COMMAND: Northern Inferno Scenario 11: Fire and Brimstone Part 3

In Parts One and Two of this scenario, The USS John F. Kennedy and the USS Saratoga CVBGs advanced on northern Norway, their mission to destroy Soviet forces in the vicinity of Bardufoss and Banak, supporting the hard pressed NATO ground forces attempting to keep the Soviets from taking Narvik. I've been diligent in wiping out Soviet recon planes, and thus far have succeeded in keeping the locations of my CVBGs unknown.

I have been striking Bardufoss constantly, but so far it remains in operation. My ground forces north of Narvik have been sustaining both air and ground attacks.

October 2, 1975, 1200Z
There is apparently a major attack going on north of Narvik, and I lose an AA section, two armored platoons of M48A5s, and a Mechanized Infantry Platoon in M113s.  I've sent units to respond to this attack, but for some reason I cannot locate the Soviets to fire back!

My armored platoon is under attack by an invisible enemy.

My armor platoon is soon wiped out--I've lost twelve tanks now to an enemy I cannot see.

Finally, an infantry platoon spots the enemy tanks at a range of one mile, and subsequently identify them as T-64s.

Finally I spot the enemy

The T-64s plow right over my Infantry Platoon. Having wiped out so many units, this enemy platoon has achieved a breakthough.

The Artillery battery damages the tanks.

For a while, my 155mm Self-Propelled Artillery Battery has been firing on the tanks, mostly ineffectively, and the tanks completely ignore it, heading directly towards the NATO infantry. Finally, my battery scores a hit, and destroys two of the tanks, halving their firepower. The survivors continue towards the nearest infantry platoon, made up of Netherlands Marines, which fires a round from its Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifle, which promptly misses, but then another artillery barrage finishes off the platoon. My ground troops breathe a sigh of relief, as that was close. My line is ragged and not much is left. I reform them into a new line of defense closer to the Command Brigade.

T-64s

120639Z Meanwhile to the north, my anti-surface strike is well underway, and my A-7s drop their Walleyes on the Kresta I and Kresta II cruisers.  I also have a pair of A-7s armed with Shrikes waiting in the wings in case the Krestas decide to light off their radars.

Walleyes away!

Six Walleyes are targeted on the Kresta II, the Admiral Nakhimov, and two are targeted on the Kresta I, the Vice Admiral Drozd. The bombs close in without the ships taking any action to defend themselves. The first Walleye impacts Admiral Nakhimov and sinks it.

Admiral Nakhimov is hit

Then the Vice Admiral Drozd wakes up and launches SAMs at the Walleyes, and my A-7s immediately respond, launching their Shrikes.

Vice Admiral Drozd wakes up and tries to defend itself.

They needn't have bothered. The Drozd's SAMs miss the Walleyes, and the first one impacts and annihilates the ship.

Vice Admiral Drozd is hit.

To the north, my Vigilante identifies the second Soviet surface group, which consists of two BPK Kanins, the Derzky and the Zhguchy, along with a RKR Kynda, the Grozny. Currently all of my strike aircraft are readying, so a strike on this group will not be able to happen for a few hours.

121847Z One of my Norwegian infantry platoons detects a Soviet armor formation. If this is similar to the previous one, this could hurt my forces badly...but this time, I have Harriers nearby. I immediately order them to attack.

A new armor platoon is sighted, but this time I have air support.

122101Z Just over two minutes after the CAS is called in, a Harrier drops its bombs.

Bombs away!

Direct hit. The cluster bombs hit the target and annihilate the tank platoon. After what the last Soviet tank platoon did to my forces, that was satisfying.

More of my Harriers are ready at Evenes, so I launch of pair of Harriers armed with Mk13 1000lb bombs and send them to bomb Bardufoss. The strike does little damage, so I follow it up with a pair of Jaguars from Bodo. The Jaguars can't hit the broadside of a barn (or runway...) so I'm going to have to follow up with more strikes.

I have a pair of F-4s on patrol between Banak and Bardufoss, and they pick up several fighters and launch a BVR attack.

