Baltic Approaches (22 July, 1987) Part II

Warsaw Pact air operations on D+13 commenced just before 0500 hours CEST. The first wave of aircraft consisted of East German Su-22 Fitters, and Soviet Su-24 Fencers. Their targets were coastal radars, air defense batteries, and Harpoon missile sites located in Loland, Falster, and Zealand. The close proximity between them and the East German airfields …

The Bonhomme Richard Fire

I normally do not like to post about real world events on this blog but today I’m going to make an exception. Most of us are aware of what is going on in San Diego at the moment with the fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard. It  has been raging since Sunday morning and fire crews …

Baltic Approaches (22 July, 1987) Part I

Shortly after midnight the Soviet amphibious group cleared the Gulf of Gdansk and entered the waters of the Baltic Proper. Twenty kilometers behind was a second group made up of Polish landing ships, and escorts. This force would clear the Gulf on the heels of the Soviet group and trail it to the landing beaches …

The Northern Flank D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part II

In Northern Norway NATO ground forces were moving expeditiously, and with determination.  US Marines had Andoya almost fully secured. Small groups of Soviet troops continued to hold out at three separate locations in and around the airbase perimeter. It would only be a matter of time before they surrendered or were neutralized. In the midst …

The Northern Flank D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part I

The plight of the surviving Backfires and Badgers that morning was not yet over. As the aircraft approached the northern coastline of the Kola Peninsula they were directed by the regional air defense center to head back out over the sea and establish a holding pattern. No reason for the change was given, but two …

A Look Ahead July 2020

Personally, I always love it when Independence Day falls on a weekend. It gives us more time to celebrate the holiday in a proper manner. Frankly, I always believed Independence Day should be a 2-3 day holiday every year. We need time to do all of those quintessentially American things like taking in a ballgame …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part IX

The fraying remains of dozens of smoke trails still crisscrossed the sky. Fragments of chaff blooms floated down through the air like metallic flurries. Closer in, more menacing columns of black smoke announced points where the Kingfish and Kitchens had broken through the multi-layered defenses of Strike Fleet Atlantic and scored hits. The battle was …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VIII

The raid commander had been flying on a Badger that was part of the northern raid. When the American carrier-borne fighters and their incoming missiles had been detected, he transferred overall command to his deputy who was aboard a Backfire in the southern raid. Instantly, the new raid commander reviewed the situation in his mind …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VII

Author’s Note: Alright, I admit trying to finish up North Atlantic D+13 by this evening was a bridge too far. Next time I’ll conveniently remember not to insert foot in mouth and make an inadvisable claim. Sorry. 😊 As a result, the North Atlantic will wrap up Tuesday evening come hell or high water. –Mike …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VI

The Soviet raid commander grew more unsettled with each passing second. He expected to have received the positions of the enemy carriers by now, but no word had arrived from the Tu-95s. This part of the plan was beginning to go off the rails. Not much, but enough to worry him. The Badgers were approaching …