The Northern Flank D+25 (3 August, 1987)

On land and air, the final hours of the Third World War on NATO’s Northern Flank was marked by grim vigilance as both sides readied their forces and troops for the seemingly imminent prospect of further escalation. AFNORTH’s plan for the use of nuclear weapons on the northern flank was dependent primarily upon air delivered …

Death Of USS Kitty Hawk D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part II

Two SS-N-19 Shipwreck anti-ship cruise missiles struck USS Kitty Hawk within five seconds of one another. The first Shipwreck hit between the two mid-ship catapults and the second one just aft of the port aircraft elevator. The missiles were each traveling at a speed of close to Mach 2 while carrying 1500-pound warheads. Between the …

The Morning After In Moscow D+25 (3 August, 1987)

In Moscow, government consolidation efforts were underway in the shadows of the emergency services and civil defense operations going on around the remains of the Kremlin and Lubyanka. Even this was limited and dependent upon radiological readings. By 0000 Zulu (0400 Moscow time), the areas giving off the highest readings were predictably those immediately around …

Death Of USS Kitty Hawk D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I

The Soviet Navy’s greatest tactical victory of the war occurred on the final day of the Third World War with the destruction of USS Kitty Hawk in the far northern reaches of the Norwegian Sea. Its effect on the outcome of the war, though, was minimal. The Red Banner Northern Fleet was unable to capitalize …

Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond: Poland

After forty-plus years of submission to Moscow, Eastern Europe decoupled from the Soviet orbit in the aftermath of World War III. The wounds and trauma inflicted on the satellite states from 9 July through early August, 1987 served as a spark on the powder keg Eastern Europe had become in the previous decade. In retrospect …

Post War Geopolitics: Unfinished Business

In early August of 1987 the Third World War came to an end. The guns fell silent, strategic forces came off their high alert statuses and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. In the final twenty-four hours of the war the planet teetered on the edge of the abyss with the United States …

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

In the twenty-four-hour period following the destruction of the Kremlin and Lubyanka, the troika made up of Vladimir Dolgikh, Viktor Chebrikov and Sergei Akhromeyev took stock of the Herculean task before them. Foremost was affirming the temporary cessation of hostilities between the Soviet Union and United States, as well as her NATO allies. The first …

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 …

The Plan For January, 2023

I should’ve posted this on New Year’s Day but didn’t. Anyhow, here is a brief summary of the main subject points that will be posted about in January 2023. As always, there also be either a few reviews or posts about wargames or World War III pop culture. I try to keep these topics as …

Central America/Caribbean D+24 (2 August, 1987)

The Third World War reached its apogee on D+24. Yet as the hours went by and appeared to be pushing the world towards an imminent nuclear war, in Central America and the Caribbean, the mood and actions were guided by a fatalistic attitude on the part of national leaders and populations alike. In places such …