WWIII In Numbers (Entry#1)

WWIII is a war defined by numbers. Literally. Mountains of numbers and figures have been released covering every conceivable topic. From ammunition expenditures of every weapon used in the war to the average lifespan of a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle on the Central Front, numbers told the final story. More impressive is the fact that they continue to tell the story of the Third World War even to this day. New studies are presented, adding fuel to some theories while completely vaporizing others. This was expected as a new generation of historians comes onto the scene eager to make their own mark on the history of the war. Their initial discoveries have been unimpressive to say the least, akin to trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. With time they’ll either catch on or be relegated to the margins of academia for the next fifty years.

In any case, I feel it is high time to present some numbers from the war. I’m starting with only seven figures as well as explanations for them. At some point around New Years I plan to expand on this with more entries, each containing at least 20 or so figures each. But for now, I hope you enjoy this entry. 😊

1312– The number of T-80 series Main Battle Tanks assigned to 3^rd Shock Army on 8 July, 1987 (D-1).

5– The number of NATO aircraft carriers sank in action during World War III.

55– Of all the kills scored against Warsaw Pact fixed wing aircraft on the Central Front and Flanks, F-15C Eagles accounted for 55% of them.

7– On the first day of war (D+0) 7 NATO airbases in the 2 ATAF region sustained heavy damage from Soviet air attacks. These forced the bases to be closed temporarily so crews could make the necessary repairs. By 0600 on D+1 all seven bases were operational once more.

33– Soviet Spetsnaz and airmobile troops were the first to see action on the Central Front in the Third World War. Hostilities opened with a series of attacks by small units of special operation soldiers against targets deep in the NATO rear areas. They were followed up by airmobile attacks on bridges, headquarters and critical road junctions in NORTHAG’s area of operations. Overall, the efforts were unsuccessful and cost the Soviets heavy losses. Only 33 Spetsnaz and airmobile troops surrendered to NATO forces, however. And most of these men had sustained serious combat wounds and needed immediate medical assistance.

10– In the first forty-eight hours of hostilities every NATO SSN at sea fired an average of ten torpedo-tube launched weapons.

6– WWIII was the first war to see nuclear-powered warships assume the role of active combatants. War at sea produces losses and this one was no exception. The majority of submarine losses by both sides were nuclear powered subs. Five of these losses caused nuclear emergencies of varying degrees: Four Soviet attack boats (1 Alfa, 1 Sierra, 2 Victor IIs) and one British (Trafalgar class) boat. On the surface, the destruction of a Kirov class nuclear-powered battlecruiser in the northern Norwegian Sea led to a radiation leak and minor contamination. Two dozen sailors and officers who survived the attack on Kirov and were rescued needed to be treated for radiation poisoning. None of their cases were fatal, however.