AAR: MatchPlay [Spoiler Alert]

September 3, 200619 yr

Here's an excellent After Action Report by Peter Frank. It is re-printed here with permission from the author.

AAR: MatchPlay [spoiler Alert]A Harpoon3 scenario for the PlayersDB
By Freek Schepers

Terrorist attacks on the Belgium Royal family have left the Dutch Crown Prince next in line to the throne of Belgium. Popular mourning and an uprising has quickly resulted into civil war between the French-speaking Walloons in southern Belgium and the Dutch-speaking Flemish in northern Belgium.

Holland has quickly moved ground forces into Belgium to assert its claim to the throne, while France has tried unsuccessfully to mobilise the UN. But as the Israelis showed in 1967, the UN cannot operate at the pace of modern warfare...

In the most natural way I'm playing with my own country: The Netherlands. In the mission orders I found an interesting remark about the superior AAM's (Air to Air Missiles) and the superior AEW. After a few minutes of hard thinking I found the solution and it worked quite well in the game.

Started off with sending 2 Apaches airborne from Gilze-Rijen bound for the French Demolition team in The Hague. At the same time two pairs of F16 equiped with AMRAAM airborne from Leeuwarden, along the coast to the South.

The first pair went feet dry approximately 20nm north of Dover at an altitude of 100m, trying to find a juicy target (keeping well clear of any groun units/bases). Off course assuming that the air defence belt of the French will be up north. They found the wanted E3F just south of Reims. Approaching it on afterburner and one AMRAAM shot left me discovered in the middle of some frenchies. I think it was a nice trade. Two F16 for 1 E3F and a mirage 2000.

The second pair stumbled (!) across two E2C's going on station. After this engagement, one of the two was killed by a hidden SAM site.

The Apaches in the north worked like honey on the French AD fighters. The ZPRV (HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën) and the HMSK (HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck (my old ship)) was at the westerschelde. Keeping weapons tight and waiting to kill the "superior" AAMs with their SAMs. Almost the same happened with the patrolling F16s in the East and the Patriot site.

Meanwhile the good old navy at the North Sea was working like a horse. The two walrus SSKs in the channel were passing targeting info the the southerly naval TG. Identified the targets with a lynx hovering over the south coast of England, just south of the NAV zone. Two pair of AMRAAM equipped F16s kept the area clear of any French helo/MPA or Super Etandard. The Southerly TG fired their harpoons in salvoes of two per ship at the French ASW screen. Those units are not very capable of AD. Then the wolfpack with the two SSKs. The northerly crept in front of the force and firing at fours DDG's with its Mk48 ADCAPs. Oops, counterfire by one of the DDGs with a rocket propelled Torpedo? It plunged in the water behind me and started a search turn. The walz began. It turned towards me and I turned after it. The Torp with 30 knots left me in the inside circle with 12. It worked, and every time the TG passed me in the front I could fire two Mk48s. Killing the whole carrier battle group in just an half hour!

After these (winning) opening moves an almost boring, compared to the first hour, air (dutch) to ground (french) battle began. I searched for an airfield for Very Large Aircraft (remember the E3Fs). Found it, and killed just the aircraft revetment with a twoship F16 armed with 8 AGM65s. This, afterwards, golden move killed three (!) E3Fs. Probably no more left in the french airforce.

As in every battle: Take the initiative, but be wise. In this scenario, a dutch frontal assault with "dutch courage" will leave you immediately empty handed. Go for the golden points! Be smart and you will find this a challenging scenario.