Okay, after getting my ass handed to me in Nordic Hammer and Time on Target more than I care to admit, I finally made it to Cripples.
This one is a nail biter, but you have very good intel in the beginning (or if you've played it once and died, you have good intel for the next time around...). The ships coming up from behind are Grishas and a Krivak. They aren't that big of a deal unless they get close enough to detect you, which isn't likely to happen for a long time. The real threat is the Udaloy coming in from the north, who will fire on you when his airdale friends link your position to him. So, the key is to kill the Udaloy ASAP without allowing the aircraft to detect you. In other words, resist the temptation to surface and shoot SAMs, at least until the DDG is gone. The DDG will probably run into the ice sheet evading your torps, so give them a ceiling of 50 feet to run the torps under the ice/keel so you'll get him even if he gets stuck. :|\
Once the DDG is dead, periodicaly check for air contacts that might be circling you and kill them if necessary. Fire at the Grishas if they get within 20nm; they won't react to the shot right away so they usually won't be able to get out of range in time (and if not, you still bought yourself time). A 20nm engagement range should be fine for the Akula too. It's probably a good idea to get ahead of the Buffalo early on to engage the DDG and Akula as far away from the Buffalo as possibe, so it doesn't eat a torp intended for you.
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