
                       
                             North Sea War       
                                                 
                                  by             
                                                 
                              M J Andress        
                       

        Downloaded from Dr. Who's Harpoon Page, filename NSWBLT1.


                         Scenarios for the GIUK
                               Battleset

                     Copyright (C) 1991 M J Andress
                          All Rights Reserved



                             North Sea War

Thanks for downloading this "Scenario Set".  It is meant to be used with
360's Harpoon (v 1.2) GIUK Battleset and requires an IBM PC compatible
machine with 640K of memory.

Just what is "North Sea War"?  Harpoon is primarily a game used to simulate
operational and tactical level naval conflicts between the USSR and the
United States (the MEDC Battleset is the exception).  "North Sea War" is a
set of scenarios postulating a limited war between the Northern flank NATO
allies and a newly formed Soviet Confederation.  With the Economic collapse
of the Soviet Union and their justifiable disinterest in world affairs how
does one come up with a reasonable hypothetical conflict between the major
antagonists in this scenario set?  Or does a scenario or set of scenarios
have to be reasonable and plausible?  I believe scenarios are more
enjoyable if the hypothetical fuse behind them is reasonable and plausible.
The basic hypothesis behind NSW is that the Norwegians, whose territorial
waters have been repeatedly violated by the Soviets, are finally in a
position to retaliate.  Due to the internal crisis taking place in the Soviet
Union and a perceived weakness in Soviet political and military resolve the
Norwegian military feels confident it can strike against intruding Soviet
naval vessels with impunity.

The Norwegians are wrong...

*Note - As of this writing the Soviet Union has ceased to exist as a
unified political and military entity.


                             About the Author

My name is Michael Andress and I am a production supervisor for a major
international medical equipment manufacturer.  Political and military
history are my hobbies.  I spent 10 years in the United States Navy, 2
years in training, 2 on subs and 6 on surface ships.  I study cause and
effect of Civil War and contemporary military and political conflict for
fun.  I prefer studying the politics behind what caused a conflict and then
I examine a conflict from an operational and tactical level (strategic
level stuff bores me for some reason), i.e. I study battles not campaigns.
Why did I create NSW - for the fun of it and hopefully to create something
others with my interests would also enjoy.  I  would greatly appreciate
your comments and suggestions concerning this "Scenario Set".  What do you
like and what do you not like.  Do you have ideas for other scenario sets?
I crave recognition more than money but if you think this set has value
then please send me what you think it is worth.

All comments and suggestions can be sent to me at:

                          Gamers Forum
                          CIS ID - 70353,2724
                                or
                          M J Andress
                          3604 SE 51 st
                          Oklahoma City, OK 73135

I will do my best to answer all inquiries.

NSW                                                            PAGE 1




SCENARIO: The Tango Incident

FILE:     NSWBTL1

SITUATION: The Soviet Union's economic and political problems have not gone
unnoticed or unappreciated by the lesser powers of the world, especially
the Norwegians.  The Norwegians have stood by and unwillingly accepted
intrusions into their territorial waters and insults to their pride by
Soviet vessels for years.  Payback time has arrived.

SCENARIO NOTES:  This is a slugfest for the Norwegian player because 
the computer controlled Soviet sub WILL fire on you.  Obey your orders 
to get the correct feel for what an ASW Commander goes through every 
time he makes contact with a sub during peacetime.  If you choose to 
play the Soviet side and follow your orders you will soon know what it
feels like to be a sub skipper in peacetime on a spook mission 
evading an unknown surface contact in enemy waters .  The computer 
controlled Norwegian ASW vessel will fire on you if he makes contact 
but that will only happen if you are unlucky (or unskilled) and are 
detected.  As the Soviet player feel free to modify your course but do 
not change the location of path points 4 or 5 as victory is determined 
by whether or not you get there.

DIFFICULTY: Blue: Easy
            Red :Easy

BLUE ORDERS: A Nimrod ASW aircraft, returning to Oslo from patrol, has 
detected a Soviet diesel submarine in our territorial waters.  The 
government has determined that it is time to draw the line and teach 
the Soviets a lesson.  Locate and drive the intruder from our waters.  
Take whatever actions you deem appropriate to accomplish your mission 
without using weapons.  You are authorized to destroy the intruder if 
fired upon.  Air assets report that the sub is on a northerly course 
heading towards international waters.

RED ORDERS: Comrade, your intelligence-gathering mission is complete, 
well done.  Head home.  SIGINT indicates that the Norwegians have 
detected your presence and are not pleased.  They are making 
aggressive noises to the world community, therefore you are advised to 
proceed with the utmost caution.  There are patrolling ASW aircraft in 
your area.  Do not fire unless fired upon.  It is more important to 
prove to the Norwegians that Mother Russia is still a power to be 
reckoned with and that we can come and go as we please.  Do not exert 
unnecessary force.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: This scenario could be a gunfight.  It could be over 
very quickly, or not, depending on YOUR skill.  The scenario was 
designed to teach basic ASW and as the catalyst action for the 
beginnings of North Sea War.  Blue will achieve victory if it damages 
or destroys the Tango (but don't fire until fired upon).

