COMMAND: Northern Inferno Scenario 11: Fire and Brimstone Part 1

Introduction
The Buccaneers of the Ark Royal CVBG successfully attacked Soviet airfields with WE.177 nuclear bombs - but the carrier group did not survive the operation. Cornered off Bear Island between multiple Soviet submarines and subjected to a barrage of nuclear-tipped torpedoes and cruise missiles, the Ark Royal group has been eliminated.

Now on station to the north-east of Jan Mayen Island are the Saratoga and John F. Kennedy carrier groups. Their primary role now is to support NATO land forces to stem and turn back the Soviet units present in the north of Narvik.

Two airfields are now in Soviet hands, Banak and Bardufoss, providing critical air support to their land operations.

Norwegian Army units have engaged in fierce delaying actions to slow down every step of the invaders' advance. The defending Norwegian brigades have been decimated by continuous Soviet attacks, and the only remaining viable formation is the hollowed-out 15th Infantry Brigade supported by USMC, Royal Marine and Dutch Marine units.

This polyglot tactical group and the remains of a few tank units with M48 tanks and M113 APCs are holding the line 20 miles from Narvik; but they are short on men, equipment and supplies. The next big Soviet push may well dislodge them out of the area altogether. To prevent collapse of the front, the Saratoga and John F. Kennedy CVBG's have been tasked to support these units.

The two carrier groups, tied down to a finite area by necessity (to support the ground troops) instead of roaming free in the open sea, could hardly go unnoticed by Soviet surveillance. Numerous Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22M Backfire bomber squadrons have been redeployed from the quiet Southern Front to nearby airfields. These fresh and unhurt units, trained and equipped for the task of destroying NATO carrier groups, will now attempt to do just that.

Can the carrier groups protect themselves while also holding the line in Norway?

Orders for Cmdr NATO Forces
Situation
At present the 15th Infantry Brigade and the remains of 3 Cdo Brigade are holding the line 20 miles from north of Narvik. With the few remaining tank units they are attempting to stop the Soviet horde from taking Narvik.

The Saratoga and John F. Kennedy CVBGs have been tasked to support the 15th Infantry Brigade by suppression of Soviet mech-infantry and armoured units in the surrounding area.

Bardufoss with MiG-23 Flogger and Banak with MiG-21 Fishbed aircraft are also in Soviet hands and will need to be neutralized.

Soviet naval and air units are also on high alert to stop the transit of both CVBGs to the area of operations.

Recon imagery of Banak air base

Enemy Forces

Surface : Two surface groups remain undetected in the area around Spitsbergen.

Air : SNA and PVO units known to be on high alert, they are as follows:

• Tu-16Z Badger A Tanker
• Tu-16P Badger H Chaff Layer
• Tu-16P Badger J Jammer
• Tu-95MR Bear E Photo Recon
• Tu-95RT Bear D MRR
• Tu-22M Backfire B Strike
• Tu-16K-10-26P Badger C Mod Strike
• MiG-23BN Flogger H Attack
• MiG-21SM Fishbed J Fighter

Subsurface : SSN, SSGN and SSK remain unlocalized in your area.

Ground Forces : 37th Motorised Rifle Division, with supporting armour and artillery.

SAM-AAA : SA-6, SA-9 and AAA systems reported around Bardufoss and Banak airfields, Red Army units with AAA and SA-7 SAMs.

Friendly Forces
Carrier Strike Group One : USS Saratoga CV, USS Albany CG, USS Richmond K. Turner CG, USS Sampson DDG, USS Lawrence DDG, USS Morton DD,USS Garcia FFH, USS Truett FFH, USS Detroit AOE, USS San Diego AFS.

Carrier Strike Group Three : USS John F. Kennedy CV, USS California CGN, USS Wainwright CG, USS Mitscher DDG, USS Brumby FFH, USS Francis Hammond FFH, USS Neosho AO, USS Mount Baker AE.

RAF Mildenhall

• 55th SRW (RC-135 Rivet Joint)
• 117th TRS-ANG (RB-57)

Evenes

• 1 Sqn (GR.3 Harrier)

Bodo

• 54 Sqn (GR.1 Jaguar)

Mission
1. Conduct strikes against Bardufoss and Banak airfields.
2. Once located, engage and destroy the 37th Motorized Division and supporting units.
3. Locate and destroy Red Banner Fleet units in your area.
4. Detect and neutralize Soviet submarines in your area.

Recon imagery of Bardufoss air base

Execution
1. Saratoga and John F. Kennedy carrier groups to take up station as per patrol boxes.
2. Nuclear Release authorised on ASW and AAW weapons, NOT on strike weapons.
3. Conduct operations as per Mission Briefing.
4. Use Recon and ELINT assets at RAF Mildenhall to locate Soviet forces.

Command and EMCON
Command: USS Saratoga
EMCON: alpha-limited emissions.

Initial Positions

October 2, 1975, 0600Z 
This is a daunting mission. So daunting it's hard to know where to begin. I need to support NATO ground forces by locating and destroying the Soviet 37th Motorized Division. That's easy enough. But I also need to conduct strikes on Bardufoss and Banak airfields. Okay, more strikes is fine.  But I also have to worry about Soviet submarines. That goes with the territory. Soviet subs are everywhere, all the time. But I also have to worry about two Soviet surface groups. Which undoubtedly I'll have to destroy if I find them. My attack aircraft are going to be working overtime, and to manage it all, so will I. But then, the icing on the cake are the "Numerous Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22M Backfire bomber squadrons have been redeployed...to nearby airfields."  Groan. Normally, defending a CVBG against Backfires would be a scenario in itself, and surviving is a victory. But no, I have to not only survive, but kick butt all over Norway.

