                  HARPOON BATTLESET GIUK: THE SKAGERRAK CONVOY
                        Scenario Concept by Lance Micklus
                         Essex Junction, Vermont 05452



          NATO OPERATIONAL ORDERS:

          1) You will safely take Carrier Convoy Group ADC from its
             departure point in the Northern UK, across the North Sea into
             the Skagerrak Sea and Oslo base.

          2) You will protect Oslo base from attack since it is a prime
             Soviet target.

          3) You are to destroy the Soviet bases at Orland and Bergen in
             Norway.

          4) You are to attack and destroy all other enemy contacts
             encountered.


       INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING:

           The Soviets have brought in a formidable arsenal of aircraft,
           surface ships, and submarines. Fortunately, most of this force
           has not had time to properly organize into an effective
           offensive group. Most of their surface ships are scattered in
           the North Sea. Their air strikes must come from bases far to
           the North where they must cross great distances and will lose
           the advantage of surprise. The enemy is also at the
           disadvantage in that they may not know the exact location of
           your Carrier Convoy Group ADC. However, they don't have to be
           too smart to figure out where ADC eventually be - which is at
           the entrance to Skagerrak Sea. Therefore, they may set up a
           blockade there and wait for you. We also know they have a few
           of their best subs in the area and will resort to nuclear
           weapons if they need to. The President of the United State is
           presently considering granting you permission to use nuclear
           weapons. You will be notified if he approves your request.


       VICTORY CONDITIONS:

           1) You must get at least 14 ships from the Carrier Convoy Group
              ADC into the Skagerrak Sea and Oslo Base.

           2) You must destroy the Soviet bases at Orland and Bergen.

           3) You have 36 hours to complete your mission.



                                BACKGROUND

           One problem the Soviets face in dealing with an attack from the
           West is that NATO controls the sea in an area known as the
           GIUK. In a confrontation where the USSR must have free access
           to the Atlantic Ocean, it would have to break NATO's stronghold
           of the area.
           Most likely, the Soviets would come down the Norwegian coast
           and secure airbases there. Using these positions as a launch
           point, they could then take Keflavik, Iceland. Were that to
           happen, they would have control of both sides of the Norwegian
           Sea and clear access to the Atlantic Ocean.

           The loose screw in this whole plan is the base at Oslo, Norway.
           If NATO could keep this base supplied, then they could drive a
           knife in the Soviets' back. This is the problem that this
           exercise will focus upon.

           A look at the map will be very informative. Soviet bases in
           Norway at Bodo, Orland, and Bergen are far enough away to make
           a strike in the North Sea difficult. On the other hand, to get
           from Britain to Oslo means going through a narrow area at the
           Southern tip of Norway. This would be an excellent place for a
           blockade. Fortunately, NATO presently controls this area with
           air reconnaissance from Oslo and Stavanger - but this could
           change during a conflict.


                                      SYNOPSIS
                  
       FOR NATO: Their objective would be to establish and secure a supply
           line to Oslo. Oslo would then become the launching platform for
           a major offensive up the Norwegian and Swedish border to divide
           the Soviet invaders.
       FOR THE SOVIETS: Their primary objective would be to destroy any
           supply line to Norway. Then, once their positions along the
           Norwegian coast are secure, they can launch a second offensive
           to take control of Iceland.



                              TECHNICAL NOTES


        MEMORY REQUIREMENTS:

           This scenario requires all available memory unless it is run in
           CGA mode. More than 400 ships and planes play an active role in
           this action packed naval exercise. Once the missiles start
           flying (that won't take long) and each side starts launching
           attacks, both the software and the hardware will be taxed to
           the maximum. To reduce the impact of such a large amount of
           activity suddenly coming on line, set the game options as
           follows:

          NATO/USSR (OPTIONAL) - Decide which side you want to play.
                You'll find that playing both the NATO and USSR side offer
                an exciting yet different challenge. It's one thing to be
                the hunter, but it's something else to be the hunted.

          POSSIBLE NUCLEAR RELEASE (RECOMMENDED) - The scenario is
                designed to be played with this option selected "YES".

          SNORKELING SUBMARINES (REQUIRED) - The USSR will be at a
                disadvantage if this option is disabled by selecting "NO".

          REALISTIC WEATHER (OPTIONAL)

          NORMAL MAINTENANCE FAILURE (OPTIONAL)

          START WITH FULL ORDNANCE (OPTIONAL)

          AUTO FORMATION AIR COVER (REQUIRED) - This scenario is designed
                to give both sides good air and sea cover at the start of
                the exercise. By selecting "YES", the computer will
                automatically position hundreds of planes and ships in a
                good starting position. This reduces set-up time, helps
                the program operate at maximum efficiency, and use the
                least of amount of memory at the start of the game.
                Program overload will be a potential problem during the
                first couple of hours of game time. By selecting this
                option and using [ALT]-[F6] to monitor your available
                memory, you shouldn't run into any difficulties.

       STARTING THE GAME: Select any game (Dawn Patrol is a good one) from
           the GIUK menu. Once the game has begun, press [ALT]-[F1] to
           QUIT and go to the game scenario menu. Select SKAGCNVY and LOAD
           it. Select the above game options when prompted. When the game
           clock starts ticking, give the program 30 seconds of game time
           to settle in. Use this time to set up your radar and sonar
           configuration. After the 30 seconds is up, you can start
           launching your attacks and patrols. May victory be yours.


           Downloaded from Firedrake.org, filename LMSKAG.
