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 …

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: Alliance Politics

While US generals and admirals went to work planning the next phase of military operations in Central Europe, other European theaters and beyond, The leaders of the United States, Great Britain, France and the Federal Republic of Germany discussed what was to come next. Each leader had his or her own concepts and goals. In …

Politics of Armageddon: The Midnight Discussion

President Reagan and General Secretary Romanov held a short discussion not long after midnight. At the request of the US and Soviet embassies in Bern, the Swiss government established a secure, neutral communications link for the talk. Romanov spoke first and wasted no time laying the blame for events in the past twelve hours directly …

D+18 1201-1600 Zulu 27 July, 1987 Part II

Greene, FRG 1240 Zulu (1440 Local Time) His presence on the western bank of the Leine was giving his security detail, as well as 2nd Brigade’s commander fits. 1st Cavalry Division’s commander Major General John Yeosock understood this but did not allow it to deter him from coming forward to personally observe operations. The river …

D+18 Primer

D+18 entries will kick off on Thursday 16 September, 2021. The layout and presentation for this day will be distinctly different from those of the past. We have arrived at a point where minutes and hours count more than days. As a rule now, decisions and actions in one theater will now bring on consequences …

The Politics of Global War: A Crucial Day in Moscow Part IV

The KGB Chairman revealed the deceit and fraudulence in the Defense Minister’s reports from earlier in the afternoon, as well as those from previous days. Yazov had knowingly sugarcoated the facts to make them more palatable. His motivation was simple; Buy time until the fortunes of the Soviet military were reversed. Yazov, for whatever reason, …

Cracks Widen: Poland D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part II

burst of street protests and clashes with ZOMO teams, most Poles had retreated to the confines of their homes to monitor events. As the hours flashed by and the Polish government remained on the sidelines, factions of citizens were organizing themselves for future protests. The air of uncertainty that settled in across Poland was not …

Cracks Widen: Poland D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part I

For the first half of D+16 Gdansk was the center of activity in the People’s Republic of Poland. The landing by Soviet naval infantry was completed and the beachhead secure by 1000. Shortly thereafter, two columns of APCs supported by light tanks were moving into the city. The larger of the two columns had been …

Cracks Widen: East Germany D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part III

0400- In East Berlin at the State Council Building , a meeting of the National Defense Council is hastily called for 6 AM. General Secretary Honecker, after separate deliberations with Defense Minister Heinz Kessler and Minister of State Security Erich Mielke, orders both men to remain in the building. Party guards loyal to Honecker take …