broncepulido

The Storozhevoy Mutiny, 8-9 November 1975. Historical Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCCW-130801 1950-1975 Cold War Platform Database.
 
Image: from Wikipedia Commons, his sister ship Legkiy in 1993. Description: Aerial starboard bow view of the Russian Northern Fleet Krivak I Class guided missile frigate Legkiy underway. Сторожевой корабль Лёгкий в Северной Атлантике, август 1993 года.
 
On November 8, 1975, the day after of the 58th anniversary of the October Revolution in Riga, now capital city of Latvia (the date divergence comes from the change from the old Russian calendar) , Captain Third Rank Valery Mikhailovich Sablin, son and grandson of naval officers, the political commissar of the modern Soviet ASW frigate Storozhevoy and a committed Communist, called the crew together and showed them Battleship Potemkin, Sergei Eisenstein's fiction film account of the 1905 naval mutiny in Odessa.
After the movie screening Sablin, inspired by the memory of the battleship Potemkin, and also by the presence of the near museum in Leningrad of the protected cruiser Aurora, which with her gunfire and crew had ignited the revolution of 1917, and for all his life in deeply disaccord with the current communism ruling the Soviet Union, decides to sail with the Storozhevoy to Leningrad, and broadcast a direct message to the Soviet people to start a new and pure revolution.
After a voting, crew members and officers in disagreement with his action were confined at the sonar room.
However, an officer escaped and radioed for assistance. The news reached the Kremlin and Leonid Brezhnev, who immediately issued an order to ^Bomb it and sink it^, even employing nuclear bombs if necessary.
The mutiny was masqueraded to the rest of the world as an attempt at defecting to the West. The course for Leningrad, which would lead the ship through the Swedish island of Gotland and Stockholm as the gulf of Riga is impassable to the North, closed by the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, gave the mistaken impression that Storozhevoy was heading to Sweden instead of Leningrad. Until the end of the Cold War, Western intelligence believed that the crew was going to defect. This story inspired US author Tom Clancy to write the 1984 novel ^The Hunt for Red October^, and as consequence in a late stage the own Harpoon system, but that is another history.
 
Unnamed places are:
ZTa: Minsk/Machulishchi Airport and Air Base -/UMLI.
 
Enrique Mas, August 2013.

Retake of Gibraltar attempt by Cougar 13, August 2013, alternate history scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB-130729 1980-2015 Platform Database.
 
Image: Armada Española's LHD Juan Carlos I L-61 with AV-8B+ Harrier II on the deck, Malaga Port 2013. Origin: Wikipedia Commons. Originally posted to Flickr by javicaselli at http://flickr.com/photos/9530856@N02/9167941808. It was reviewed on 8 July 2013
by the FlickreviewR robot and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0.
 
This scenario is better to be played initially from the Blue/Spanish side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/UK/Portuguese/Moroccan side. It's a complex scenario with the most historical accurate possible OOBs.
 
The permanent crisis between Spain and the United Kingdom because the Gibraltar question was exacerbated in early August 2013 by the Gibraltar authorities planting a concrete reef in the neutral zone, provoking hard protest by the local Spanish fishermen.
In a surprising movement to increase his internal popularity after the imposition of tick and slow border controls the previous weeks, the weak Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy government, stormed Gibraltar with special forces and seize it in a few hours with low casualties in both sides.
As the Cold War was ended some twenty years ago, Gibraltar don't keep his previous strategic importance, and the assault was contemplated with indifference by United States and the European Union, and these countries expressed publicly his not intervention posture.
Also, Spain counts with the strange political support of Argentina and other far-left Latin-American countries because the Falklands/Malvinas conflict, but Spain rival in other commercial issues.
As casually all the British amphibious resources were compromised those days in the exercise Cougar 13, destination Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea, the United Kingdom decides can't wait for another better occasion to retake Gibraltar.
And probably the United Kingdom can count with the local support of the Spanish neighbours, Portugal because the Olivenza question, and Morocco because the conquest of Gibraltar legitimizes the military invasion by Morocco of the Spanish Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla in the Morocco's north coast.
This scenario reflects the very weak current situation of the British forces, without carrier fixed-wing aviation, without ASW and maritime patrol aircrafts, and without air-to-surface antiship missiles (short range and small Sea Skua aside). His main advantage against Spain are his SSN and his very great number of air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Spain has the advantage of the proximity to the theatre of operations, carrier fixed-wing aviation, a few ASW and maritime patrol aircrafts, and a few air-launched Taurus cruise missiles. But the Spanish submarine force is in transition and weak, and the support of Morocco and Portugal to the United Kingdom side can be decisive.
This scenario is qualified as "alternate history scenario" because the Orders of Battle represent those at the crisis start.
 
Generic unnamed places are:
ZIa Angads-Oujda Airport OUD/GMFO.
ZJa Al Aroui-Nador International Airport NDR/GMMW.
ZKa Marrakech-Menara Airport RAK/GMMX.
ZLa Moulay Ali Cherif-Errachidia Airport ERH/GMFK.
ZMa Mohammed V-Casablanca Airport CMN/GMMN.
ZNa Sania Ramel-Tetouan Airport TTU/GMTN.
ZOa Cherif Al Idrissi-Al Hoceima Airport AHU/GMTA.
ZPa Ibn Batoutta-Tangier Airport TNG/GMTT.
ZQa Ben Guerir air base (The reactivated base for the Moroccan F-16. An old SAC base and old Space Shuttle Transoceanic Abort Landing Site) -/-.
ZRp Casablanca City and Naval Base.
AMp Spanish Autonomous City of Melilla and Port.
ANp Spanish Autonomous City of Ceuta and Port.
AOa Melilla Airport MLN/GEML.
APp Alboran Island and Military Garrison.
AQp Malaga Port and City.
ARa Manises-Valencia Airport VLC/LEVC.
ASa Matacan-Salamanca Air Base and Airport SLM/LESA.
ATa Villanubla-Valladolid Air Base and Airport VLL/LEVD.
AUa Alcantarilla Air Base -/LERI.
AWa San Javier-Murcia Air Base and Airport MJV/LELC.
AXa Lavacolla-Santiago de Compostela Airport SCQ/LEST.
AYa El Prat-Barcelona Airport BCN/LEBL.
AZa Bilbao Airport BIO/LEBB.
 
Enrique Mas, August 2013.

Operation Attain Document III, 1986. Historical Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB-130603 1980-2015 Platform Database.
 
U.S. Navy chart showing operations of the aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) during "Operation Attain Document III", 23 to 29 March 1986. "FIR" stands for (Tripoli) "Flight Information Region". The photos show a Libyan Sukhoi Su-22, a Dassault Mirage F.1 and a Libyan missile boat after having been attacked by U.S. Navy aircraft. Note: The map does not show the real geographical outlines!
Source: Wikipedia from the USS Saratoga (CV-60) 1985-86 cruise book available at Navysite.de
 
This scenario is designed to be played mainly from the Blue/US side. You should play many times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Libyan side. It's a complex scenario with the most historical possible OOBs.
Attain Document I, IIA and III were a series of operations executed by the US Navy during the first months of 1986 sailing the Gulf of Sidra, which Gadaffi's Libya claims as internal waters from 1973. Those operations were in support of his Freedom of Navigation (FON) program, challenging territorial claims on the world's oceans and airspace that are considered excessive by the United States (as also in the Black Sea or some Far East cases). As a precaution against possible asymmetric or dissimilar Libyan retaliations, it was planned the contingency plan Prairie Fire (nickname after changed to El Dorado Canyon), consisting of air strikes to chosen Libyan targets from which terrorist operations could be planned or executed.
After probing the Libyan response with the phases Attain Document I and IIA in January and February 1986 remaining just north of the so-called line of death, came the ultimate execution of the plan. Composed by three Carrier Battle Groups (CVBG of the USS America (CV-66), USS Coral Sea (CV-43, with the first operative F/A-18A in the USN and USMC, Attain Document III was also the first operational use of AGM-88 HARM, the Tomahawks not were yet operative) and USS Saratoga (CV-60)) TF-60 under command of Rear Admiral Frank D. Kelso II executed Attain Document III penetrating the waters of the Gulf of Sidra with a Surface Action Group (SAG) composed by USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), USS Scott (DDG-945) and USS Caron (DD-970), crossing below 32-30 North at 241100Z March 1986 (1200 Libyan time) and exiting the area at 271432Z March 1986, remaining for more than 75 hours sailing in station.
From that very moment the Libyan forces showed an aggressive behaviour towards the US Forces, ratifying the spirit and outcome of certain previous historical skirmishes. The Libyans launched long range SAM against USN planes, realized some offensive CAP and tried to approach his PTM near anti-ship missile launch range.
This scenario represents the historically present forces, and speculates about the possibility of an higher readiness grade on the Libyan forces, probable use of Pakistani, Cuban, East German and other nationalities loaned or mercenary pilots, a greater fighting will of the Libyan dictator Gaddafi, and less fear to sustain losses by the Libyan side, to later keep supporting his Saharan and Sub-Saharan campaigns.
Note: historically the F-14A Tomcat were limited to employ the AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active radar homing as medium range missile on this and most of his operations in the Mediterranean theater of operations, to avoid an AIM-54 Phoenix active radar homing missile locking accidentally on a neutral plane.
 
