Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part I

As 2 August, 1987 pressed on towards its climactic conclusion, it was becoming evident that if the world survived the dangerous and rapid escalation then underway, the domestic political dynamic of the Soviet Union, and the geopolitical dynamic of Eastern Europe would appear quite different in the immediate postwar days and weeks. In hindsight the …

Politics of Armageddon: “Millions Will Die…” D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II

The arrival of Western TVD’s commander in Moscow attracted little attention. The Soviet Union was engaged in a war for national survival and the unexpected appearance of a senior field commander in the capital city raised few eyebrows. General Snetkov was more at ease than he’d been on earlier trips to Moscow for the simple …

Politics of Armageddon: “Millions Will Die…” D+22 (31 July 1987) Part I

At 10 AM the Politburo convened again in the same Kremlin conference room it had been meeting in for the duration of the Third World War. This meeting was attended only by full members, to the surprise and alarm of some. Candidate members were not present, and their exclusion was blamed on scheduling conflicts and …

D+18 0801-1200 Zulu, 27 July, 1987 Part I

Moscow, USSR  0830 Zulu 1130 Local The first Politburo meeting of the day concluded at 10 AM. Afterwards, the Defense Council reconvened immediately. Before this morning, the overall mood of the Politburo hinted at growing apprehension over the state of the war. The briefing given by CINC-West at the morning session confirmed that operations on …

D+18 0000-0400 Zulu 27 July, 1987 Part I

Political The Pentagon, Washington DC  27 July,1987 0000 Zulu  (2000 local time, 26 July, 1987) It was still the previous evening on the east coast of the United States. In the nation’s capital, an amended sense of normalcy had returned. Nearly three weeks of global conflict had passed by. The prospect of the war turning …

The Politics of Global War: A Crucial Day in Moscow Part II

While the Yeltsin and Dolgikh breakfast drew to an end, the Defense Council was meeting at the Kremlin. A General Staff officer was bringing the General Secretary and the other members of the council up to date on overnight and early morning developments. Since 9 July, the five men making up the council were the …

The Politics of Global War: The Restive Kremlin D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part III

Present conditions in the Northwestern TVD (NWTVD) were far from ideal. Every man seated at the conference table was aware of troubles and issues in the north but not the extent of them. This included General Secretary Romanov. Marshal Akhromeyev understood this was his time to speak the unfettered truth. Failure to do so would …

The Politics of Global War: The Restive Kremlin D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part II

Marshal Akhromeyev started with Germany. He did not exaggerate or diverge from the truth, yet presented only as many details as were necessary to support the briefing. The Red Army was advancing-slower than expected but still moving west. The reasons for the slow progress were summarized swiftly with Akhromeyev careful not to dwell, or allow …