North Atlantic: Death Of The Backfires D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I

In late July and early August of 1987, naval threat facing the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet and the Kola Peninsula had broadened to involve a potential amphibious assault on Soviet territory. The Northern Fleet no longer had the capability to challenge Strike Fleet Atlantic symmetrically. Most of the fleet’s major warships were, by this …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0930-1100 Zulu

The Northern Norwegian Sea, 100 km southeast of Bear Island 0930 Zulu (1130 Local) One hundred kilometers southeast of Bear Island, the Oscar I class SSGN Minskiy Komsomolets was cruising south at twelve knots. The large submarine’s depth was two hundred meters beneath the surface, and it was on a southern course for the moment. …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0030-0130 Zulu

Hildesheim, West Germany 1 August, 1987 0030 Zulu (0230 Local) He should’ve left for the rear two hours ago, General Crosbie Saint, US Army reminded himself sourly. The commander of NATO’s Northern Army Group had assured his superiors in Brussels that he would be back at his headquarters by midnight. Now, thirty minutes into the …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Bravo)

Planning and preparation took center stage in Severomorsk and at airbases and other military installations located from the Kola Peninsula to Arkhangelsk. Long Range Aviation and Naval Aviation bombers, submarines, surface ships and almost every piece of military equipment remaining in the region, and their crews were preparing a maximum defensive effort. Their target was …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Alpha)

0405- News of the failed Badger attack on Strike Fleet Atlantic reaches Norfolk. SACLANT agrees with strike fleet commander’s assessment of the situation, which was helpfully included with the initial report. After reading over the telex, SACLANT ordered his staff to  be recalled immediately (it was 2105 hours, the previous evening in Virginia). Then he …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II (Bravo)

Radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles joined the fray next as the four Forrestal Tomcats engaged. With each second that passed, the air battle became even more chaotic. The Soviet raid commander was now fully cognizant his aircraft—and crews—were suffering heavy losses. Once the US Navy fighters moved in to make use of their Sidewinders. In the …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II (Alpha)

0201- The first Tu-16 Badger started rolling down Severomorsk-3’s 2500-meter runway. The twenty-seven bombers and three ECM-equipped Badgers of the regiment were airborne and heading towards a pre-designated rendezvous point over the Barents Sea, 321 kilometers from the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula. 0220- As the Badgers flew north, operations for the morning’s offensive …

The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part I

Aboard the US Navy aircraft carriers of Strike Fleet Atlantic, aircrews and intelligence staff were preparing for the first set of the day’s missions against targets on the Kola Peninsula. 0400 was the scheduled launch time. Surviving radar sites and air defenses near the bomber bases in the central region of the peninsula were the …

The North Atlantic D+21 (30 July, 1987) Part III

0545 Hours- COMSUBLANT presents his command’s latest estimates on dispositions and defensive strength of the Soviet SSBN bastions to the National Security Council. The ballistic missile submarines assigned to the Red Banner Northern Fleet were all at sea by 0100 hours of D+21 with the exception of four submarines down for long-term maintenance. The SSBNs …

The North Atlantic D+21 (30 July, 1987) Part II

Vice Admiral Feliks Gromov was the new commander-in-chief of the Red Banner Northern Fleet. He served in the capacity of deputy commander of the fleet until the removal of his former superior Admiral Kapitanets. Gromov inherited the same damaged Northern Fleet and deteriorating circumstances his predecessor had labored to reverse before the KGB arrived and …