Unnamed places are:
AKr Lampedusa US Coast Guard LORAN-C station, Italy.
YRa Misrata AB, MRA/HLMS, Libya.
ZHa Al Bumbah North AB, -/HL68, Libya.
ZIa Al Jufra AB, -/HL69, Libya.
ZJa Marsa Brega Airport, LMQ/HLMB, Libya.
ZLa Okba Ibn Nafa AB, -/-, Libya.
ZMa Ghurdabiya-Sirte AB, SRX/HLGD, Libya.
ZNa Ghadames East AB, LTD/HLTD, Libya.
ZOa Benghazi-Benina AB, BEN/HLBB, Libya
ZVa Gamal Abdul El Nasser AB (using Sheba), -/-, Libya.
 
Enrique Mas, June 2013.

Attack of the Drone Clones, mid-2013. Hypothetical Scenario.
 
Image: A MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Reaper has the ability to carry both precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. Photo by U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson. Source: Wikipedia.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Middle East Battleset and the HCDB-130505 1980-2015 Platform Database.
This scenario is designed to be played mainly from the Blue/CIA-Saudi Arabia side. You should play many times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play a few times the Red/AQAP-Yemeni side, if you've interest on it, but I think the victory conditions are almost impossible to get for an AI-controlled Blue side.
These aircrafts of many names, sometimes called pilotless, remotely-piloted vehicles (RPV), unhabited or unmanned air vehicles (UAV) or simply drones, were they of remote controlled or of autonomous flight, were in the aviation history from his begin, from the very early not manned flying prototypes (as the Samuel Langley's Number 5 of 1896), but those facts are not usually remembered. And later, from the First World War era Low Aerial Targets, Kettering Bug and Larynx, to the inter-wars Reginald Denny experiments and to the long series of Ryan Firebees from 1951, employed fully operational in Vietnam War (particularly for SAM sites hunting), in the Arab-Israeli Wars and in China overflights. As example to illustrate the extensive and widely use of drones historically, at least 578 drones were lost in action over China and North Vietnam between 1964-1975.
From the 1980s advances in electronics, computing, remote sensors technologies and the Digital Revolution made more factible practical application of them to air vehicles and to the current use of pilotless aircraft. They're the Drone Clones.
From Cold War end about 1991 and more from the September 2011 World Trade Center attack, the changing international situations and climate and the Global War on Terrorism recommend and permit the widely use of drones first on intelligence missions and supporting special forces operations, and later in strikes against terrorist and his leaders.
As stated, previously his limited previous use not was cause of technical limitations, the determinant fact for his employ is the political approval (tacit or explicit) of his use in countries harboring terrorists, and as stated a drone is a nimble, of not very instant manoeuvre and fragile aircraft and habitually without RWR, and if it's detected easy prey for a fighter (as demonstrated in the few occasions this has happened, as in Georgia in 2008 or in Iraq in 1999), as consequence his use requires the connivance of the state in the strike receiving end.
As conclusion, at the current state of art, drones strikes only can succeed on air supremacy conditions, without any opposition of enemy fighters.
But only on the last years, from the early November 2002 Yemen drone attacks against Al Qaeda terrorist leaders, with the diffusion of the Predator series and the targeted killing tactics and strategies the mass media do attention to these aircraft on his headlines.
This scenario is based on historical facts and has place in a very exotic country, with reminiscences of the Arabian Nights, near the Queen Balkis old Kingdom of Sheba and the skyscrapers of Sana'a, traversed by frankincense caravans or Three Wise Men, and south of the Empty Quarter Desert where perhaps lurk some innominate things without face neither soul near the nameless lost city of Iram of the Pillars, things without face neither soul as the headless aircrafts nowadays flying on his skies.
On this scenario the air supremacy is not guaranteed. Because the menace of radical Islamist compelling the Yemen government to prevent drone incursions targeting his leaders and militants, with the excuse to avoid risk to the Yemeni civilian population, the Yemen government in this scenario is forced to used his armed forces to prevent the drone incursions.
This scenario pretends also to show contemporary power relations and proxy actuations in the Arabian Peninsula.
 
Unnamed places are:
Saudi Arabia:
ATa Tabuk/King Faisal AB, TUU/OETB
AUa Jeddah/Prince Abdullah AB, JED/OEJN
AXb Jeddah/King Faisal NB, -/OEJF
Yemen:
ZFa Al Anad AB, -/OY74.
ZTa Al Hodeida IA, HOD/OYHD.
ZUa Taiz IA, TAI/OYTZ.
ZVa Sana'a IA, SAH/OYSN.
 
Notes: this scenario is qualified as historical because it shows the complete Saudi and Yemeni air OOB in 2013, and with 104 aircraft in the USAF inventory, MQ-9 Reaper is probably the armed drone employed by CIA from his not so secret base in Saudi Arabia for the attacks in Yemen.
 
Enrique Mas, May 2013.
 

Christmas 1943, bad day for sailing in the Far North.
 
Picture: BC Scharnhort, circa 1939. Source: Wikipedia from German Federal Archives/Kommando der Volksmarine - Bildbestand (DVM 10 Bild), Accession number DVM 10 Bild-23-63-12
 
With BB Tirpitz damaged by attack of midget submarines, BC Scharnhorst remains the only Kriegsmarine capital ship available to be utilized against the Arctic convoys from Great Britain to Soviet Union.
Admiral Fraser, Home Fleet commander, decides to set a trap to the last operational German capital ship, reinforcing the convoys escort, and using HUMINT from Norwegian agents for request information about the Scharnhorst movements.
At the closing hours of December, 25, 1943, westbound convoy RA55A was converging with eastbound convoy JW55B, near the Bear Island area, while the German group, coming from Altafjord, was approaching the area from south.
At 0755 on December, 25, 1943, Konteradmiral Erich Bey on command of BC Scharnhorst orders his accompanying DDs of the 4th Zerstorer-Flotille to explore in search of the convoys. Bad transmitted orders, bad weather and bad luck, and the BC and the DDs lost contact one with the others.
It's the time of the British trap execution ...
 
Some links:
http://www.scharnhorst-class.dk/scharnhors...rnostfront.html
http://www.naval-history.net/Cr03-56-00NorthCape.htm
http://www.9thflottilla.de/9s130.htm
For U-Boat patrols on this date:
http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_1673.html
http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/search.php
 
Enrique Mas, September 2009.

For use with the WW DB, a very simple, direct and fast battle inspired in historic events, the fight between BB Bismarck and CA Prinz Eugen against BB Prince of Wales and BC Hood in the Strait of Denmark. Good also for testing the artillery. Playable from both Red and Blue sides.
 
Picture: An aerial photo of HMS Hood taken from a RAF Coastal Command Hudson aircraft on 24 May 1941. The battlecruiser was sunk later that day during the Battle of the Denmark Strait. Source: Wikipedia from the Collection Database of the Australian War Memorial under the ID Number: P00250.012
 
More and interesting data at http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/hist...raitbattle.HTML
 
Enrique Mas, September 2009.

Beira Patrol going hot, March 1966.
 
Image: HMS Eagle 1970, photograph by Isaac Newton, source: Wikipedia from the HMS Minerva (F45) web site http://www.hmsminerva.info/photos1.htm
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the South Africa Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This scenario is designed for play by the British/Blue or by the Combined/Red side, to avoid spoilers is better to play many times first the British/Blue side, and only after the Combined/Red side. Is a long and probably difficult scenario. If you see it too difficult playing the Blue side, you can play the provided alternate scenario with the support of the South African forces.
 
Was it possible a naval blockade to a land-locked country?
After the unilateral independence of Rhodesia in 1965 (Renamed Zimbabwe from 1980), the United Kingdom with the United Nations support, both fearing the establishment of a white minority racist government, embargoed the oil exportations to Rhodesia.
The infamous Beira Patrol was established for his control by the Royal Navy. The Patrol lasted from 1966 to the Mozambique independence in 1975 as consequence of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution, with the new country government guaranteeing the sanctions to Rhodesia and the Patrol retired by UK. Initially the Beira Patrol was also equipped with aircraft carriers and late only with one or two frigates and shore-based planes (Based to 1971 in Majunga, Malagasy Republic), checking on oil tankers heading for Beira, in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique.
UN Security Council Resolution 221 (1966) ridiculously limited the oil blockade to the Portuguese port of Beira in the Mozambique colony, site of the Rhodesia-connected oil pipeline terminus (And Portugal was the oldest British ally!). Absurdly as the oil can enter by other ports, as Lourenco Marques (renamed Maputo after the Mozambique independence), or with the tankers sailing in the six nautical miles Portuguese territorial waters along the Mozambican coast, from South Africa to Beira! Also, only British forces were allowed to participate in Security Council Resolution, and the UK have not enough forces to effectively establish the blockade.
In this scenario the Carnation Revolution was some nine years earlier, the Mozambican independence almost instantaneous (as in 1975), some others African governments are deposed or clearly more pro-Soviet than historically, and the Soviet Union is supporting an difficult pact with the Ian Smith government, for sake of strategic interests.
Note: This scenario is labelled as "Historical" because the Rhodesian, Portuguese, South African (in the alternate scenario) and UK forces are as the historically deployed at the Beira Patrol start, including the carrier air wings. Clearly the crisis was quiet and without major incidents. They are two alternative scenario files, one with and another without South Africa supporting the old British Empire remains.
Unnamed places are:
ZYa, Beira (Portuguese Base Aerea BA-8) airport, BEW/FQBR, Mozambique.
ZXa, Lourenco Marques (Portuguese Aerodromo-Base AB-8 (confuse, not?!), now Maputo) airport, MPM/FQMA, Mozambique.
ZWa, New Sarum (now Manyame) Air Force Station, HRE/FVHA, Rhodesia.
ZVa, Thornhill (now Gweru-Thornhill) Air Base, GWE/FVTL, Rhodesia.
ACa, Majunga (now Amborovy) airport, MJN/FMNM, Malagasy Republic.
AKA, Bloemspruit AFB, BFN/FABL, South Africa.
AJa, Durban AFB, DUR/FADN, South Africa.
ANa, Langebaan AFS (now AFB), SBD/FALW, South Africa.
AFa, Pietersburg (now Polokwane IA) AFB, PTG/FAPP, South Africa.
ALa, Port Elizabeth AFB (now AFS), PLZ/FAPE, South Africa.
AMa, Simon's Town Port, South Africa.
AIa, Swartkop AFB, FASK, South Africa.
AGa, Waterkloof AFB, WKF/FAWK, South Africa.
AHa, Ysterplaat AFS, FAYP, South Africa.
 
