File Name: Bedonian Express

File Submitter: CV32

File Submitted: 10 Aug 2012

File Updated: 15 Aug 2012

File Category: GIUK

DB Used: HCDB-120621

Authors: Brad Leyte

Battleset-GIUK: .scm - EC2003 - EC2003

 

Bedonian Express

 

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 GIUK battleset.

 

This scenario is designed for play by the BLUE side only.

 

The nickname Bedonian Express was applied to certain strategic reconnaissance missions conducted by US Air Force SR-71 Blackbird aircraft during the Cold War, and in particular, those missions repeatedly carried out through a corridor that followed the coast of Poland and the USSR in the Baltic Sea. These flights typically entered the Baltic over a reporting point codenamed Codan, and located about 80 km south of Copenhagen.

 

Brad Leyte, August 2012

 

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I remember that was the same penetration route for the Mirage IV for nuclear strike, and with the provision of her crews bailing out in the return trip in the Finland coast!

First attempt: played for some eight hours game time.

Very vivid and enjoyable scenario, with all the flavour of the mid-eigthies (at last I've shot down a Moss, as first move and kill! ).

At this time Habu keeps flying the eight hours, attracting and dodging incoming missiles and interceptors, the Fuel Depot near Pskov damaged 33%, Gdov-Smuravevo airport destroyed, 51 enemy planes (Most MiG-25 Foxbat-E, MiG-23M/MF Flogger-B, MiG-21 Fisbhed-J, and one Moss) and four helicopters (I think all Mi-14 Haze) shoot-down or destroyed in ground attacks.

Missiles in the Eagles changed from AIM-9J/AIM-7F to AIM-9L/AIM-7M after the first refuelling in Orland, not used yet the new missiles.

Our losses: only one excessively confied F-15A Eagle. The old and slow USS Swordfish as dodged also some two ASW torpedoes, probably launched from a Mi-14 Haze.

All the scenario playing at 1, 5, 10 or a few times a 30 seconds or 1 minute time compression, the terrain is limited and the things happened very fast !

At -1:06:07:58 remaining time the C3I center and the Fuel Depot near Peskov is destroyed by the F-111F and total victory achived!

At this moment our loss are the only one F-15A Eagle.

The Soviet side has lost 61 planes (Including now some 6 rare Yak-28P Firebar), 3 bases and 5 helicopters.

I was going to do a more indepth AAR but I managed to mess up my log and close the game before seeing my stats.

 

From memory, I lost only my SR-71 Blackbird (inattention during my strike packages' ingress meant the poor Blackbird ate an Apex, IIRC).

 

I chose the Pskov option as being the easier.. Not knowing what is spoiler-y, we'll just black band the rest to protect the eyes of the innocent.

 

 

 

In the end, I killed my own SR-71 by not paying attention when the first strike got interesting... I was running him up the backside of the REDFOR line, hoping to draw fighters and missiles. Did and danced merrily away for quite a while. Even had prepositioned 2 separate KC-135Qs for tanking whenever I felt like running over. Decent timing had the Blackbird providing good intel as the first strike went in and probably contributed heavily to the success. In the end, a moment too late in the dance and an AAM message mistaken as one coming at my Eagles spelled the end.

 

Established a gas station just before feet wet, made for plenty of fuel for those AB moments. While the Eagles did a sweep and guarded the backdoor, the Weasels provided top cover both with HARMs and with Sparrows. First strike package took out the SA-5b near Gdov as well as damaging Gdov (minor) while destroying the fuel depot. Knocking down the Moss AEW and Gammon SAM seemed to uncomplicate thing mightily.

 

Second strike package was less exciting but there was some dancing going on as fighters were vectored in to intercept a bit better this time. Gdov, for one, wouldn't stop streaming Floggers at me and made me regret knocking it flat on the first go around. Same basic package and plan as before (no surprise there), but this time the HARMs didn't do diddly while my Weasel's Sparrows seemed to be random as dice. Didn't matter, F-111s screaming in vlow and AB did the job without real incident. Funnily enough, there are probably a couple of F-111 pilots with photos of unaware Floggers flying overhead. Some pucker there but all was good.

 

 

 

All told, I enjoyed the scenario. There was plenty of work to do juggling intercepts and planning the strikes while not having either an overwhelming or overwhelmed force. I do suspect that I ran some risks that a human player could have had a field day with... (A court martial would later show that I did knowingly risk forces under my command...)