Cracks in the Pact D+15: East Germany Part II

The fuse was lit in Pelkwitz. Around 0400 hours on D+15, a damaged US Air Force F-16C Falcon, returning from a mission outside of Cottbus, crashed north of the tiny hamlet of Pelkwitz, just off of the Bundestrasse 102 roadway. A number of individuals on the ground heard or saw the crash. Some were farmers …

Cracks in the Pact D+15: East Germany Part I

As was the case with all Warsaw Pact countries, the seeds of defiance and resistance to Soviet domination had been planted long before July, 1987. Events earlier in the 1980s, coupled with the start of the Third World War served to accelerate the development of these seeds into plants. By late July, 1987 the plants …

Baltic Approaches D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part III

The journey of the surviving vessels of the Soviet amphibious group ended up taking nearly eighteen hours. Course revisions, increasing harassment by Swedish forces and the incomplete picture on the situation in Poland each contributed to the lengthier-than-expected transit. The original plan had been for the group to skirt the East German and Polish coastlines, …

Baltic Approaches D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part II

Operations against the rebelling Polish Army divisions in Western Jutland had been scheduled to commence at 0200 hours. The failure of the expected East German regiments to arrive at the scheduled time, and massive traffic logjams on the roads in the Pact rear areas had forced Northern Group of Forces (NGF) to delay the start …

The Central Front D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part III

The meeting took place at the same location as the one held ten days earlier; a luxury home in Waldsiedlung, a suburb north of Berlin that served as an exclusive residential zone for senior GDR politicians and party officials. Snetkov arrived shortly before 2100. The journey from Stendal to this exclusionary neighborhood outside of Berlin …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VI

1230- The Soviet amphibious group passes 20 miles south of Bornholm. Earlier in the morning the damaged cruiser Alexander Nevsky was detached from the group as its maximum speed was reduced to less than ten knots. The ship was becoming a liability. One of the surviving frigates of the Surface Action Group was tasked with …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part V- Charlie

Across western Jutland other paratroopers had shared the experience of their brigade command group and dropped near to or directly on friendly units. In more than one instance the morning’s horror of an airdrop was discussed and news of it started to circulate. As is usually the case with stories of traumatic experiences wrought with …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part V- Bravo

The Polish airborne drop that morning was inadvertently spread out over an area of western Jutland measuring 30 kilometers in length, and roughly 16 kilometers in width. Once NATO fighters materialized in large numbers the formation of transport aircraft scattered. Flight paths were no longer a priority as survival became the preeminent aspiration for the …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part IV- Bravo

Bravo Section- Naval and Amphibious Activity D+13 0000-1200 CEST 0145- The Soviet SAG (Surface Action Group) is detected east of Bornholm by patrolling Swedish aircraft. Intermittent radar returns are picked up from four ships: three Krivak class frigates and a single Kresta II class guided missile cruiser. The information is forwarded to NAVBALTAP headquarters in …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part IV-Alpha

Author’s Note: This entry is being divided into two sections: Part IV Alpha, and Bravo. Alpha will cover the air battles and paratrooper landings up until 1100 or so. Bravo will cover the amphibious landings, and naval battles through 1200. Part V will tie them both together and conclude Baltic Approaches D+13. Hopefully in a …