D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0401-0615 Zulu

Wedrzyn, Poland 0405 Zulu (0605 Local) Events were moving faster now. At the Western TVD wartime headquarters, the commanders of artillery and chemical troops arrived and were briefed on their new orders by Marshal Snetkov. After five minutes spent explaining the orders and timeline, as well as the quite lengthy restrictions attached to them, the …

D+23 (1 August, 1987) 0241-0400 Zulu

Moscow, USSR 0240 (0540 Local) General Secretary Romanov’s day started with an informal meeting of the Defense Council members in his Kremlin personal residence. The attendees were gathered in his quite comfortable study awaiting Romanov’s arrival. As they waited, the men exchanged news on the status of the war or relief and recovery operations in …

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 …

Baltic Approaches D+22 (31 July, 1987) Part II

1400- The Danish attack commences. 1st and 2nd Brigades of the Jutland Division advance southeast from Bredebro. This division is in far better material shape than its West German counterpart to the east. The Danish sector of the front had been considerably quieter following the rebellion in Polish ranks. The division’s commander took advantage of …

Baltic Approaches D+21 (30 July, 1987)

Early on D+21 the NATO counterattack on the North German Plain was underway. Unfortunately, allied land forces in the BALTAP region were nowhere near ready to commence offensive operations. Despite the best efforts of COMBALTAP and his ground commanders, the NATO brigades and divisions arrayed in Jutland appeared to need another twenty-four hours before their …

D+18 0801-1200 Zulu, 27 July, 1987 Part II

Bredebro, Denmark 0955 Zulu (1145 Local Time) The request for a meeting between the commander of Polish forces and his NATO counterpart at 1000 arrived at the Jutland Division’s forward headquarters a few minutes before 0800. The request was granted, arrangements were made, and the Polish general walked into the operations center of the Jutland …

Baltic Approaches D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part III

1300-1600 In the early afternoon, fighting in eastern Jutland intensified as the GDR  17th Motor Rifle Regiment is fully committed and pushes forward. For the next three hours, the East Germans fight a series of engagements against the West German 16th PzG Brigade and sub-units of the US 1st Brigade/9th Infantry Division. The NATO defenders …

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 …

Baltic Approaches D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part II

Jutland was proving to be a tough nut to crack for the Warsaw Pact. The advance by the Northern Group of Forces (NGF) into Danish territory was meeting stubborn resistance on the ground and fighting under a sky that belonged to NATO entirely. NGF’s commander Colonel General Ivan Korbutov had been warned that the amount …

Baltic Approaches D+9 (18 July, 1987) Part I

Meetings between Swedish diplomats and senior NATO officials continued through the night in Brussels. Not long after midnight the meeting adjourned. The Swedes returned to their embassy for consultations with Stockholm. The NATO officials briefed Secretary General Peter Carrington on the progress of the talks. Afterward, Carrington personally contacted President Reagan, Prime Minister Thatcher, and …