The North Atlantic D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II

Deployment and preparation of the forces dedicated to defense of the GIUK gap continued through the afternoon and into the evening of 10 July. US Orions from Iceland and RAF Nimrods out of Scotland had already been patrolling non-stop since the start of hostilities and had scored a respectable number of kills already. The tempo …

The North Atlantic D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

Through thirty-eight years of multinational naval exercises from the Barents Sea to the Bahamas,  naval conferences, and spending innumerable hours at sea, NATO naval officers had developed a staunch respect for the significance of the Atlantic Ocean to alliance plans. Senior officers especially recognized it as the linchpin of the alliance in a time of …

The Northern Flank D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II

The loss of air superiority over Northern Norway brought immediate ramifications for NATO’s entire Northern Flank defensive strategy. Air and sea surveillance of the Norwegian coast and Barents Sea would now be severely limited. The same was true for subsequent air and naval operations north of Tromso and Bardufoss. NATO land units in the northern …

The Northern Flank D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I

10 July, 1987 began with redoubled Soviet efforts to establish air superiority over Northern Norway and pave the way for future air and sea operations farther south. The  Northwestern TVD, like its sister commands, was contending with sizable delays to its  timeline of operations. The air situation over Norway especially was a half day behind …

The Southern Flank: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0600-2359**

Authors Note: I had misplaced the original narrative entry for this time and date. Over the holiday break I'll rewrite it and post. Until then, I've made a handful of brief changes to this timeline. When the narrative is posted, I'll put a note up on the main page.    Southern Flank 9 July Timeline …

Baltic Approaches: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1000-2359**

The Soviet air mobile assault earlier in the morning on Rendsburg nearly succeeded in decapitating LANDJUT’s senior leadership. The town, for all of its previously mentioned importance, also served as the peacetime headquarters for the Commander, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LANDJUT). When warning of Soviet helicopters approaching Rendsburg was received, LANDJUT’s commander, a …

Baltic Approaches: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0600-1000**

To the surprise of  senior NATO officers in Brussels and Kolsas, as well as the government and citizenry of Denmark, the first day of World War III was exceptionally quiet around the Baltic Approaches in comparison to other areas of Europe. It had been expected that the Warsaw Pact offensive into West Germany would be …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1200-2359 Part II**

CENTAG was an army group blessed with some inherent advantages. It's formations were made up of some of NATO’s best trained, and equipped divisions. The divisions making up the US V and VII Corps, as well as the West German II and III Corps, contained well-trained, and motivated officers, NCOs and soldiers. Their equipment was …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 1200-2359 Part I**

Through the course of the afternoon the covering force battles raged on.  No Soviet breakthroughs came, although pressure was beginning to build up in some sectors, namely in the NORTHAG area and to the north of it. The role of the NATO covering forces was to buy time for the main forces behind them to …

The Central Front: D+0 (9 July, 1987) 0800-1200**

Except for a small number of generals in Brussels and at Ramstein AB, as well as  a slightly larger cadre of pilots and squadron intelligence officers at RAF Alconbury,  no one in Western Europe had any idea about how effective the early morning F-117 strikes had been. Remarkable post-strike videos from the targeting pods on …