A DCS Christmas Tale

A DCS Christmas Tale

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the sky,
Santa’s factory was buzzing; the gifts piled high.
But oh, what disaster, what terrible fright
The Orcs were advancing to ruin the night!

The elf’s worked hard, their hands swift and neat,
But how could they load when the Orcs beat their feet?
So Santa called in the best of the best,
The DCS pilots to handle the rest.

To your cockpits, my heroes!” the jolly man roared,
Protect my sleigh factory, and guard my gift hoard!
Escort the convoy through mountains and snow,
To the airfield where the C-130 must go!”

The F-16s roared with their engines so bright,
Lighting the skies in a dazzling flight.
Apaches hovered with rockets to spare,
Their rotor blades slicing the cold winter air.

The A-10s rolled in, with their BRRRRT full of cheer,
These Orcs won’t ruin this most festive year!
Even Viggens and Mirages joined in the fray,
Christmas is ours, and we’re saving the day!

The convoy rolled out, with gifts piled high,
The Orcs tried their worst, but we heard their last cry.
For strafing and bombing and missiles galore,
Ensured that those baddies would bother no more.

At last, on the runway, the Hercules stood,
Its engines a-rumbling, as only they could.
The gifts were all loaded, the mission complete,
And Santa’s big sleigh took off with a leap.

So here’s to the pilots who answered the call,
Who saved Christmas cheer for children and all.
The skies now are quiet, the stars shining bright
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a safe flight!

RSVP: 24 12 19 – 19:30 (please sign-up asap though, as it makes things easier to plan)
Activity: Mission – CAP, Air Interdiction
Theatre: Kola
Modules: Almost everything from 1970 and forwards. Ask me and i might find a task for you
Prerequisites: Glögg and gingerbread cookies

1 SITUATION

1.1 Overview

Santa’s workshop is under threat from hostile forces determined to ruin Christmas!
Enemy reinforcements have been detected advancing from the southeast. Their forces include anti-air threats, heavy ground units, and hidden artillery positions. This advance poses a significant threat to the convoy’s safety and must be neutralized before they can engage.

1.2 Area of operations

Santa’s workshop is nestled in a remote area near Rovaniemi, surrounded by dense forests of pine and spruce. The terrain is rugged, with small, frozen lakes and rivers cutting through the forest. The area is covered in a thick layer of snow during winter, making navigation difficult but offering good cover for the convoy.

1.3 Time and weather

* Dec 23 – 2024
* 13:00 local time
* VIS 3-5 km RA OVC 9/15 28/30 FEW 40 wind 328/06

1.4 Air threats

N/A

1.5 Ground threats

Enemy Forces Around the Workshop and Airfield:

Primarily infantry units equipped for close-quarters combat.
Lightly armored troop transports providing mobility and moderate firepower.
Expect a mix of RPG-equipped squads and small arms fire concentrated around defensive chokepoints.

Reinforcements from the East:

Armored Threats:
T-90 main battle tanks to the battlefield. These beasts are the crown jewel of modern armored warfare – heavily armored, highly mobile, and packing enough firepower to level Santa’s entire workshop.
Armored troop carriers (ATC) capable of delivering squads deep into contested zones.
Anti-Air Assets:
It seems Krampus stumbled upon a surplus of old Toyota pickups. Like an evil car dealer on a mission, he’s slapped ZU-23 autocannons onto every single one of them. We’re talking about an entire fleet of rolling nightmares, ready to ruin your day.

Expect an overdose of rusty, modified “technicals” blasting lead into both the skies and the ground. They might look like something out of a junkyard rally, but don’t underestimate them – they’re fast, deadly, and about as frustrating as a reindeer refusing to pull the sleigh.
Artillery Threat:
Reports indicate incoming artillery units, likely self-propelled or towed, advancing with the eastern reinforcements.
These units are expected to target Santa’s workshop as soon as they enter effective range. Destruction of these artillery positions is critical to prevent damage to the workshop and disruption of operations.

1.6 Friendly forces

E.L.F.S

1.7 Civilian/3rd part

2 MISSION

Your mission is to protect Santa’s workshop and ensure the safe delivery of presents to a waiting C-130 for takeoff. A convoy carrying the presents will be escorted through hostile terrain to the C-130, but the enemy will stop at nothing to sabotage the operation. Intelligence has revealed that the enemy is using a train loaded with explosives, which must be located and destroyed before it can threaten the convoy or Santa’s workshop.

Your forces must defend, attack, and neutralize any threats to ensure Christmas is saved. Coordination and precision are vital to achieving success in this high-stakes operation.

