This AAR was in fact being written while the game is going.
Following the usual "play the weakling" rule, chose the South African side.
Assets: 4 frigates with guns and torps.
4 Mirage III aircraft with initial loadouts of 68mm rockets and bombs.
3 Shackletons.
2 HAS 1 helos, one initially with AS 11 (!)
Initial decisions:
1. Turned jamming on, sent frigates to the Strait at flank speed (which is quite unrealistic IMHO). Will be waiting half an hour to have one Wasp in the air.
2. Set 2 Shackletons to reload with bombs, launched the third ASAP to track anything in the Mozambique strait.
At 06:15 found that Mirages can have ATA loadout. Better later than never. 2 westernmost Mirages (at Hoedspruit AB) are ordered to reload with Sidewinders.
At 06:20 belatedly realized that Wasps HAS 1 have no on-board sensors. Decided to proceed with visual recon and only then reload the helo with missiles.
It's 07:45. One Mirage goes directly to Diego-Suarez to try and intercept any British patrol a/c.
08:15. Mirage is over the sea, can try turning radar on (and intermittently off).
08:51. S19 51' E39 58'. ESM air radar next to the Mirage - could be Shackleton - or a civvie
A French naval ship (Duperre class Tartu - Tartuf?) detected visually, classified as friendly. Backup Mirage launched. The Mirage pilot has never been in real combat; his grandfather, however, fought against the Brits quite a while ago.
08:52:46. Shackleton hostile. Time for the Brits to train in SAR routines.
08:53:10. Mirage launches two Sidewinders. The second one explodes near the Shackleton's right engine, breaking the wing. Only 6 parachutes appear in the sky. The Mirage pilot has enough time to register two rubber lifeboats as tiny specks in the waves. He breaks radio silence to report his first victory (umm, is it?) to Hoedspruit and then attempts to tell the French to pick the survivors. Lingustic difficulties become unsurmountable, with the French understanding only the bearing, the distance and something to the effect of "drowning". Ground controller from Hoedspruit sends a short wireless dispatch: "Return to base now."
08:54:30 Ground controller thinks twice and orders the Mirage to go first to vic. Beira and conduct recce along the way ("While you are not yet Bingo").
09:13:33 ESM ship radar (Type 992) detected by the homebound Mirage. EUREKA? The problem is that the ship(s) may be fitted with SAMs. Shackleton is rerouted to find out more. Mirage goes home.
09:15:45 Another ESM contact classified as : A Olwen (I still don't know why the RN has never named any ship Kilhwch
), A Tafelberg (South Africa has no tankers there!) or an Indian Talwar. Ruling out the impossible, it is a RN fleet oiler.
09:58:47 A skunk near FNS Tartu classified as MV Tatihou, neutral shipping.
10:00 It is evident that the Wasp helos are the main striking force. 2 hrs till two helos are ready. Meanwhile frigates are closing with the British force (full composition yet unknown)
10:02:56 The Shackleton gets sufficiently close to learn that the emitting British contact can boast a Type 978 FC radar. Is it Sea Cat equipped? The Shackleton crew is not very eager to find out, yet it is information of paramount importance for South African attack plans.
10:04:15 Type 978 FC goes active. Where are we?
10:04:30 Shackleton pilot consults the crew and turns radar on. It's better to know where the Brits are. The plane pulls up to 3.5 kms to have better visibility - for better or for worst.
10:12:45 Two ships: 177 degrees @ 12 knots. Does it mean there are two more ships hidden elsewhere? Shackleton retreats and starts scanning systematically. If I were in RN admiral's shoes, I'd have them lying in ambush in one of the coastal inlets.
12:52:46 S16 33' E40 26': A Mirage sent north along the continental coast gets another ESM Type 992 contact. Oh well. Mirage pilot wonders what it might be.
12:55:33 Another ESM contact. Type 978 FC. Not too good. Could the plane get within radar detection range? Turns out that no. The Mirage is Bingo, so only the first contact in the group is classified as hostile.
13:22:39 Visual detection of HS Doxa, another friendly surface combatant. It is not Mediterranean, though. This scenario is indeed an exercise in restraint for those of us who are trigger-happy with 'H' button used too often.
14:19:20 The presence of HS Doxa is easily explained by MV Agia Kiraki detected next to it.