Enrique Mas, April 2013.

Operation Ivy Bells, 1971.
The Halibut finest moment.
 
This picture of USS Halibut in San Francisco Bay is a USN official photo apparently in public domain, retrieved from navysource.org, published on that site as courtesy of Darryl Baker.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the WestPac Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This scenario is designed for play by the US/Blue or the Soviet/Red side, to avoid spoilers is better to play first some times the US/Blue side and only after play the Soviet/Red side.
 
The noisy and peculiar USS Halibut (originally SSGN-587) was previously a Regulus strategic missile carrier later converted in a apparently conventional SSN, after the Regulus cruise missile was retired and his patrols deleted just some months before the introduction of the SSBN patrols. But Halibut was not a quiet fish.
Halibut was converted for special covert operations in the Cold War, exploiding the room of her cavernous hangar, but her conversion and her missions not yet full exposed or detailed (aside this one, Halibut was previously employed on at least another great mission, Operation Sand Dollar, locating on 1968 the accidentally sunken K-129, a Soviet Golf-class SSB, for her ulterior recovery in Project Azorian).
The basic design was developed by Dr. John P. Craven head of USN Deep Submergence Systems Project. From summer 1971 she was equipped on the after deck with a fixed divers decompression and lockout chamber simulating a DSRV submersible, for very deep saturation divers breathing an helium and oxygen mixture with methods researched at SeaLab.
Operation Ivy Bells was based on the intuition of Captain James E. Bradley Jr. director of undersea warfare at the Office of Naval Intelligence about the existence of a undersea communications and telephone cable in the Sea of Okhotsk between the Soviet SSB/SSBN base at Petropavlosk in the very far and almost isolated Kamchatka Peninsula and his Pacific Fleet Headquarters near Vladivostok. The idea was, one time determined the cable emplacement (and previously guaranteed his existence in the same mission!) to tape it with a device working through induction, without violate physically the cable, and even with the adequate legal converture within the bounds of international law, out of the three mile limit of the Soviet territorial waters. The mission was a complete success, the cable was taped, and the Soviets delivered unencrypted plain text messages by the cable, thinking it was sure. Later, other cables will be taped by other US submarines, but this was the first one.
And so, on October 1972, Halibut sailed with her captain Commander John E. Mcnish from Mare Island to hunt the West Shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula with the covert mission of retrieve debris of the SS-N-12 anti-ship missile, but actually after signals of fantasy cables and to an uncertain future.
Probably this is not an easy scenario.
 
Enrique Mas,January 2013.

Battle of the Ebro, Air Operations, near 14 August 1938.
For use with the HCE World Wars (HCWW) database.
Image: The museum at the former Spanish civil war airfield at La Sénia in the very south of the Catalonia region features this two-dimensional mock-up of the Bf 109B-2 as flown by Harro Harder, commander of Fighter Group 88 of the Legion Condor and participant at the 1936 Olympic Games. From Wikipedia Commons.
Air Strikes and some AAA added in the new uploaded file.
The fight for the air dominance in the first days of the II Spanish Republic last offensive.
After the "coming to the sea/llegada al mar" by the Nationalist land forces in Vinaroz (15 April 1938)(ZVa), the Republic owned territory was divided in two parts.
The Republican land operations initiated 25 July 1938, and were centrated in the river Ebro crossing and staigned in the take of the cross-roads town of Gandesa (ABa).
14 August 1938 marks the first encounter with the new Polikarpov I-16 Type 10 Rata/Mosca.
This is a scenario only historically inspired, I regret. The fragmentary data, bad records, erroneously transcripted airfield names in very obscure and secondary places, confuse airfield denomination (as example, the mentionated case of the twin airfield of Sanjurjo/Valenzuela/Garrapinillos/Zaragoza) and constant controversial issues about everything prevents more precision in the orders of battle and number of planes employed.
The aim is the same for the two sides, shot down enemy planes, to bomb enemy airbases (historically also direct support of land forces, not represented), and to obtain air supremacy to guarantee so the success in the terrestrial actions.
About the command, control and communications issue, remember in this time very few planes where radio equipped.
 
Some units and bases claimed as identified:
Nationalist side:
 
1, 2, 3 and 5 Staffeln J/88 Legion Condor, La Cenia (ZWa) and his dispersion airfields Alcala de Chivert (ZSa) and Cati (ZRa).
 
1, 2, 3 and 4 Staffeln K/88 Legion Condor (He.111B-1/B-2/E-1), Sanjurjo/Valenzuela/Garrapinillos/Zaragoza (ZXa) (Actually a twin base Sanjurjo (German)/Valenzuela(Italian/Spanish), years later became Zaragoza Air Base).
 
A/88 Legion Condor, Vinaroz (ZVa) (*).
 
AS/88 Legion Condor and Grupo 2-G-62/73, Pollensa (ZYa).
 
XXXV Gruppo Autonomo Mixto (-) (230 and 231 Squadriglia, BR.20), 21 Stormo Bombardamento Pesante, XXIV and XXV Gruppi "Pipistrelli" (213, 214, 215 and 216 Squadriglia, S.81) , Aviazione Legionaria, Tudela (ZTa) (*).
 
Escuadrilla 8-E-3 (CR.32), Tudela (ZTa) (x).
 
XXXV Gruppo Autonomo Mixto (-), 65 Squadriglia (Ba.65), Puig Moreno (ZLa).
 
Grupo 10-G-25 (5xHe-111B-1), Leon (ZQa).
 
X Gruppo Autonomo Caccia "Baleari" (101 and 102 Squadriglia, some elements in La Alcudia (*)(ZPa ), 8 Stormo Bombardamento Veloce, XXVII and XXVIII Gruppi "Falchi delle Baleari" (18, 52, 10 and 19 Squadriglia, S.79), Aviazione Legionaria, Son San Juan/Palma de Mallorca (ZUa).
 
3 Stormo Caccia (-), VI Gruppo Caccia "Gamba di Ferro" (31, 32 and 33 Squadriglia), XVI Gruppo Caccia "La Cucaracha" (24, 25 and 26 Squadriglia), 111 Stormo Bombardamento Veloce, XXIX and XXX Gruppi "Sparvieri" (280, 289, 281 and 285 Squadriglia, S.79), Aviazione Legionaria, Valenzuela/Zaragoza (ZXa).
 
3 Stormo Caccia (-), XXIII Gruppo Caccia "Asso di Bastoni" (18, 19 and 20 Squadriglia), Teruel (ZKa).
 
XXII Gruppo Autonomo Oservazione Aerea "Le Linci" (120 and 128 Squadriglia, Ro-37bis), Squadriglia Autonoma Caccia e Mitragliamento "Frecce" (CR.32), Aviazione Legionaria, La Salada (ZOa) (*).
 
II Brigada Hispana, 3-G-28, 4-G-28, 5-G-28, 6-G-28 (S.79), Valenzuela/Zaragoza (ZXa).
 
Grupos 1-G-22, 2-G-22 (Ju-52), Valenzuela/Zaragoza (ZXa).
 
Grupo 10-G-24 (Hs.123A-1), Tablada/Sevilla (ZZa).
 
Grupos 2-G-3, 3-G-3 (CR.32), Escatron (ZMa).
 
Other airfields:
Son Bonet (ZNa).
 
Republican side:
 
Polikarpov I-16 Mosca/Rata, Grupo 21:
1 Escuadrilla de Moscas, El Vendrell (AHa).
2 Escuadrilla de Moscas, Casinos (AJa).
3 Escuadrilla de Moscas, Camporrobles (*) (AKa).
4 Escuadrilla de Moscas, Valls (ALa).
5 Escuadrilla de Moscas, El Carmoli (ADa).
6 Escuadrilla de Moscas, Barracas (*) (AMa).
7 Escuadrilla de Moscas, Pachs del Penedes (ANa).
 
