WWIII 1987 Wargame Scenario Update: First One Drops In Early December

Yesterday I blocked out some time to look over some of the World War III 1987 scenarios I created to help wargame the conflict in many theaters. Originally the scenarios were designed and built using CMANO (Command Modern Air and Naval Operations). Once its successor CMO (Command Modern Operations) was released I was grateful to …

WWIII Naval Losses: NATO, D+0 (9 July, 1987)

As anticipated, the first day of the Third World War generated fierce engagements between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces at sea. From the North Cape to the mouth of the Persian Gulf naval and air forces clashed. Surface warships and submarines from both sides were damaged and destroyed. From the opening of hostilities in the …

Southern Flank D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part II

0500-1230 Zulu- As the tactical nuclear exchange in Europe and its aftermath gripped world attention through the rest of the morning and early afternoon and the fate of the entire world seemed to hang in the balance, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was motoring obliviously towards final dissolution.  Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina had already declared …

Southern Flank D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I

0004 Zulu- The commencement of chemical and nuclear warfare in Central Europe at the tail end of D+23 and the start of D+24 brought AFSOUTH to an even higher state of readiness. Units increased their nuclear and chemical preparations. Minutes passed by with no new information coming from Brussels other than an order for all …

The Southern Flank D+20 (29 July, 1987)

Rescue and recovery operations in Madrid and the surrounding affected areas increased in scope and size with every passing hour. The Spanish government was pulling itself together as expeditiously as conditions allowed. It was clear by this time what senior government positions were empty and needed to be filled in order to make certain there …

The Southern Flank D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part I

Preparations continued in the Southwestern TVD’s area of operations through the first half of D+13. In Bulgarian Thrace six divisions were massed along the border with Greece and Turkey. Five more were located in staging areas 25-30 kilometers to the north. Convoys of armored vehicles and supply trucks motored south to the border area. After …

The Southern Flank D+10 (19 July, 1987) Part II

Libya’s declaration of neutrality did not shake Moscow to its core. Frankly, the Libyan move was met with general indifference by Soviet leadership. By this point in the war, the focus had shifted almost fully to the Central European battlefront. Romanov and the Politburo regarded Libya, and the Mediterranean as an inessential sideshow. Gaddafi’s decision …

The Southern Flank D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part I

D+9 saw the first sustained ground combat between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces on the Southern Flank. In the pre-dawn shadows, Pact forces crossed the frontier into Eastern Thrace in force. The Soviet 179th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Parent division the 59th Guards MRD) moved south into Turkish territory from staging areas around Lesovo. Bulgarian …

The Southern Flank D+6 (15 July, 1987) Part I

For NATO, total control of the sea lanes of communication in the Eastern Mediterranean became a necessity by the seventh day of the war. The first NATO convoy bound for Greece entered the Aegean Sea at 0800 hours local time on D+6 and made port later in the day. Behind it was an even larger …

The Southern Flank: D+2 (11 July, 1987) Part I

Overall, D+2 was a quiet twenty-four hour period across the Southern Flank. Reinforcements continued moving into theater for both NATO and the Warsaw Pact as both sides continued their respective preparations for offensive and defensive operations. To be frank, neither side was ready to launch a major land offensive at the present time, though this …