NSW                                                          PAGE 2




Red will achieve victory if it reaches its final destination.  You do 
not have to destroy or even damage the Frigate to win.  Both sides can 
achieve a level of victory providing the sub is not totally 
destroyed (in which case Blue will win and the war will start and Red 
will be DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!).  If no blood is spilled (a very possible 
outcome if you play Red and OBEY YOUR ORDERS!) then the rest of the 
scenarios postulated probably wouldn't happen but what the heck, go 
ahead and play 'em anyway.

NSW                                                          PAGE 3




SCENARIO: Escalation, the North Sea Allies Strike

FILE:     NSWBTL2

SITUATION: A Norwegian Frigate has been sunk and a Soviet SS has been 
damaged in an incident that has turned a world hoping for peace into 
one nervously looking over its shoulder.  The Soviet Union is in shock 
(after all - what nation in its right mind would challenge the power 
of the USSR, even one on the verge of collapse).  The Soviets, due to 
their present economic and political situation, are unwilling to 
retaliate at this time.  BUT the Norwegians feel entirely different 
and in retaliation for the loss of a Norwegian combat vessel and most 
of her crew (they seem to have forgotten that they started this) have 
declared that no Soviet vessels will be permitted into the North Sea 
by way of the Baltic entrances.  The British have counseled the 
Norwegians to caution but publicly declare that they will stand behind 
what ever the Norwegians decide to do (who knows, this could be the 
first stage in a resurgence of British world power).  The United 
States has publicly stated that the course that Norway has embarked 
upon is hazardous, provocative and that the US wants no part of it.

SCENARIO NOTES:  There are only 9 ships in this scenario - 3 Soviet 
Merchant vessels, 2 Soviet warships and 4 Norwegian warships BUT that 
does not mean victory will come easy for either side.  If you are 
inexperienced play the Soviet side, if you want an intermediate 
challenge play the NATO side.

For Blue the key to victory is finding the Soviets (which may be later than
sooner) and getting off the first shots (not too easy as Norwegian missiles
have a shorter range than Soviet missiles).

For the Soviets the key to victory is evading detection.  As in "Incident"
follow your orders to get the feel that this author wants.  Do not, as
the Soviet player, change the final destination of your convoy as you must
reach that point to achieve victory - you can change intermediate paths
though.

DIFFICULTY - Blue: Intermediate
             Red :Easy (depending on Blue's starting point and player
                        experience)

BLUE ORDERS: NATO Satellite intelligence has discovered a Soviet 
convoy of 3 Merchant vessels and 2 warships exiting the Baltic Sea 
into the North Sea in direct violation of our publicly stated 
interdiction order.  Indications are it will head south towards the 
English channel.  You are ordered to intercept the convoy and destroy 
the merchant vessels.

NSW                                                          PAGE 4





RED ORDERS:  Escort your convoy south through the North Sea towards 
the English Channel.  The Norwegian declaration concerning our access 
to the North Sea cannot be allowed to stand.  Exercise caution and 
avoid confrontation if possible.  You are authorized to destroy any 
Norwegian ships which fire upon you BUT DO NOT FIRE unless fired upon 
first.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: This scenario has a very real potential for being 
bloodless if the Soviet player does a good job of evading the 
Norwegians (but don't count on it).  For Blue, victory is dependent on 
DESTROYING THE MERCHANT SHIPS - this victory condition makes good 
sense because after all if it wasn't for sea transport there really 
wouldn't be much need for warships, well maybe RDF type stuff but in 
general blue water navies exist to protect merchant sea-lanes.  Since 
the Red computer player will fire on Blue as soon as Blue is detected, 
the challenge for Blue is to get close enough to the Red convoy to 
make his shorter-range missiles effective.  The PTM's torpedoes can be 
deadly if you can get in close enough to use them (which isn't very 
likely) .  For Red, victory depends on getting the merchant ships to 
their destination (which is the final point in the course plotted for 
the convoy).  What makes this scenario interesting for Red is the 
order to hold fire, otherwise he could just knock of the Norwegians 
with his longer-range missiles as soon as they are detected.  As Blue, 
the computer will approach very close to the Red force before firing 
since the victory conditions have been set to kill merchants (in fact 
in developmental versions of this scenario the victory conditions were 
set to kill USSR Merchants - in that case the computer controlled Blue 
force actually intermingled with the Red force until it positively 
identified the USSR Merchants before it fired which was kind of neat 
but not very realistic -  Not one playtester, including the author, 
could resist the temptation to fire on the Norwegian ships that were 
just fractions of miles away and heading straight for the merchants.)  
One thing this scenario shows is the superiority of even lightly armed 
Soviet surface ships over their equivalent NATO counterparts (this 
author believes that Soviet ASuW missiles are vastly superior to those 
of NATO - an obviously debatable point).  AND the human Soviet player 
will very likely get the rare opportunity to use guns IF he obeys 
orders and holds his fire until fired upon (the author has found guns 
to be extremely effective at very close ranges).  This scenario is the 
real lead in action for the North Sea War Scenario Set.  After this 
they get progressively more complex.