Polikarpov I-15 Chato, Grupo 26:
1 Escuadrilla de Chatos, Requena (APa).
2 Escuadrilla de Chatos, Saceruela (AQa).
3 Escuadrilla de Chatos, Alcublas (ARa).
4 Escuadrilla de Chatos, Balaguer (ASa).
 
Tupolev SB-2 Katiuska, Grupo 24 (*):
1 Escuadrilla, Camporrobles (AKa).
2 Escuadrilla, San Clemente (AGa).
3 Escuadrilla, Banyoles (ATa).
4 Escuadrilla, Lerida (AOa).
 
Escuadrilla de Caza Nocturna (I-15 and other types), 1 Escuadron, Grupo de Asalto 28 (Grumman G-23 Delfin), El Prat/Barcelona (AFa).
 
Grupo 30 (R-Z), Grupo 72 (R-5), 2 Escuadron (-), Grupo de Asalto 28 (Grumman G-23 Delfin), El Carmoli (ADa).
 
2 Escuadron (-), Grupo de Asalto 28 (Grumman G-23 Delfin), Pozoblanco (AEa).
 
Other airfields:
Alcala de Henares (ACa), Madrid/Barajas (AAa), Manises/Valencia (AUa), La Rabasa/Alicante (AVa), Liria (ALa).
 
(*) denotes only an informed guess about the unit/base.
 
Some links:
http://members.fortunecity.com/sanmarca/index.htm
http://members.fortunecity.com/sanmarca/iindex.htm
http://usuarios.lycos.es/sanmarca/
http://www.geocities.com/red_spain/

Bald Eagles over Beijing, 1959.
 
Image: a USAF very similar Martin RB-57D-2 Model 796 53-3979 collecting atmospheric data during Juniper Nuclear bomb test; Operation Hardtack I 22 July 1958 at Bikini Atoll. United States Air Force photograph. Source: Wikipedia.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the WestPac Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This mini-scenario is designed for play by the Taiwanese/Blue or the Chinese/Red side, to avoid spoilers is better to play first some times the Taiwanese/Blue side (But it will be very difficult for the Red human player to lose).
 
This more than a mini-scenario is a little divertment and a historical remembrance of the historical situation depicted.
 
Almost forgotten now, the RB-57D Bald Eagle was a very modified high altitude optical reconnaissance variant of the Martin B-57 Canberra (a American variant of the original English Electric Canberra pioneer and combat-proven jet bomber).
After the operational introduction of U-2, some three RB-57D were supplied under the "Diamond Lil" program run by the Central Intelligence Agency to the 4th Squadron of the Republic of China Air Force for strategic flights over mainland China flying from the Taoyuan Airbase near Taipei, mainly aimed at Beijing and to airfields, military establishments, ports, factories and other strategic installations..
With the five batteries of SA-2a (some 62 V-750 and V-750V missiles) anti-aircraft missiles very early supplied by the Soviets and introduced in the 2nd Rocket Battalion under the command of Yue Zhenhua, the Chinese developed and settled an ambush against the high flyers near Beijing, studying his approach routes of previous flights.
At last, on 7 October 1959 an RB-57 with Captain Ying Chin Wong at the controls was shot-down and the unfortunate pilot killed.
After the U-2 also replaced the RB-57 in Taiwanese service and some of them were also shoot-down and his wrecks displayed as propaganda by the Beijing government, but this first incident was kept secret and forgotten by years.
It was not only a proxy black operation through the Bamboo Curtain, it was also an historical hit, the first real kill in a combat situation by a surface-to-air missile, the first of many to follow the next decades.
 
Enrique Mas, January 2013.
 
Edited 17 January 2013: added BALD59B scenario, with a slighty chance of win by the Blue side played by the computer.

The sinking of INS Eilat 1967, an alternative and hypothetical scenario.
 
Image: Project 183R Komar-class missile boat, enhanced by Esquilo from the book of Leszek Komuda "Mały okręt rakietowy", Wydawnictwo MON, Warszawa, 1974. Source: Wikipedia.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Middle East Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This scenario is designed for play by the Israeli/Blue or the Egyptian/Red side, to avoid spoilers is better to play the first time the Red/Egyptian side.
 
In the aftermath of the Six Days War, only four months later, the Egyptian Navy achieved a technical and propaganda victory on 21 October 1967 with the sinking of the Israeli destroyer INS Eilat, the first warship sink in anger with a ship-launched anti-ship missile (In WWII some ships were sunk with anti-ship missiles, but all were air-launched), struck with three of the P-15 Termit/SS-N-2a Styx fired at her (A 75% hit rate).
One of the naval skirmishes of the Arab-Israeli Wars, this historical event marked the evolution of the naval combat for the next years, and forced the Israeli Navy to retire his destroyer-size ships, and to develop more advances in missiles and electronics.
The actual sinking of Eilat was a one-sided scenario, the Soviet-build and designed Project 183R Komar missile boats firing against the Israeli ships at some 13.5 nautical miles range, even yet inside the port (but is also worth of mention the exported Soviet missile boats were not equipped with ESM capable of provide targeting).
In this hypothetical scenario some little elements are added or changed to do the situation playable for both sides.
The embryo of the reconstructed Egyptian Air Force after the Six Days War debacle can provide some air cover, as also the Israeli Air Force, both forces with Mach 2 fighters equipped with short-range IR missiles and partly represented with a 20% of strenght, but with not all the ground strike types represented to center the scenario in the naval action.
 
Enrique Mas, January 2013.

Shore Bombardment of Haifa and the capture of Ibrahim el-Awal, 1 November 1956.
Historical scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Middle East Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This scenario is designed for play by the Israeli/Blue or the Egyptian/Red side, but it's a historical and very unbalanced scenario.
 
The almost forgetted Suez Crisis or Second Arab-Israeli War was a very interesting campaign with some novelties, as the History first heliborne assault. And ever the future Syrian president al-Asad participed in the shoot-down a British Canberra PR.7!
After the US refused to pay the building of the Aswan dam project, the Egyptian president Colonel Nasser decides to nationalize the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956 to pay for the dam building.
British and French, interested on the recuperation of the Canal and in the freedom of navigation, signed with Israel the then and for many years secret Protocol of Sevres on late October 1956.
On 29 October 1956 Israel attacks the Sinai Peninsula in the designated as Operation Kadesh.
With the alibi of protect the freedom of navigation in the Canal and his approaches (and because the secret treaty with Israel), Britain and France launched an ultimatum to the fighting factions calling to withdraw from within 16 km of the Suez Canal. When Egypt refused, the British and French launched Operation Musketeer to secure the Canal zone, with the ruse of separating Egyptian and Israeli forces.
Operation Musketeer, comprising a massive air strike (in part failed) from the carriers, Cyprus and Malta against the Egyptian airbases and airborne, heliborne and landing occupation, inclusive with heavy armour, of Port Said, his twin city Port Fuad and the Canal Zone.
Some days later, on 7 November 1956, as both President Eisenhower, the not-alligned States and the Soviet Union strongly opposed British-French military action, was acorded a cease-fire and the Anglo-French troops retired from the Canal Zone.
As a Egyptian counter-strike in the first hours of the war against Israel, the solitaire assignation of the Egyptian destroyer Ibrahim el-Awal (An old Hunt type I class frigate, previously also in service in the Nationalist China) to bombard the Israeli shore city of Haifa with the main Israeli port in the Mediterranean was almost condemned to failure because his lack of support, but only after firing some 160 shells of 4 inches on Haifa in 20 minutes.
After to be rocket-fired by two Israeli Ouragans, the Ibrahim el-Awal was seized by the Israeli forces and put in service in the Israeli navy as INS Haifa.
Only some hours later, with the intervention of Britain and France in secret vinculation with Israel through the Protocol of Sevres, with the alibi of protect the Suez Canal for sake of freedom of navigation, the Anglo-French strike and occupation of Port Said, his twin city Port Fuad and the Canal Zone begun.
 
Unnamed places are:
ZYp and ZVb: Baltim, Egypt.
ZpX: Damietta, Egypt.
 
Some warships and planes are represented by equivalent types of other countries.
 
Enrique Mas, December 2012.

Battle of Baltim, 9 October 1973, Historical Battle.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Middle East Battleset and the HCCW-120614 Cold War Platform Database.
 
This scenario is designed for play by the Israeli/Blue or the Egyptian/Red side, to avoid spoilers is better to play the first time the Blue/Israeli side.
 
On the third day of the Yom Kippur War, a couple of days after the Battle of Latakia, on the 8-9 October 1973, a confrontation between Israeli and Egyptian fast missile boats outcome the same result as the previous combat. The same ships and weapons types as in the Battle of Latakia, the Israeli side only can rely on his superior electronics, ESM, ECM and decoys to win, also, the semiactive radar guided missile Gabriel I has less range but more precision than the Soviet SS-N-2a Styx/P-15 Termit. But, if the missiles are expended and they are enemy warships remaining, the Israeli boats are better and longer ranged guns.
 
Also, at front of the Israeli warships is the same Commander Michael Barkai, called Yoni, first arrived only with two boats on the Egyptian shores with a margin of some hours after the victory off the Syrian coast near Latakia. Up to ten missile boats assembled the Israelis north of Egypt, but as many of them have noy fully refueled after the mission in Syria they retire before the combat (of the four boats retired, only is historically determined the identity of INS Miznak, the initial flagship of Barkai).
 
