AAR: Foothold [Spoiler Alert] - Blue

[Herman Hum]

AAR: Foothold [Spoiler Alert] - Blue
By Daren Lorentz

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The Strait of Gibraltar has been a natural choke-point for centuries. With its narrow width and fluctuating currents, it was a perfect place for lurking submarines to hide. I held my breath as the convoy made its transit of the Strait. I was just breathing a sigh of relief when a sub was detected after leaving Gibraltar. Three Lynx were ordered aloft to interdict since she was well within the declared 150nm Exclusion zone. However, a Sea King already on formation patrol got there first and dropped her torpedoes on the Sugar Skunk. One struck aft of the sail. Another nasty surprise was revealed -- a second sub! The three Lynx were re-tasked to prosecute this second Sugar Skunk and caught her 80nm away from the convoy. A sole Stingray torpedo was enough to put her on the bottom. It looked as though the convoy's transit was going to be opposed throughout its journey.

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Shortly thereafter, a mixed force of missile boats and frigates was detected by an EH101 on patrol over Cagliari. They were well within the 150nm exclusion zone as set out in the ROE [Rules of Engagement]. A strike of six AMX from Cagliari left 3 missile boats burning and sinking in their wake. A second strike would be needed.

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Meanwhile, FF Montrose reported an explosion soon after a force of missile boats were detected. The boats were only detected by their ESM signature so the convoy immediately turned away from the potentially hostile contacts until they could be properly evaluated. I suspected an SSM strike, but was not certain. All calm one moment, and then BAM! And the Montrose was in danger of sinking. Sure enough, the Lynx confirmed that the missile boats were the culprits, indeed. A salvo of Harpoon missiles put paid to these ambushers. The convoy and the limping Montrose continued onwards at a reduced pace.

A second visit to the missile boats off of Cagliari completed the destruction of the force. It appeared to be a long and uneventful transit when a Sea King on patrol reported a MAD contact. She immediately dipped her sonar and found a submarine. Two Stingray torpedoes were dropped and both struck home. The entire sequence took only 4 minutes. Real Quick Draw McGraw.

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Yet another sub was detected 30nm later. Two more, in fact. The Libyans appeared to be very, very serious about this convoy not reaching her destination. Both subs were detected early enough that they could be prosecuted relatively safely. As the convoy was passing Bizerta, two more Kilos detected just off of Cape Bon. These modern subs could have been lethal but they were easy prey for the helos on patrol.

Just as the convoy was approaching its destination, one last surprise was encountered. A minefield was detected at the doorstep of Sousse. The convoy immediately slowed to a dead crawl while the escorts scrambled to deal with this threat. After the mines were swept, the convoy made landfall and victory was awarded.

An enjoyable scenario and excellent job for your first production. I certainly look forward to many more scenarios. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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[Herman Hum]

AAR: Foothold [Spoiler Alert] - Red
By Daren Lorentz
Following independence from France in 1956, President Habib Bourguiba established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation.Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Located in a strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration.

A Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake has hit the Kairouan region in central Tunisia. In an emergency session of the UN, the Tunis Government has requested international aid of food, water and civil and structural engineers. The Tunisian Army is stretched to the limit at this time trying to re-establish order.

In an astounding announcement at the UN table, it seems that Libya is making threatening overtones to block all aid underway to Tunisia. Following France's reluctance to put its navy in harm's way to aid an ungrateful colony, the United Kingdom has agreed to provide an escort for the humanitarian ships now assembling at Portsmouth.
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Well, the orders were clear enough. Sink the convoy or don't bother coming back. The Colonel certainly had a way of motivating people.

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I ordered my Bear AEW assets to spot the Convoy and coordinate for the subs. Unfortunately, the first one was killed by marauding fighters as she passed Cagliari. I would have to give that base a wide berth in the future. I sent the second Bear far to the south. She spotted the convoy making it's transit of Gibraltar and issued intercept vectors to the Rajs Hadi Mubarek and Dzik.

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Rajs Hadi Mubarek ate a torp on her approach. Dzik was detected and had a torpedo dropped on her, but she broke contact and raced in. No time to be stealthy. She was barely able to get into range before another torp was dropped on her. She salvoed her 8 torpedoes at two escorts and ran for her life.

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Three struck a Sheffield-class frigate and blew her right out of the water. The other four torpedoes cleanly missed the Duke-class FF they were aimed at. However, they did get a consolation prize. They converged on an unsuspecting merchant and put her on the bottom. Dzik had very little time to enjoy her victories. Another helo dropped two more torpedoes on her and both struck. The score was even. Two subs were exchanged for an escort and a merchant.

I ordered a mixed-group of fast missile boats and frigates to full speed. I wanted them to try and widen the hole in the screen so that the submarines could penetrate more easily. However, as they were making their approach, three of them just EXPLODED! Curses, they must have fallen prey to roving ASuW (Anti-Surface Warfare) patrols from Cagliari. The sole survivor was a Sirte-class torpedo boat; more of a liability than an asset. She might be effective against unarmed merchantmen, but she could not stand up to any of the escorts. Only if the remaining escorts could be killed, would she be useful.

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The next submarine to make her approach to the convoy was the Foxtrot-class Wilk. She received reports from the orbiting Bear and could see the thick cloud of ASW helos on patrol. The patrols were well-spaced and she would not be able to approach from an oblique angle in order to avoid the screen. Even at flank speed, she could only match the convoy's speed of eighteen knots. A very difficult decision for the skipper. Eventually, he elected to try and penetrate the screen where the Sheffield had already been killed. He would pray and trust in Allah that his boat would survive long enough to deliver her torpedoes.

After a quick sprint, she was in! However, her fortune was short-lived. Helicopters outward-bound to replace those already on patrol must have caught her scent and immediately dropped torpedos on her. Since she had already been detected, there was no further need for stealth. She went to flank speed and kept her trust in Allah. Wilk was able to launch 4 torpedoes at the Montrose, a Duke-class frigate. She barrelled in towards the convoy's centre in hopes of delivering her other four torpedoes into the merchants. However, her luck had run out. A torpedo struck her and she carried her remaining torpedoes with her to the bottom. The crew did not know, but Allah did not forsake them. The four torpedoes struck and sank the Montrose a few minutes later. The score remained tied at 3:3.

A flotilla of missile boats and frigates was annihilated as it attempted to make passage around Cagliari. The next submarine to make contact was the Lada-class boat. There was a gaping hole in the screen, however, the helos were still present. They had been thinned out a bit, but were still very dangerous in their reduced numbers. The Lada elected to try the same daring approach and attack from the front. She was detected and attacked by no less than four helos with a total of 10 torpedoes. After another torpedo exchange, she was killed and her 3 USET-80 torpedoes missed. She would draw no blood.

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Well, the direct approach did not prove successful. I only had four Kilo boats left so I decided to try and make an oblique approach from the flank and hope to get behind the screen. The excellent coordination efforts of the Bear allowed the Orzel to slip in behind the screen along with another Kilo. Once in, she approached to point-blank range before loosing her deadly cargo. She sank her 533mm fangs into the Duke escort and ravaged the formation with her UGST claws. A total of eight more ships were sunk and victory was awarded.

A super-challenging scenario from the Red perspective. I can't believe that this is a premiere effort for a new designer.

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