NSW                                                          PAGE 5




SCENARIO: North Sea Sweep

FILE    : NSWBTL3.SC1

SITUATION:  The attempted destruction by the Norwegians of a Soviet 
merchant convoy has forged the disintegrating Soviet Union, at least 
temporarily, into a unified group of peoples.  The ill considered 
Norwegian posturing has given the Soviet Republics common cause and 
good reason to band together; even the Baltic Republics declared their 
support for the use of force in the North Sea (after all if the sea 
lanes are closed to Soviet traffic its just possible the peoples of 
the newly independent Republics could starve this winter).  
Consequently the Republics have granted the Russian President (Boris
Yeltsin), who took control of the ex Soviet military machine, 
authorization to use what ever force he deems appropriate to keep the 
North Sea transport lanes open to Soviet traffic.  Yeltsin, flexing 
his new found muscles, declares to the world that glasnost or no, no 
nation will be allowed to blatantly challenge the power or threaten 
the well being of the Russian Republic and its allies.  Yeltsin 
publicly declares that any British (the British having previously 
declared their support for the Norwegians) or Norwegian warship coming 
within 60 miles of a Soviet warship or escorted merchant in the North 
Sea or its entrances will be destroyed outright, without warning!  
Yeltsin, sensing that he has stumbled on to the means of solidifying 
his power over the new Union, privately decides that war will provide 
the Union the pride and common cause to hold itself together.  In an 
attempt to inflame the issue and start an all out naval conflict, 
Yeltsin secretly orders a number of submarine groups into the North 
Sea with orders to destroy all the British and Norwegian ships they 
can find.  The British, who historically have controlled the North Sea, 
declare allegiance to the Norwegians and publicly declare that any 
Soviet warships that enter will be peremptorily destroyed.  In the 
back rooms of the British power elite it is considered quite unlikely 
that Britain and Norway can alone successfully challenge the Soviet 
Navy.  The British are counting on the United States for aid if the 
going really gets tough.  The United States secretly counsels the 
British to caution recognizing the possible consequences of a Soviet 
reunification that could result from the British declaration.  The 
United States publicly condemns the actions of all parties involved in 
this, as of yet, limited conflict.

DIFFICULTY: Blue: Intermediate
            Red :Intermediate

SCENARIO NOTES:  Unlike scenarios 1 and 2 this one will take some time 
to play (2 or more hours real time).  The computer opponent is tough 
regardless of which side you choose.  ASW/ASuW is the primary emphasis 
of this scenario.  Whichever side finds the other first will probably 
win.  It is possible for both sides to achieve minimum victory but it 
is impossible for both sides to achieve total victory.

NSW                                                          PAGE 6





Do not be discouraged if you do not make contact with the enemy 
quickly, it is guaranteed that if you do not change the starting paths 
of your forces you will make contact eventually.  The method you use 
to detect the enemy forces is critical.  You must control your force's 
speed and in the case of the subs their depth to maximize your chance of
locating the opposing force before it locates you.  The Blue forces have
helicopter ASW which is an effective search technique but if the subs
carefully control depth and speed they can locate the surface forces first
and avoid detection.

BLUE ORDERS: Weapons free!  Destroy all Soviet warships encountered 
within the confines of the North Sea.  Nuclear release is not, repeat, 
NOT authorized.

RED ORDERS:  Destroy all Norwegian and British warships you 
encounter.  Your prime target is the British carrier Illustrious which 
has recently entered the North Sea.  Future operations dictate that
you destroy Illustrious at all costs.  You are not under any 
circumstances authorized to use nuclear weapons.

AFTERTHOUGHTS:  This scenario can be a terribly frustrating experience 
no matter which side you play.  The designers of "Harpoon" have made 
it much too easy for surface ships to locate submarines (as an ex 
submariner that is only my opinion ) and when the computer is playing 
Blue it can be deadly if you do not skillfully maneuver your subs.  
Conversely the computer is very skilled at handling subs too and it 
can be difficult using just helicopters and passive ship sonar to 
locate subs and effectively attack them.

As Blue you must kill a substantial number of the Soviet subs to gain 
victory.  To achieve victory as Red you must sink the Invincible class 
carrier - no matter how many other ships you kill - BUT do not ignore 
the FF's or you cannot gain total victory.  As Red do not become 
disheartened if you lose 2 or 3 subs.  Playtesting by the author and 
friends has proven that you can achieve total victory with just 1 or 2 
subs left although if you get down to one sub a minimum victory is 
about the best you can hope for unless you are very, very lucky or 
very, very good!  There are at least two alternate starting points for 
each group and one group has an alternate path which makes this 
scenario playable a number of times with each play being different 
from the others.

