AAR: Baltic Tide - NATO [Spoiler Alert]

AAR: Baltic Tide

By Dave Steinmeyer

Baltic Breakout - every NATO commander's nightmare - was about to come true. I immediately turned on the SAM radar of my I-HAWK batteries in order to have some semblance of an air picture as I would not have any AEW support from the E-3 Sentries. The picture did not look good. The Mk43 Sea King from Rygge combined with the Danish Hercules MPA [Maritime Patrol Aircraft] would be more than adequate for the surface surveillance role. However, I was severely lacking in air search assets.

Combat Air Patrols [CAPs} were formed over Lubeck Bay and Kobenhavn. The Swedes were out in force. I sincerely hoped that they would defend their neutrality vigorously so that I would have a secure northern flank. Very soon afterward, ground radar reported Floggers and helos rising from East German bases so the Falcons were ordered to intercept. Floggers and Fishbeds were easily shot down. However, encounters with Fulcrums were murderous.

When ordered to intercept a Fulcrum, the Falcons were easily outclassed by the superior range of the Alamo missile. The best that the Falcon pilots could hope for was to light their afterburners and try close and mob the Fulcrums before they themselves were destroyed. The Fulcrums were absolutely lethal. The situation was reminiscent of World War Two encounters with German Tiger Tanks. When Tigers were reported, four Shermans were dispatched and three were not expected to return. While not as drastic, the Fulcrums were usually able to match the Falcons kill-for-kill.

In one epic encounter, a MiG-29 pilot managed to dodge all 9 AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles fired at him. The pilots dubbed him "Boris the Bullet Dodger". Only the fact that he was outnumbered 5:1 was he finally destroyed in Air Combat Manoeuvring [ACM], but not before he had destroyed two of his tormentors and a Hercules MPA that had wandered too closely to his Alamo engagement envelope.

A sub was detected south of Oslo and a major hunt involving missile boats, Danish helos, and diesel submarines ensued.

The extremely short range of the helos made the effort very challenging, but resulted in a successful prosecution when a Mk 46 torpedo was dropped by a Danish Lynx helo.

Not all engagements were successful. Denmark was shocked to find supersonic bombers streaking towards them. They had skirted around Swedish territory and smote Kobenhavn while air defence command watched helplessly; their assets having been drawn away over the German Democratic Republic.

Slowly, but certainly, aerial supremacy was won over the eastern Baltic. Once achieved, CAPs were placed over the Gulf of Gdansk where there was a target rich environment.

Soviet air transports were easily detected and shot down over the Gulf. Their strict adherence to "The Plan" had doomed them once Soviet aerial superiority over the GDR had been lost. Now that control of the air was no longer in dispute, two amphibious groups departing from the ports of Donskoye and Gdynia were severely mauled.

Danish ASuW forces managed to sneak in an attack with Lynx armed with Sea Skua. They stole in at sea level and rose only high enough to unleash their AShMs [Anti-Shipping Missiles]. A surprised flotilla of Shershen missile boats was barely able to sound the alarm before dying in tremendous explosions. A flock of Parchim FFLs and a Koni frigate soon joined their cousins at the bottom of the Baltic.

As ground crews feverishly re-fueled and re-armed the strike aircraft, the Soviet SAG [surface Action Group] appeared off Bornholm Island. In what would soon be known as the Battle of Bornholm, long-ranged Harpoon missiles from FFG Simpson, FF Nils Juel, and FF Koln quickly stripped away the SAG's air defences and left a Kara- and a Kerch-class cruiser burning and dead in the water.

This allowed the aerial strikers to close and kill the rest of the escorts with German Kormoran AShMs and Penguin AShMs. The auxiliaries were then sunk by traditional naval gunfire and victory was awarded.

Thanks very much for an interesting scenario.

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