WWIII Aircraft Losses: Warsaw Pact, East German Air Force, Central Front D+0 Part III

Jumping back into Warsaw Pact air losses on D+0 this entry will look at the East German Air Force losses on the first day of war. East German’s air arm was involved in the fighting but not in a decisive manner. For the majority of the Central Front, East German air units served in a …

Air War On The Central Front: The Red Air Force’s First Day Of War D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part II

The preemptive airstrike launched by Israel in the opening minutes of the Six-Day War destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. The Soviet Air Force digested the lessons of Israel’s overwhelmingly successful operation and soon thereafter began developing countermeasures aimed at making it impossible for NATO to catch the Soviet and …

Air War On The Central Front: The Red Air Force’s First Day Of War D+0 (9 July, 1987) Part I

The efficiency and power of NATO air forces was never underestimated by senior Soviet military commanders. In the late 1970s a new generation of combat aircraft were beginning to make their way into service with major NATO alliance members. It was clear Western air forces were on the verge of a renaissance and major modernization. …

WWIII Aircraft Losses: Warsaw Pact, 16th Air Army, Central Front D+0 Part II

16th Air Army    Zossen, GDR (Continued) 126th Fighter Division   Zerbst, GDR 35th Fighter Regiment    Zerbst, GDR A/C Strength 0000 Hours D+0: 53x MiG-29 Fulcrum A/C Combat Losses D+0: 17 7 Fulcrums lost on AD missions AM/PM 7 Fulcrums lost on OCA Escort missions AM 3 Fulcrums lost on OCA Escort missions PM 833rd Fighter Regiment …

5 Primary Factors That Contributed To The Soviet/WP Defeat On The Central Front: Operation Dark Comet Part II

NATO’s objectives for Operation Dark Comet were met and exceeded on a number of levels. Soviet command bunkers were struck and by all accounts destroyed completely. The three most powerful Soviet army groups on the Central Front had been decapitated. As a result of the F-117s handiwork, the Soviet Front and Theater commanders then found …

5 Primary Factors That Contributed To The Soviet/WP Defeat On The Central Front: Operation Dark Comet Part I

Operation Dark Comet was a bolt out of the blue, impacting the Soviet armies and air forces just a handful of hours prior to the start of the Warsaw Pact offensive on the Central Front. It was long accepted as fact on both sides of the Iron Curtain that the Soviets and their Pact allies …

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 …

Death Knell Of The Pact D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part I

Wünsdorf was chosen as a target because of its military relevance. The East German town played host to the peacetime headquarters of Group Soviet Forces Germany and was positioned high on NATO’s target list. Many East German military officers and government officials were aware that Wünsdorf would be targeted in the event of a limited …

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 …

As Ready As They Can Be D+24 (2 August, 1987) 0200-0250 Zulu

0205 Zulu- In Moscow, General Secretary Romanov selects a retaliatory response option, and the decision is finalized. It will be some 45 minutes until Western TVD completes the necessary preparations. In the meantime, Romanov turns to the handling an assortment of important tasks. The first of which is delaying the Politburo meeting until 0715. 0215 …