NSW                                                          PAGE 7




SCENARIO: ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR

FILE    : NSWBTL4.SC1

SITUATION: The Soviet submarine sweep of the North Sea was successful 
and the British carrier Illustrious was sunk albeit not without losses 
to the Russians.  Yeltsin decides now is the time to finish this 
business and teach the British and Norwegians a lesson.  The easiest 
way to teach that lesson is to demonstrate to them the total 
superiority of Soviet military power over that of the British and the 
Norwegians.  Yeltsin's decision is to take Narvik as a demonstration 
of his power.  Hopefully, after taking Narvik the Allies will stop 
their futile posturing and the world can get back to some semblance of 
normalcy and the Soviet Confederation can get on with converting to 
capitalism (with the victorious Yeltsin in charge of course).

The British, having suffered a severe loss to their Naval power and 
prestige, are understandably reluctant to lose more men and material 
but the die is cast and less they appear to the world community as 
cowards unwilling to support their allies they send 2 air squadrons to 
Andoya in Norway and supply some frigates to be commanded by the 
Norwegian High Command.  The British Admiralty is debating whether or 
not to release a third air squadron to the Norwegians for air 
defense.  The British and Norwegians are desperately and publicly 
appealing to the United States for aid as they now fully appreciate 
the futility of challenging the Soviet Bear, even in its present state 
of economic and political disunion.

The President of the United States declares US neutrality even though 
provisions of the NATO treaty require that the United States support 
the British and Norwegians.  In the US, the political right sees the 
Soviet moves as a resurgence of the "Evil Empire" and calls for
military action; the left decries the actions of both combatants as 
naked aggression and demands that the US step in to end the war now.  
The Joint Chiefs advise the President that if we do nothing the 
British and Norwegians will soon be soundly defeated by the Soviets 
and the problem will resolve itself but the State Department is 
concerned about the world's reaction to a United States unwilling to 
support its NATO allies.  The President, bombarded from all sides with 
advice, has no idea what to do...

DIFFUCULTY: BLUE - if you can win this one you should be the Chief
                   of Naval Operations i.e. Very Difficult
          : RED  - Could be difficult if you follow the scenario
                   rules - if not it's a piece of cake

BLUE ORDERS: NATO SatInt has detected a large Soviet Amphibious group 
heading south along our northern coast.  Probable destination is 
Narvik.  Commander, you must stop this force at all costs or Norway 
will be subject to the whims of the Soviet Confederation like our 

NSW                                                          PAGE 8




brothers in Finland.  Our British allies have supplied two air 
squadrons and some frigates to the cause and may supply another air 
squadron.  All our remaining Naval forces have been placed under your 
command (your incompetent predecessor lost most of our Navy).  NATO 
will not release any nuclear weapons to us so their use is not an 
option (in game terms this means don't grant yourself nuclear release 
- hell even if you do it is doubtful you could deliver the weapon 
on target).  It is likely that the Soviets will attack our base at
Andoya with air units, react accordingly.  Our so-called friends in 
the United States still do not understand the necessity of stopping 
the Soviet threat now and nearby US forces are not under your 
command.  Good Luck Commander (you're gonna' need it)!

* Special note to Blue - there is a US presence in this scenario.  Do 
not command the ship/ships of the US that are in this scenario unless 
they are attacked or reach the end of their path and need orders.  If 
the US ships require orders at the end of their assigned paths then 
just order them to stop.

RED ORDERS: Commander, take your task force south and capture Narvik.  
A minimum of 4 of your amphibs must reach the debarkation point in 
order to assure enough land force presence to control Narvik.  Take 
out Andoya Air Base - our fighter and attack squadrons can use the 
practice.  US forces are reported to be in your OPAREA.  Do not attack 
US forces unless attacked - repeat - DO NOT ATTACK US FORCES UNLESS 
YOU ARE ATTACKED BY THEM!  Nuclear release is not authorized under any 
circumstance.  Mother Russia and the Confederation are depending on 
you to demonstrate to the world that we are not to be trifled with by 
pissant third rate powers.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: For Blue victory depends on sinking the Amphibs, for Red
on getting the Amphibs to their destination (i.e. Red can change the 
task force path but should not change the destination).

In reality it probably would not be as easy for the Soviets to capture 
Narvik as this scenario portrays, but almost.  I wanted to show the 
overwhelming superiority of the Soviet Naval and Air Forces over that 
of a typical NATO ally unsupported by US forces (and there aren't even 
any Backfire Bombers available in the scenario).  This is a much 
scaled down version of what would happen to any NATO ally without US 
support (some of you might argue that point).  Of course the British 
have a very potent SSN capability and a very capable air force (in my 
opinion their surface navy is a joke) - BUT so do the Soviets.  Adding 
the full power of the British Submarine and Surface Fleets as well as 
that of the Air Force to the Order of Battle would have required the 
same additions be made to the Soviet forces and the scenario would 
have become so large as to be unplayable and in my opinion such 
additions would not significantly alter the end results anyway.  In 
any event, it is extremely unlikely that the British would commit a 
significant proportion of their available forces to such a decisive 
battle unless the British Isles themselves were threatened).