My F-4s launch Sparrows at the Soviet fighters

I wonder, are they MiG-21s evacuating Bardufoss? I shoot down two quickly, and confirm that they are MiG-21s.  I launch Sparrows at the second pair, and promptly destroy them. Shotgun and close to Bingo, the F-4s head home.

155621Z Several hours of routine operations pass, in which my fighters have shot down number Su-15 Flagons, MiG-21 Fishbeds, a Tu-95 Bear Tanker aircraft, and my Harriers and Jaguars have done some CAS to help out the ground forces, killing some tanks. Some of my strike aircraft are have rearmed so I send them against the second Soviet surface fleet, and also send some more bombers to attack Bardufoss. My Walleyes target and destroy the DDG Derzky without any problems.  It's as if the Soviet surface vessels are sitting ducks. A few minutes later I sink a Charlie I SSGN.

173132Z A pair of A-6s armed with HYDRA 70mm Rockets, Mk77 Incendiary Bombs, and Mk81 250lb LDGP bombs attacks the Grozny and the Zhguchy.  The 70mm rockets take out the Grozny.

The A-6s attack the Soviet surface group

Just after the A-6s drop their Incendiary bombs on the Zhguchy, the Soviet destroyer fights back, shooting its 57mm gun and launching a SAM.

The A-6s come under fire.

Both A-6s are shot down, but they damage the Zhguchy with a single bomb hit. A followup strike several hours later finishes off the Zhguchy.

200000Z By this time, I'm striking Bardufoss with impunity. I never quite managed to put the runways out of commission, but seeing as I destroyed 24 MiG-21s operating out of Bardufoss, I'm guessing they might just be out of aircraft...so I'll call that a win. No more Tu-95 Bear Recons have been launched for hours, so I might have wiped those out too. They keep sending up Tu-95 tanker aircraft, and every time they do, I shoot them down. My planes are in range of Banak, and I've launched several strikes on it already, but they have been of limited effectiveness because my strike aircraft keep dropping their bombs from high level (which is my own fault for not paying enough attention and sending them in low). There has been no sign of the feared Tu-22M strikes on my carriers, probably because the Soviets never localized my position. I think I can chalk this one up as a victory.

The CVBGs enter their patrol areas.

Triumph
Score: 2200

SIDE: Soviet Union
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LOSSES:
-------------------------------
4x Tu-95RT Bear D
1x PL-611 Zulu IV
4x Tu-95MR Bear E
1x Ka-25Ts Hormone B
24x MiG-21SM Fishbed J
3x Vehicle (Straight Flush [1S91])
10x SA-6a Gainful [2P25] TEL
4x 85mm M1939
1x Vehicle (Fire Can [SON-9])
1x AvGas (400k Liter Underground Tank)
16x T-55 Main Battle Tank
13x MiG-23BN Flogger H
26x Su-15MF Flagon D
18x BMP-1 [AT-3 Sagger B] IFV
12x 152mm/34 2S3 M1973 Akatsiya
1x PLA-627A November [Kit]
4x 57mm ZSU-57-2
2x SA-9b Gaskin [BRDM-2] TEL 2
16x T-64 Main Battle Tank
1x BPK Kresta II [Pr.1134A Berkut A]
1x RKR Kresta I [Pr.1134 Berkut]
3x Tu-16Z Badger A
2x BPK Kanin [Pr.57A Gnevny]
1x PLARK-670 Charlie I [Skat]
1x RKR Kynda [Pr.58]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
27x Generic Chaff Salvo [4x Cartridges]
40x SA-6a Gainful [9M336]
4x FROG-7b [9M21]
21x SA-9b Gaskin [9M31M]
200x 57mm ZSU-57 HE
3x AA-2b Atoll [R-3R]
2x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
44x 85mm M1939
20x BetAB-500SP CB [12 x Anti-Runway Penetrator Bomblets]
19x 23mm Gsh-23L Burst [40 rnds]
3x AA-3 Anab C [R-98R, SARH]
1x AA-3 Anab D [R-98T, IR]
99x 73mm 2A28 Grom HE
2x AT-3 Sagger B [9M14M Malyutka]
2x 7.62mm MG Burst [20 rnds]
24x FAB-250M-54 GPB
10x Generic Acoustic Decoy
16x FAB-100M-62 GPB
10x AA-3 Advanced Anab E [R-98MR, SARH]
2x AA-3 Advanced Anab F [R-98MT, IR]
512x S-5K 57mm Rocket
8x RBK-250-PTAB CB [30 x PTAB-2.5 Anti-Tank Bomblets]
11x SA-N-1b Goa [M-1M/P Volna-M/P, 4K91 / V-601]
2x SA-N-3a Goblet [4K60]
2x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
48x 125mm APFSDS-T
88x 125mm HE
57x 12.7mm/50 MG Burst [10 rnds]
24x 125mm HEAT
2x AA-2a Atoll [R-3S]
18x 57mm/81 ZIF-75 Quad DP Burst [6 rnds]
14x AK-230 30mm/65 Twin Burst [50 rnds]

