pmaidhof

Well, finished up Angle of Attack yesterday afternoon. I enjoyed it. Relative quick read. It did provide me with what I hoped for, description of some A-6 loadouts and general tactics (use of FLIR, radar bombing, ingress, release, and egress altitudes for the various threat concerns in 1991). Interesting how they quickly determined that it was AAA that they were more concerned with. An added "bene" was that it gave a different perspective on events that I experienced. Can't believe nobody bit on the "plethora" comment.

Yeah, a predictable "hook".

Well I'm over 250 pages in. Author opened with the first mission, on the first night of Desert Storm to pull me in, then stepped back to boarding USS Ranger in San Diego, completing carrier-quals, non-flying administrivia, and the whole trans-pac experience to include Christmas in Subic Bay. Now however, I'm a over three days into the air campaign and he does give a plethora (MOVIE QUOTE: "Jefe, what is a plethora...?") of mission descriptions, flight profiles, load outs, the effects of the crappy Persian Gulf weather in January 1991. Enjoyable read so far.

The release altitude was 400 feet. By all accounts it was a level bombing run, and instead of climbing, they turned "sharply". “The Intruder shuttered and the twelve rockeyes came off their bomb racks, alternating one of the 500-pound cluster weapons from each side until the hammer disappeared from the bottom of the ADI and our A-6 was 6,000 pounds lighter. It felt like an eternity, but it had taken less than a second to release the twelve bombs. I felt the stick come alive with new found agility now that the weight and drag of the big canisters were gone. Instantly I slammed the stick to the right and put us into an 85-degree angle of bank to get us the hell out of the target area.” As they were in that 5G inducing turn. “Pull right! Uuuhuh! Two hundred feet pull up!” Rivers (the B/N) called out.

ok, the Intruders are now re-armed and well within load limits and station requirements. Facing the front of the aircraft stations 1-5 left to right. Each station has a limit of 3,600 pounds and a total load limit of 17,200. The aircraft will be considered "dirty" with a load of 10,500lbs (31 load points). Station 1: 1x AGM-88 (800lbs, 2.5 load points) Station 2: Multiple Weapons Rack (200lbs, 2.0 load points) with 6x Mk.20 Rockeye (each 500lbs, 1.5 load points) Station 3: Drop Tank (2700lbs fuel, 4.5 load points, 120 fuel units) Station 4: Multiple Weapons Rack (200lbs, 2.0 load points) with 6x Mk.20 Rockeye (each 500lbs, 1.5 load points) Station 5: Active Jammer AJM-C (600lbs, 2 load points) (replicating a ALQ-126) Bombs in this mission were reported in the book to have been dropped "level" at 400 feet (T-Level in GDW Air Support). In RW, are Mk20 Rockeye capable to be fitted with retardation devices for "high drag" effects? Mission to be re-run soon with SA-2 during ingress and AAA point defense, Zu-23, and S-60 batteries.

Hi Brad. No, I was only trying to fit the book's description of 2x HP w/ 6x 500lb Rockeye. The data set gives somewhat generic weapons broken out by US/Nato and Soviet/WP. I chose the BAP-100 x12 cluster since there was a note that Runway cratering waepons have an attack strength x5 against runway, road, or pier hexes. Guess I tried to shoehorn the runway cratering CBU since it gave me the multiple units described in the book. Upon further review, I believe that I could have used a triple weapons rack under each of those two hardpoints to load 3x 500lb AP or AT Cluster. The total is well within the games load points for those stations. Other than that I plead ignorance.