NSW                                                          PAGE 9





One thing that can be seen from this scenario is the superior 
capabilities of NATO fighters in an air superiority role over that of 
Soviet fighters, though in this scenario the Soviets don't even really 
need what air power I have given them to win.  The air power is 
provided as a way to keep the action going until the surface forces 
come into play and as practice using air forces for later scenarios.

The Blue player can win very quickly if he/she happens to get his/her 
SS within striking distance of the Soviet amphibs (not likely), but if 
an attack fails or an alternate starting position is picked you might 
as well hang it up because its all over but the crying (unless you 
cheat and use the supplied US forces).  There is a chance of a British 
sub showing up near the Soviet Convoy but if as the Soviet player you 
can't sink it before it launches even 1 torpedo then give it up and 
join the Army 'cuz' the navy does not need commanders like you (unless 
you are obeying orders and identifying nationality prior to attacking 
in which case as soon as you detect the first torpedo blast away).  If 
you are playing Red the computer controlled Blue US force will attack 
the Soviet force if it runs into it (nature of the game - unfortunately the
scenario editor will not allow a "do not attack" mode for units) when this
happens feel free to attack the US forces but in order to provide more of a
challenge to the Red player you should positively identify any Blue force
as not being of US origin before you take it out unless it has already
attacked you (after all the commies ain't stupid - they saw what we did in
Iraq).  If you do try to positively identify a unit's nationality prior to
attacking it you will have a major problem at the beginning of the scenario
if the British sub turns up next to your task force.  As the Red player you
will have a real challenge if you obey the above, in fact you may even
lose.  The computer controlled Red player will automatically attack any Blue
force it encounters but that's ok because it fits in well with the situation
applying to NSWBTL5.  Once the US force is attacked by computer Red you
should as the Blue player start controlling it and you will then have a
slim chance of winning.  If you obey the preceding guidelines then this can
be a fun scenario for either side; if you do not then it's a cakewalk for
Red and near impossible for Blue.

US Force Notes: The Batfish (a Sturgeon class SSN) is one of a number 
of US submarines specially modified for surveillance missions.  The 
John Rodgers (a Spruance class DD) is one of a number of Spruance 
class DD's specially modified for surveillance missions.  These units 
may or may not show up in the scenario.  The author served on board USS
John Rodgers from 1982 - 1984.

NSW                                                          PAGE 10




SCENARIO: RAID, A Study in Confidence

FILE    : NSWBTL5

SITUATION: There was no way that the British/Norwegian alliance could 
prevent the Soviet Confederation from capturing the northern half of 
Norway.  The Soviet forces rolled over those of the allies with almost 
no opposition but in the process made a fateful error!  The US 
Submarine Batfish is sunk and the President of the United States no 
longer wonders what to do about the war taking place between Britain, 
Norway and the newly formed Soviet Confederation.  The President 
(rather hastefully) bluntly and undiplomatically orders Soviet forces 
out of Norway and declares that if they are not out within 1 week the 
US will commit military units to the war!  The Soviets react as 
expected and refuse, offering however to pay reparations for the lost 
submarine and to provide financial support for life to the family 
members of the crew.  They adamantly claim the sinking was accidental 
but in almost the same breath publicly wonder what the hell a warship 
of a noncombatant nation was doing in a declared war zone anyway.  A 
week comes and goes with no evidence of a Soviet pullout.  The 
President orders a Carrier Battle Group to make a raid into the 
Norwegian Sea to test Soviet strength and resolve.  The President 
hopes that by striking quickly and hard that the Soviets will, after 
experiencing the military might of the US, fully appreciate the 
difference in quality of force between third rate military powers and 
that of the United States.  Although the Joint Chiefs agree it is 
imperative to strike hard and fast (to get a good feel for Soviet 
capabilities) they have little hope that the action will achieve the 
President's political objective and they so advise him (after all no 
one ever said the commies were wimps).

DIFFICULTY: Blue - Intermediate
            Red  - Intermediate

SCENARIO NOTES: After playing this scenario you will fully appreciate 
the awesome power wielded by a US Carrier Battle Group (but don't get 
cocky - you haven't come up against a full-fledged Soviet Surface 
Action group yet - at least not one you had any chance of damaging).  
OR you will understand the power of interlocking land based air and 
long range bombers.

The key to Blue victory is to get within strike range of an airbase, 
destroy it and then get out without being blown out of the water while 
doing it.  This may be a quick raid but stealth is still critical 
against the numerically superior land forces which means taking out the 
opposition's long-range recon capability (i.e. if the commies find you 
and launch a massed Backfire strike you can bend over and kiss your 
rear goodbye).  The order and composition of your air strikes against 
your chosen airbase will determine whether or not your mission is 
successful (setting up your attack correctly can be challenging).  