SIDE: NATO
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x Harrier Gr.1
1x Jaguar GR.1
1x A-7E Corsair II
2x F-14A Tomcat
8x NM135 APC [M113A1]
8x 12.7mm/50 Quad M55
2x A-7B Corsair II
12x M-48A5 Main Battle Tank
5x 7.62mm MG/Unguided Infantry Anti Tank Weapon
2x A-6C Intruder
1x AvGas (400k Liter Underground Tank)
1x A-6E Intruder

EXPENDITURES:
------------------
227x AN/SSQ-47 Julie Active Range-Only
108x AN/SSQ-50B CASS
371x AN/SSQ-41B Jezebel LOFAR
49x AIM-7F Sparrow III
54x AIM-54A Phoenix
10x Mk46 LWT Mod 2
1x B57 Multipurpose Sub Bomb [20kT Nuclear]
32x AIM-7E4 Sparrow III
9x AIM-9H Sidewinder
80x Mk83 1000lb LDGP
60x Mk84 2000lb LDGP
16x AGM-45B Shrike [ARM]
22x BL.755 No.1 CB [147 x GP Anti-Armor Bomblets]
46x Mk13 1000lb GPB
28x AGM-62B Walleye II ER/DL
62x 127mm/54 HE-CVT [HiFrag]
10x 127mm/54 HE-PD [HiCap]
4x 127mm/54 WP
21x Rapier Mk1
44x 40mm/60 Single Bofors Burst [2 rnds]
76x 12.7mm/50 M2 MG Burst
119x 20mm/80 Rhinemetall Mk20 Rh202 Burst [20 rnds]
4x Blowpipe
2x 20mm/85 M61A1 Vulcan Burst [100 rnds]
20x CBU-78/B GATOR [45 x BLU-91/B Bomblets + 15 x BLU-92/B Mines]
9x Generic Chaff Salvo [5x Cartridges]
124x 105mm L7A3 APFSDS-T
124x 105mm L7A3 HE
120x 105mm L7A3 HEAT
86x 155mm/23 HE
200x 12.7mm/50 Quad M55 Burst [20 rnds]
5x Generic Flare Salvo [3x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
16x CBU-59/B APAM [717 x BLU-77/B Dual-Purpose Bomblets]
8x Mk20 Rockeye II CB [247 x Mk118 Dual Purpose Bomblets]
18x Generic Unguided Anti Tank Weapon
1x Carl Gustav recoilless rifle (84mm)
5x AGM-78D Standard [ARM]
15x 7.62mm MG Burst [20 rnds]
152x HYDRA 70mm Rocket
4x Mk77 Incendiary Bomb
1x Generic Chaff Salvo [8x Cartridges]
12x Mk82 500lb Snakeeye

SIDE: Biological
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------

EXPENDITURES:
------------------

SIDE: Cuba
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x Commercial Supply Vessel [6,000t DWT]

EXPENDITURES:
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