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View File Essequibo Crisis, January 2024. Hypothetical Scenario. Essequibo Crisis, January 2024. Hypothetical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Caribbean Basin Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK-Allied side or from the Red/Venezuela side. You should play a few times first the Blue/UK-Allied side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Venezuela side. Image: HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) with some 617 Squadron RAF "Dambusters" F-35B on deck (And perhaps some others USMC VMFA-211 "Wake Island Avengers" F-35B out of sight) during Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21), the ship first operational deployment, September 22, 2021. A work by UK government file is licensed under the Open Government Licence version 1.0 and took from Wikipedia Commons. At the end of the very convulse 2023, with the almost two years long Russian invasion of Ukraine, the new Israel-Palestine crisis started on October 7, and before the current Houthis attacks on the civilian traffic in the near seas, another latent crisis exploded. The Maduro's socialist regime of Venezuela, almost a puppet of Cuba and with increasing bonds with Iran, attempts to overcome its usual internal crisis with the very usual move of search an external enemy. In this case the victim is its neighbour Guyana and the frontier Essequibo region. The terrain is impassable and Brazil supports Guyana, and the question probably will be resolved in international justice courts, too long to be explained here. But in this hypothetical scenario Guyana requested aid from the United Kingdom, materialized in a carrier strike group steaming and showing flag in the Venezuela EEZ, keeping presence for deterrent of the Maduro's pretensions over Essequibo. The carrier strike group is limited by the lack of Royal Navy escorts (many in the Horn of Africa) and the low availability of F-35B and pilots (because the Eastern Europe Russian invasion of Ukraine), and the Venezuelan side is tempted of prevent its passage on its EEZ. Also, US refuses to support UK in this operation because the low risks and other commercial interests. Alea jacta est. Enrique Mas, January 21, 2024. Submitter broncepulido Submitted 01/21/2024 Category Caribbean Basin  

File Name: Western Sahara Tin Can Sailors, Tagomago Ordeal, September 21, 1985. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 25 Nov 2017 File Category: MEDC Western Sahara Tin Can Sailors, Tagomago Ordeal, September 21, 1985. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. Image: Spanish Armada Fletcher-class destroyer D-22 Almirante Ferrandiz (Ex USS David W. Taylor DD-551) patrolling the Western Sahara banks near Canary Islands on 1985. Photo by Francisco Tevar Banos, took from http://www.losbarcosdeeugenio.com/principal_en.html, with its webmaster authorisation, and subject to a Creative Commons license. 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 scripted in the Red Orders when playing Red side. My aim in this scenario is to capture the flavour of small and very limited conflicts, almost naval guerrilla warfare. It's also inspired by the inclusion of the Lepanto/Fletcher class destroyers in the Harpoon HCE/HUCE DataBase and of course in the vivid historical events of our Spanish recent past. In the first eighties, when the then modern and indigenous 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 shows an amalgamation of a series of difficult, confuse, bad narrated, censored and much 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 strafed by a Moroccan Mirage F1, and on 1985 in other incident the Anaga-class patrol gunboat Tagomago (PVZ-22) was attacked from the shore by unknown origin (Very probably Polisario Front) 12.7mm and 106mm recoilless shots, causing one dead, and Almirante Ferrandiz was called on her help. After the Spain retreat on 26 February 1976, the Western Sahara territory was claimed by the own Saharawis integrated in the Polisario Front, by Morocco, by Algeria and by Mauritania. Both Polisario Front and Morocco were trying to execute maritime actions as vindication of the disputed territory control, basically exerting 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 executing attacks with inflatable boats, shore gunfire and murdering and kidnapping of fishermen and its 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 suspicions about the existence of reasonably exploitable off-shore oil fields, but his exploitation is today dubious because the international law. The European Union fishing agreements with Morocco (EU-Moroccan Fisheries Partnership Agreement, FPA) include Western Sahara. But they are many doubts about if this is adjusted to the international law, as Western Sahara is not part of the territory of Morocco under international law. As legal excuse, according to the legal services of the European Parlament, the agreement does neither include nor exclude the waters of Western Sahara from its geographical scope, and it would thus be up to Morocco to comply with its international obligations. In consequence, in order to remain in compliance with international law, the FPA should be limited to the territorial waters of Morocco proper, excluding Western Sahara. Enrique Mas, January 2012 - November 25, 2017. Click here to download this file