NSW                                                          PAGE 11




Victory for Blue is based on destroying a Soviet airbase and getting 
to your path end point (change your intermediate path all you want but 
don't mess with the end point as it is where you need to get your 
carrier to in order to achieve total victory).


As Red you face 3 problems:

  1 - You don't know which airbase will be attacked so your air 
defense problem is complicated.
  2 - To achieve any kind of victory you must take out at least 4 US  
ships.  To achieve total victory you must get the carrier.
  3 - You don't know where the CBG is!

Problem 2 is the most difficult to solve - even with Backfire Bombers 
it is tough to get any aircraft close enough to the CBG to launch 
weapons let alone have any weapons get through - but it can be done 
(count on losing lots of planes).

BLUE ORDERS:  Admiral - enter the Norwegian Sea, pick a Soviet 
occupied airbase and destroy it.  Do not attack any port type targets 
as the increased rate of civilian casualties which would result are 
not at this time politically acceptable (nope - wouldn't be prudent at 
this juncture).  Return to the destination point designated in your 
Nav order (i.e. don't change the final destination point on the CBGs
path).  You have 3 days to accomplish this mission.  Protect the 
Carrier at all costs as there is only one other carrier presently 
available for future ops and both will most definitely be needed.

RED ORDERS: Commander - a US Carrier Battle Group is rapidly 
approaching the Norwegian coast.  The speed of advance and task force 
strength strongly indicates that this is only a raid.  You should 
therefore be able to handle the situation with land-based air only.  A 
sub group is in the area returning from patrol and has been placed 
under your command.  It is imperative the US be appraised of the 
superiority of our military quickly or we could become embroiled in a 
long and bloody war that our nation can ill afford.  We are depending 
on you.

AFTERTHOUGHTS:  A Carrier Battle Groups is indeed powerful but so is 
land based air as you will or have seen.  Unlike previous scenarios 
where unsophisticated brute force works as well as anything else, in 
this scenario tactics are the real keys to victory and either side or 
both can achieve minimum victory.

As Blue where and what ships you place in your formation screen will 
determine how early you detect incoming aircraft and missiles and how 
easily you can shoot them down.  I prefer a formation with the long 
range AAW ships in the main group with the carrier in accordance with 
US Naval Doctrine (contrary to what the Harpoon game designers 

NSW                                                          PAGE 12




recommend).  DDGs are placed in an AAW ring no bigger than 8 miles.  
DD's and FFGs are placed in a 24 - 32 mile ASW ring.  I then make a 
picket ring out to about 150 - 180 miles for CAP and ASW air 
missions.  This tactic works pretty well.  The FFGs with their SPS 49 
radars can pick up incoming aircraft and missiles soon enough for you 
to vector your CAP to any incoming threat.  They can also act as 
anti-missile platforms.  The larger AAW ships in the main body can be 
used to take out any aircraft that get past the CAP and the DDGs can 
act as the second layer of anti-missile defense plus taking out any 
aircraft that get past CAP.  The FFGs and DD's placed in the ASW 32 
mile ring can generally neutralize most submarine threats before they 
can attack the heavies if the ASW air assets don't get 'em first.

On the attack I launch 2 to 4 fighter missions against the airbase I 
am trying to destroy.  This tends to destroy or otherwise occupy any 
CAP at the target.  About 5 to 10 game minutes after the fighters 
leave I launch a small group of A-6's carrying Harms with Prowler 
support to take out the target's radar capability.  5 to 10 minutes 
after that I launch a large A-6 group with a standoff missile capability to
damage the target (if not destroy it) and to draw out any remaining CAP
(the standoff capability gives the A-6's the chance to quickly "Get the
Hell out of Dodge" after launch and still draw off some of the airbase's
defending CAP).  Soon after launching the A-6's all my F-18's are launched
with unguided weapons.  By the time the F-18's get to the target most of
the base will probably be destroyed. A tactic similar to this works
semi-well (emphasis on the SEMI) against Soviet Surface Action groups but
if you try it without modification against one your air strike will be
wiped out (hint, hint).  The aforementioned tactics are only one way of
approaching the problem of taking out a heavily defended land base with
naval assets but the beauty of "Harpoon" is the ability to experiment with
different techniques that is what makes this particular scenario
replayable.

As previously stated it is imperative that Blue locate and destroy 
QUICKLY every Red recon aircraft possible.  If Red gets a positive 
lock on your position rest assured that 100+ missiles launched from a 
Backfire group will soon be headed your way - Red will not need to 
bother with a second strike 'cuz' there will not be enough left of 
Blue to bother with.

To protect Soviet airbases I set up a CAP at no more than 60 - 90 
miles from the base (no US air units in the game have air launched 
ASuW missiles with a range greater than that).  Keep at least 2 groups 
of 4 fighters each at around 60 miles to perform intercepts.  Avoid 
taking on the attacking fighters if you can and save your stuff for 
the ground attack aircraft.  Keep a Mainstay up in the air with an EW 
aircraft nearby (I don't really know if the EW does any good but what 
the hell do it any way).  As soon as you detect an incoming enemy air 

NSW                                                          PAGE 13




strike (not air units probing your defenses) launch every-thing you 
have.  If there are bombers or support craft at the base under attack 
get them the hell out of there unless you are pretty sure you can stop 
the attack because aircraft on the ground will be partially if not 
completely destroyed.  Send all your fighters after the enemy ground 
attack planes ignoring enemy fighters if you can.  

