Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond: Poland

After forty-plus years of submission to Moscow, Eastern Europe decoupled from the Soviet orbit in the aftermath of World War III. The wounds and trauma inflicted on the satellite states from 9 July through early August, 1987 served as a spark on the powder keg Eastern Europe had become in the previous decade. In retrospect …

Ukraine 2023 Update: Challengers, Leopards and Abrams Will Be Heading To Ukraine

We’re jumping back to reality for a short spell to discuss the decisions by Germany and the US earlier in the week to supply Ukraine with main battle tanks. Specifically, Leopard 2s and M-1 Abrams. Great Britain also announced last week it will be sending around a baker’s dozen Challenger 2s to Ukraine. Overall, the …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part III

On 28 June, 1987 the Soviet general secretary informed the Ministry of Defense that Zapad ’87 was to commence on the first of July. A final decision on the date hostilities were to commence was not mentioned. Senior Soviet generals suspected Zapad would transition directly into a broader mobilization and from there to war. Marshal …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part II

In the early June, 1987 senior Soviet military leaders were being queried daily by the new leadership in the Kremlin about theater mobilization procedures. Specifically, General Secretary Romanov was most interested in the amount of time that the vaunted Soviet military would need to prepare for a conventional conflict in Europe. Chief of the General …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part I

Mobilization has played a key role in war planning for centuries. Only in the later half of the 19th Century, with the advent of railroads and industrialization, did it take on a new importance and standing. In Europe during the years leading up to World War I, Mobilization was transformed into nothing less than an …

Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part II

In the twenty-four-hour period following the destruction of the Kremlin and Lubyanka, the troika made up of Vladimir Dolgikh, Viktor Chebrikov and Sergei Akhromeyev took stock of the Herculean task before them. Foremost was affirming the temporary cessation of hostilities between the Soviet Union and United States, as well as her NATO allies. The first …

Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part I

As 2 August, 1987 pressed on towards its climactic conclusion, it was becoming evident that if the world survived the dangerous and rapid escalation then underway, the domestic political dynamic of the Soviet Union, and the geopolitical dynamic of Eastern Europe would appear quite different in the immediate postwar days and weeks. In hindsight the …

The Plan For January, 2023

I should’ve posted this on New Year’s Day but didn’t. Anyhow, here is a brief summary of the main subject points that will be posted about in January 2023. As always, there also be either a few reviews or posts about wargames or World War III pop culture. I try to keep these topics as …

Damaged Equals Killed Part II

Across the board in the Third World War, damage control officers and sailors worked heroically to save their stricken ships. Some efforts were ultimately successful while others were not. In many cases owing to circumstances beyond their control. For the officers and sailors who were able to extinguish fires and restore stability and buoyancy, their …

Damaged Equals Killed Part I

The Third World War spanned twenty-five days from beginning to end. In comparison to its predecessors from earlier in the Twentieth Century, the final installment’s longevity is comparable to two shakes of a lamb’s tail. In the previous world wars campaigns that lasted for months on end were the norm. This forced individual commanders to …