On the Egyptian side, four Osa I missile boats sortied from Alexandria to protect the Egyptian north shore, and other four sortied from Port Said to flee to Alexandria but returned when the Israeli counter-offensive stalled.
 
Unnamed places are:
ZRb and ZUp: Baltim, Egypt.
ZTp: Damietta, Egypt.
 
Enrique Mas, November 2012.

Midget Submarine Action in the Pearl Harbor Attack.
 
This scenario is designed to be played from the Japanese/Red side, or the American/Blue side, but is better to play first the Japanese side.
 
The Day of Infamy 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor is almost only remembered by the Japanese carrier-based air attack, but a very controversial, analysed and with few results midget submarine attack was in course a few hours earlier, and it was near to denial the surprise to the main Japanese attack. Later midget submarine actions against Sidney, Madagascar and other places were also a failure, and they were as consequence redeployed as last stance coastal defence.
In fact, the first shots and victory in the Pacific War was those of the DD-139 USS Ward (here represented by USS Kane) against one of the Japanese mini-submarines, sinking she.
This scenario is an essay to force the limits of the GE and the DB, and of probably impossible victory for the Red/Japanese player (Some hints: one solution can be to slown down the game to 10 or 30 seconds compression and reset the height to periscope deep each time the submarine surfaces, it's possible to penetrate the port and get again periscope depth in the interior bay).
As Hawaii is not present in the WestPac map, I used the wider Cavite Bay in representation of Pearl Harbor.
Also, I've replaced some few ship classes or configurations with other of similar characteristics.
 
Enrique Mas, August 2012.
 
Picture credit: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-forn...apsh-h/ha19.htm
Updated 23 August 2012: modified course of groups AES and AIS to avoid going aground.

Operation Praying Mantis 1988, All-Out Engagement.
 
Note: This scenario is designed mostly to be played from the US/Blue and it's better to play that side in first place, and to play it later from the Iranian/Red side because it can be a little frustrating and boring, but the victory is also possible.
 
Operation Praying Mantis was the Reagan administration answer to the Irani attacks on neutral tanker shipping and inmediate consequence of the mining deployed from the LST Iran Arj against the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) on 14 April 1988. This operation is often cited as one of the five historical naval actions to decisively stablish the USN supremacy in a determined theater of operations. It also marked the U.S. Navy's first exchange of anti-ship missiles by ships.
In the context of Iran-Iraq War the Tanker War phase (1984-1988) was one of the more complex post-WWII campaigns from the naval viewpoint.
Both Iran and Iraq attacked oil tankers and merchant ships, including those of neutral nations, to deprive the opponent of trade earnings. As higher stage answer the Iranians might close the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, but as United States had threatened several times to go to war if the Strait was closed the Iranians refused to take the risk,, limiting their attacks in retaliation first to Iraqi commercial ships but also extended to neutral shipping. After several Iranian attacks on Kuwaiti and other neutral shipping, the United States Navy started in March 1987 to escort Kuwaiti tankers the United States after had reflagged half of Kuwait's fleet of twenty-two tankers. In April 1987, the then Soviet Navy also started escorting Kuwaiti tankers.
Praying Mantis was a one-day retaliation strike focused in oil rigs and other instalations where the Iranians small forces were based to assault the neutral and Western shipping. Those had included bases for the minelaying operations that damaged the USS Samuel B. Roberts.
The US forces were organized in three groups and with air support and air defence of the CVN-65 USS Enterprise Carrier Air Wing Eleven, escorted by CGN-35 USS Truxtun and FF-1063 USS Reasoner:
VF-114 Aardwarks with F-14A Tomcat.
VF-213 Black Lions with F-14A Tomcat.
VA-22 Fighting Redcocks with A-7E Corsair II.
VA-94 Shrikes with A-7E Corsair II.
VA-95 Green Lizards with A-6E/KA-6D Intruder.
VAW-117 Wallbangers with E-2C Hawkeye Group 0.
VAQ-135 Black Knights with EA-6B Prowler ICAP I (ICAP II from late 1988).
 
Surface Action Group Bravo, targets Sassan and Rahkish/Rahksh oil platforms (renamed Salman and Resalat after the Islamic Revolution):
DD-976 USS Merrill, with 1xSH-2F.
DDG-8 USS Lynde McCormick.
LPD-14 USS Trenton, with 4xAH-1T, 2xCH-46, 2xUH-1, and the USS Samuel L. Roberts SH-60B.
 
Surface Action Group Charlie, target Sirri oil platform (renamed Nasr after the Islamic Revolution):
CG-28 USS Wainwright.
FFG-56 USS Simpson, with 1xSH-60 and 1xUH-60.
FF-1069 USS Bagley, with 1xSH-2F.
 
Surface Action Group Delta, composed partly of former escort ships from the Enterprise group, with target the Iranian warship FFL Sabalan, because her reputation for deliberately attacking the crew quarters of neutral ships:
DDG-16 USS Joseph Strauss.
DD-975 USS O'Brien, with 2xSH-2F and 1xUH-60.
FFG-24 USS Jack Williams, with 2xSH-2F.
 
The rest is history ... or not.
 
Historical Note:
This scenario represents a What if? scenario, with a full compromise of all the Iranian forces against the US side, without the prudence demostrated in the historical engagement.
In the historical scenario the US side decided to not attack mainland Iran to prevent a escalade, and the Iranian response was limited to a few warships and warplanes and not launching shore-based SSM (they are contradictory reports about that) because the Iranian fears to US retaliatory strikes over mainland Iran, and as in the case of the Gadaffi's Libya on 1981 and 1986, the fear of heavy losses on his own side could weak his position as regional power (In the case of Iran we should remember was in war with Iraq on 1988, and the outcome of Praying Mantis also forced Iran to settle the peace with Iraq).
In the historical aftermath, Iran losed the FFL Sahand, the PTM Joshan (after be notified many times of "stop your engines, abandon ship, I intend to sink you", Joshan launched the last operational Harpoon in the Iranian Navy againts the CG-28 USS Wainwright who decoyed it, receiving in interchange a salvo of six Standard SM-1 and one Harpoon) and some three PG type Toragh/Boghammar based in the Abu Musa Island to attack commercial shipping, and also the FFL Sabalan resulted crippled, but was returned to service on 1989. The oil platforms of Sassan and Sirri, employed as bases for the attacks on commercial shipping, rested unoperative after the previously demanded evacuation and subsequent combined attack of warships, Cobra helicopters and SEAL and USMC teams. The attack against the Rahksh oil platform was called off to ease pressure on the Iranians and denote a desire for de-escalation. The FFL Sabalan not was sunk also because when Defense Secretary Carlucci asked Admiral Crowe, then CJCS, what he thought
about launch another strike to finish she, Crowe responded, "Sir, I think we've shed enough blood today".
 
Enrique Mas, January 2012

Supporting Argentina, 2 Juny 1982.
Another simple and introductory scenario ... or perhaps not, anytime with a lot of things to do.
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the US/UK/NL/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Soviet/South American/Red side.
 
On 1982 it was a lot of speculation about the possibility of a Soviet Union attack against the Western Forces, because the compromise of the British Forces in the South Atlantic War.
Argentina has invoked the Rio Treaty of 1947 and some Latin American countries of doubtious political stability and affiliation in the Cold War had created a blockade in the mid-Atlantic between the British ships detached in the South Atlantic and Europe, and later had joined the Soviet side in the campaing against the Allied Forces.
On this scenario the South American countries with Soviet and Cuban support attempt to prevent the use of the sea lanes to the Western Forces.
The Western Forces attempt is to exit some merchant ships loaded with vital assets to the North Atlantic Ocean, East of Bermuda, and to keep the sea dominance breaking multiple lines of enemy attacks.
The Soviet/Latin Forces must prevent the Western Side to achieve his goal, and to cause the bigger amount of damage possible.
Also, Hurricane Alberto precludes the use of most of the US land-based air assets in CONUS, prevents the use of air strikes and reconnaissance planes against the Soviet/Latin ships, and cover his offensive operations.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa Howard AFB MPHO, USA.
ACa Guantanamo Bay MUGM, USA.
ADa San Juan TJSJ, Puerto Rico.
AEa Homestead KHST, USA.
ALa, Roosevelt Roads TJNR, USA.
AMa, Key West NAS KNQX, USA.
ANa, Key West International KEYW, USA.
AOa, Kingston MKJP, Jamaica.
ARa, Antigua Air Station/Coolidge International TAPA, Antigua and Barbuda.
ATa, Ladyville MZBZ, Belize.
AVa, Curacao International Airport TNCC, Netherlands.
YSa, Gustavo Rizo MUBA/Baracoa, Cuba.
YTa Camaguey MUCM, Cuba.
YUa, Sancti Spiritus MUSS, Cuba.
YVa Santiago de Cuba MUCU, Cuba.
YWa Cienfuegos MUCF, Cuba.
YXb Mariel Port, Cuba.
YYa Playa Baracoa MUPB, Cuba.
ZOa La Coloma MULM, Cuba.
ZPa Havana Jose Marti MUHA, Cuba.
ZQa Santa Clara MUSC, Cuba.
ZRa Pinar del Rio/San Julian MUSJ, Cuba.
ZSa San Antonio de los Banos MUSA, Cuba.
ZTa Holguin MUHG, Cuba.
ZUa Manta SEMT, Ecuador.
ZVa Maracay SVBL, Venezuela.
ZWa Maracaibo SVMC, Venezuela.
ZXa Barquisimeto SVBM, Venezuela.
ZYa Barcelona SVBC, Venezuela.
ZZa Managua MNMG, Nicaragua.
YRa, Puerto Cabezas MNPC, Nicaragua.
YQa, Bluefields MNBL, Nicaragua.
YHa Barranquilla SKBQ, Colombia.
YIa El Palanquero SKPQ, Colombia.
 
