COMMAND: Northern Inferno Scenario 13: Deliverance Part 2

In Part One of this scenario, my surface groups set a course for Keflavik to retake Iceland from the Soviet occupation. The Soviets want to keep it, however, so immediately I had to start fending off air attacks. The first raid cost me some F-8 Crusaders, but I wiped it out before it could launch any missiles. The second raid was nearly wiped out, but managed to get off some missiles and damage the USS Harry E. Yarnell, a Leahy-class cruiser defending the Iowa group, significantly reducing the air defense capability of that group.

And now, with all of my fighters refueling and rearming, a third raid is inbound, the largest of them all. If I can take out the raiding aircraft, I will have severely reduced the striking power of the Soviets, leaving Iceland open for my own strikes. But first, I have to survive...

October 15, 1975, 092113Z

A large raid is inbound to attack the NATO fleets

A massive raid is inbound to my fleets, and I have essentially no fighters available to stop it. I light off Clemenceau group's radars, in the hopes of distracting some of the raiders away from the other two groups.

It appears that my E-1B Tracer is being targeted by some MiG-23 escorts, so I shut off its radar and have it dive to the deck in hopes of preserving it, but it is painfully slow. I launch another Tracer from Oriskany but will keep it closer to home.

092243Z My two French F-8E Crusaders approach the MiG-23s in the hopes of protecting the E-1B Tracer, and the MiGs launch missiles at them. One of the Crusaders is shot down, and again I am reminded at how much the Crusaders are outmatched by the MiG-23s. With the MiGs having radar guided missiles, the Crusaders don't stand a chance against them.

The MiG-23s go after my E-1B Tracer

The Crusader's sacrifice is in vain, as a pair of MiGs turn back and go after the E-1B Tracer, now flying low and at top speed, but it has no chance of outrunning the MiGs.

Dropping below 100ft ASL, the Tracer succeeds in evading the first two AA-7 Apex As. The second Crusader, on the other hand, is engaged in a desperate dogfight with four MiG-23s. After dodging several missiles, the Crusader is shot down.

The Tracer, on the other hand, is giving its Flogger pursuers a run for their money as they have difficulty engaging it when it is flying at a mere 80 feet altitude.

The relief Tracer, staying over the Oriskany group, climbs steadily and lights off its radar early in hopes of picking up the raid. It does, and also detects multiple missile launches. The Vampires appear to be heading towards the Oriskany group, which is preferable to them heading towards the Iowa group.

A lot more raiders than I want to deal with.

Some of the earliest launched Vampires, a quartet of AS-9 Kyles, run out of energy and self-destruct. The launching aircraft must have launched them far too early, which is some welcome news. The fact that they are Kyles means the launching aircraft are Su-24 Fencers, since MiG-27s don't carry them.

Su-24 Fencer

093031Z By now some of the MiG-23s are turning for home. My French F-8Es are attempting to engage some of the Fencers headed towards Clemenceau, but their R.550 Magics are incapable of engaging targets flying at 200ft ASL. Great.

The good news is that for the moment, my Tracer looks like it might survive, and I hope I didn't speak too soon.

Four more AS-9 Kyles run out of energy and self-destruct.

USS Dale begins launching SAMs at more approaching Kyles.

I sent my my French F-8Es in pursuit of some retreating MiG-23s because they couldn't engage the very low flying Fencers. Fortunately, they catch up and manage to shoot down two before they run out of Magics.

USS Dale is in trouble

USS Dale launches SAMs left and right, shooting down many AS-9s, but it is getting low in SAMs. USS Semmes assists by launching its own, but one is getting uncomfortably close.

At a range of under 3 miles, Dale succeeds in shooting down a Kyle, but it is down to ten RIM-67A SM-1ERs. The next one comes in, and Dale is hit. The damage appears to be restricted to Dale's helo pad, as its radars are still active.  But there are still six Vampires inbound, and more strike aircraft on the way from the southeast.  USS Dewey begins launching SAMs.

Missiles all over the place...

As it stands, it looks like one Kyle is headed towards Dale, possibly three towards Semmes, and two more headed for Oriskany and her close escorts.

A Kyle misses USS Semmes by 298ft, lightly damaging her AN/SPG-53F [Mk68 GFCS, Radar]. Two more Kyles are inbound.

Another Kyle misses USS Dale by 46ft, giving her some blast damage, but she's still in the fight.

Three Vampires are left in the first wave, two inbound for Semmes and one headed for either USS Robert A. Owens or USS Voge.

Of the two Vampires targetting Semmes, one malfunctions and the other misses by 32ft, damaging her. Her 324mm Mk32 TT Triple is heavily damaged, and her AN/SPG-53F [Mk68 GFCS, Radar] is destroyed. Fortunately that's just the fire control radar for her gun systems, so her SAMs are still able to fire.