3 EXECUTION

3.1 Commander’s intent

3.2 Packages

The mission contains 3 package, callsign CANDY CANE, JINGLE BELL and NORTH STAR

3.3 Order of events

3.4 Rules of engagement

ROE: C
As per SPINS

3.5 Acceptable level of risk

ALR: HIGH
As per SPINS

3.6 Flight tasking

Package CANDY CANE (Lead: BLACKJACK31 )

Role: Protect the convoy transporting the presents from Santa’s workshop to the C-130.

Assets:
BLACKJACK3, HAWG8, RAGE9, NITRO5, CRIMSON3

Objective:
The convoy will travel along narrow, snowy forest roads to the designated LZ for the C-130. Your role is to clear the route of any hostile forces. Use your aircraft to patrol and provide a close escort to ensure the convoy is not ambushed. Be prepared to engage any enemy ground targets that attempt to disrupt the convoy’s path. Should the convoy be delayed or attacked, quickly neutralize the threats and provide reestablished cover. The convoy needs to be protected all the way to the C-130 for a safe and quick loading.

Package JINGLE BELL (Lead: RUDOLPH11)

Role: Conduct a counter-offensive against enemy forces threatening the convoy and Santa’s workshop.

Assets:
RUDOLPH1, ARCTIC1, INDY9, HITMAN3, TEXAS6

Objective:
Launch a counter-offensive to disrupt and destroy the reinforcements. Key objectives include:

* Preemptively striking enemy staging areas.
* Identifying and eliminating anti-aircraft defenses to clear the airspace.
* Neutralizing heavy ground units and artillery to prevent them from targeting the convoy.

The ultimate goal is to destroy the enemy advance, ensuring no surprises for the convoy. Coordinate closely with Package CANDY CANE to time strikes effectively and provide air cover as the convoy progresses. Precision and timing will be critical—delay could put the convoy at risk.

Package NORTH STAR (Lead: FROSTY21)

Role: ensures the railway is secured and operational by coordinating the destruction of enemy threats.

Assets:
FROSTY2, FENRIS6, GRIM7, BENDER2

Objective:
The mission objective has shifted to securing the critical railway line that supplies Santa’s workshop with essential materials. Without this lifeline, production at the workshop will grind to a halt, jeopardizing Christmas altogether.

Enemy forces have set up ambushes along multiple points of the railway, aiming to disable any trains attempting to bring in supplies. Your task is to neutralize these threats and ensure the railway remains operational.

FROSTY21 will lead reconnaissance efforts, identifying enemy positions and relaying target data to strike packages, including FA-18s and Viggens. Precision and speed are essential—every moment the railway is out of service puts Christmas at greater risk.

Let’s secure the tracks and keep the workshop running!

4 ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS

4.1 Airfield operations

* KALLAX
* TOWER: Ch7
* TCN: 98X (115.1 SLU is replaced by TCN)
* Active runway: 32
* Departure via BESLA
* Approach via BESLA

* ROVANIEMI
* TOWER: Ch6
* TCN: 117X
* Active runway: 21
* Departure climb straight ahead to at or above 1030.
* Approach: Contact Tower.

4.3 Tankers

ARCO1 101Y 18000′ Ch14
TEXACO2 102Y 16000′ Ch20
As per Aerial Refueling SOP

5 COMMAND AND CONTROL

5.1 Commander

* Mission commander CH3
* Mission commander deputy is
* Package CANDY CANE lead is BLACKJACK31
* Package JINGLE BELL lead is RUDOLPH11
* Package NORTH STAR lead is FROSTY21

5.2 Frequencies

As per Comms SOP

5.3 Authentication

RAMROD: GIFTWRAPS
As per Authentication SOP

5.4 Freq flow (Airfield flights)

7/6, 9, 3/5, 7/6
Clearance to start up and call Tower(ch 7) when ready to taxi. Go to Check in (ch 9). Expect Tactical (ch 3) or CAP A (ch 5). Use Tower (ch 7) for recovery.

5.6 Brevity

* TANGOUNIFORM – Mission declared successful
* NIGHTFALL – Abort mission
* DASHER – Convoy is moving
* STOCKING – Convoy have reached the C-130 “Santa’s sleigh”
* TAKEOFF – C-130 “Santa’s sleigh” is taking off
* BLITZEN – Train tracks secure

5.7 Bullseye

Lat Long Standard: N 66°32’38” E 25°50’51”

6 ANNEXES

Maps
Large size map of AO with all waypoints, tankers, carriers etc
Smaller maps of target areas with waypoints marked