D+23 (1 August, 1987) 2300-2359 Zulu

Note #1-All events in this entry take place in Central Europe in the CEST Central European Summer Time) time zone. Zulu+2. Zulu time is displayed with local time in parenthesis. Since it is after midnight, the date in the CEST time zone is 2 August, 1987, but still 1 August for Zulu time. 2304 (0104 …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1801-2245 Zulu

Northern Norwegian Sea 1815 Zulu (2015 Local)  The Oscar I class Soviet SSGN Minskiy Komsomolets had broken off its pursuit of Strike Fleet Atlantic thirty minutes earlier. After putting some distance between itself and the outer ring of the enemy formation and ASW patrols the sub rose to periscope depth and extended its communications antenna. …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1730-1800 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 1730 Zulu (2130 Local Time) Another meeting between two senior members of the Soviet government was starting just as the one in Dolgikh’s dacha was drawing to a close. This one was happening in the general secretary’s residence inside of the Kremlin compound. Grigori Romanov was seated in a comfortable leather chair near …

D+23 Temporary Format Change For Friday’s Entry

Evening, everyone. I hope you’re all having a relaxing Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning depending on time zones and such. 😊 As I mentioned yesterday, I want to let the readers know of a temporary format change coming to D+23 for the Friday’s entry. Instead of the narrative format which I’ve been using exclusively for …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1630-1700 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 1630 Zulu (2030 Local Time) The second meeting of significance for opponents of the general secretary was also held in Vladimir Dolgikh’s dacha. This one was smaller than the first one with only Dolgikh and a silent ally present. This second man was a Politburo member too, as well as being one of …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1530-1600 Zulu

Mons, Belgium 1530 Zulu (1730 Local) Despite the trans-Atlantic distance between SACEUR’s wartime headquarters complex in the forest outside of Mons and Washington DC, President Reagan’s voice came through with a crispness and clarity that it seemed as if the leader of the free world was in a room next door. Communications, namely secure communications …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 1215-1500 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 1215 Zulu (1615 Local) The mid-afternoon session of the Politburo concluded earlier than anticipated. The mood had soured very early on and before anyone could think of containment it was too late. Vladimir Dolgikh was the figure that the opposition rallied around, somewhat to Romanov’s surprise. He’d expected another twenty-four hours to pass …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0930-1100 Zulu

The Northern Norwegian Sea, 100 km southeast of Bear Island 0930 Zulu (1130 Local) One hundred kilometers southeast of Bear Island, the Oscar I class SSGN Minskiy Komsomolets was cruising south at twelve knots. The large submarine’s depth was two hundred meters beneath the surface, and it was on a southern course for the moment. …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0700-0900 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 0700 Zulu (1100 Local Time) The 10 AM Politburo meeting began twenty minutes late with the delayed arrival of the general secretary. In normal times, late starts to meetings such as this were the rule rather than the exception. In times of crisis or war it occurred less often, sometimes acting as a …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0630-0700 Zulu

Brussels, Belgium 0630 Zulu (0830 Local) News of the chemical weapon attack on LANDJUT units along the Danish-West German border reached NATO headquarters in Brussels less than seven minutes after the first CW rounds impacted. Initial reports were understandably lacking in detail, but it was clear beyond a doubt that the Soviets had deliberately initiated …