AAR Operation Weaver by TeTeT

[donaldseadog]

SPOILER ALERT.
My carrier group is dead in the water 225 nm SE of North Vietnam port and two air bases. I set off at a creep along my tight patrol course.
I have on deck ready to fly Intercept, SEAD, recon and precision bombing loadouts, so lets look around with a vigilante RA-5c (should be able to get out quick if it gets hot. I send out some escorted SEAD units too so if the coast is clear I can start to wipe up the radar and SAM units.
1 RA-5c to patrol 230 nm north, 4 F-4b phantom SEAD and 2 intercept head for port ZRp, to pick up targets as they go.
Set up CAP EW and AEW around the carrier group with an EA-3b skywarrier, a few Crusader intercept and a Hawkeye.
My base at Da Nang IA looks pretty safe but one Phantom CAP out about 20 nm looks like a good idea.
With the AEW anad EW planes up I'm seeing a stack of AD mobiles and some fishbeds up around my target areas, better re inforce the long range CAPs, send two flights of 3 phantoms with a skywarrier EW escort for the start of the trip.
I modify the Vigilante's course so as to run in at military speed towards my points of interest then flash up the radar and run across their face then scamper back home, that should give me a good look at my targets.

With my front wave of planes 150 nm out I get possitvie fixs on a number of SAMs, mostly SA-2, so they are my targets, launch more SEAD this time A-4 skyhawks with Phantom escorts.
My advanced Recon and EW planes have picked up a string of surface contacts sitting about 70 nm off shore, I'll take care of them with a four unit flight of Crusader precision loadout attack craft, hope their bullpups will do the job if these guys are hostiles and looks like they are, yep old PG sub chasers, no threat but I better clean them up.

My advanced CAPs are about 25 nm of shore with EW escort, I might just ping the radar and see if my seads have unwanted and unseen hostiles nearby.
My first SEAD target just lit up its radar, lets poke up our nose for a quik look, fire and sqirt back home. Four shrike away, fishbed picked up EW about 200 nm out back of the targets, leave him, another PG nearby, let him have two shrike while the first two shrike hit home and silence the sam. The shrikes missed the PG try two more and get home, missed again, I'll waste no more of them on puny boats not worth the effort.
My second wave of SEAD (Skyhawks are about 50 nm of the coastand still no sign of fishbeds coming out to play, no worries to me if they don't).
With some A-6s on the deck loaded up with shrike I send them off to hammer SAM, no real escorts left except for some sidewinder Crusaders so we'll send them along and keep a good eye out.
The Viginalnte is starting his sweep across the front of the enemy positions and has picked up some shippping, some looks like neutral cargo ships some are unkown enemy but out of the way for now.
Fighters approaching from inland but still well out of range, keep an eye on them though.
The four crusader bombers are coming in for one of the PGs, lets see how we go...radar on...three bullpups away, one PG to the bottom and more to come.

Get the mind on the pointy end, skyhawks approaching their targets, one group in enemy SAM in range, hit the radar on the nearby patrolling phantom and keep an eye peeled for SA-2s.
Two shrike headed for Haiphong harbour,,,, out of know where I loose a phantom escort to one of the skyhawk group, nearly in range so put on the throttles, let fly all shrike and head home pronto.. meanwhile four more shrikes Haiphong bound and 6 more planes coming home.
Still can't see what hit my phantom.
The SAM site cops four shrikes and suffers some damage but is still in business, the harbour takes only one hit.
Meanwhile the Crusader bomber on ASUW attack has got one hit our of five bullpups, send another boat to the bottom and heads home.
It will be a while before we need bombing runs from the skyhawks so more shrikes are pulled out of the magazines and another wave of SEAD is prepared.
Enemy fighteres are still 90 nm inland, but seem to be taking a cautious approach, keep the EWs out there and the Vigilante goes by for another sweep a bit closer in to map the targets.
Advance CAP/ EW (two phantom one skywarrier) "Can't see it but some ones firing cannon at us, we're getting out of here full speed" Might be what got the other phantom??
Radars go 'hot' still can't find the bandit, CAP AFA splits of its EW (and sends it home) and comes in afterburner and radar hot to give cover, where is that bandit??
All quiet, close call, lets get home.. HOT HOT, SA-2 visual, must be that unit hit early back on line, GO GO afterburner.. home..one phantom hit and down.
SEAD attack group coming in redirected to SA-2 come in low, the CAPs are going home, low on fuel, three phantoms can hang around for a while and get you in but don't linger.
The longer range AGM 45b shrikes carried by the phantoms are proving vastly better than the 45As of the Skyhawks and A6, so we'll loadout an extra pair of phantoms for the next sead op.
Control, control, AOA (SEAD group A6s) "Surface contacts by IR every where, we'll take an opertunity strike at anything we can and get out fast."
6 shrike away none got through, ten shrike away and so are we! Four hit home, nearly wasted on S-60 AAA, but one less set of eyes to spy our next sortie.!!
Control to all flights, come home and reload/ refuel for next wave, job well done.
Control, flight AXA request a tanker airbourne, we're pretty low on fuel and a top up would make us feel a bit more comfy, Got that tanker on the way.
....
Slurp slurp, thanks for the drink be on deck in 20.
..

