Western Pacific D+24 (2 August, 1987)

The time zone differences between Greenwich, UK (GMT/Zulu) and the Western Pacific in 1987 was 9-10 hours. This meant that as the NATO retaliatory chemical attacks were underway and GSFG headquarters at Wunsdorf was struck by an air-delivered nuclear gravity bomb in the opening moments of midnight D+24, it was mid-morning in Tokyo and Seoul. …

Western Pacific D+20 (29 July, 1987)

The ballistic missile submarines belonging to the Red Banner Pacific Fleet were fully deployed in the Sea of Okhotsk by 0600 local time on D+20. With the Pacific Fleet’s SSBN bastion now established there, fortifying it became nothing less than a vital priority. A line of attack submarines was positioned in close proximity to the …

Western Pacific D+19 (28 July, 1987)

By the early hours of D+19 the military and geopolitical ramifications from the nuclear exchange had taken hold in the Western Pacific. The nuclear-capable forces in the region went to high alert and remained there as tensions ebbed and flowed through the day. The ballistic missile submarines assigned to the Soviet Red Banner Pacific Fleet …

The Western Pacific D+17 (26 July, 1987)

Western Pacific D+17 0117- The first US attacks against targets in the Pyongyang area are launched. Against a pitch black, star-filled sky two explosions shatter the morning calm. Smoke and fire pour from the twisted wreckage of the Ministry of Defense building and Mansudae Hall, seat of the Supreme People's Assembly. The two F-117 stealth …

The Western Pacific D+16 (25 July, 1987)

Western Pacific D+16 0020- Four F-117A stealth fighters arrive at Misawa Airbase in northern Japan. The aircraft are placed in two heavily guarded hangars as the pilots go into their post-flight debriefings. 0400- Like clockwork, the pre-dawn convoy of trucks containing ammunition, fuel and other war material arrives at the Soviet-North Korean frontier. The Russian …

The Western Pacific D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part II

Not long after dawn, a ROK (Republic of Korea) mechanized infantry brigade commenced a spoiler attack against the North Korean 872nd Tank Division 4 kilometers south of Uijongbu. The 872nd was the lead element of the North Korean push down the Uijongbu Corridor. Communications intercepts had revealed the NK division was just a shell of …

The Western Pacific D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part I

After five days of high-intensity combat on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, North Korea’s armed forces were in need of large-scale replenishment. Much like the NATO and Warsaw Pact armies in Europe had learned, stocks of ammunition, fuel, and replacement equipment are consumed at rates far higher than pre-war studies estimated. And like …

The Western Pacific D+14 (23 July, 1987)

Tension along the Sino-Soviet frontier continued to lessen on D+14. The periodic exchanges of small arms and mortar fire that were so common on D+12 disappeared. Chinese and Soviet troops remained vigilant, but their aggressiveness seemed to have plateaued by late morning. Unbeknownst to the soldiers on the ground at the time, Beijing and Moscow …

The Western Pacific D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part II

Although the atmosphere remained tense, the Sino-Soviet frontier had quieted down notably since the previous day. In the hours of pre-dawn darkness, the movement of Chinese and Soviet armored, and motorized vehicles around the border area came to an abrupt halt, as if by mutual agreement. This was not the case of course. However, the …

The Western Pacific D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part I

Fighting on the Korean peninsula intensified throughout the day. The strategy for the North Korean offensive was quite apparent, and the same held true for the defensive plans of the Combined Forces Command (CFC). There was little room for subterfuge, or deceit on the ground. South Korea’s geography shaped the respective battle plans, and was …