The Cuban warships and submarines are represented by equivalent types of other Soviet satellite navies. The other South American countries forces are represented by equivalent types of other countries.
 
Enrique Mas, October 2011
 
Edit: 28 October 2011, strenght of 198th Fighter Squadron, 156th Tactical Fighter Group, Puerto Rico ANG, reduced from 36 A-7D CorsairII to the historical accurate 18. Year of A-7D replacing F-104C changed from 1975 to 1976.
29 October 2011, added a necessary submarine on a Red surface group.
30 October 2011, added forgetted patrol pattern for the Bermuda based VP-56 Dragons' P-3C Orions. Changed patrol pattern of the F-16A defending Panama.
11 November 2011: Scenario adapted to the HCDB-111103 new historical platforms, with A-7D replacing A-7E, Kfir C.2 replacing Kfir C.7, Belknap 1980/3 replacing Belknap 1990/2, and adding Komar-class PTM.
15 November 2011: Starting point of Cuban/Soviet PTM modified to prevent going aground. Number of ships to be sunked by the Blue side increased proportionally to the now greater number of Red side ships.

Red Spanish Main, Juny 1986.
A simple and introductory scenario ... or perhaps not.
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the US/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Soviet/Red side.
 
1986 was a year full of events with strategic implications, some of them very unexpected: Soviet war in Afghanistan, US retaliatory strikes on Libya against the Gaddafi's terrorist actions, Challenger disaster, launching of the Mir space station, Chernobyl atomic disaster in the Soviet Union ...
Many things and alternative historical lines of action could go wrong and degenerate in an open war.
The first reform of Mikhail Gorbachev, the new Secretary General of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was a heavy restriction in the sales of vodka to prevent the alcoholism in the Soviet Union. This measure provocked the overthrowing of Gorbachev and a new Politburo composed exclusively by Communist Party of the Soviet Union hard-liners.
As consequence, at the unexpected hostilities start some ships of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet showing the flag in neighbouring fellow countries are trapped in the Spanish Main, like the long time ago vanished pirates, and they need to reach the safe haven of Havana (near YVa) in eight days or so, before the US can concentrate forces coming from the East Coast and the Northern Atlantic in the Caribbean to obliterate them.
Is confirmed the presence of the nuclear-powered battlecruiser Kirov in the trapped forces, but her presence is balanced because the supposed dominance of the newly recommissioned battleship BB-61 Iowa and her surface action group, after the reactivation of the battleships by the aim of President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of the Navy John Lehman to create a 600-ship navy, and just after the correction of her deficiencies after a recent InSurv inspection.
Also, Hurricane Bonnie precludes the use of land-based air assets, prevents the use of air strikes and reconnaissance planes against the Soviet ships, and masks his transit to the Cuban harbours.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa, Howard AFB MPHO, USA.
ACa, Guantanamo Bay MUGM, USA.
ADa, Homestead KHST, USA.
AXa, Roosevelt Roads TJNR, USA.
AYa, Key West NAS KNQX, USA.
AZa, Key West International KEYW, USA.
BAa, Kingston MKJP, Jamaica.
YWa, Gustavo Rizo MUBA/Baracoa, Cuba
YXa, Camaguey MUCM, Cuba.
YYa, Sancti Spiritus MUSS, Cuba.
YZa, Santiago de Cuba MUCU, Cuba.
ZAa, Cienfuegos MUCF, Cuba.
ZBb, Mariel Port, Cuba.
ZCa, Playa Baracoa MUPB, Cuba
ZTa, La Coloma MULM, Cuba.
ZUa, Havana Jose Marti MUHA, Cuba.
ZVa, Santa Clara MUSC, Cuba.
ZWa, Pinar del Rio/San Julian MUSJ, Cuba.
ZXa, San Antonio de los Banos MUSA, Cuba.
ZYa, Holguin MUHG, Cuba.
ZZa, Managua MNMG, Nicaragua.
 
The Cuban warships and submarines are represented by equivalent types of other Soviet satellite navies.
 
Enrique Mas, October 2011
 
Edited:
Changes 5 October 2011: a number of not used Air Bases deleted to speed-up the gameplay. ICAO designation added to the Air Bases. Unnecessary nuclear release deleted.
Changes 13 October 2011: Group AKS (Kocak) restored course, speed and alternate start points. Two not used Air Bases deleted to speed-up the gameplay.

A submarine-only scenario without other diversions, inspired by some old scenario booklets of the Harpoon 3 series, good for testing submarines (specially the new ones of the HCDB-110831), submarine tactics, sonars, torpedoes and other ASW weapons. Perhaps the Western submarines are numerically over-represented, but it's reflecting the original and very reduced in number of submarines paper scenarios. Also it's configured as a vanilla scenario for lazy players wanting to enjoy a simple pastime, and with the aim of replayability thanks to the aleatority of the starting positions and of the units presence or not presence. I think it's playable at the 10 or even 30 minutes time compression ... before any contact.
 
Scenario Background:
The South Atlantic War is going very bad for the British side from a few weeks ago and the South American countries are openly supporting Argentine, menacing with the employ of military force and with the blockade of the British sea lanes southwards. As consequence most of the Royal Navy operational SSN are concentrated keeping at bay in port the other South American navies and preventing his intervention in the Argentine side. This movement has provoked the hard-line communists in the Kremlin to start a submarine feint againts the NATO forces in the GIUK gap, perceiving a good oportunity for start a war with any little casus belli as excuse and defeat the Western Alliance with the Royal Navy engaged in the South Atlantic, At the start of this covert WWIII in the North Atlantic on 1982, the bad weather and also the political uncertitude precludes the use of air and surface assets. To keep low the social unrest because the war, the opening naval actions are limitated to the discrete submarine operations, in a situation remembrance of the 1939 Phony War and of the 1994 Tom Clancy's novel Debt of Honor (where both Japan and the United States are in war against the other, but both governments are occulting the fact to his respective public opinions to prevent the collapse of the stock markets), but these underwater actions are not less decisive or murderous than on a full open war.
 
Enrique Mas, September 2011
 
Note: September 2011 editions were only for best setting of submarines speeds and depths.
 
Modification 23 December 2011: older variants of previous submarine classes replacing erroneous period variants (As Agosta (1980) replacing Agosta (1988)). Old variants of British SSN replacing some Oberon class SS. New submarine class replacing erroneous types (As Narval SS replacing Daphne SS).

Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the Human/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Alien/Red side.
 
All-out pre-Columbian Alien Invasion 2016:
 
For thousands of years the Nest Ship and perhaps some Mother Ships rested deeply in the Chicxulub meteor impact crater after her interstellar travel with the basic elements moleculary disassembled, occult and mixed in cenotes and with other terrain irregularities and culturally coverted by local legends (or emplaced in the remains of the Olmec and Epi-Olmec cities and power centers of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Laguna de los Cerros, El Tajin or Cerro de las Mesas, in the old Olmec Heartland, or in Bimini Road, or in the Bermuda Triangle area), blind and automatically working on the self-reconstruction and activation of her colonization forces.
At last, after a very long time the slow Invaders have enought forces for the military occupation of Gaia and begin the last phase of the invasion, the genetically induced biological reconstruction of the Aliens own bodies.
But while concludes the biological reconstruction they need temporarily the support of other biological forces, and the Aliens have found help in related biosocial groups and countries that seemingly share the same way of vision of state and religion-controlled swarm mind, collectivist life and fanatic determinism: the Islamist and the Communists ones.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa Santa Lucia, Hidalgo, Mexico.
ACa La Ceiba, Honduras.
ADa San Pedro Sula-La Mesa, Honduras.
AEa La Aurora, Guatemala.
AFa Comalapa, El Salvador.
AGa Panama Pacifico, Panama.
AHa San Andres, Colombia.
AIa San Jose, Costa Rica.
AJa Barranquilla, Colombia.
AKa Bogota, Colombia.
ALa El Palanquero, Colombia.
AMa El Yopal, Colombia.
ANa Guantanamo Bay, USA.
AOa San Juan, Puerto Rico.
APa Homestead, USA.
AQa Jacksonville, USA.
ARa Barksdale, USA.
ASa Whiteman, USA.
ATa Dyess, USA.
AUa New Orleans, USA.
AVa Tyndall, USA.
AWa Seymour Johnson, USA.
AXa Shaw, USA.
AYa Eglin, USA.
AZa Beaufort, USA.
BAa, Holloman, USA.
ZLa La Coloma, Cuba.
ZMa Havana Jose Marti, Cuba.
ZNa Santa Clara, Cuba.
ZOa Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
ZQa Holguin, Cuba.
ZPa San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba.
ZRa Cuenca, Ecuador.
ZSa Taura, Ecuador.
ZTa Maracay, Venezuela.
ZUa Maracaibo, Venezuela.
ZVa Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
ZWa El Sombrero, Venezuela.
ZXa Barcelona, Venezuela.
ZYa Managua, Nicaragua.
 