USS Semmes

The bad news is that another wave of eleven Kyles are inbound, and worse, my Tracer has detected another air raid from Keflavik, consisting of at least ten aircraft. I'm starting to think that the Soviets have stationed their entire air force at Keflavik.  By my estimates, they must have a regiment of MiG-23s, and maybe three regiments of attack aircraft (Fencers and Floggers), for a total of some 84 aircraft. I'm beginning to think NATO was by no means ready to take back Iceland...

My fighters won't be ready to launch for over an hour, but when they are, I need to do a massive Alpha Strike against Keflavik.  If  survive these raids, I need to take out Keflavik's ability to launch more raids, because I certainly won't survive them. The way things are going, I'm far from certain I'll survive this one.

More and more Vampires...

A Kyle misses USS Robert A. Owens by 59ft, delivering blast damage and heavily damaging its AN/SPG-35 [Mk56 GFCS].

Dale shoots her last SAM, but there are still six Kyles inbound. She fires his 76mm gun, to no effect.

USS Dale sinks

The first Kyle hits Dale, heavily damaging her, and the second blows the ship apart.

Then a Kyle impacts USS Oriskany, damaging her and lightly damaging her AN/SPS-37.  Kyles intended for the sinking USS Dale change course and search for other targets, among them the Oriskany.  USS Dewey and USS Semmes, rapidly running out of SAMs, continue to fire at the inbounds.

USS Dewey

USS Semmes is hit by another Kyle, delivering more blast damage and damaging its AN/SPS-39. A Kyle hits USS Lang, severely damaging her, and another Kyle hits Oriskany, causing a severe fire.

Lang suffers a near miss, Dewey shoots down a Kyle at a range of under three miles, and the final Kyle in this wave, headed for Oriskany, runs out of energy and self-destructs two miles from the carrier.

I decide I can't wait any longer. If the next strike (now numbering sixteen aircraft) launches its missiles (and there's no reason to think it won't), I won't be able to strike Keflavik at all.  I launch everything I have available at Keflavik. There will be no fighter escort...but it can't be helped.

The majority of my strike will go for the Runway Access Points at Keflavik, while the remainder, armed with cluster munitions and rockets, will go for Tarmac spaces in the hopes of hitting aircraft on the ground.

The last pair of Su-24 Fencers gets off their missiles, and Dewey and Semmes launch SAMs. One gets through and hits Semmes, dealing severe damage, including fire and flooding. Semmes is likely doomed. Another Kyle hits USS William R. Rush, dealing light damage. Dewey is the sole remaining SAM armed ship in the group, and it has only 8 SAMs left.

Despite a severe fire, Oriskany manages to launch its A-7 strike aircraft, and Clemenceau launches its Etendards. (I was surprised that Oriskany had no problems with flight operations (both launch and recovery) of aircraft despite the fire. Perhaps the fire was below decks and downwind? In any event, I'm not complaining)

Dozens of Soviet aircraft fill the sky

One of my E-1B Tracers, without any F-8 Crusaders to sacrifice themselves in its stead, is chased down by MiG-23s and shot down.

Clemenceau detects several Vampires headed its way. Hopefully the Suffren can handle them. As the Vampires approach, I wonder why Suffren isn't firing at them as they are well within range, and then I find to my dismay that the Suffren's Masurca Mk2 Mod3's can't engage them when they are below 100ft.  Fortunately, to my immense relief, several of the Vampires, AS-9 Kyles, run out of energy and self-destruct well short of the targets. Unfortunately, more Kyles are on the way. My only consolation at this point is that I'm relieved that they aren't going after the Oriskany or Iowa groups.

Suffren is able to engage a few of the Vampires, but unfortunately keeps losing contact as the Vampires descend below 100ft, and Suffren's SAMs lose track and cannot engage. The Vampires continue in, unperturbed. Several AS-12 Keglers close in on FS Tourville, but fortunately they self-destruct just short of her.

101308Z My strikes are well on the way to Keflavik, shadowing the returning Soviet strike.  My surface fleets have taken some serious punches. In the Iowa group, USS Harry E. Yarnell has a major fire and major flooding.  In the Oriskany group, USS Semmes has a minor fire and minor flooding. USS Lang has a severe fire and minor flooding. USS Robert A. Owens is lightly damaged. USS Dale is sunk. And USS Oriskany herself has a severe fire, but has been able to conduct air operations.

Whether my Keflavik strike will deal sufficient damage to allow the mission to continue remains to be seen...

Continued in Part Three.