File Name: A Passage to Lebanon, May 1980. Hypothetical Post-Colonial Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 20 Nov 2017 File Category: Middle East A Passage to Lebanon, May 1980. Hypothetical Post-Colonial Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for The Middle East Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. Image: HMS Bulwark (R08) in her last commission period 1979-1981, as ASW and assault helicopter carrier (Commando Carrier), equipped then with different Westland Sea King variants. Overflown on this photo by four Sea King, a Wessex and two Gazelle. Image courtesy of http://www.navyphotos.co.uk Navy-photos for fair use, and took in fair use from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK side or from the Red/Syrian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side. It's probably a difficult scenario. This is a post-colonial scenario inspired in the Paul French article on SITREP #53 of October 2017. It's inspired on his scenario, but done more complex, as only Computer Harpoon can provide, doing easy the management of higher number of units and platforms. In the turmoil of the long Lebanon Civil War (1975-1990), on mid-1980 and with the events exacerbated pointly by the Bashir Gemayel efforts to consolidate all the Christian Maronite fighters factions under his leadership of the Kataeb Phalangist Party militia in the Lebanese Forces Party, United Kingdom decided to extract its last nationals and a few selected collaborators from Lebanon. With that aim, a makeshift task force is constituted on Mediterranean Sea, if possible with the support of HMS Bulwark carrying the 45 Commando Royal Marines (Ship and commando historically present in the theatre), and composed mostly of second line Royal Navy ships. As the UK permanent military forces were retired from Cyprus from 1974, as consequence of the Turkish invasion, practically only the Task Force ships and a few allied air assets are, if present, available to the British commander at RAF Akrotiri. The UK warships are mostly second line warships, as the main Royal Navy elements are deployed in the North Atlantic, to prevent the Soviet constant menace, but it's possible the presence of one or two state of art warships. The scenario is some ways similar to the 1982 South Atlantic Campaign against Argentina, with the same case of dissimilar land based air forces against a naval task force. And as explained and as in 1982, the British Task Force ships are not equipped with updated ECM and decoys. Is also showed the UK embarked fighter gap present at those times (By two years, between the HMS Ark Royal (R09) last launching of a Phantom FG.1 on 27 November 1978, and January 1981. As although the effective entry in service of Sea Harrier was on 31 March 1980, it was no aircraft carriers on sea except HMS Bulwark (R08, only with helicopters and not ready for Sea Harrier), as HMS Invincible (R05) was commissioned only on 11 July 1980, embarking 800 Naval Air Squadron first time on January 1981, to be later transferred to HMS Hermes (R12) on June 1981, who was in refit from May 1980 to May 1981), fighter gap present also now in our current times of 2017 (By ten years at least on our times, from when the latest Harrier GR.9 of the Naval Strike Wing were retired in 2010, to when F-35B comes into service on HMS Queen Elizabeth deck, scheduled for 2020). To put us in the historical situation, the previous month of April 1980 was the failed US raid in Iran Operation Eagle Claw to liberate the US hostages of the embassy in Iran, and the take over by Iranian terrorists of the Iranian embassy in London, resolved by a SAS assault on 5 May. As consequence of the regional unrest, the Syrian government of Hafez al-Assad decides can't consent the presence of an UK task force near its coastline, fearing a new Western intervention perhaps in support of Israel or of the Lebanese Forces Party (In opposition to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon 1976-2005, with Syria supporting its own pro-Syria PLA faction opposed to Israel and to the Christian Maronite forces, but with too much nuances to explain it here), and improvises an operation to prevent the positioning of the task force near Syria. The confrontation is now settled. Enrique Mas, November 19, 2017. Click here to download this file

File Name: Operation Paraquet: South Georgia, 20-26 April 1982. Historical Scenario. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 21 Sep 2015 File Category: South Atlantic Operation Paraquet: South Georgia, 20-26 April 1982. Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the South Atlantic Battleset and the HCDA-110606 (Harpoon Commander's Edition Database 'Americas') Platform Database. Image: Ice patrol ship HMS Endurance A 171 (in service 1967-1991), support ship and guard vessel for the British Antarctic Survey. Probably sailing off South Georgia, judging by the surrounding seascape. Photo by Alan Broomhead (ex Royal Navy), uploaded 2006, from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/UK side or from the Red/Argentine side. To avoid spoilers you should play a few times first the Blue side, and only later play the Red side. Operation Paraquet was the first British movement to retake territory from the Argentine occupation in the South Atlantic War of 1982, defeating the limited Argentine Garrison in South Georgia. A small task force with only two Wessex assault helicopters was centred on the RFA Tidespring and other heterogeneous elements, included the ice patrol vessel HMS Endurance. It was a sort of very long range strategic guerrilla operation subsidiary of Operation Corporate, Operation Paraquet was a low intensity operation but with impressive state of art platforms and weapon systems. At last, after a few hours, an assault by SAS, SBS and Royal Marines and a purpose bloodless naval bombardment demonstration the small Argentine garrison surrendered (less the infamous Lieutenant Commander Astiz unit of Buzos Tacticos, who did it the day after). But before that the operation was in great distress, with the loss of both Wessex assault helicopters by very bad weather and bad luck, and after an emergency and improvised ASW action included the use of helicopter-launched air-to-surface missiles. This scenario want to transmit the strange flavour of that distant waters campaign, with lack of air cover, very long distances and very few and sometimes rare elements. Also, the player probably will be surprised by the lack of capabilities of sensors and weapons system (including dumb torpedoes), even counting with modern platforms to carry them as hunter/killer nuclear submarines, compared with the current types usually employed in the Harpoon simulation in more usual scenarios. Last but not least the scenario try to simulate how the events could be developed slightly otherwise. Enrique Mas, 21 September 2015. ​ Click here to download this file

File Name: Beira Patrol going hot, 1966. File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 02 Apr 2013 File Category: South Africa 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. Click here to download this file

File Name: Western Sahara Tin Can Sailors File Submitter: broncepulido File Submitted: 20 Jan 2012 File Category: MEDC 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 Click here to download this file