AAR Singleplayer: A Fight to the Death

AAR (SP) „A Fight to the Death“ – playing Soviet side

H3 ANW 3.8.0 RC11

Player´s DB 7.4.7

Pentium 4 2,93 Ghz / 1Gb RAM

1. Introduction

This scen is one of my all-time favourite ones. I wrote about playing it MP as Soviet side and losing without any chance.

Winning it against the AI is possible, but not so easy….

2. How it worked

1994-12-19; 12:00 Start

I am lucky this time! My CVGB is in the North of the map, not so much away from my land base and it is unlikely that there was a Nato CTF between them.

Instantly I launch every AC stationed at Kevlavik. I sent my Backfires and Badgers North-West and station them directly over the CVBG.

Kevlavik gets support too: I fley four Flankers to Iceland and station them on CAP right in from of the base.

I then send one Bear-D right beside the CVBG and the other one far Southeast.

12:59

Time to start actions: I order the South-Eastern Bear to go active. Numerous surface contacts - south to my CVBG and not so far away! The carrier is identified – luck!

I send the four Badger bombers south in order to attack the carrier.

13:05 Bear Southeast shot down. Tomcats.

All Badgers launch their missiles.

13:07 Two Badgers shot down.

13:14 Several Hits on Nimitz reported.

Meanwhile I have sent my Backfires – all six of them - on full speed and low altitude South-West. Heading for the wounded Nimitz. Each Backfire carries ten Kickback missiles.

13:20 I start all fighters from my carrier and sent them south in order to harass the Tomcats and Hornets and keep them North of the group.

13:24 Another Badger shot down. Both sides lose AC in a furious air battle.

13:28 All Backfires have reached their positions SouthWest to the CVBG and launch their missiles! 60 missiles on their way towards the US carrier.

It has worked like it did in Clanceys ”Red Storm Rising”: There an obviously incapable admiral sent all his Toms north killing drones he thought to be bombers and left his back door open. There too he was visited by Backfires inbound from North-West.

13:30 Five Backfires shot down.

13:33 Nimitz has got hits, doing only eight knots.

13:33 First salvo SSMs from my CVBG

13:40 Second salvo.

13:44 Nimitz down to four knots.

13:45 Final SSM salvo fired.

13:45 TASMs coming it!

13:51 TASMs without exception intercepted. Nimitz down to zero knots; “Probable kill – on fire”.

14:03 Goblin detected.

14:05 My CVBG heads for Iceland at creep speed in order to avoid a nasty surprise. All AC back on the carrier or at Kevlavik. The CVBG has some helos in the air.

14:38 The VicCond have been successfully completed!

3. Hints for rebuilding it

a) Single player

- The Soviet side should get at least two subs, one close to the Nato CVBG.

- The Soviets should have some more fighters. All in all at least one full regiment (20-24 AC).

- AEW birds for Kevlavik

- The AI should set up better CAP for the US CVBG. There should be fighters all around the group - not only in the PIM - , thus denying the red player surprise attacks on the carrier.

Multi player

- More SAMs for Kevlavik

- at least 10 interceptors for Kevlavik; a full load on the Soviet carrier.

- AEW birds at Kevlavik