There's something wicked with the Sidewinder stores at Hoedspruit. Every time a Mirage completes a scouting run with no missile expenditure whatsoever, the stores increase by 2. I'll assume it was 8 initially and not use anything beyond that (so now it's 6).
14:40:01 F Joao Cutinho spotted next to the northern group.
14:40:33 F Comandante Roberto Ivens detected. This stuff gets interesting!
14:40:54 Northern group fully identified: HMS Plymouth (guns only) and HMS Minerva (a Leander class ship with Sea Cats). Mirage goes home.
16:40:04 Beira group identified: HMS Andromeda (so Sea Cats are there) and RFA Olmeda.
16:41:15 With Mirage flying at 12 km, the Andromeda is helpless - Sea Cats won't reach the Mirage.
16:45:44 2 Mirages with bombs take off to have a high-altitude run on the Andromeda.
17:32:38 Mirages drop bombs on HMS Andromeda. It is still afloat yet damaged and on fire. Wasps are launched 189 nm away from the Beira group. With 30 knot speed the frigates will be able to close with the group.
18:22:50 Mirage finds the Andromeda abandoned and sinking. RFA Olmeda is still alive - not for long. Two bomb-armed Shackletons re-routed northwest.
19:30 1 hit from Wasps' AS.11 is registered. Shackleton strafes the oiler with all guns. Olmeda heavily damaged and aflame, its speed down to 10 knots.
19:31:39 Olmeda's speed drops to 2 knots. Mirages spend DEFA bursts on the wretched auxiliary.
19:43 Olmeda is sinking. Time to think out the plan to dispatch with next victims.
20:07 Wasps are back. My conscience interferes with the game and declares we're out of supplies of AS.11. Will have to see it through with bombs only.
20:13:22 VCs trigger. Nevertheless, I go on.
20:42:00 Patrolling Shackleton goes over the northern group at 5.5 kms - no missile smoke, nothing. Bombing run authorized.
21:45:50 Shackletons spend 10 bombs on the Minerva and 10 bombs on the Plymouth. Some strafing - and both ships are abandoned.
Losses for the RN:
1 Shackleton MR. Mk 3
2 Leander
2 Wasp HAS 1
1 Olwen
1 Rothesay
Expenditures for the RN:
46 114mm/45
15 40mm/60 Mk 3
23 Chaff (Corvus)
8 Chaff/Flare (Corvus)
55 7.62 MG
11 40mm/60 Twin Bofors
Expenditures for South Africa:
2 Sidewinder
20 30mm DEFA (x2) burst
4 Mk82 500lb LDGP
114 20mm Hispano (x2) burst
30 12.7mm/50 MG burst
4 AS.11
20 Mk13 1000lb GPB
Assessment:
1. I thought that South Africa was weaker. I was wrong. Next time I'm gonna pay closer attention to what Mike says in the scen info.
2. Playing South Africans is way too easy (at least with current air power). Perhaps the scenario can be released as UK-only.
3. Switch to Sidewinders paid off (or else, the recon route for the Shackleton was too obvious).
4. Having ECM available, I would quite often use it aggressively. Is it possible to make the British use jamming, too?
5. Under the database, Mirages can reload Mk82 too quickly (although I used no reloads here).
6. RN ADA is awful. RN ships are sitting ducks.
7. Nitpick: Antananarivo, not Antanarivo.
Comment on British VC's: running away is the way to go. The VC's could be made more binding (e.g. remain in the Strait - within South African reach/recon zones).
Playing for the RN: I would surely be tried for cowardice unbecoming a flag officer. All ships ordered to link up and abandon present stations, going as quietly as possible. Jamming is on.
12:36:22 9 Oct - Shackleton destroyed by a Mirage. South Africa is hostile.
My ships are already at Diego Suarez. Let 'em seek, as I have no desire to risk two remaining Shackletons. Perhaps the inquiry will acquit me.
06:00:00 11 Oct - VC's trigger. My ships are safe, Loss: 1 Shackleton.
South Africa expenditures: 2 30mm DEFA x2 Burst.
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). I was able to sink 1 frigate and damage another in my first round of airstrikes. In the second round I didnt sink anything, but may have caused some damage. By then my ships were in the area and thanks to a numbers advantage was able to sink the rest without loss.
