The North Atlantic D+1 ( 10 July, 1987) Part III

Of the twenty Backfires that made up the Iceland strike group four were shot down by F-15s before reaching their launch points. A further three were destroyed  after launching their air-to-surface missiles. Another pair suffered battle damage but managed to return safely to their bases on the Kola Peninsula. Of the sixteen ASMs launched by …

The North Atlantic D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II

Deployment and preparation of the forces dedicated to defense of the GIUK gap continued through the afternoon and into the evening of 10 July. US Orions from Iceland and RAF Nimrods out of Scotland had already been patrolling non-stop since the start of hostilities and had scored a respectable number of kills already. The tempo …

The North Atlantic D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

Through thirty-eight years of multinational naval exercises from the Barents Sea to the Bahamas,  naval conferences, and spending innumerable hours at sea, NATO naval officers had developed a staunch respect for the significance of the Atlantic Ocean to alliance plans. Senior officers especially recognized it as the linchpin of the alliance in a time of …

The North Atlantic D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part II**

The Backfire attack on Keflavik accentuated the importance of the facility, and of Iceland as a whole, for both sides. The Russians were not going to be able to successfully fight a naval war without Iceland being knocked out of action for an extended period of time. For NATO, mounting a successful defense of the …

The North Atlantic: D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part I**

Senior NATO commanders understood and accepted the fact that they would, in all likelihood, be forced to spend the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours of the war reacting to Soviet intentions, and actions. NATO was, after all, a defensive alliance, and this was a war that had been precipitated  by the Kremlin. For at least …

Outpost Iceland, D-2 (7 July, 1987) **

For an island with the history, and reputation of a peaceful kingdom, Iceland proved to be a remarkably vital component in NATO war planning. Iceland's location was the primary factor which made it so significant. Situated in the North Atlantic  between Greenland and Scotland, the island was a logical choke point to counter the Soviet …

Opening Moves **

Hostilities between NATO and the Warsaw Pact began at 0103 hours Central European Summer Time (Zulu +2) on 9 July, 1987. For a war that would spread around the world in a matter of days and involve millions, the opening clashes between the combatants were largely limited affairs. The first shots rang out in West …