Across the board in the Third World War, damage control officers and sailors worked heroically to save their stricken ships. Some efforts were ultimately successful while others were not. In many cases owing to circumstances beyond their control. For the officers and sailors who were able to extinguish fires and restore stability and buoyancy, their …
WWIII 1987 Wargame Scenario Update: First One Drops In Early December
Yesterday I blocked out some time to look over some of the World War III 1987 scenarios I created to help wargame the conflict in many theaters. Originally the scenarios were designed and built using CMANO (Command Modern Air and Naval Operations). Once its successor CMO (Command Modern Operations) was released I was grateful to …
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The Southern Flank D+22 (31 July, 1987) Part II
On the morning of D+22 one of the very few remaining Soviet submarines in the Mediterranean struck gold. A Kilo class diesel-powered attack sub came across a US Navy auxiliary ship southwest of Crete. The ship was the USS Butte, a Kilauea class ammunition ship returning to Naples. During an underway replenishment of the Saratoga …
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The Southern Flank D+21 (30 July, 1987)
AFSOUTH planning for offensive operations accelerated when word was received from Brussels that the NATO counterattack in Northern German was underway. Debate raged in Naples over what shape NATO’s counterblow on the Southern Flank would take. Sixth Fleet was pressing for a campaign against Soviet ports and airbases on the Black Sea coastline while officers …
The Southern Flank D+20 (29 July, 1987)
Rescue and recovery operations in Madrid and the surrounding affected areas increased in scope and size with every passing hour. The Spanish government was pulling itself together as expeditiously as conditions allowed. It was clear by this time what senior government positions were empty and needed to be filled in order to make certain there …
2021 Holiday Tournament Semifinals: Operational Outside Europe and Naval Operational
Semifinals: Operational Outside Europe and Naval Operational We’re at the point in the tournament now where the margins of victory can be microscopic. Two titles remain in each game category from an original field of eight. To aid with scoring I’ve broken each semifinal matchup down into five subcategories. If this system works out, I’ll …
2021 Holiday Tournament: Round 2 Operational Outside Europe, Naval Operational
Operational Outside Europe #1 Gulf Strike vs #3 Korea 1995 The mark of a classic wargame is the title’s ability to accurately simulate the changing realities in a particular theater’s era of conflict. Gulf Strike exemplifies this, having offered not only a game but a simulation tool that served gamers well through the volatile period …
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2021 Holiday Tournament Round 1: Naval Operational
#1 Harpoon vs #8 3rd Fleet Very few wargames have had as much clout and influence as Harpoon. The game was responsible for helping to launch the writing career of Tom Clancy and almost singlehandedly brought on a golden age in naval wargaming during the 1980s. And of course, Harpoon the tabletop game led to …
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The Southern Flank D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part I
The start time for Sixth Fleet’s planned airstrikes on the Soviet amphibious group in the Black Sea had been pushed to 0500 in order to coincide with other NATO air attacks set for the early morning hours. Kennedy’s airwing, with it’s two A-6 Intruder squadrons, was tasked to hit the Soviet amphibs. CVW-17 off Saratoga …
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Gaming World War III: Reboot Candidates
Reboots are in style again these days. Movies, TV shows, music and novels have all been bitten by the reboot bug to varying extents. The reboot craze can be partly attributed to a lack of creativity in the arts, so to speak. We seem to have reached a point where the majority of modern releases …