Red Players, please post your thoughts about the scenario to include AAR, the PBEM process, and using SimPlot Viewer to facilitate an H4 game.

final_red.txt

final_red_intl.txt

I have a full AAR in the works but it will take a while. Can you unlock the blue forums please?

I was the Red Air commander. My AAR follows.

 

Initially I used the P3 to find the convoy and then to shadow it so that both our surface and air components knew what the convoy was up to from then on. I was happy to respect the Soviet request to keep my distance as I didn't want the combat to be triggered too soon.

 

Our surface vessels began a long way away from the convoy, so it took considerable time for them to close to attack range.

 

I scrambled one F4 in an attempt to scare the Ka25 that the convoy launched into landing. I think this might have been successful - at least temporarily.

 

We knew we were up against it when the Sovremennyy was confirmed from radar emissions. But we came up with what we thought was our best chance to meet our victory conditions - overwhelm its defences with a coordinated air and surface vessel attack on a single axis. We knew the Sov had six directors for its SAMs and they were arranged in such a fashion (PB&P/P/P&PQ/SB&S/S/S&SQ) that it would only be able to engage at max three targets with Gadfly at a time on a single axis. So that gave a mass raid a chance.

 

Unfortunately, that Plan A couldn't be executed because the Soviets sprang our trap before we were in position to launch a coordinated air and surface vessel attack. And that left us making two sequential attacks rather than a single massed attack.

 

My Plan B was to take advantage of the fact that the Sov's SAM directors have a weak spot in the 30 degree arcs either side of directly forward and directly aft where only two targets (and possibly only one) can be engaged at a time. Moreover, because the single director for the twin 130mm turrets only works in the forward arc, aircraft approaching from the 30 degrees either side of stern would not face 130mm AA fire. And if they flew at Medium altitude they would be too high for the 30mm gatlings. The only possible fly in the ointment was if the Soviet formation placed the other Soviet warship directly behind the Sov covering the weak spot - but that wasn't the case in this game.

 

Anyway, for a variety of reasons my aircrew couldn't bring that approach off, and they ultimately were martyred.

Here is my own AAR.

 

Brace yourselves...

Here is my own AAR.

 

Brace yourselves...

 

Funny stuff. I should point out that the scenario did not require the Soviets (Red) to offer any warning prior to defending themselves against hostile action, or even how that hostile action might be defined or interpreted. The radio calls we offered were purely politeness on our part, lol. In any event, I think it is clear (and fairly defensible, as you seem to yourself admit) that, in the context of the rising tensions, missile craft approaching at 30 knots is pretty hostile behaviour.

 

 

 

Soviet Orders: Iranian warships have made increasingly more threatening movements toward our merchant vessels. Respond resolutely to any hostile actions.

Yes, I agree. I suspect that had that occurred in real life, however, there would be a major international incident...

 

Here is my own AAR.

 

Brace yourselves...

 

Funny stuff. I should point out that the scenario did not require the Soviets (Red) to offer any warning prior to defending themselves against hostile action, or even how that hostile action might be defined or interpreted. The radio calls we offered were purely politeness on our part, lol. In any event, I think it is clear (and fairly defensible, as you seem to yourself admit) that, in the context of the rising tensions, missile craft approaching at 30 knots is pretty hostile behaviour.

 

 

 

Soviet Orders: Iranian warships have made increasingly more threatening movements toward our merchant vessels. Respond resolutely to any hostile actions.

 

Wow, we were more up against it than I thought at the time.

 

I assumed the Soviets would have restrictive RoE preventing them firing until they detected us doing so.

Yes, I agree. I suspect that had that occurred in real life, however, there would be a major international incident...

 

Undoubtedly, either way.