Loadout some of those skyhawks with rocket, we'll try that on those Patrol Boats, set a reminder for when they're ready to fly.
Get another vigilante up on patrol, feeling uneasy without a good eye in the sky out where I want it.
Send out two flights of 4 skyhawks with shrikes, see if they can soften up those patrol boats and if it stays quiet they might get a go at some of the easier land targets, we need to get the lights out on those radar and SAM sites.
The skyhawks send another patrol boat to the bottom and return home, one flight 'hawks on their way to convert the next patrol boat into a fish haven while two flights of phantom/ skyhawks take off for anonther SEAD attack on SAM sites.
Fishbed picked up ESM, possible threat to skyhawks with 5 nm to run to target, those patrol boats aren't worth much so lets bring those boys straight home pronto. Yeah the vigilante has got it too, but still no reliable fix, could be right on their tail....Bingo, got him, he's 80 nm away, breath easy boys but home.
If our SEAD boys that are in the air take out the SAM NE of Haiphong we'll be able to hammer the port so get a few precision bombers in the air, better add a few skyhawk SEAD for good measure, and see if we can give them a clear run in to their target.
Opertunity target patrol boat, taken out by six shrike of returning skyhawks, you didn't waste that fuel afterall boys.
Rocket Man gets another patrol boat and going for the next.
Enemy long range radar just got it's lights knocked out by 45b shrikes, going after local SAMs and they're everywhere.
One more patrol boat to rocket attack, 10 nm to the next.
shrike hitting into SAM and radar west of Haiphong, but so many.... let loose and get going home.
Two more SAMs get a tast of shrike, damaged but not down, but we're low ammo and getting out.
Another SAM down, rocket and walleye do the job.
13 planes coming home, one loss, about five or six good hits and one SAM destroyed. That gets the way clear for some serious bombing runs on the port. In go 5 intruder with a phantom SEAD escort.
Another sampan goes down to rockets while 4 skyhawks weave their way in to take a pot at the last sticky SAM situated too near the port for our comfort, but not quite enough weave as one gets hit and is down before 2 shrikes away, 2 more away, ..last 2 away and on our way home with another weave.
As one more SAM site takes damage, one more junk goes to the bottom and another flight coming home.
Walleyes and bullpups take a toll on port Haiphong, 25%damaged.
Planning a wave of SEAD to clear a path to Gia Lam AP.
Another wave of SEAD/precision bombing, one phantom and 6 intruder, approaching SAM sites protecting the route to Gia Lam, need to dodge some damaged SAM sites that appear out of action but not dead, could be dangerous if they are still detecting our planes.
One vigilante in for refuel and another straight out, got to keep those eyes peeled.
Alert fishbeds in the sky taking off from Kepstill time to loose our load and get out.
Two more AAA destroyed with walleye and walleye on their way to Haiphong.
Another sam site takes some ARM shrikes and goes of air but not destroyed, the way is nearly clear enough for a strike on Gia Lam.
Three more walleye hit Haiphong with fishbeds closing in, that phatom is going to be very handy!
NO NO!! AAA take two intruder down. lets get the phatom up and with radar on, see if we can get acouple of theirs to make up the tally. 4 fishbeds coming in from the north, fast, let them in close then hit, put up some more fighters to double check. Fishbeds are turning for home, let loose two sparrows and scarper.
Just as we close on two fishbeds we get a victory, 8 ships sunk, 1 base damaged, 9 AD mobiles hit with 4 of those destroyed plus 3 armoured and 1 unarmoured unit killed but for the loss of 6 of our planes and pilots.
next installment: "Going for complete victory".

[CV32]

Great stuff, Don! [:)]