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Red Tide (Operation Mercury): Realistic Groups, Deployment Conditions, and Accurate Cold-War Air Asset Locations

Operation Mercury | Date: 26 January 1985 | Time: 0730 hours | The Soviet Northern Fleet, spearheaded by a Kirov-class battlecruiser, deploys in the icy waters of the Norwegian Sea, just off the shore of Ofotfjord in Norway. Accompanied by several Udaloy-class destroyers and Oscar-class submarines, Task Force Mercury heads toward the NATO port of Narvik. Taking advantage of the darkness and bad weather, the Soviet Northern Fleet has remained hidden. However, the closer it gets to Narvik port, the harder that task will become.


MISSION BRIEF

Operation Name: Mercury

Date: 26 January 1985

Time: 0730 hours

Mission Priority: High

Primary Threats:
Intel suggests that NATO Carrier Group 8, led by a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is in the region. Additionally, Andøya airbase is located northwest of Narvik. Expect heavy enemy air presence. Given the limited air power available to Task Force Mercury, we recommend keeping all aircraft within a 50 nautical mile radius of the Kirov-class flagship, under its formidable S-300F (SA-N-6) missile shield. Protect the landing ships assigned to Task Force Mercury at all costs. They have no air defenses of their own, and we need at least one ship of Naval Infantry to secure the port.

Phases of Operation:
Phase 1: Initial Approach
The Soviet Northern Fleet, spearheaded by a Kirov-class battlecruiser, will deploy just off the shore of Ofotfjord in northern Norway.

Accompanied by several Udaloy-class destroyers and Oscar-class submarines, the task force will head toward Narvik, leveraging the cover of darkness and adverse weather conditions to remain undetected.

Phase 2: Preliminary Assault
In the early hours at 0730, Soviet submarines will unleash a barrage of cruise missiles aimed at neutralizing the Norwegian coastal defenses and radar installations around Narvik.

Simultaneously, SU-24M and Tu-22M bombers will launch precision strikes on key enemy assets.

Phase 3: Naval Engagement
The Kirov-class battlecruiser, equipped with surface-to-air missiles, will engage any NATO air support attempting to counter the attack.

The Udaloy-class destroyers will provide additional firepower and air defense, ensuring a coordinated strike against any Norwegian or allied naval presence in the vicinity.

Phase 4: Invasion Force Landing
Soviet amphibious assault ships, carrying Naval Infantry brigades, will reach the shore. Under the cover of naval gunfire, the troops will land, secure the port area, and quickly overpower local Norwegian defenses.

Strategic Significance:
Securing a foothold in Narvik will allow Warsaw Pact forces to control a vital maritime and land-based strategic location. This will provide a strong operational base, enabling the Warsaw Pact to monitor and disrupt NATO's naval activities in the Norwegian Sea.


VISUAL EFFECTS (OPTIONAL)

For using the retro analog game filter shown in the Steam preview images, locate the red_tide_reshade.ini file in the Visual Effects folder.

To find the Visual Effects folder:
1. Go to the Steam root folder. On Windows, this is typically located in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\
or wherever Steam was installed on the disk.

2. From there navigate to
steamapps\workshop\content\

3. Locate the folder with the Id for Sea Power: 1286220
(the Id is visible in the Sea Power Steam Store link https://store.steampowered.com/app/1286220).

4. Inside that folder, find the folder matching the Id of the Red Tide mod: 3420067403
(the Id is visible in the Red Tide mod Steam Workshop link
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3420067403).

5. Open missions and inside is the Visual Effects folder.

ReShade Installation:
Visit https://reshade.me and download ReShade. Open the ReShade .exe file and:

1. In the following "Select a game or application" window, select Sea Power.

2. In the "Select the rendering API Sea Power uses" window, select DirectX 10/11/12.

3. In the next window, find the input box labeled
"Choose a preset file (.ini) to install only the effects it uses:".

4. Click Browse and select the red_tide_reshade.ini file from the Visual Effects folder.

5. Click Next and complete the installation.

The retro analog game filter will run when you start Sea Power.
Press the Home key in-game to modify the game filter settings.

To uninstall ReShade:
1. Open the ReShade .exe file.

2. In the "Select a game or application" window, select Sea Power.

3. In the "Select the rendering API Sea Power uses" window, select DirectX 10/11/12.

4. Select "Uninstall ReShade and effects" and click Next to complete the process.


ADDITIONAL MISSIONS

Defend Narvik port as Force Blue:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3421747554

Defend Nicaragua as Force Red:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3429626395