broncepulido Posted November 24 Report Posted November 24 View File Hot Start with tovarich Tupolev, JFK in the Med 1988. Hot Start with tovarich Tupolev, JFK in the Med 1988. 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. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Soviet. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side. Image: An aerial port bow view of USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, conducting high speed manoeuvres, circa 1989 and depicting the same air wing displayed on this scenario. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 300-CFD-DN-ST-89-02161, took by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain. This scenario was initially based on that titled Tattletale of the Admiralty Trilogy’s recent book “High Tide” second edition. But as usual my personal research of the scenario and my “rivet counter” syndrome made me complicated it, adding a great number of historically correct Soviet Long Range Aviation and Naval Aviation units to balance more the scenario. The Soviet supposed strategy was to neutralize the US carrier in the Mediterranean in the first hours or the first day of an open WWIII in the 1980s. The idea is a surprise attack from the scenario start with Soviet naval forces, trying to damage USS John F Kennedy (CV-67), exploiting the lack of readiness of her air wing the first hours of the conflict. Later, supersonic and subsonic Tupolev bombers of many types should finish the carrier, attacking her with long range and big supersonic missiles, with the stockpile of anti-ship missiles probably exhausted after the first three attack waves or similar (as saw in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine). Overflight of Greece and Turkiye are guaranteed by the usual Soviet nuclear menaces and blackmail against both countries, with only some few Greek empty airbases present. The Soviet target is clear, to neutralize the US aircraft carrier. The NATO target is even more clear, survive the aircraft carrier beyond the first day of war. This scenario is for me balanced, winnable for both sides, and very interesting, because the very asymmetrical forces. As sidenote are supplied two almost identical variants of the scenario, one with and one without Soviet AGI ships (adjusting the victory conditions by the presence of more ships), marking with their presence the relative zone of Soviet SSGNs and “aiding” on their anti-ship missile targeting, in case someone is using a game version previous to 2024.006. Enrique Mas, November 24, 2024. Submitter broncepulido Submitted 11/24/2024 Category MEDC 1 Quote
broncepulido Posted November 24 Author Report Posted November 24 Notes on some platforms: - The “High Tide” scenario proposed Kresta I-class guided missile cruisers are remplaced by Sovrenmeny-class guided missile destroyers of the Northern Fleet, as those Kresta I were deployed in the Pacific Fleet. By many sources the Soviet long range missile bombers were trained to attack in groups of six aircrafts. Quote
broncepulido Posted November 24 Author Report Posted November 24 Some sources: A very impressive book: “Tupolev Tu-22 Blinder”, by Sergei Burdin and Allan E Dawes, Pen & Sword 2006. https://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/bap/341tbap.htm https://tu22.ru/batle/21-polki/21-341-tbap https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/30omrap.htm https://ava.org.ru/rap/30m.htm https://tu22.ru/batle/21-polki/22-30-omrap https://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/bap/199ogdrap.htm https://tu22.ru/batle/21-polki/29-199-odrap-2 https://gazeta-licey.ru/public/55625-lyotchik-bozhey-milostyu Russian video of 199: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1nNdVYMf0Q https://www.ww2.dk/new/air%20force/regiment/bap/290odrap.htm https://tu22.ru/batle/21-polki/18-290-odrap https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/5gvmrap.htm https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-й_гвардейский_минно-торпедный_авиационный_полк https://multiurok.ru/files/muziei-istorii-5-gho-ghvardieiskogho-konstantsskog.html https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сімферополь_(аеропорт) https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/124mrap.htm https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/2gvmrad.htm First regiment with Tu-22M2 Backfire-B (1975): https://www.ww2.dk/new/navy/943mrap.htm In September 1975, the 2nd Squadron of the Regiment began retraining for the Tu-22M2. The 3rd Squadron remained armed with Tu-16KS aircraft. In 1983, the 3rd Squadron of Tu-16KS aircraft was disbanded. Only two squadrons of Tu-22M2 missile carriers remained in the regiment. In 1986, the 943rd MRAP was re-equipped from Tu-22M2 to Tu-22M3 aircraft. In 1992, the combat strength of the 943rd MRAP included 23 Tu-22M3 and 4 Tu-16K. After the disbandment of the 2nd Guards Command in November 1994, MRAD 943rd MRAP became a separate regiment as part of the Black Sea Fleet Air Force. Since 31.08.1996, the 943rd OMRAP at Oktyabrskoye Air Force was disbanded. The Tu-22M3 aircraft of the 943rd OMRAP and the 5th Guards MRAP, 39 in total, were divided between Ukraine (20 aircraft) and Russia (19 aircraft). The Russian Tu-22M3 aircraft were transferred to storage at Ostrov Air Force. Some of them, after undergoing repairs at the ARP in Chkalovsk (Kaliningrad Region), were subsequently transferred to the 568th Guards OMRAP of the Pacific Fleet Air Force. And the Ukrainian Tu-22M3 were disposed of between October 2000 and April 2006: https://ava.org.ru/bap/40m.htm https://www.ww2.dk/new/air