The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part II

As the Backfires and Badgers lifted off from the Kola, Strike Fleet Atlantic was steaming west at 20 knots. Task Force 20.5 and 21.3 were located 180 and 200 miles southwest of Bear Island respectively. In the late evening the two carrier task forces had moved closer together in order to improve coordination and mutual …

The North Atlantic D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part I

Before departing from the Kola Peninsula, Marshal Akhromeyev visited the Red Banner Northern Fleet headquarters in Severomorsk to meet with fleet commander Admiral Ivan Kapitanets. Akhromeyev informed him of the personnel changes taking place at the theater headquarters. He then made it a point to emphasize to the admiral that his own job was safe-for …

The North Atlantic D+8 (17 July, 1987) Part III

1030-1200 Hours- Following the emergency broadcast from the stricken Tu-95 Bear, and the ill-considered acknowledgements by other Soviet aircraft, the search for signs of the enemy surface action groups intensified. USAF F-15 Eagles did locate and dispatch the second Bear, but the Helix remained airborne and undetected. As time went on, radio traffic between Soviet …

The North Atlantic D+8 (17 July, 1987) Part II

On board the command ship USS Mount Whitney Strike Fleet Atlantic’s commander reminded himself that although the war could not be won in Norwegian Sea, it could easily be lost there. The strike fleet he commanded was the most powerful assemblage of naval power since the end of World War II. Along with the four …

The North Atlantic D+7 (16 July, 1987) Part II

As the sun rose into the eastern sky on D+7 Strike Fleet Atlantic was less than 24 hours away from commencing air operations. The three US, and one French carrier battlegroups were divided into a pair of powerful task groups slowly steaming northeast on indirect courses. At dusk the task groups would commence speed runs …

Gaming World War III: The Conflict Model Part II

My initial attempt at modeling the air and sea sides of a hypothetical World War III set in 1987 will sound familiar to anyone who has ever worked for a think tank. I took an inordinate amount of data, put together a rough model for air operations in the European theater, ran it through a …

Gaming World War III: War at Sea Part II

The first edition of Harpoon was a general-purpose air, surface, and sub-surface naval simulation. It was a playable game based around graspable rules, and comprehensive information on ships, aircraft, sensors, and weapons systems of the era. The game found acceptance in the commercial wargaming community, and the professional naval community in general. Harpoon also helped …

Gaming World War III: Introduction

As a young boy growing up in the 80s, the idea of large armies and fleets engaging in titanic battles to decide the fates of nations never failed to get my heart pumping, or inspire my imagination. I played soldier along with the rest of the neighborhood kids. With our trusty plastic toy M-16A1s and …