Baltic Approaches D+8 (17 July, 1987) Part I

At 0400 hours on the morning of 17 July, 1987 Soviet ambassador to Sweden Boris Pankin requested an audience with Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson at 0500. The Swedes readily agreed to the request and the Soviet diplomat strode into the prime minister’s office at Rosenbad promptly at the prescribed time. He informed Carlsson that …

The Southern Flank D+8 (17 July, 1987)

The tug of war over control of the Southern Group of Forces (SGF) continued into D+8. On one side, Western TVD wanted the bulk of the four Soviet divisions and attached air army based in Hungary to be committed to the Central Front without delay. The battle in Germany hung in the balance and the …

Air War on the Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987)

The Commander, Allied Air Forces Central Europe, General Bill Kirk’s worries were starting to compound. As the land war in Northern Germany ramped up, so did the Warsaw Pact air effort in 2nd ATAF’s (Second Allied Tactical Air Force) area of responsibility. From D+6 through much of the following day, enemy air efforts directly supported …

The Politics of Global War: The Polish Powder Keg

After eight days of war the Polish People’s Republic was beginning to show signs of uneasiness. Though the evidence was generally unnoticed by a world preoccupied by the war raging, it was nevertheless present, and smoldering. The direct effects of the war were being felt more by Poland than any other Warsaw Pact member-state, with …

The Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part V

The cavalry squadrons of the 8th Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Divisions played their role as covering forces well. The battalion-sized units harassed the enemy formations making their way west through the morning. Bolstered by fixed wing close air support, attack helicopters, and artillery, they slowed down the leading units of the 11th Guards Division …

The Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part IV

1st Guards Tank Army commenced its advance at 0600 hours. There was a level of concern in the army group’s headquarters regarding the dispositions of the opposing NATO forces. The main avenue of the advance would be through the US V Corps area and it was known for certain two heavy divisions were positioned there. …

The Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part III

As the day went on, conditions were developing in the northern, and central sectors of NORTHAG which were starting to favor maneuver-oriented offense, and defense. Soviet pressure continued to build in three areas: Southeast of Bergen and Hermannsburg in I NL Corps area, just east of Celle, and southeast of Hanover. Even though the danger …

The Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part II

20th Guards Army resumed its advance at 0400 CEST. The reconnaissance company and advance guard of the 32nd Guards Tank Division’s lead regiment reported no enemy activity around Eschede. Unoccupied defensive positions are discovered, yet no Dutch troops or combat vehicles were in sight. To the south, the 35th Motor Rifle Division makes a similar …

The Central Front D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part I

Confusion and indecision descended on I NL Corps headquarters as midnight passed and a new day began. Details of the situation in the Suderberg-Gifhorn sector made their way up the chain of command in muddled fashion. The 52nd Armored Infantry Brigade was retreating from Eschede. Beyond that, very few solid facts were known. The corps …

The Southern Flank D+7 (16 July, 1987)

For the moment, the Soviets and their allies had reluctantly ceded naval control of much of the Mediterranean to NATO. Their naval presence in the Eastern Med was now limited to a few submarines, and a handful of damaged surface warships docked in Syria. The remainder of the 5th Eskadra sat at the bottom of …