The S102B Korpen represents many types of ejecutive jets equipped with ESM.
The Italian Maestrale-class FFG represents Venezuelan Lupo-class FFG.
 
Enrique Mas, July 2011

Western Sahara Tin Can Sailors, circa 1985:
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the Spanish/Blue side first a few times, and only after play the Polisario Front/Moroccan/Red side, and keeping in mind the special considerations writed in the Red Orders.
 
My aim in this scenario is to capture the flavour of small and very limitated conflicts, almost naval guerrilla warfare. It's also inspired by the recent implementation of the Lepanto/Fletcher class destroyers in the simulation DataBase and of course in the vivid historical events of our recent past.
Historical introduction:
In the first eighties, when the then modern Descubierta class frigate was introduced in the Spanish Navy, the venerable Pacific War veterans Fletcher class destroyers (nicknamed Los Cinco Latinos) were detached from the original Destroyer Squadron 21 (On that time renamed Escort Squadron 21) homeported in Cartagena, and scattered between the different Spanish local sea commands or Zonas Maritimas.
D-21 Lepanto and D-22 Almirante Ferrandiz were from 1980 detached from the Destroyer Squadron 21 and employed on secondary roles as High Seas Patrol ship in the Canary Islands Maritime Zone (Lepanto was later transferred to the Cantabrian Sea Maritime Zone from 1983).
 
This scenario depicts a amalgamation of a series of difficult, confuse, censored and very unknown incidents between the Spanish patrol forces and the Western Saharan Polisario Front and the Moroccan Forces, fighting for the control of the old province of Spanish Sahara.
As examples on 1980 Almirante Ferrandiz was apparently straffed by a Moroccan Mirage F1, and on 1985 in other incidente the Anaga class patrol gunboat Tagomago was attacked from the shore by unknown origin 12.7mm and 106mm recoiless shots, causing one dead, and Almirante Ferrandiz was called on her help.
After Spain the Western Sahara territory was claimed by the own Saharawis integrated in the Polisario Front, Morocco, Argelia and Mauritania.
Both Polisario Front and Morocco were trying to do maritime actions vindicatives of the disputated territory control, basically exercing control of the Spanish and other fishermen traditionally fishing on the Western Sahara bank. Morocco trying it with action as an apparent transnational law enforce, and Polisario Front exerciting attacks with inflatable boats, shore firing and kidnapping of fishermen and his crews.
We must remember Western Sahara economy is bases almost exclusively on fishing which employs two thirds of his labour force, but now they are suspictions about the existence of reasonably exploitable off-shore oil fields, but his explotation is today doubtious because the international law.
The European Union fishing agreements with Morocco include Western Sahara, but they are many doubts about if this is adjusted to the international law and were denonced as unlawful recently.
 
Note about the map: I've chosed the Mediterranean Sea map because I don't think worth to make another specialized map for this scenario with the Canary Islands adding nothing to the scenario and the playability, and so the installation of the scenario is improved and easier. Western Sahara coast and Canary Islands is some 270 nm southwest of the southwest map corner, but the distances and angles between the bases is the same as in the real world, after a vertical rotation over the horizontal axis and a rightward rotation over the vertical axis.
 
Notes about the platforms: The 802 Squadron Spanish Fokker 27-200 Maritime for SAR duties were actually of a older type, without weapons neither ESM, the Blue player must not use them armed. The 462 Squadron Spanish Mirage F1EE were apparently only trained for the Canary Islands air defence, without surface attack capabilities.
 
Generic unnamed places are:
 
ZYa El Aaioun Airport GSAI/GMML, Western Sahara.
ZZa Sidi Ifni Airport GMMF, Morocco.
 
AAs Gando Air Base GCLP, Canary Islands, Spain.
 
Enrique Mas, January 2012

A Mediterranean basically ASW scenario inspired by the old scenario booklets of the Harpoon 3 series of the late 1980s and early 1990s, good for easy gameplay and for testing generic tactics and weapons. Actually is a mix-up of individual naval scenarios as only the Computer Harpoon can provide. And reflecting all the knowledge adquired the last years in some matters, as about Soviet/Russian platforms and forces composition.
The scenario is also a tribute to the USS Cabot CVL-28/SNS Dedalo R01 and her American and Spanish crews. Dedalo/Cabot was a Leyte Gulf veteran, survivor of two Kamikaze impacts and many more suicide attacks, and called by Admiral Halsey "Iron Lady". Serving in the Spanish Armada from 1967 as helicopter carrier and equipped with Harriers from 1972, historically Dedalo was decommisioned contemporary to the scenario timeline, traversed the Atlantic Ocean the last time from 12 July 1989 towards New Orleans and was sadly scrapped on 2002 after some failed attempts to preserve she as museum ship.
 
The scenario reflects the start of the conventional WWIII as was forecasted for about 1989, the first movements in the Mediterranean Sea to determinate the early control of the sea lanes, and the first days of open combat after the previous period of Phoney War.
Modification 18 April 2011: missing ASW patrols in the Dedalo group added.
Modification 9 May 2011: 1xalternative starting point changed for Agosta, to prevent running aground.
 
Enrique Mas, April 2011

Evacuation through the Alboran Sea 2012:
 
This scenario is modified for employ the new planes and ships included now in the Data Base reflecting the composition and modernization of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. But it's compulsory to do mention of the historical facts: After I wrote this scenario (February 2011) the theorically moderate islamist Justice and Development Party won the November 2011 polls, and his candidate Abdelilah Benkirane was appointed First Minister of Morocco. As consequence, now in Morocco the government is clearly islamist and the facts below narrated as scenario background are only fiction, but not is fiction the current islamist government of Morocco ...
 
I've some good friends in Ceuta and Melilla and also in Morocco. This scenario is inspired from and dedicated to them. I hope it will not scare them too much ...
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the Spanish/Blue side first a few times, and only after play the Moroccan-Islamist/Red side.
 
Spring 2012: As a last backslash to the 2011 turmoils in the North Africa and Middle East Muslim World, in Morocco the moderate laicist Government of National Unity of Abdelhadi Boucetta (With the decisive support of his intellectual and glamorous wife) replacing for less than a year the deposed King Mohammed VI (Exiled to the ONA-Managem luxury mining facilities in Equatorial Guinea), has been overthrowed by the Islamic extremists after a long and painful agony.
The new Moroccan islamist Government of the now named Muslim Brotherhood in the Islamic Maghreb, counts with the opposition of a important sector of the Moroccan people, basically the most literate and pro-Western sector. Preventing a possible unrest, remembering the internal public reaction to the ill-fated Moroccan invasion of the Spanish Perejil Island on 2002, the new Islamic government has fixed as national target for amagalmation of the public opinion the seizure of the North-African Spanish Automous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, a long-time Moroccan claim.
As both cities are very vulnerable without room for a possible in depth military defence, and the other new strategic targets and ambitions of the Spanish Government are now well known and the last years was retiring troops and police corps from both Ceuta and Melilla, there is a window of vulnerability the Islamic faction has well exploited.
With a Moroccan Police and Secret Service organized human waves of thousands of desesperate low-class Moroccan people jumping, breaking through, bending and for last tearing apart the divisory fence between both cities and Morocco, in face of the passivity of the Spanish security forces to avoid the loss of human lives (Action and reaction very similar to the Moroccan Green March occupation of the Spanish Sahara on November 1975, against a confuse Spanish government when Franco layed dying), the Moroccans had de facto occuppied both cities.
Facing a not-return case, the Spanish citizens are assembled by the authorities in the cities ports, waiting for maritime evacuation (Only Melilla counts with a very small airport).
Remembering the success of the current Somalia pirates, and the success of the traditional historical activity of the Barbary Coast pirates (Only finished with the French conquest in North Africa in the XIX Century, after the previous famous actions of the USN and USMC), and for enforce more the moral of the Moroccan People, the Islamic government has decided to prevent the evacuation and the loss of richess and qualified manpower. In the tradition of their ancestors the Barbary pirates, they want capture them for ransom, or if not destroy and sunk the merchant ships carring them, to shown the weakness of the Spanish government and his incapatility to protect his own nationals.
 
In Spain, after the 2012 polls, the unstable socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his long-time Defence Minister Carmen Chacon, has had to suffer the pressure of the peripherical nationalistic parties of his coalition of government, and to lend to his desires.
After the resignation of General Felix Sanz Roldan as head of the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia and his replacement by a puppet civilian, nothing can be opposed to the nationalistic parties desires.
As their first demand is the recuperation of the old territories of the Kingdom of Aragon, most of the surface forces of the Spanish Navy and a great number of his air assets are deployed in forward bases in the Balearic Islands and in the Central Mediterranean.
As a result of it, facing the worst-case possible scenario, only limited forces are available for escorting the evacuation of Spanish refugees from Ceuta and Melilla.
 
