The Central Front: Command And Control On The Nuclear Battlefield D+24 (2 August, 1987) Part II

NATO’s retaliation for the nuclear attack against I NL Corps came in the form of two nuclear warheads targeted at two separate targets and delivered by a pair of US Army Pershing II medium-range ballistic missiles. The first and more valuable target was the Group Soviet Forces Germany’s wartime forward command bunker outside Stendal. This …

We Were Right To Fear That Weapon D+24 (2 August 1987) 1648-2015 Zulu

1648- On Nightwatch President Reagan is placed in contact with Chebrikov and Dolgikh in the Lenin Hills. They speak for eighteen minutes. The topics discussed have never been confirmed by either the Russian or US governments. Nor have any of the three men involved ever revealed the matters discussed and agreements reached at this time. …

Dealer’s Choice D+24 (2 August, 1987) 0330-0400 Zulu

0335 Zulu- The 30 kiloton warhead from the Soviet SS-21 exploded 2000 meters over a nature preserve 5 kilometers west of the municipality of Schwienau. The impact point was slightly to the north of the rear area of the Dutch 5th Division. The blast caused horrifically heavy casualties as well as losses of equipment and …

D+23 Primer Part II

Politics By the start of D+23 the Reagan administration’s strategy was centered on candid and accelerated diplomatic efforts to produce a ceasefire that would lead to formal negotiations. But the White House was sensible enough to realize Soviet leadership might not be persuaded by words alone. Therefore, as diplomatic notes were sent east through neutral …

Politics of Armageddon: “Millions Will Die…” D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II

The arrival of Western TVD’s commander in Moscow attracted little attention. The Soviet Union was engaged in a war for national survival and the unexpected appearance of a senior field commander in the capital city raised few eyebrows. General Snetkov was more at ease than he’d been on earlier trips to Moscow for the simple …

2022 WWIII Video Game Tournament: Round 1, Blue Region

Author’s Note: Please excuse the absence of a tournament bracket for this post. The digital tournament template I have used in the past is no longer available, it would seem. So, I have to look around and find a new one. Hopefully before the next tournament entry, but definitely by the start of the next …

Wargames: Joshua’s Nuclear War Scenarios 60-99

Second batch of the Joshua scenarios from Wargames. The final installment will go up later in the week. Tomorrow we'll switch back to a Ukraine update and then ponder whether or not to go back into D+21 on Tuesday's post. Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend. -Mike 60.Danish Paramilitary– Warsaw Pact effort to diminish Denmark’s …

Wargames: Joshua’s Nuclear War Scenarios 1-59

*Author’s Note: I wanted to step away from Ukraine for a day or two. So instead of an update or some personal observations on the conflict, I’ve revised a handful of posts I did on Today’s DIRT from 2013-2016 on the list of scenarios presented in the final minutes of the movie Wargames from back …

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, …

D+18 1640-1700 Zulu 27 July, 1987

Aboard NEACP-Primary, 1636 Zulu (1236 Local Time) “FLASH OPREP-3 PINNACLE—NUDET!” a USAF captain seated at a console in the battle staff area called out. “Coordinates: longitude 40 degrees—” “Forget the lat/long,” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff barked. “Just give us the altitude and map location.” “Altitude 6,000 feet. Central district of Madrid, …