Despite small and off the top of my head after a few hours, this one is for Brains. It was a rough dipiction of the first mission flown by the author of Angles of Attack as a part of VA-145 on the first night of Desert Storm. I prepared 2x A-6E TRAM to attack the docks in Umm Qasr. They were both armed with a BAP-100 x6 Cluster Bomb under stations 1,5. An AGM-88 HARM and an AJM-C under stations 2,4. Here the weather was pleasant as opposed to the IR defeating nighttime mist/precipitation thesy faced. For this run through, the port facility was protected by a FCR directed KS-19 battery. There was an EWR-A further back inland. The 2x A-6E came in at T-Level preventing detection until very late "in the game". In the last three turns before bombs away, the air defense battery sharted firing away with Plotted "Area Fire" to no avail. Plotted Area Fire must be secretly plotted early in the turn, disclosed late in the turn and then effect aircraft which fly through that hex and the six hex around it, and one altitude level above and below. The A/C were able to evade this attack, but since AAA pre-empts AtG attacks, the KS-19 battery fired "Plotted Point Fire" causing critical damage to one of the Intruders. Since the critically damaged A/C may not attack and must drop it ordnance, the lone A-6 conducted its laydown attack with 12x high drag CBU's causing 8pts of damage, a 2D. I did not game the egress. It was a pretty simple run through. I was surprised at the KS-19's success. The combination of a straight-in attack and being linked to an FCR cancelled out the defensive benefit of Deceptive Decoy System-B so no modifiers, and it had to roll a zero on a d10...and did. Relatively quick, and fun game.

Still on a Midway kick I see.

Glad it started with their first mission in the Desert Storm air campaign, raiding the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr (had to radar bomb due to moisture in the air screwing with their FLIR.) The author now dialed it back to embarking on Ranger and conducting carrier quals off the coast from San Diego. Digressing into the more mundane activities and observations while embarked on a ship such as having to invent glowing new words for Fitness Reports and coffee cup protical in the ready room, all brought a chuckle to me at least as this was my active duty time frame so much of it brings back memories. Good read so far. Nothing earth shattering yet.

Picked up Angles Of Attack, An A-6 Intruder Pilot's War by Peter Hunt last night through inter-library loan. It apparently details the authors view of Desert Storm operating off of USS Ranger in the Persian Gulf. I'm trying to gleen some loadout and strike tactics gouge from the book so taking some geek-notes on my bookmark. Anyone else read this?

Flew Scenario S-1 Border Clash in a USMC F-4S versus a WP MiG23MF. It was guns only and the MiG used the Evasive Movement Table...to no avail. On Turn 6, I was able to dive onto him ending up on his 0 degree line point blank firing a 2 second burst from my external SUU-23 Vulcan 20mm gun pod scoring a cripple result thus 16 points. Always a good feeling getting your first "kill".

Slowly went through a small one map scenario yesterday consisting of two A-7E, loaded with 4x Mk83 and, and 2x Rocket pods each, tasked with striking a "medium" highway bridge. Ingress, starting at 5,000' was uneventful gradually descending to 3,000'. The lead Corsair ended up straying too close to an urban area, drawing an aimed fire AAA attack from a defending S-60 battery. The shot missed but at that point I realized that it was off-line from the target. Maneuvering to get on-line prevented it from employing it's load on the bridge. Dash-2 was online and attacked first with its rockets, then dumping its 4x Mk81 on the target. Only represented 1-1:30min, but a good time. I was also documenting the components and calculations of each turn's phases whick is not really necessary.

Suspended as of this afternoon apparently.

Pretty neat Buddha, Thanks.

May have had something to do with the terrain that the retreat route function crossed or enemy unit activity. Beyond that I have no idea why that would occur. I hope to be using DA again real soon and may have something to compare that with. Currently having a map issue.

Disappointing, yes. I think the final line summed it all up. But, keep the battle centered on a larger than needed map, and utilize units in reserve so that you line is not fatally pierced.

Eric, These answers are from the gentleman who works woth DA on a regualr basis. > How can a player: > > a.) order a unit to disregard any "max loss parameter", essentially order it > to die in place...or accomplish its mission. You cannot. > b.) avoid situations were a unit, in reaching its "max loss parameter" > retreats off of the map and basically lost for the rest of the scenario? > (Reminds me of getting too close to the map edge in TacOps..."56 units have > exits the map" and having no recourse to order them back.) You cannot.... try to keep the scenario in the middle of the map. > c) "Can I let the unit retreat non-automatic?" Not sure I understand, but if you check "Retreat Route" and set a movement path, it should try to follow the movement path if it retreats. If he means "Can I turn off the retreat function", then... no.

Slogging would be the word for me and Sixth Battle. So many competing interests for my free time this summer. Interesting read so far, for sure.