Fortunately I have two CVBGs to do it.

USS John F. Kennedy and USS Saratoga

After looking over my assets for a bit, I start to tackle things methodically. Force protection is always a primary concern, so I set up ASW patrols around my carriers and on their projected course. Next I set up AWACS support missions. After that comes some CAP aircraft--some F-14s from the JFK will handle that. I have 36 hours until the scenario completes, but there is no sense in waiting. I will launch an immediate strike against Bardufoss.

060019Z Before I even begin to plan out the strike, I detect a surface contact, and then shortly after an airborne contact, which turns out to be a Ka-25Ts Hormone B. Perhaps I will have to deal with the Soviet surface forces first.

Enemy contacts appear

060453Z More contacts are appearing all over the place. Multiple airborne contacts are detected near Bardufoss, likely MiG-21s which are planning on striking the NATO ground forces. A Tu-95MR Bear E (Photo Recon) is detected south of Spitzbergen, while a Tu-95RT Bear D (Maritime Recon) is detected between the CVBGs and the Greenland coast.  I'm going to need to send out some aircraft to take care of those snoopers. I launch a pair of F-4s from the Saratoga to go after them.

There are nine MiG-21s flying near Bardufoss. I launch a Recon F-8 Crusader from Saratoga to head near Bardufoss in the hopes of detecting their ground forces, and also a Harrier GR.1 from Evenes Air Base to do the same. As soon as I have detected the ground forces, I can launch strikes from Evenes and Bodo.

I lose contact with the MiG-21s, and it almost looked like they were heading northwest, towards my carriers. I launch some A-7Es with Shrikes to go for Bodo, and then USS Richmond K. Turner detects a subsurface contact, close to the Saratoga battle group.  Things are getting busy very quickly.

Things are getting busy...

My Phantom tasked to take out the Tu-95RT Bear D closes in to missile range, lights off its radar, and shoots down the snooper.

063026Z My recon Harrier near Bardufoss picks up some enemy forces, but then is fired upon by SAMs.

SAMs are launched at my Harrier

Fortunately the two SAMs miss, and the Harrier IDs it as an SA-6a Gainful Battalion.

Near the Saratoga battle group, one of my Sea Sprites drops on the subsurface contact, which turns out to be a Zulu IV submarine.  At nearly the same time, my F-14s launch missiles against a Bear E and a Hormone.

The second torpedo kills the Zulu IV SSK.

The Zulu IV is sunk.

Literally less than a second later, 300nm away, the Bear E is shot down.

My E-2C Hawkeyes get on station, and I light off their radars. My earlier suspicions about the MiG-21s are correct, as I detect large amounts of  aircraft to the southeast--apparently they're looking for the carriers. I also detect some surface units near Bear Island.

Contact!

I detect three Vampires headed towards my ground forces.

Vampires inbound

I lose contact with the vampires, but then I detect them again heading towards Evenes Airbase.

Vampires inbound!

Based on Soviet actions in the past, I'm worried they might be nukes. They are FROG-7 cruise missiles, which are nuclear capable...fortunately, they are FROG-7bs, which is the conventional version.

The F-14s on CAP attack the inbounds

The inbound fighters seem to be maneuvering towards whatever they can detect. Meanwhile, my Hawkeyes detect some Su-15MF Flagon Ds north of Banak, perhaps going after my CAP as well.

064116Z A Phoenix launched from one of my F-15s splashes one MiG-21SM Fishbed J. Soon after another Phoenix downs a Fishbed.

By this time all of my ready F-14s are already airbone, and it will be some 2 hours and 17 minutes before the next group is ready.  I will have to rely on Saratoga's F-4 Phantoms to supplement the CAP.

Two more Fishbeds are downed, and the Flagons are moving in from the southeast.

F-14s deal with the Fishbeds while the Flagons move in.

Before my F-14s can get in range of the Flagons, they turn and head for home, possibly low on fuel.

070212Z While dodging SAMs, my Recon Harrier is shot down over Bardufoss by a ZSU-57 57mm AA gun.

One of my F-4s from Saratoga shoots down a pair of Fishbeds before heading home.

071946Z It looks like a raid might be shaping up.  A Bear D and a Bear E are closing in on my CVBGs, and many other aircraft are behind, but so far it appears they might be Flagons.

A raid might be shaping up to the east

I shoot down the Bear D, and my Fighters are going after the Bear E, but my strike is closing in on Bardufoss so I have to check in on that.

My strike moves in.

My A-7s damage the SA-6 battery with their Shrikes, and then my Intruders do some minor damage to Bardufoss. A pair Harriers out of Evenes attack next, further damaging the SA-6 battery, and another pair of Harriers take out an M1939 85mm air defense gun.

Next inbound are a pair of Jaguars out of Bodo, and a pair of A-7s from Saratoga carrying Walleyes.

More strikes inbound

My Walleyes hit the underground Ammo dump at Bardufoss, destroying it. The Jaguars have difficulty localizing their target, and maneuver over the area, taking lots of fire as they try to locate it. One of the Jaguars is shot down, so I reassign them. (that is, unassign them from the mission, remove the troublesome target from the target list, and then reassign them to the same mission, and they automatically choose another target) It has difficulties locating this target too, but at least it's not under continuous anti-aircraft fire while it searches.

RAF Jaguar attack aircraft

Eventually the Jaguars locate and destroy some tanks.  Other strike aircraft miss their targets. I've managed to damage the Soviet forces a bit, but the area will definitely need followup strikes. It will be an hour before more strike aircraft are ready on Saratoga, and four hours for the Harriers and Jaguars in Norway. For the moment the skies are quiet.  But that may be about to change...

Continued in Part Two.