

                                  NACVTC02

                                SOVIET SURFACE
                            RAIDERS TERRORIZE NATO
                                   SEA LANES

                          AN NACV HARPOON SCENARIO

                                     BY

                           Timothy Cox HARP BBS# 67
                               Prodigy JGNJ73A



                            MISSION BRIEFING


The war is six months old.  The high-tech battlefield has drained
the men and materiel of both sides, but like two punch-drunk boxers
staggering about the ring, the fight goes on.

Fuel has become a critical commodity for NATO forces in the European
theater.  Remaining armored units have been immobilized by shortages,
and aircraft sorties have been reduced to the bare defensive
minimum.  NATO commanders believe that the Red Army is now vulnerable
to a final offensive, but without fuel a breakthrough cannot be
exploited.  The stalemate in Poland can be broken permanently in
favor of NATO, but not without additional fuel reserves.

A convoy of three tankers and one supertanker is now at sea, bound
for Cherbourg.  The convoy is lightly escorted, but a hastily
assembled surface action group has been made available to help
with the convoy duties.  THIS GROUP WILL STEAM AT HIGH SPEED AND
RENDEZVOUS WITH THE TANKER CONVOY IN MID-OCEAN, AND ESCORT IT
SAFELY TO WITHIN RANGE OF LAND-BASED AIR COVER.

The Soviet air threat has been minimized by US carrier
deployments in the North and Mediterranean Seas, but with
Keflavik still in Soviet hands you can certainly expect long
range Soviet patrol aircraft to assist their surface and undersea
forces.  The Icelandic Resistance has reported that a few remaining
Backfire bombers arrived at Keflavik 48 hours ago, but this report
has not been confirmed.  Exercise caution, and DO NOT IGNORE THE
AIR THREAT.

Your greatest challenge, however, will be from two Soviet surface
groups.  With the loss of our last ocean reconnaissance satellite
last week, the exact positions of these raiders are unknown.  We
expect them to be operating in the central Atlantic, beyond the
range of our land-based air.  As near as we can guess, one group is
centered around a Kirov class battle cruiser, the other around a
Slava class cruiser.  The type and number of escorts are unknown.
These raiders are presumed responsible for the disappearance of several
merchant vessels and their escorts, and you can expect them to
aggressively prosecute any contact.  Soviet submarines, although
decimated by our Navy over the last six months, are still at
large and will pose a threat to the careless commander.

Your assets will be limited, especially patrol aircraft.  Of those
left to NATO, only a few ASW aircraft are available to help
search for the raiders.  Lose them, and your convoys will be open to
surprise attack by Soviet air, sea, and submarine forces.  The
French will contribute a small ASW task force, but they are
assigned coastal ASW duties, and cannot be ordered into blue water.

You can achieve a Minimum Victory by destroying the Soviet Kalinin
and Slava raiders, and a Total Victory by ALSO getting the
supertanker and at least one other tanker within effective air
range of Cherbourg (south of Ireland, north of Normandy).  The Soviets
will win if they can sink the tankers.  The tanker convoy must
maintain headway towards port - the fuel is desperately needed,
delays are unacceptable, and with only four days to cover a lot of
ocean, you can't afford to creep.  THE CONVOY MUST STICK TO ITS
ASSIGNED COURSE AND SPEED, UNLESS IN IMMINENT DANGER OF ATTACK.

Good luck, Commander.  Clear the seas of these hunter-killers,
and get that fuel to our men and women in the field.

Downloaded from Dr. Whos Harpoon Page, filename NACVTC02.
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