The Oscar class SSGN supplied in this scenario has the potential for 
turning a losing situation into a winner.  Don't fire your cruise 
missiles as soon as you get within range.  Get a positive fire 
solution and get as close as you can to the CBG and then fire 
everything you have all at once..  This lowers the Cogs response time 
and you may get lucky and get a few missiles through.  Needless to say 
after you launch go deep and to creep speed to avoid detection by ASW 
air assets which will shortly arrive at the launch datum with every 
intention of wiping your sneaky rearend out.


Don't forget about the Backfires because they will win the game for 
you (in fact without them it is really difficult for Red to achieve 
much more than a minimum victory and then only at an extreme cost).  
Once you find the CBG mass your bombers in one large strike and 
protect them with as many fighters in front of their path as 
possible.  One large missile barrage from the Backfire force will 
overwhelm the CBG defenses and will probably provide you with a very 
quick total victory.  The SU-24's are little more than missile fodder 
but they do have a semi-respectable AAW capability and can take out a 
few F-14's on their way to the CBG and almost certain death (some of 
them will get through but not enough to really make a difference).

NSW                                                          PAGE 14




SCENARIO: Pride and Politics

FILE:     NSWBTL6

SITUATION: The North Sea War began because of PRIDE.  The North Sea 
War continued because of PRIDE.  The United States entered the WAR 
because of PRIDE.  The largest Naval battle to be fought since WWII is 
shaping up in the Norwegian Sea and thousands will die for PRIDE and 
POLITICS.  In the winter of '91 the President of the United States 
finds himself behind the proverbial 'Political 8 Ball'!  The Roosevelt 
CBG was severely mauled by Soviet land based air.  The victory the 
Soviets achieved over the vaunted military forces which so quickly 
destroyed the military might of Iraq has changed an economic derelict into
a new Union filled with the pride of victory over the most powerful
military force on the planet.  Political commentators the world over are
claiming that the cold war is back on, has turned hot and the United
States, in particular the President, is to blame (typical example of how
short media memory can be).  The victories in the Persian Gulf are
forgotten and the President's political prospects are dim unless he can win
another military victory greater than that which was won over the Iraqis.
In order to silence the headline hungry media the Soviet Confederation must
be completely crushed and its military power eliminated for all time.  To
do this the Soviet Confederation must be convinced that in any all out
congenital war it cannot compete with the economic or military might of the
NATO powers. The disunion of the Soviet Republics that existed prior to
the Norwegian incident must be reestablished for the free world to feel
safe again.  And so the President, in concert with the Premieres of Norway
and Great Britain, orders allied forces into the Norwegian Sea with the
objective of smashing the Soviets everywhere in Norway and striking the
Soviet Confederation's northern ports into destruction. The stage is set
for the final battle....

DIFFICULTY:  Blue - Difficult
             Red  - Difficult

SCENARIO NOTES: For those of you who like large, many unit battles 
this one's for you!  This scenario is more a war than a single 
battle.  The game abounds with air units, surface units and submarine 
units.  The victory conditions that have been set can be achieved in a 
number of different ways using any number of a different type of units 
or tactics.  The Red player has the edge in land based air - the Blue 
player has the edge in Naval forces.

Victory for Blue will be achieved by destroying airbases and ships.  
Total victory can only be achieved by destroying Arkangelsk (not an 
easy task).

Victory for Red will be achieved by destroying bases and ships.  Total 
victory will be achieved by taking out the carrier, battleships and 
some CGs.

NSW                                                          PAGE 15




All victory conditions are 'anded'.  See the Scenario Analysis for 
more details.

This is a very long scenario and will take a number of sittings to 
complete (unless you have a great deal of patience and a high stress 
tolerance).

BLUE ORDERS: Admiral, this is the big one.  The fate of the free world 
and peace in our time depends on your ability to destroy the renewed 
Soviet threat.  Smash the Red Navy wherever you find it.  Drive the 
Communists out of Norway and destroy Arkangelsk.  SOSUS has detected a 
large number of submarines blocking the Denmark Strait.  Air Strikes 
are expected against all airbases in Norway and Great Britain.  
Nuclear release is not authorized.

RED ORDERS: Tvarisch, the fate of our new Union rests in your competent
hands.  The NATO powers are going for broke.  You must smash their fleets
in such a manner that it will take them years to recover thus giving us the
time we need to completely convert to capitalism.  If you succeed the
future will be bright and we will develop the economic power needed to
forever protect our beloved Union.  If you fail we will become little more
than puppets of the West.  The use of nuclear weapons is not authorized.

