have a Rather Large
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,920
Tulsa, Ok, USA
lol I work alone 80% of the time inm there and we have lots of down time between servers going down and new stuff to be put in or old crap being taken out.
Even better! I am sure that HP would not mind if you occasionally took one of your servers offline and dedicated it to being an ANW MP server. I can just imagine how fast the game would run on one of those monsters.
Mario (a.k.a. CaptPiluso) came for a match and we selected a new release, David and Goliath, made with the community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.
[indent]"In a carefully planned series of attacks, the Warsaw Pact begins a war against NATO. Their goal is to seize West Germany, gutting NATO militarily and economically. The Soviets will demand a high price for Germany's return, or assimilate its industry and technology for their own use."
"The Soviet Union, battered by a series of economic disasters, has demanded substantial economic assistance from NATO and the USA. If not, it threatens, "it cannot be responsible for the peace and stability of Europe." The corrupt old men in the Kremlin expect that either way, they will win: Either they get the aid they need to stave off collapse, or they will launch an attack on NATO. They have already started a program of propaganda inside their borders, blaming all their troubles on a deliberate program of economic strangulation, all orchestrated by the West. The implied threat has not been lost on NATO, and while negotiators frantically try to satisfy almost impossible Russian demands, the military frantically mobilizes. The Soviet Defense Council has decided that the Geneva conferences are an attempt by NATO to buy time while it further tightens its economic stranglehold on the Soviet Union. Offensive operations against NATO, before they are fully mobilized, now offer the only way to alter the correlation of forces and break the economic conspiracy."
3.0 Orders:
Advance to the Andfjord area. Observe and report on Soviet naval movements and take no offensive action unless the Soviets intitiate hostilities. Use your radar and sonar to gather as much information on enemy movements as possible, as well as demonstrating NATO's presence and resolve.
StaNavForLant usually has a tanker/replenishment ship assigned, but it has topped off the force and broken off, heading south for safer waters.
Several civilian ships are attempting to evacuate foreign nationals from Norway in expectation of hostilities. Protect these vessels as best you can.[/indent]
I commanded the NATO StaNavForLant force ordered to protect the Norwegian base while Mario controlled the Soviets. Although hostilities had not yet been declared, they were deemed imminent. A cautious posture was adopted as the ships set sail towards the base. One helo was launched to check the area. Her range was limited, but at least she had radar.
As the force made its approach, a subsurface contact was detected. Immediately afterwards, a torpedo was, too! the ships turned to run, but the torpedo was making 70 knots and the frigate could only run at 25kts. She was certainly going to lose, but she bought sufficient time to launch her helo with 2 others to prosecute the sub.
The trio of helos was quick with their revenge and a Lynx dipped close to the enemy sub and a single Mk 46 torpedo sank it. At least I could now know that war was on and that anything flying a Hammer and Sickle could be engaged. Fight's on!
The helicopter detected a Soviet missile corvette and a large group of vessels approaching. One of them was a light cruiser in the company of two Sovremennyy destroyers and other assorted craft. The corvette packed a considerable punch with 4 Sunburn missiles so I tried to trim down the opposition with a quick strike of 4 Harpoons against her. The attack was successful and the little ship went down with all her missile inventory.
StaNavForLant arrived at the SOSUS station ahead of the Soviets and positioned themselves as a barrier. The biggest threat was the CL as she was able to pound the installation into dust. All available Harpoons were targeted on her. She soaked up the attack and kept coming like a sailing mountain of steel. She was damaged, but still able to make 24kts.
As she closed to SAM engagement range, the Perry frigate locked on and emptied her SAM batteries into the behemoth with apparently little effect. She slowed down, but just kept advancing. Several barrages of Sunburn missiles were received from the destroyers and one got through.
Once the Standard batteries were exhausted, the Sea Sparrows were fired at the Sverdlov-class cruiser. I think she finally flooded and sank. Unfortunately, there were insufficient arms to prevent the Soviets from closing on the port. The Soviets were unable to accomplish their aims without the big gun cruiser, but so had StaNavForLant and the game ended in a draw.
Thanks to Mario for a fun match as well as to Ryan for the use of his server.
Anyone looking for an MP game can drop a line here. For complete instructions on using Wolff's Server, visit HarPlonkHQ
Kamarada Mijail Nikolay Popov Vinogradov (a.k.a CapPiluso) has received secret orders from Kremlin and commanded a powerful task force to attack sosus Norwegian station and show NATO forces that they are not alone when it comes to rule the world.
Initial contacts were only unclassified skunks but ships were heading straight to sosus station,which had been detected right from the begining.Also 2 air contacts appeared and loitered there for a long time but my AAW weapons were unable to catch them,obviously they were trying to identify my ships. As my own ships advanced, alarm warned about vampires but they got lost,I was sure to find some enemy ships blocking my access to sosus station and here they were...Sunburn missiles greeted them but enemy opened fire with furious Harpoons sinking one of my corvettes. Now approaching the point, I detect 4 enemy ships blocking the sosus station but only could sink one of them,a tactical error left my CL alone and she was being badly damaged by enemy missiles. I was now close to the port but chances to meet VC were null for both of us, so we decided to declare a draw
This scenario was really interesting and I consider to play it again from a different tactical situation.Thanks to Herman for a great match and Wolff for the use of the server
#3507326 - 01/30/1208:49 PMRe: Harpoon 3 scenarios for the PlayersDB
[Re: Herman]
A new video After Action Report for "Escape from Diego Garcia" has been added the YouTubeHarpoon for Dummies channel to help Harpoon players navigate the complexities of the game and to deliver the best possible playing experience.
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The response was quick and devastating. My Akula sub was sunk along with another diesel sub in close proximity as was an Echo II missile-guided sub (but not before she launched her missiles 
).