Generic unnamed places are:
ZMa Ben Guerir (The reactivated base for the Moroccan F-16. An old SAC base and old Space Shuttle Transoceanic Abort Landing Site).
ZLa Ibn Batoutta-Tangier Airport.
ZNb Casablanca City and Naval Base.
ZIa Al Massira-Agadir Airport.
ZHa Inezgane-Agadir Airport.
ZGa Cherif Al Idrissi-Al Hoceima Airport.
ZFa Sania Ramel-Tetouan Airport.
ZEa Ben Slimane Airport.
ZDa Mohammed V-Casablanca Airport.
ZCa Anfa-Casablanca Airport.
ZBa Moulay Ali Cherif-Errachidia Airport.
ZAa Mogador-Essaouira Airport.
YZa Saiss-Fes Airport.
YYa Ifrane Airport.
YXa Marrakech-Menara Airport.
YWa Al Aroui-Nador International Airport.
YVa Ouarzazate Airport.
YUa Angads-Oujda Airport.
YTa Sidi Ifni Airport.
 
AVb Spanish Autonomous City of Ceuta and Port.
AUb Spanish Autonomous City of Melilla and Port.
AWa Melilla Airport.
AXb Alboran Island and Military Garrison.
AZa Son San Juan-Palma de Mallorca Airport
BAa Manises-Valencia Airport.
AYb Malaga Port and City.
BBa Mahon Airport.
BCn Mahon Port and City.
BDa Matacan-Salamanca Air Base and Airport.
BEa Villanubla-Valladolid Air Base and Airport.
BFa Alcantarilla Air Base.
BHa San Javier-Murcia Air Base and Airport.
BIa Lavacolla-Santiago de Compostela Airport.
BJa El Prat-Barcelona Airport.
BKa Bilbao Airport.
 
Enrique Mas, February 2011
 
P.D.: resolved the unspected issue of both transport task forces running aground in Malaga Bay. Updated 27 February 2011 10:43
Updated: July 1, 2012, to include the new Moroccan ship and planes now included in the Data Base, specially the Mirage F1EM VI with MICA AAMs.

On the 2 May 2011 the World was surprised when US Government Officials informed about the killing the previous day in a daring Special Forces raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, of Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the al-Qaeda islamist international terrorist network.
The action was excuted mostly by DevGru (Naval Special Warfare Development Group) members, previously the SEAL Team Six and nowadays with other classified name, descended in the house by fast rope and probably in collaboration with other Special Forces/CIA/Intelligence operatives intervention and support. They were flown into Pakistan from Afghanistan by helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Air Regiment (Airborne) Night Stalkers, part of the Joint Special Operations Command, two MH-60 stealthy modified and two MH-47. One MH-60 was lost in the operation because mechanical breakdown.
The helicopters probably taked-off from Bagram, Afghanistan, where is based the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and the Special Forces aircraft can be merged stealthly with the usual resident units.
The corpse of Osama bin Laden was buried in the sea the same day by the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), with the CVW-17 embarked.
Edit 28 november 2012: for the start I was speculating about the bin Laden corpse ferried to CVN-70 in a C-2 Greyhound because range, load and speed reasons, but a Greyhound present in Bagram or other Stan base is too notorious and conspicuous. In the December 2012 issue of Air Forces Monthly is mentioned as widely and unofficially accepted the corpse was ferried in a more discrete V-22, doing the first and unofficial landing of the Osprey type in a carrier.
 
At the moment of the scenario design the data about the operation are scarce, and it's not historically accurate.
This scenario only pretends to be a little divertment and a little tribute to the people who ultimately has killed Bin Laden.
Change 4 May 2011: 2xMH-53J Pave Low III replaced by 2xCV-22B Osprey (the last MH-53M Pave Low IV were retired in 2008).
Change 8 May 2011: Title name changed from Kill to Killing, added 2xMH-47G, added 6xF-22A, added a FARP in the placement of the Tarbela Dam/Ghazi airport, suggested the first day as support for the helicopters flying from Pakistan.
Change 12 May 2011: added 2xMH-60 Dark Hawk stealthy modified assault helicopters, added mention to 2xMH-47 included in the operation.

LCS goes to War. Battle off Vietnam 2015 (Hypothetical scenario):
This scenario is inspired in the current (January 2011) discussions about the Littoral Control Ship, her future, her future missions and her future fate. In a surprising decission with the absurd allegation of budgetary eficiency, on November 2010 the US Navy decides to purchase a great number of LCS, when yet are not resolved a myriad of issues relatives to the ship design, concept and tasks. The US Navy will purchase ten ships of each one of the concurrent designs (added to the previous four), and not declare a winner neither select only one design for series shipbuilding.
In particular this scenario is motived when in some blog someone asked a few days ago: "How a group of LCS can stand before a Chinese Sovrenmenny ?".
 
We must remember the LCS is not defined clearly as a single class of warships. With a group of specific but not clearly defined missions, tasks, and the correspondent modular mission packages, (with limited weapons of not very long range and of limited punch), limited protection and limited structural resistance, limited number of crew members (operational fatigue of a reduced crew is a limitating factor of military operations) and emphasis on speed, LCS should be placed only in very concrete niches on the naval operations (basically sea control in areas with limited menaces, littoral ASW, special operations support and minehunting). But many people fears, in a crisis situation, LCS will be used as an ordinary warship in usual combat missions as an ordinary light frigate/corvette, perhaps as the vulnerable British battlecruisers in the Battle of Jutland, and the outcome will be the same, an Admiral saying: "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today", a lot of servicepeople died in vain, and one more loss for the interests of the United States.
That is one of the Harpoon strong points, we can imagine and simulate easily what will happen in the future, evaluate it, and after future modifications in the configurations of the LCS applied on the database, we can evaluate it again and every time the LCS design changes.
 
Historical background (Hypothetical):
The near future, summer 2015. A constant succession of new challenges in a fast changing world. At the other extreme of the world Argentina has seized the Falklands/Malvinas Islands on August 2011, and the failure of the reduced British forces sent without air support to recover the islands has motivated a great lack of credibility on the Western military capacities. In Europe, the Islamic Supremacy groups are forcing the European Union governments to be aside of the global issues. Europe is not already a player. Only very reduced US forces are keeping a credible operational readiness in the Western countries.
China sees on it an opportunity to expose clearly and affirm what is his strategic influence zone, the countries from which he needs to import raw strategic materials and other resources, and the external markets that considers as of his exclusive property for import and export of manufactured goods, and in those China will not tolerate the intromission of powers strange to Asian countries. His strategic influence zone is very similar in extension and configuration to the previous Japanese Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and it will motivate the same type of troubles in the Pacific Ocean.
 
And remember, the intelligence estimates ever can be erroneous ...
 
Enrique Mas, January 2011

Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is compulsory to play the Israeli/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Iranian/Red side.
 
This scenario also wants to be a study about the feasibility of a strike erasing the future nuclear capabilities of Iran.
My intention in this scenario was also to reproduce the Israel and Iran OOB in 2010.
 
Some months after the political and tactical semi-failure of the Mavi Marmara affair doctored by the IHH, a supposed Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief (May 31, 2010), a new Israeli coalition Government, leaded by the moderate Premier Shlomo Ben-Ami, ex- Foreign Affairs Minister and former Ambassador in Spain, very influenced by his pair of mysterious Spanish counsellors (Code-named Hello Kitty and SpongeBob SquarePants), is impelled by the Western Powers to actuate as a scapegoat and to stop the Iranian military nuclear program, doing the mission the Western Powers are afraid to do because his multiple political implications.
The strike must be realised before the imminent Iranian deployment of the new and powerful S-300/SA-10 SAMs, complement of the previous deployed long-range SA-5 Gammon.
 
Only credible and political admissible action is a conventional attack with Precision Guided Munitions, a limited and surgical strike without collateral damages will be also the only political acceptable Israeli option gullible for the mass-media.
The Heyl HaAvir and the Heyl HaYam are only five days to obtain the victory, before the US and other countries will be forced reluctantly to stop the strikes because the usual pressure of unoccupied demostrators worldwide the week-end after the first strike.
 
And the only possible income of the battle is the Total Victory, with the annihilation of at least all the designated targets: Bushehr comprising his nuclear reactor (ZPa) the Nuke Sites 1 (YSb), 2 (YRb) and 3 (YQb), the Terror Camps 1 (YDa), 2 (YCa) and 3 (YBa), and the TBM Site (YFb) (first you must to localize some of those targets).
 
Is compulsory for Israel to no lose more than 60 planes, to avoid a propagandistic victory by Iran.
 
Also, as a side diversion, the Israeli player must resolve the question of a undetermined number of apparent merchant ships with the manifested intention of repeat the facts of the first Gaza flotilla, supposedly waiting in front the Israeli coast, and a few armed blockade-runners. But in this time, if open hostilities with Iran are opened, the supposed civilian ships can be freely sunken.
 
You can expect also a imminent surface-to-surface missile attack after the breakout of the hostilities.
The pro-Iranian faction Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria can also provide some support to the Iranian side.
 
The air corridors between Israel and Iran are guaranteed (for both contenders) by the disengagement of the conflict by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and mostly Iraq, a sort of terra nullius (also, after the withdraw of the US forces, lefting only a embrionary air force in Iraq).
 
Enrique Mas, August 2010