The Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II

US Air Force assets on the ground in Saudi Arabia on the morning of 10 July were as follows: 2 squadrons of F-15A Eagles from the 49th TFW,  1 squadron of F-16C Falcons and a detachment of A-10 Warthogs were staked out at Dhahran Air Base. A detachment of 4 E-3A Sentries, and a growing …

The Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

Time was running out for the Soviets. Opportunities to interdict the MPS ships en route to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia had largely been exhausted as dawn broke on 10 July. Submarine attacks on MPSRON 2 and its escorts resulted in the sinking of a US frigate at the cost of two subs. The seven cargo ships …

Baltic Approaches D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part III

COMBATLAP’s naval commander believed otherwise. Bornholm possessed no true strategic value for the Warsaw Pact. It was unable to support offensive operations against Denmark and the Baltic approaches. The island’s airport was small and its port facilities were severely limited for that. The attack on Bornholm was a feint, he judged, aimed at distracting his …

Baltic Approaches D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II

10 July saw the beginning of a major effort by the Pact to secure air and sea supremacy in the Baltic. The focus of this effort was on Danish airbases. Of the fifty NATO airfields that were hosting combat aircraft in Central Europe, six were located in Denmark. The Royal Danish Air Force was a …

Baltic Approaches D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

The defense of Schleswig-Holstein was important to NATO’s defense of Denmark and the Baltic approaches. By noon on 10 July the issue was in doubt. The Warsaw Pact advance north to the Jutland peninsula was expected to resume within hours after slowing overnight and into the early morning hours. As the battle plan dictated, elements …

The Central Front: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part III

*Author’s Note: I’m still playing around with presentation. I’ve been using the narrative approach almost exclusively, though on one or two occasions I’ve used a timeline type of format. I’m going to try the timeline again for this post in order to experiment a bit and see how it plays out.*   CENTAG 10 July, …

The Central Front: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II**

By 1700 hours Soviet forces had secured a firm bridgehead on the Elbe despite a counterattack by the Dutch 43rd Armored Infantry Brigade that left the issue in doubt for a period of time. In front of Luneburg, East German troops kept the Dutch forces there occupied well enough that 2nd GTA’s commander sensed an …

The Central Front: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I**

The watchword for the newly installed Soviet army group commanders on 10 July was same it had been for their deceased predecessors: Speed. The first day of war had been a near disaster for Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces on the Central Front. Only the fact that Warsaw Pact forces held a toehold on West …

The Southern Flank D+1 ( 10 July, 1987) Part II

It was generally accepted that the Southwestern Theater of Military Operations (SWTVD) would constitute a secondary theater in the opening days of a war against NATO. The Western TVD (WTVD) was the theater of highest priority and understandably so. SWTVD objectives in the first 3-4 days of hostilities were to halt any NATO air or …

The Southern Flank D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

The destruction of the Soviet surface action groups in the Eastern Mediterranean marked the end of the 5th Eskadra. Every major surface combatant belonging to the Soviet Navy’s Mediterranean squadron was at the bottom of the sea, along with their escorts, and a number of submarines. The squadron’s commander, Rear Admiral Vladimir Yegorov had perished …