force/regiment/bap/52gvtbap.htm https://ser-sarajkin.narod2.ru/ALL_OUT/AiKOut10/Ab6590/Ab6590001.htm SAM in Crimea: https://www.ww2.dk/new/pvo/sam/174zrbr.htm Fighters: https://www.ww2.dk/new/pvo/1dpvo.htm https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/18-та_окрема_дальня_розвідувальна_авіаційна_ескадрилья_(Україна) https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/История_Воздушных_сил_Украины https://tu22.ru/zarozhdenie-i-osvoenie/60-ispytaniya-i-modifikatsii-tu-22 https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ту-22 VP-5 Mad Foxes based at Catania-Sigonella in the time period: http://www.gonavy.jp/VP_Deploy71f.html VP-5 aircrafts, then based a NAS Sigonella (Catania-Sigonella, almost useless in this scenario): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VP-5 https://www.archives.gov/research/still-pictures/publish-photos Quote
donaldseadog Posted November 30 Report Posted November 30 Just starting to play, Enrique I love your self description " rivet counter " but by then weren't they welding everything? 1 Quote
donaldseadog Posted November 30 Report Posted November 30 Oh Enrique you have made a tough one 1 Quote
donaldseadog Posted December 5 Report Posted December 5 ***SPOILER ALERT*** After Action Report Enrique has provided a double barrel effort here, two similar scenario for us to delve into... I started playing blue side the version 1988-05 JFK USSR N BARCAP.sco There was sufficient hint that things would be hot from the start so I opened the game in zero time compression, started the process of arming the many 'dormant' aircraft and allocating those ready to fly with patrol locations or sectors within their group formation. This included a few fighters, a couple of ASW and very handy AEW from the carrier group. Once the ball started rolling it was on for young and old ... we got a contact close in of a Kashin unit and visual of a number of incoming missile. Radars went hot and four ships opened fire with their bug guns, the Kashin went down quick and our SAM units were put into heavy defense mode but still JFK took a few hits, enough to markedly reduce her efficiency and slow down the aircraft armaments that we obviously would need. The Kashin had apparently been assisted by an Okean class unit sailing beyond our guns, but not our Harpoon, she soon joined the denizens of the deep. But in these first minutes the near continuous rain of missiles came at us. Our first airborne fighters put their metal in to play getting right down to cannon fire on the incoming missiles, many probably form undetected submarines but form the incoming bearings we at least had vectors to search on. Getting the ASW patrols out early and with an idea of direction was showing it's virtue with an Alpha class SSN detected within the first half hour, but it would take some time before she was sunk. An hour in, coming up on our screens to the north were numbers of large air contacts, some identified as various EW, recce and bombers, Backfires, Blinders and Badgers. Armed fighters started to roll out of the hangers and into the air heading out to hopefully intercept now expected incoming bombers before they let loose their belly loads of mischief. To a large degree we succeeded but some got thru and our fighters exhausted their AAM on the incoming onslaught but as evidence of the pilot skills only a few made it thru to need interception by ships SAM batteries. In the meantime a large surface group came under the radar of the AEW, it had been expected, or at least made allowance for, and our strikers were half way thru taking on predominantly ARM munitions and some harpoon for good measure. 40 minutes after the sighting of the first attacking missiles and our own boys were returning the compliment with Standard ARM damaging two escorts. We now had a significant, and busy, ASW guard around the carrier group, and also our smaller surface group comprising our valuable auxiliaries and escorts which were trying for a safest route. Also our own EW units were operating and extra surveillance from land based ASW units based to our west. By the three hour mark our fighter screen had downed significant numbers of bombers and large auxiliary air units, the numbers of incoming missiles from the north had greatly reduced allowing them to move to provide addition defense against the inevitable missile attacks from the surface group approaching from the west which had by now suffered significant damage from our Standard ARM greatly reducing their ability to defend. And so we continued, both fixed and rotary wing ASW units scouring for the submarines we new were their following their surprise missile launches, then over four hours in as a sign they were getting in closer we had torpedo contacts. Evasive action standoff ASW ship defense and heavy air unit ASW work saw results with what would be the next of many subs sunk, but also the loss of one of our valuable escort. Holding of our own SSM until we were close enough to launch a significant attack of the SAG we sank most of the group including Slava, Sovremennyy and Krivak class ships. This got us a heart warming message of Minimum Victory, but with the Reds now offering much less aggression we knew we could finish the job and 40 minutes later with the sinking of a further Okean class vessel we succeeded. Another epic Enrique, thanks for your time and skilled effort. 2 Quote
broncepulido Posted December 5 Author Report Posted December 5 5 hours ago, donaldseadog said: Very great report, and thanks for sharing!!! Quote
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