fitzpatv
Posts: 127
Joined: 3/20/2019 Status: offline
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In this one, you are in charge of five Israeli missile boats, ordered to raid the Syrian port of Latakia at the outset of the 1972 Yom Kippur War. You are told to expect Osa and Komar missile boats armed with long-range Styx missiles and warned to avoid neutral casualties in this busy shipping area. The Israelis historically relied on ECM and decoys to spoof the Styxes. I arranged the boats into line abreast, keeping them fairly well spread-out and advanced into the mission area. Soon spotted several neutral cargo vessels, easily identifiable by their slow speed (unless the Syrians were being canny, of course). A P-6 torpedo boat then appeared and was sunk by the left-flank boat, Ga'ash, despite a missile malfunction and having to amend WRA to target such a small foe (the alternative was to get within enemy torpedo range). Presently, an Osa and two Komars were sighted, with neutrals nearby. The Ga'ash and her consort, the Hanit took them out with pairs of Gabriel missiles. These have a shorter range than the Styx, but the Syrian advantage was negated by their lack of corresponding long-range sensors. A half-dozen retaliatory Styxes came the way of the Israeli boats, but the Chaff decoys and jamming were remarkably effective (up to 100% chances) and they all missed. A second P-6 trailed-in, but was destroyed by two Gabriels from Hanit (the first malfunctioned again). So far, I'd only needed two of my five boats, but a foolish minesweeper gave the flagship Reshev something to do, which ended the scenario in a Triumph, with 800 points. Keeping spread-out worked well, as the Syrians targetted a couple of boats with all of their missiles whereas, had I been bunched-up, all five might have been endangered. It also gave me a good choice of angles of attack and wider radar coverage. Surprisingly easy, particularly given the difficulty indicator in the scenario description (I've not found these ratings a good guide, overall). The option to play the Syrians would have been interesting.
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