"Napoleon's revenge"

A HCE scenario written by Donald Thomas aka donaldseadog

Battleset: EC 2003, Atlantic Ocean

Database: HCDB

The scenario is designed to be played from the French = red side.

 

 

After Action Report, Part I

 

 

 

The headline sounded promising: Napoleon's revenge -nice!

 

The opponents are France and the United Kingdom, they have without a doubt a long common history.

 

Ok, let's start with a force composition check:

 

- a powerful carrier group centered around the Charles de Gaulle

- three nuclear attack subs and

- two airfields, one deploying the fine Rafale fighter bomber

 

 

This should be enough to sink the Ark Royal, shouldn't it?

 

 

On the other side there are several airfields on the British side. I must assume that there are Tornado

fighters with long range AAMs.

 

Evaluation:

The Ark Royal carrier group should be doable. But the air threat from the British bases could be

dangerous.

 

Mission:

First take out the bases, then the carrier group.

 

My overall plan:

1. Set up an AAW screen for the forward base Lorient.

2. Rearm the carrier and land based Rafales with cruise missiles.

3. Strike at the bases in order to neutralize land based assets

4. Find the carrier group

5. Sink the Ark Royal

 

The Battle:

 

1. Eighteen Rafales fire 36 Cruise Missiles at RN Devonport. Success!

 

Damage is 81 per cent, weapon´s mount knocked down. If the ten CM armed Rafales

on the carrier had longer legs I could knock down the whole RN base right now.

 

 

2. Second attack, this time only eight Rafales. Should be enough to finish RN Devenport off.

 

RN Devenport is obliterated. Only six ac and two helos there, but more important is that

all other British bases are far to the North. Thus it will be much easier to

enagge the carrier group.

 

 

3. I ferry the main air force assets from Cazaux to Lorient, forward. Since

RN Devenport is gone this should not be too risky. Basing them at Lorient

makes it much easier to both attack the other British bases and the carrier group

once it arrives in the English Channel.

 

 

4. Several air contacts to the North, certainly Sea Harriers from the carrier.

I keep my carrier to the South. First I want to neutralize the bases.

 

 

5. Ten Rafales leave Lorient air base in order to attack RAF Aldergrove

 

It nearly ended in a desaster: The Rafales suddenly faced a British surface group out of nowwhere!

180 degree turn on afterburner, but I shot all CM s at the surface group.

Two British ships were sunk. I was lucky, all Rafales safely returned.

 

 

6. Critical decision: Shall I try to destroy the surface group? Is it worth the risk?

 

First, I need better intelligence regarding that surface group. Problem: There

are no land based AEW aircraft. Solution: I ferry one Hawkeye from the carrier to

Lorient.

 

Another reason to keep the carrier in the South.

 

 

7. Decision: Take the surface group out

 

While ferrying towards France the Hawkeye gets clear contacts on the British surface group

on its way towards the carrier group. I decide to take it out. Ten Rafales take off.

 

 

8. Only one kill. These missiles certainly were not intended to attack surface

groups in the first line.

 

 

9. Another try: the Super Etendards

 

Six SEs take off, armed with Exocets. Hope it won't be a Harakiri Mission.

 

One more kill, no own losses. Call it a small success, biting the surface group bit by bit.

 

 

10. Next attack wave

 

Ten carrier based Rafales on their way towrads the surface group.

 

Another ship on its way to the bottom of the English Channel.

 

 

11. Next one

 

Six land based SEs miss, six Exocets with no effect.

 

 

12. Contact!

 

SSN Rubis reports a surface contact. It is very close. There are Sea Harriers patrolling above.

If they´re armed with amrams, then it´s better to be very careful regarding air strikes.

 

 

The perfect time for a break. Looking forward to my next session.

Nice writeup Ralf, thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the rest of the battle.

After Action Report, Part II

 

13. Analysis:

 

- I have a first contact which could be the hostile carrier group

- The first and closest hostile basis is destroyed

- a hostile taskforce, moving westwards through the English Channel, has been

decimated by maybe 50 per cent, but it is still an asset not to be neglected

 

 

14. conclusions:

- it is too early for an all out attack on the possible carrier group

- first, sink that task force moving towards the possible carrir group

- second, destroy at least one more hostile base

- then focus on the carrier group

 

15. Execution - here we go!

 

The land based Hawkeye is up again and has a firm contact on the task force.

Four or five ships left.

 

16. Six SEs conduct the first strike and sink two ships.

 

17. Six more SEs underway to finish off the hostile SAG

 

18. Torpedo contact! My SSN Rubis, shadowing the possible carrier group has been detected,

while its commander increased speed in order to keep close contact to the group.

 

19. The party begins

 

In order to provoque the possible carrier group to go on emcon active,

my SSN Rubis starts firing missiles and torpedoes on the one contact it has.

 

20. More contacts, the hostile group lights up - yes - the carrier group!

 

21. The Rubis sinks an Type 42 DDG

 

22. I redirect the Rubis towards the carrier and into Exocet Range.

 

23. Two Exocets and four torpedoes underway. Will it become a short story,

with a Golden Goal?

 

24. The air strike sinks one more ship and damages one. Two left, one damaged.

 

25. Two torps hit and sink the Ark Royal!

 

26. Game over - victory!

 

27. Few seconds later the last two ships of the SAG moving westwards are sunk

by Scalp CMs. I wonder if that would work in reality.

 

 

Since I´ve won I end the game and leave the remaining ships of the British

carrier group alive.

 

 

That was a nice scenario, many thanks to donaldseadog!

 

Ralf