Ukraine Update 21 September 2022: Putin Ups The Ante

Vladimir Putin has upped the ante in Ukraine and made it clear that he is determined to end the war on terms favorable to Russia. In an address to his nation Putin announced the call-up of approximately 300,000 reservists. The Russian leader cited Western material support for Ukraine as the primary reason for the mobilization. …

Ukraine Observations 27 April, 2022: Escalation

We are reaching a point in the Ukraine-Russia Conflict now where the threat of escalation is becoming alarmingly credible. The failure of the Russian offensive in the north has shifted the battlefield to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. A new Russian offensive is underway there, but its unclear how successful it will be in …

Reality And Fiction Collide

Sometimes the boundaries between the real world and fiction are somewhat smudged. Events taking place in real time can bear a striking resemblance to those found in a favorite novel or movie. That’s the situation we find ourselves in at the present time. Russia is massing large numbers of troops, tanks and artillery on the …

Status of US Combat Divisions D+13 (22 July, 1987)

I thought it would be a good idea at this point in the blog to work up a cheat sheet of sorts briefly laying out the statuses and locations of US Army and US Marine Corps combat divisions and select independent brigades on D+13. At this point in the conflict there is a lot to …

The Politics of Global War: The Restive Kremlin D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part I

General Secretary Grigory Romanov summoned the core Defense Council members of the Politburo to the Kremlin at 1 AM. In addition, the Chief of the General Staff Marshal Akhromeyev, and KGB Chairman Viktor Chebrikov were also ordered to attend. Largely surprised, bewildered, and even slightly alarmed by the instruction, the men raced to the Kremlin …

The North Atlantic D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part III

At 1300 hours six Tu-95 Bear D’s lifted off from Olenya airbase on the Kola to replace the Bears that had been lost earlier in the day, as well as reinforce the ones still remaining on station. The priority remained the same: locate and track the NATO carrier groups in the Norwegian Sea. Most of …

The Northern Flank D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part III

As was the case on the previous day, land operations in northern Norway remained secondary concerns for AFNORTH and Northwestern TVD (NWTVD) for most of D+9. Air and naval operations continued to dominate the battle for Norway. At the present rate, the battle was likely to be won or lost in the skies, and at …

The Northern Flank D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part I

The going remained slow, and dangerous for Soviet motor rifle troops in Lapland. The deeper the 54th Motor Rifle Division moved into Finnish territory, the heavier enemy resistance became. It was the same story as the previous thirty-six hours. The lack of paved roads, and flooded terrain severely restricted movement of vehicles.  The Finnish troops …

The Southern Flank D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part I

D+9 saw the first sustained ground combat between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces on the Southern Flank. In the pre-dawn shadows, Pact forces crossed the frontier into Eastern Thrace in force. The Soviet 179th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade (Parent division the 59th Guards MRD) moved south into Turkish territory from staging areas around Lesovo. Bulgarian …

World War III Pop Culture: A Review of Threads Part II

Mike Jackson directed Threads. Before the film project even took off, he and the film’s writer Barry Hines did extensive research on nuclear war, and a number of related topics. The British government at the time was light years ahead of the United States with regards to planning for its populace to be prepared for …