Surge Into the Barents Fourms are open. Hmm, one of our heroes here was sunk?

I think that I used "in reserve" as a non-DA term. My concept of a unit with a reserve mission in this situation would be placed a short distance behind the threatened unit so that in the event the forward unit reaches its retreat threshold for that turn you can hopefully plug that newly created gap in you lines with your unengaged unit a few km behind your defensive line. Provided you can plag that line the unit that was originally forced to retreat would now become your "reserve", hopefully keeping it unegaged and close to its HQ so that it may recover.

Eric, From a written DA Training Course booklet that I have in my possession, it briefly discusses the Retreat Parameters box, which So a unit will retreat when it reaches the chosen Max Loss percentage in a given turn, not total. Sounds as if this answers your question, albeit unfavorably to what you are trying to accomplish. The best I can offer is place another unit "in reserve" close enough to assume a particular retreating unit's mission, yet distant enough not to interfere with the retreating unit's retreat path, remembering that if unit's footprints overlap, it will impede both unit's movement rates due to game-termed "congestion".

Eric, At first glance I believe that since the game is an offshoot of a training tool used at the US Army Command & Staff College, or one of those, have a unit fight to the death is not going to be an option. I'll give it some run throughs over the next few days, but once again, I think the max loss threshold in this game is 30%. Pete

I just stumbled across it so I'm not certain of their timeline. Until then, it will be doubtful.

Australian warships in NY to mark alliance at sea THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 5:54 PM EDT, July 19, 2009 Read AP Article here. NEW YORK - The United States and Australia are celebrating a friendship at sea that has lasted more than 100 years. On Sunday, two Australian warships arrived in New York to commemorate the relationship between the two nations -- naval allies in every major conflict since World War I. The HMAS Sydney and HMAS Ballarat docked at Pier 88 on Manhattan's West Side, where encounters of a very personal kind also were celebrated. "We met on a tour of Europe last month, and we hit it off big time!" said American college student Masha Seltsman as she and a fellow student hugged four young members of the Royal Australian Navy. "We're young and we love to party." The two young women from Philadelphia planned to take the four sailors on a tour of New York, including the World Trade Center terrorist attack site. The seamen were among 400 men and women on board the warships that sailed into New York Harbor from Halifax, Nova Scotia, berthing on the Hudson River opposite the USS Intrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. The Australian frigates will be open to the public for tours on Tuesday before leaving Thursday for Baltimore and Norfolk, then Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a six-month, round-the-world deployment involving diplomatic visits and joint exercises with foreign navies. In May off the coast of Yemen, the Sydney and the Ballarat responded to a distress call from a merchant ship under attack from Somali pirates who fled after the Australian frigates and a helicopter from the Sydney appeared. The idea for the ships' U.S. visit came from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who said it is symbolic of the two nations' future challenges as allies. The partnership started in 1907, when Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin invited U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to send the American so-called Great White Fleet of 16 ships to his country. Australia was then trying to establish its navy as a significant force independent of the British Empire. "The Americans went behind the backs of the British to send the fleet to Australia," Tom Harley, Deakin's great-grandson, told a news conference Sunday aboard the HMAS Ballarat. "The British were not amused, they were not pleased." Harley was joined by both ships' commanding officers, as well as the Australian Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, and Roosevelt's great-grandson, Theodore Roosevelt IV. Last year, exactly 100 years after the 16 American battleships reached Australian shores, the USS John S McCain and the USS Shoup sailed to Australia. Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

Hi Eric, I have a chance to scan through that guide last night and it is really amazing while on one hand how voluminous the guide is and on the other how cryptic. Let me make sure that I understand what you are trying to accomplish. You want to: a.) order a unit to disregard any "max loss parameter", essentially order it to die in place...or accomplish its mission. b.) avoid situations were a unit, in reaching its "max loss parameter" retreats off of the map and basically lost for the rest of the scenario? (Reminds me of getting too close to the map edge in TacOps..."56 units have exits the map" and having no recourse to order them back.) With your clarifications, I'll fire up my DA (maybe this weekend) and see what I can find out. Have I mentioned that I have a love-hate relationship with this game? Pete