Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf D+24 (2 August, 1987)

As the conflict in Europe escalated with near reckless abandon throughout most of the day and raised the prospect of a global nuclear exchange, Iran and Iraq were moving to maintain low profiles for the time being. An unofficial ceasefire took effect over the battleline by the afternoon. Neither Tehran or Baghdad wanted to attract …

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. …

The Northern Flank D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part I

The next round of NATO air missions against targets on the Kola peninsula started at 0230. It soon became clear the focus of the early morning sorties would be different from what it had been just twenty-four hours before. Fighter bases and long-range radar sites were the primary targets. The NATO fighter-bombers were accompanied in …

SAC on the Eve of War: D-1 (8 July, 1987) **

In the final hours of peace on 8 July, 1987, the US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command found itself in a peculiar position. As the other major commands in the Air Force and in other service branches prepared for war, SAC was maintaining a low key, business-as-usual approach. It was strange development, but nevertheless true. …