The Central Front D+22 (31 July 1987) Part III (Alpha)

A military aircraft ostensibly designated and marked as a medical evacuation flight transported General Snetkov back to the Western Theater of Operations. The plane landed at a military airfield southeast of Berlin. From there he was transported amid heavy security to the Group Soviet Forces Germany peacetime headquarters complex at Wünsdorf. The buildings and surrounding …

Politics of Armageddon: Fissures Develop in Moscow D+21 (30 July, 1987)

At the Politburo meeting later in the evening, General Secretary Romanov found himself being confronted on the conduct of the war for the first time. Romanov was taken aback by the bold, direct queries put forth by a number of Politburo members, as well as their refusal to accept his rather insubstantial responses. Attempts by …

Observations on the Ukraine Conflict- 28 March, 2022

After 30+ days of war, the situation on the ground in Ukraine is nothing short of a stalemate. The much-vaunted Russian land offensive built around maneuver and superior firepower never came to fruition. Instead, a poorly equipped, poorly-led Russian army crossed the border with minimal close air support and inferior communications backing it up. Then …

Politics of Armageddon: The Politburo Returns D+21 (30 July, 1987)

In the early part of the afternoon, the first Politburo members returned to Moscow following their short trips. The bleak and uncertain atmosphere they found the city in mirrored their own attitudes and feelings sharply. The rides from the airport to their residences took them through Moscow and separately, the men who ruled the Soviet …

Politics of Armageddon: Preparations For A Crackdown D+20 (29 July, 1987)

By 2100 hours Moscow time, seventy-five percent of the Politburo’s members were either preparing to depart from Moscow or had already left. Their collective task was to observe events and conditions in whichever theater of operations for eight hours. Afterwards, they would return to Moscow and report their findings to the General Secretary and the …

Politics of Armageddon: Politburo Marching Orders D+20 (29 July, 1987)

The Politburo meeting began at 3 PM promptly. Every member was in attendance, both full and junior. Most of these men had been evacuated from the city in the aftermath of the nuclear strikes on Madrid and the Canadian military base in the far north. They had been out of the loop for over 24 …

D+20 Politics of Armageddon: Chebrikov’s Request

The first members of the Politburo to return to Moscow were the members belonging to the Defense Council. This group of men arrived at the Kremlin shortly after 2:00 AM local time and went directly into conference with the General Secretary. Over the next six hours, the rest of the Politburo members, full and candidate, …

Politics of Armageddon: Intermission

NEACP-Primary landed back at Andrews AFB at 1303 hours local time, roughly twenty-five hours after the aircraft had departed from the base. As President Reagan and a contingent of his advisers and Cabinet secretaries deplaned, other senior members of the US government remained outside the District of Columbia and would remain so for the duration. …

D+18 1831-2359 Zulu 27 July, 1987

At 1900 Zulu, President Ronald Reagan addressed a nation on the verge of complete panic, its citizens in urgent need of information. His speech was made over the radio since the E-4B did not carry the equipment necessary for him to make a television broadcast. Nonetheless, his words were carried by the major networks and …

D+18 1701-1730 Zulu 27 July, 1987

Moscow, USSR 1705 Zulu (2005 Local Time) “Both of our missiles have successfully hit their targets,” KGB Chairman Viktor Chebrikov reported. General Secretary Romanov took the news with equanimity. “Thank you, Viktor Mikhailovich.” He then turned away from the window and looked in the direction of the other Defense Council members. “So, now we wait, …