The Central Front D+22 (31 July 1987) Part I (Bravo)

In an underground command bunker situated in the forest outside Mons, Belgium, Boris Snetkov’s NATO counterpart was sizing up the day ahead. General Jack Galvin, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) was taken aback by the date on the calendar. He realized this was the twenty-third day of war. In his mind it seemed more like …

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

Western TVD commander-in-chief General Boris Snetkov began D+22 at his command’s alternate wartime headquarters in western Poland, an area still under the control of Soviet forces. His first thought of the new day was the realization that the situation was not going to improve. If anything, it appeared destined to deteriorate further. What was uncertain …

The Central Front D+21 (30 July, 1987) Part III

By dusk, the situation facing the NATO corps on the North German Plain was auspicious, to put it mildly. The sun dipping beneath the western marked the end of Operation Thunder Cloud’s first day. The counteroffensive was nowhere near reaching its climax., but given the events of the last sixteen hours, the main battle was …

The Central Front D+21 (30 July, 1987) Part II

0400- The NORTHAG counteroffensive, officially codenamed Operation Thunder Cloud begins on schedule. As reconnaissance elements of the Dutch 5th Division north of Hanover, and US 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to the south, cross their lines of departure, heavy barrages of artillery and MLRS fire falls on the confirmed or suspected areas containing the main lines …

The Central Front D+21 (30 July, 1987) Part I

By 0100 hours the main components for the first phase of the NORTHAG counterattack were in place. North of Hanover, the Dutch 5th Division was primed and ready to jump off. This division’s attack would hit the forward positions of the Soviet 20th Guards Army just west of Autobahn 7. The first objective was Celle, …

The Central Front D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part V

1705- 6th Guards Tank Division is entirely on the eastern bank of the Leine at Freden. The tail-end elements are moving into the area south of the crossroads of B64 and B3 roadways which has been designated as the division’s rear area. 1730- Crossing operations get underway at the now-operational Greene bridgehead. Lead elements of …

The Central Front D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part IV-Alpha

 NORTHAG 1200-1700 (Northern Sector of the Weser Defenses) The afternoon arrived with Soviet tank and motor-rifle formations engaged in heavy fighting against the West Germans southeast of Hameln. 47th Guards Tank Division’s first push had dislodged the West German mechanized infantry from around Dielmissen. The movement of the 193rd Panzergrenadier Battalion away from the village …

The Central Front D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part II

Precisely on time at 0100, the scheduled reconnaissance mission by the TR-1 tactical reconnaissance aircraft commenced. The aircraft, a variant of the venerable U-2, was an invaluable reconnaissance and intelligence asset. Therefore, its flight path was nowhere near the battlefront. The TR-1’s patrol pattern was essentially a fixed straight line established just east of the …

The Central Front D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part I

NORTHAG’s picture of the battlefront and the Soviet drive to the Weser remained unruffled and consistent as the new day started. 3rd Shock Army’s push to Hameln was continuing with a tank division expected to be committed sometime around daybreak. Behind this unit was a nearly intact tank army approaching the northern Leine bridgeheads. This …

The Central Front D+14 (23 July, 1987) Part IV

As darkness fell on the North German Plain the tempo of operations and activity remained steady. The 56th and 58th Motor Rifle Divisions continued to press in their respective sectors, seeking out the weak points in the West German and British lines in preparation for commitment of the 47th Guards Tank Division early on D+15. …