Downtown - D2 - AAR

I managed to blag just over an hour at lunch time to playout D2.  The time spent yesterday paid dividends in making sure I had everything I needed.  It isn't massively different from D1 but you are going get an A2A engagement in this scenario.  Without SAMs to deal with its straightforward

The F-4B CAP enters as two flights (each flight is two aircraft)

Closely followed by the bombers and escorting F-8 Crusaders. Using multiple entry points means that I can get all the bombers on and then use the next turn in shaking them out.  With the move sequence I have had occasional problems with gaps appearing in the formation as aircraft move.

As per my plan the F-4B cap split to make sure that they can cover the probably MiG approaches and the bomber stream begins to form up.

MiGs are skirting around the formation but at least with an F-4B I get 3 detection chances per DRV aircraft even with them at Deck level.

The F-8 Escorts maneuver to meet the possible threats

The F-4B try and get a fix on the DRV

 By the time they get close there are possibly two flights to deal with

 Bomber on route to the next way point husbanded by the crusaders

Which might be needed because the CAP hasn't detected the MiG-17s down on the deck

The CAP are off chasing the elusive MiG.  The scenario means that the MiGs are likely to be four ship flights so the 2 F-4B are going to have their work cut out

Combination of DISCO/RED CROWN/F-4 Radar and the Mk I eyeball result in a flight of 4 MiGs being detected.  Going to burner the F-4B pair have the element of surprise.  The DRV don't engage while the USN do (engage in the game means being in the right place to have an engagement in the 2.5nm of airspace rather than the combat rolls).  The US have surprise from the rear arc so the DRV choose to disengage.  2D10 rolled 20 comes up with modifiers the US roll 28.  4 opportunities with Sidewinder and sparrows present themselves.  Result in 2 confirmed MiG Kills and and the other two aircraft diving for the deck, one trailing a lot of smoke (in the rolls, I had Damaged, Shoot down, Damaged, Shoot down.  The damage allocation chart ended up putting both damage results on the Number 3 aircraft.)

Not Dan Macintyre, but a kill for the Coral Sea

Things look a little tense closer to home but luckily the MiG turns out to be a false alarm.  The F-8 moving to the second MiG gets into a position to get an eyeball on them next turn while the bomber start to roll in.

Kep gets three flights of A-4Cs and the Bridge at Vu Cha gets two.  Medium AAA can be nasty and a couple of close rolls but no damage and both targets are hit

Wheeling off target and no MiGs in the air I called it a day.  The egress route from here was West up Phantom Ridge and then south to the Gulf.

Downtown - D2 - Planning

D2 is more straightforward and doesn't use any SAMs. The Targets are known to both sides and the purpose of the scenario centres around Air to Air combat.  The scenario has the potential to be quite large with Phuc Yen being in play. By actually checking the map about the likely route I would take, I have now decided that this will be on 10 tiles using row 2 and 3 boards.  This gives a playing surface like this

The terrain shot is an early one. I have since changed the river colour to a brown and started work on the Hai Doung and Me Xa bridge complexes as well as Thai Binh and Nam Dinh.  Once I have completed those and added in all the additional rivers it will be time to go back and start painting the bare white target hexes.  I have held off doing those until I have done all the other ground work just in case I need to revisit the colour schemes and also how much terrain representation I need to do.

USN Aircraft will come enter from the South West, come West between Hanoi and the Hai Doung bridges before heading to either Kep or Vu Cha. Alternatively I could come in between Haiphong and Hai Doung.  Either way the MiGs will come up from either Kep or Phuc Yen which are central on the map surface.

I did think about coming along and behind Phantom Ridge but there aren't any SAMs and the idea of this scenario is to conduct Air to Air missions in support of the raid.