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 …

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 …

West Berlin D+25 (3 August, 1987)

On the morning of 3 August, 1987, as dawn broke across the eastern sky, few residents of West Berlin were aware that a temporary ceasefire was now in place across Europe. NATO and Warsaw Pact military forces were no longer engaged in combat with one another. Or that US and Soviet governments had agreed to …

Galvin and Snetkov Come Together D+25 (3 August, 1987) Part II

Salzglitter, FRG 0703 Zulu (0903 Local) The Soviet Mi-17 flared and landed. The pilot powered down the engines. Once they ceased turning, Marshal Snetkov disembarked from the helicopter with three aides in tow. They moved while under the watchful eyes of an Apache helicopter. SACEUR and own two aides walked out from the trees and …

Galvin and Snetkov Come Together D+25 (3 August, 1987) Part I

Salzglitter, FRG 0655 Zulu (0855 Local) *Author’s Note: This post will require two parts so I thought I’d post Part I early. Second part will be up tomorrow night or sometime on Friday. * General Jack Galvin, US Army stood just inside of a tree line bordering a large tract of farmland that had been …

Politics of Armageddon: The Midnight Discussion

President Reagan and General Secretary Romanov held a short discussion not long after midnight. At the request of the US and Soviet embassies in Bern, the Swiss government established a secure, neutral communications link for the talk. Romanov spoke first and wasted no time laying the blame for events in the past twelve hours directly …