The Western Pacific D+0 (9 July, 1987)**

World War III arrived in the Western Pacific with an anticlimactic whimper, not the violent crescendo that had been widely anticipated for days. It was 12:00 PM in Seoul and Tokyo when the first official reports began making their way to the region from Europe. Hostilities were breaking out from the northern reaches of Norway …

The Arabian Peninsula & Persian Gulf: D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part II**

*Author’s Note: This will be the final timeline embed of 2018 😊*   9 July Note: All times posted here will be Riyadh Time (GMT+3) 0630- Upon receiving word that war has broken out in Europe, the USS Constellation’s air wing (CVW-14) establishes combat air patrols, and ASW coverage over the MPSRON-2 ships bound for …

The Arabian Peninsula & Persian Gulf: D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part I**

  The Stage is Set On the morning hostilities broke out in Europe, the Soviet military forces in the Persian Gulf region consisted primarily of naval and air forces based in and around South Yemen. A small number of submarines were operating in the Arabian Sea and western reaches of the Indian Ocean. The Indian …

The Southern Flank: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0600-2359**

Authors Note: I had misplaced the original narrative entry for this time and date. Over the holiday break I'll rewrite it and post. Until then, I've made a handful of brief changes to this timeline. When the narrative is posted, I'll put a note up on the main page.    Southern Flank 9 July Timeline …

Baltic Approaches: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1000-2359**

The Soviet air mobile assault earlier in the morning on Rendsburg nearly succeeded in decapitating LANDJUT’s senior leadership. The town, for all of its previously mentioned importance, also served as the peacetime headquarters for the Commander, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LANDJUT). When warning of Soviet helicopters approaching Rendsburg was received, LANDJUT’s commander, a …

Baltic Approaches: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0600-1000**

To the surprise of  senior NATO officers in Brussels and Kolsas, as well as the government and citizenry of Denmark, the first day of World War III was exceptionally quiet around the Baltic Approaches in comparison to other areas of Europe. It had been expected that the Warsaw Pact offensive into West Germany would be …

The Southern Flank: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0400-0600**

Hostilities in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean began at 0400 CEST. The first clash between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces came in the southwest corner of the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. A combined force of Hellenic and Turkish navy fast attack craft was covering minelaying operations off Limankoy when they were attacked by …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1200-2359 Part II**

CENTAG was an army group blessed with some inherent advantages. It's formations were made up of some of NATO’s best trained, and equipped divisions. The divisions making up the US V and VII Corps, as well as the West German II and III Corps, contained well-trained, and motivated officers, NCOs and soldiers. Their equipment was …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1200-2359 Part I**

Through the course of the afternoon the covering force battles raged on.  No Soviet breakthroughs came, although pressure was beginning to build up in some sectors, namely in the NORTHAG area and to the north of it. The role of the NATO covering forces was to buy time for the main forces behind them to …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0800-1200**

Except for a small number of generals in Brussels and at Ramstein AB, as well as  a slightly larger cadre of pilots and squadron intelligence officers at RAF Alconbury,  no one in Western Europe had any idea about how effective the early morning F-117 strikes had been. Remarkable post-strike videos from the targeting pods on …