BALTAP Reprasentative Schnellbootlage 1970

[fitzpatv]

The second BALTAP scenario (taken in chronological order) is a Baltic version of the First Contact series in the Standalone pack. In 1967, the West Germans began upgrading their Type 142 Zobel MTBs to the improved Type 142A, which had better radar and torpedoes. As part of this process, they ran an exercise to compare how the two models would fare against an escorted Soviet amphibious convoy off the coast of Zealand, Denmark.

Commanding the Germans, your force is randomised a couple of seconds into the game, so there’s no point in doing any analysis, orders or doctrine changes before then. On my first playthrough, I got the rough end of the deal and was given eight of the older Type 142 boats, instead of an all-142A or mixed force. As the briefing admits, this is a tall order.

Baseline Type 142s are armed with Mk8 Straight Runner torpedoes (admittedly seven per boat), which are unguided and have a range of just 3nm. They also have 40mm cannon.

This isn’t great, as the opposing force has two Kotlin-class frigates with 130mm guns (range 10nm) and good surface search radar. As if this isn’t enough, there’s a flotilla of three Osa boats with four Styx missiles each and two groups of three Shershen boats, armed similarly to your own plus some Grail MANPADs. Even the four Alligator LSTs, which are your primary target, have Grad rockets (range 12nm) and 57mm guns that also outrange your torpedoes.

To top it off, the Russians have six sorties of Fitter attack planes. To offset this, you are given four F-104 Starfighters BUT these have no air-to-air weapons, just a couple of Rockeye cluster bombs each. You have a Danish radar array on Zealand for air search.

Not an enticing prospect!. The best strategy seemed to be to use the planes for recon, keep ships’ radars dark, use the Danish coast (however flat) for as much cover as it could provide, stay together for a mass attack and try to hit the enemy from behind, as far away as possible from the Osa screen.

In any given playthrough, the scenario has four phases:
1. Airstrikes on the convoy/escorts
2. Avoiding Soviet airstrikes
3. Close to contact
4. Attack the convoy.

Note that the Russian surface search radar is supposed to be on intermittently. Unfortunately, this is checked-for every couple of minutes and you get a deluge of pop-ups telling you the results. Use Game Options, Message Log to turn the pop-ups off and also exclude them from the Message Log to avoid appalling performance problems.

PHASE 1
As the MTBs made their way around the Danish coast, heading for the marked staging point of Groensund, I sent-out single F-104 sorties to find and attack the Soviets. The first Starfighter located them SW of Bornholm. Four Alligators were closely preceded to either flank by the Kotlins, with the Osas about 12nm in front and the two Shershen groups a similar distance NW and SW.

The Starfighter attacked the convoy, hitting one of the Alligators twice before being destroyed by a fluke shot from a 130mm gun as it pulled-out. If you throw enough dice, even a 1% chance will come-up eventually. At least it cost no points.

Starfighter #2 went for the dangerous Osas and hit two, one of which sank for 10VP. The damaged Alligator had fallen astern – good news if I could get behind the Russians. The third F-104 scored further hits on the missile boats, but they proved to be remarkably resilient. I kept the fourth plane back for later. You only get one attack loadout per plane, but it is possible to give them Ferry loadouts, which retains their recon capability.

PHASE 2
Two pairs of Fitters flew along the convoy’s course, circled over Zealand, then RTB’d without finding me. Note that Danish radar can’t track them when they dip to low altitude. By the time a third pair arrived, I was between Groensund and the headland known as Moens Klint, which is the recommended ambush point. Unfortunately, this was too close and the Sukhois attacked. One was downed by a lucky 30mm burst (no Aircraft Damage rules in this one), but the other hit a German MTB, which was obliged to withdraw at 9 knots.

PHASE 3
My fourth F-104 regained contact with the Soviets about four hours in and tried to finish-off the Osas. It scored a hit but, remarkably, five hits with 148DP weapons only managed to sink one 58DP target. Perhaps cluster bombs do reduced damage to ships?. Worse, the Russians got lucky again, even with damaged ships, shooting the plane down!.

As the Shershens were deployed wide, making it hard to get around them and attack from the rear, while the Osas (down to 7 knots) had dropped astern of the convoy, it seemed practical to make a frontal attack on the amphibs from Moens Klint, with a recon Starfighter in support.

PHASE 4
Not a lot went right!. As usual in these situations, the volume of fire was such that the MTBs were overwhelmed (even the transports fired their Grad rockets). It showed what might have happened in Bardufoss Blues (Northern Fury) had the Russians not been hampered by a mysterious bug. Worse, the Osas somehow still had fully-functional Styx mounts and loosed all eight missiles at me!!. All seven German boats were lost for 25VP each. It took an agonising time to close to torpedo range under fire, but I got enough in the water to sink one Alligator for 100VP. Being unguided, the others missed astern.

So it ended in a Minor Defeat, with a score of -65. Can’t say I was shocked by this outcome.

TAKE 2

This time, I was given eight of the improved Type 142A boats. These have better radar (not that you’re sanely going to use it) and Seeaal (Eel) guided torpedoes, with a range of 10nm, which is a big improvement. However, they are relatively slow at 35 knots and have to be wire-guided until within 0.75nm of their targets, which doesn’t help with survivability, as you can’t ‘shoot and scoot’.

PHASE 1
The Starfighters concentrated on the Osas this time, as I had to get rid of those Styxes. I didn’t have much better luck than before. It took the AI just seven tries to roll 1% and kill the first plane, but they didn’t repeat the trick. However, the seven hits we scored sank just one Osa and the others were still capable of 15 knots. Their resilience/luck was astonishing…

PHASE 2
I cautiously kept back more than before to avoid the Fitters, but the first pair somehow found me anyway while I was still some way short of Groensund, sinking one of the boats. I then steered S and this just eluded detection by the other two pairs of attack planes, which searched the previous contact area.

PHASE 3
Increased speed to Full and sailed to the ambush point at Moens Klint, while Starfighters provided recon.

PHASE 4
Waited, undetected, by the cape until a gap opened-up between the Osas and the convoy, then darted into it. My lead boat was obliterated by the 120 Grads loosed by the Alligators and the Kotlins made accurate, high-volume shooting, even at maximum range. At least the Styx mounts on the Osas were out-of-action this time. Needing to steer the torpedoes in by wire ensured that all the German boats were lost, but the Seeaals sank all four Alligators, even though the frigates had the speed to pull clear. The 400VP haul left the final score at +210, for a Pyrrhic German Minor Victory.

Overall, quite an interesting scenario, which succeeded in illustrating the technological advance from one MTB type to the other. Rather like First Contact, the next BALTAP scenario covers the same situation 10 years later and looks, at first sight, even more difficult.

[fitzpatv]

Played the 'Ten Years Later 'version of the scenario, but can't recommend it. You get eight German fast patrol craft with Exocets at best and have to get past a screen of nine Soviet Osas, Tarantuls and Nanuchkas with superior weapons and radar to get at the convoy, itself defended by destroyers with Geckos for missile defence. Your four Starfighters have the same short-ranged cluster bombs that repeatedly failed in the 1970 scenario and don't dare fly within Gecko range. Gave it a try, but was detected and wiped-out by Sirens while still 75nm from the convoy, despite having radars off and hugging the coast. The narrow straits allow no real scope for manoeuvre and getting behind the convoy. Can't see any way to win.