S3 Series

Changes in RED
Final Set-up
Clarifications/corrections after frame 1 in green

This series is loosely based upon Operation Leader, strikes conducted by Air Group 4 from USS Ranger, CV-4, against German shipping and port facilities near Bodo, Norway, on 4 October 1943.

Strategic Context
Although rich in coal, Germany has very limited iron ore deposits. In WWII Germany's war machine was highly dependent upon iron ore obtained from the Kiruna and Gällivare mines in the far north of Sweden. Trains carried the ore from Sweden to the Arctic port of Narvik were it was loaded onto ships. Norwegian geography provided a boon, the Skjaergaard, a continuous chain of some 50,000 glacially-formed small uninhabited islands, sea stacks and rocks running parallel to the shore created an ice-free coastal waterway providing German shipping with a relatively covert and protected passage from Narvik to Stavanger. Stopping the flow of iron ore along this route was one of Churchill's primary reasons for invading Norway in 1940. That attempt failed, and by late 1943 the flow of iron ore was no less important.

Operational Context
The presence of the German battleship Tirpitz in Norwegian waters and the threat it presented to Atlantic and Arctic convoys shaped Allied naval strategy. A strong LW presence in Norway up until early 1943 was a strong deterrent to Allied naval operations in coastal waters. However, by mid-summer 1943 most LW forces were either in southern Norway, or in the extreme North East fighting the Soviets.
On 22 Sep 1943, Operation Source, an attack by Royal Navy X-class midget submarines, was successful in severely damaging Tirpitz in Altafjord in Norway's extreme north. This provided a window for the RN to operate more directly against German iron ore shipping.
A strong Allied task force including two battleships (MHS Duke of York and HMS Anson), two cruisers, and eleven destroyers was assembled in October 1943 to disrupt shipments of iron ore from Norway to Germany. Part of that task force was the USS Ranger, CV4, detached to the RN Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. Her embarked Air Group (AG-4), consisted of VF-4 (12 F4F-4/FM-1 Wildcats), VT-4 (10 TBF-1 Avengers) and VB-4 (20 SBD-5 Dauntless). On 4 Oct 1943 USS Ranger sailed to within 140 miles of Bodo and conducted two strikes, one of 20 SBD-5s escorted by 8 Wildcats against port facilities and shipping in Bodo, and a second attack by 9 TBF-1Cs escorted by 6 FM-2s against shipping in the coastal waterway south of Bodo. Both attacks ingressed at low altitude to stay below the extensive network of LW radars, and achieved operational and tactical surprise, inflicting heavy damage on the port and sinking several ore carriers.

Series Set-Up
RITA will be a four frame series. Players will be divided roughly equally into Green and Gold teams for the entire series. Green will fly as the Allied forces and Gold as Axis for the first two frames. Players will stay the same colour for the last two frames, but all fields and shipping will switch sides (e.g. fields in "Norway" will switch colour from Gold to Green).
Given lack of a northern Norway terrain, the west coast of Korean Peninsula will be used as a stand-in. I will generate appropriately labeled in-flight and planning maps in the coming days.
"Bodo" will be represented by the Port at F168 and Navik by the port at F167 (Inchon and Tongjin in the Korea terrain.)
Unlike RL, the series will assume that IV/JG5 Eismeer remained in the Narvik/Bodo area.

Objectives: Allied - sink shipping and destroy port facilities. Primary ship targets are merchants ships (freighters, Vic56, tpt) with warships being secondary targets. There are no static ships at the two ports, so all shipping will be AI, but may not be moving.
Two points will be awarded to the Allies for each freighter/Tpt sunk and one point for each boat (Vic56), DEST2. One point will be awarded for eligible ground objects destroyed at Port 167 or Port 168 (ack, arty, lighttower, Radarstn, RadarEm do NOT score points). Attacks against other Axis field/port locations do not score points.
Axis may elect to search for the USS Ranger using maritime recce aircraft (Ju88/Do17). Finding the Ranger and correctly reporting its position to and and receiving acknowledgement from the CM will score 5 VPs.
Axis Maritime recce aircraft may not attack the CV.

Forces
Allies - Carrier Battle Group based on USS Ranger (one CV, three DEST1 representing BB/CA, and numerous DEST2 representing escorts)
F4F-4
TBF-1 (AG4 did not get the -1C until Dec 43) - Frames 1 and 3
SBD-5 - Frames 2 and 4

Axis (basing F171)
NB - Axis aircraft are not available using the bomber login
A single Ju88A-4 and a single Do-17Z maritime reconnaissance aircraft
Bf 109F-4
Fw 190A-2 (limited numbers only, max 20% of Axis aircraft)

Side Assignments
Aiming for a 50/50 split of players between green/gold.
353nd will be green, others TBD in another thread.

Schedule
Frame 1 - 30 Oct 2022
Frame 2 - 6 Nov 2022
Frame 3 - 13 Nov 2022
Frame 4 - 20 Nov 2022

Radar ranges 40mi for Allied and Axis. Min Alt 200ft. Planning map updated as radar range was incorrectly presented
No cloud for this series.

Questions, Feedback welcome

Planning Map