BOTA 06 – Tartan Seas
BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC PART 6 – TARTAN SEAS:
Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov’s plan to dominate the northern maritime frontier continues to unfold with ruthless precision. Norway is fully occupied and Soviet forces are entrenched across its coast. Mirroring WWII German strategy from 1940, the Red Banner Northern Fleet has transformed Bergen, Stavanger, and Trondheim into heavily fortified naval bastions. From these ports, Soviet warships and submarines now operate with near impunity, pushing deeper into the North Sea and threatening the GIUK Gap—a vital NATO-controlled chokepoint. For Ogarkov, control of the Norwegian coastline is not an end in itself, but a stepping stone toward a larger objective: command of the North Atlantic.
NATO’s victory at the Battle of Jutland halted a Soviet push toward Denmark, but it did not eliminate the threat. Soviet naval activity in the Norwegian Sea and North Sea has surged in the weeks since. Reconnaissance aircraft, Backfire bombers, and maritime patrol assets now fan out from Soviet-controlled airfields in southern Norway, gathering intelligence and preparing to challenge Allied control of the Atlantic airspace. Soviet submarines, shielded by fjords and operating under heavy escort, have begun pressing into the gaps between Iceland, the UK, and the Faeroes, looking for seams in NATO’s maritime shield.
MISSION:
In response, NATO has activated a joint US-UK task group: Task Force 24.9 “CLAYMORE”. Composed of a modern Spruance-class destroyer and supporting frigates, and partnered with the fast-attack submarine USS Norfolk, TF 24.9 is tasked with sweeping the North Sea northwest of Lossiemouth to intercept and destroy Soviet submarines and auxiliary vessels operating near Scottish waters. Intelligence reports suggest the Soviets may be preparing a major naval thrust aimed at isolating the UK from the western Atlantic—possibly even laying the groundwork for an amphibious push toward Iceland.
With NATO’s maritime lifeline under threat, RAF Lossiemouth has become a critical forward operating base. RAF Nimrods from RAF Kinloss conduct persistent anti-submarine patrols, while USAF E-3 Sentry AWACS and F-15 fighters deployed to RAF Lossiemouth, provide wide-area air defence. Operating under fog and shifting winds, TF 24.9 is navigating a complex battlespace.
The Soviet Navy has responded with an aggressive screen. Intelligence confirms the presence of a Soviet submarine tender operating as a forward support hub, guarded by Kara- and Kashin-class destroyers. Below the surface, attack submarines prowl in coordinated patterns. Above, TU-95 Bears and Su-24 bombers crisscross the sky, gathering targeting data and probing NATO’s defences.
Operation TARTAN SEAS marks a critical inflection point. If the Soviets secure control of the waters near Scotland, they will have a launchpad to strike deeper into the Atlantic and, possibly, a future invasion of Iceland. NATO must contest every mile of sea, every sonar contact, every airborne threat. The fight for the Atlantic is no longer over supply lines—it is over territory. And Scotland’s coastal waters may now decide the next chapter of this war.
CAMPAIGN:
The Battle of the Atlantic campaign unfolds in a dark reimagining of 1984, where Cold War tensions erupt into full-scale war. After seizing power in the Kremlin, Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov launches a lightning invasion of Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Soviet forces pour across Scandinavia and surge into the Norwegian Sea, threatening to sever NATO’s transatlantic lifeline and dominate the GIUK Gap. In response, the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and allied NATO naval forces mobilise for a desperate stand to preserve control of the seas.
From the fog-choked Baltic to the windswept North Atlantic, players will command Task Forces through a series of missions: from the defence of Gotland and interdiction of Soviet amphibious landings, to high-stakes carrier battles in the mid-Atlantic and convoy escorts across submarine-infested waters, to full-scale amphibious warfare. In this struggle for maritime supremacy, every decision counts—and the future of Europe hangs in the balance.
A 25+ mission linear campaign, The Battle of the Atlantic, is inspired by famous naval battles of WWI and WWII. This is my first attempt at developing missions and a campaign. Please let me know in the comments about any bugs or suggestions.
***FULL CAMPAIGN MOD COLLECTION: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3718111590
Full credit to @Stealth17Gaming for the YouTube playthrough videos.