AFTERTHOUGHTS:  I'll leave the comments for this one up to you.  Hope 
you enjoyed it.


APPENDIX 1



==============================================================
NSW Battle 1 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 458K
==============================================================
Force Evaluation

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       1            0     |
Ships -------|       1            0     |
  Combat     |       1            0     |
  Lrg Combat |       0            0     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
Subs --------|       0            1     |
  Nuclear    |       0            0     |
  Diesel     |       0            1     |
Aircraft ----|       2            0     |
  Combat     |       0            0     |
  ASW        |       2            0     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
-------------|--------------------------|
==============================================================

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 Tango sub must be on station for 0 hrs, 1 min, 0 sec.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1  sub must be damaged at 50%.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1  sub must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 Tango sub must be on station for 0 hrs, 2 min, 0 sec.

==============================================================


APPENDIX 2



==============================================================
NSW Battle 2 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 462K
==============================================================
Force Evaluation

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       0            0     |
Ships -------|       4            5     |
  Combat     |       4            2     |
  Lrg Combat |       0            0     |
  Support    |       0            3     |
Subs --------|       0            0     |
  Nuclear    |       0            0     |
  Diesel     |       0            0     |
Aircraft ----|       0            0     |
  Combat     |       0            0     |
  ASW        |       0            0     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
-------------|--------------------------|
==============================================================

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   2  ships must be on station for 0 hrs, 1 min, 0 sec.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   3  ships must be on station for 0 hrs, 1 min, 0 sec.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1  ship must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   3  ships must be killed.

==============================================================


APPENDIX 3



==============================================================
NSW Battle 3 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 472K
==============================================================
Force Evaluation

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       0            0     |
Ships -------|       8            0     |
  Combat     |       7            0     |
  Lrg Combat |       1            0     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
Subs --------|       0            4     |
  Nuclear    |       0            2     |
  Diesel     |       0            2     |
Aircraft ----|      18            0     |
  Combat     |       0            0     |
  ASW        |      16            0     |
  Support    |       2            0     |
-------------|--------------------------|
==============================================================


VICTORY CONDITIONS:

USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 Invincible carrier must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   5 ships must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   2 subs must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   4 subs must be killed.

==============================================================


APPENDIX 4



==============================================================
NSW Battle 4 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 491K
==============================================================
Force Evaluation

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       3            1     |
Ships -------|       9           14     |
  Combat     |       9            4     |
  Lrg Combat |       0            5     |
  Support    |       0            5     |
Subs --------|       3            0     |
  Nuclear    |       1            0     |
  Diesel     |       2            0     |
Aircraft ----|      42           47     |
  Combat     |      36           24     |
  ASW        |       6            8     |
  Support    |       0           15     |
-------------|--------------------------|

====================================================================

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   6 ships must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   3 Amphibious ships must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 Andoya base must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   4 Amphibious ships must be on station for 0 hrs, 30 min, 0 sec.

====================================================================

APPENDIX 5




==============================================================
NSW Battle 5 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 479K
==============================================================
Force Evaluation

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       0            4     |
Ships -------|      11            0     |
  Combat     |       8            0     |
  Lrg Combat |       3            0     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
Subs --------|       0            2     |
  Nuclear    |       0            2     |
  Diesel     |       0            0     |
Aircraft ----|      97          202     |
  Combat     |      60          184     |
  ASW        |      27            0     |
  Support    |      10           18     |
-------------|--------------------------|
==============================================================

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 carrier must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   4 ships must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1  base must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (OR) 1:
   1 carrier must be on station for 0 hrs, 10 min, 0 sec.
==============================================================

APPENDIX 6




==============================================================
NSW Battle 6 Analysis

Estimated free memory required to run this scenario : 575K
==============================================================
Evaluate Forces

Force comparison
-------------|- Blue Side --- Red Side -|
Bases -------|       8            6     |
Ships -------|      31           23     |
  Combat     |      20           14     |
  Lrg Combat |      11            9     |
  Support    |       0            0     |
Subs --------|       6            6     |
  Nuclear    |       6            6     |
  Diesel     |       0            0     |
Aircraft ----|     381          388     |
  Combat     |     300          300     |
  ASW        |      59           44     |
  Support    |      22           44     |
-------------|--------------------------|
==============================================================

VICTORY CONDITIONS:

USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 1:
   99 planes must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 2:
   1 Iowa ship must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 3:
   3  ships (CG) must be killed.
USSR TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 4:
   1  carrier must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 1:
   1  ship (Kirov) must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 2:
   2  ships (CG) must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 3:
   99 planes must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 1:
   50 planes must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 2:
   3 subs must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 1:
   2 subs must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 2:
   4 Combat Lrg ships must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 3:
   50 planes must be killed.
USSR MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 4:
   3 bases must be killed.
NATO TOTAL VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 4:
   1 Arkhangelsk base must be killed.
NATO MINIMUM VICTORY CONDITION (AND) 3:
   3  bases must be killed.
==============================================================
