The Northern Flank D+20 (29 July, 1987)

In Lapland, the 54th Motor Rifle Division’s withdrawal back to Soviet territory was well underway and starting to make headway despite growing resistance from Finnish and newly arrived Swedish troops in the north. The 281st Motor Rifle Regiment was now screening the division’s rear. Its troops were dueling around the clock with Finnish and Swedish …

The Northern Flank D+17 (26 July, 1987) Part I

AFNORTH’s preparations to commence offensive operations in the north were well underway on the morning of D+17. Additional US Marines, as well as their British counterparts were being airlifted to Banak, reinforcing the troops already on the ground there. The Norwegian air station, which had been under Soviet control until recently, would be established as …

Baltic Approaches D+17 (26 July, 1987) Part I

The Soviets controlled Gdansk. The shipyard was secure, as were other key areas of the port city. The outskirts though, remained unsettled. Pockets of Solidarity members and rebellious Polish military and police, who’d been ejected from the city, fight on into the morning. As the day carries on, the plight of the city becomes a …

The Northern Flank D+16 (25 July, 1987) Part I

The military paradigm on the Northern Flank had shifted almost completely by the pre-dawn hours of D+16. It was the Soviet Union that was now on the defensive in the air, at sea and on land. NATO was now conducting offensive operations in preparation for the time when a coordinated offensive would be launched to …

Baltic Approaches D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part I

0000-0700 0015- The remaining vessels of the Soviet amphibious group depart Bornholm and sail east. Their destination has not yet been determined, though Baltic Fleet has advised the group commander to be prepared to make an opposed landing on the Polish coast along with other Baltic Fleet warships and embarked naval infantry later in the …

The Northern Flank D+15 (24 July, 1987) Part II

Despite the 11th Independent Air Army commander’s initial alarm, the true intent behind the NATO airstrikes, and supporting sorties in the early morning hour was not to pave the way for B-52s and other American strategic bombers to transform the Kola Peninsula into a sheet of glass. The attacks and jamming were intended to keep …

Baltic Approaches D+14 (23 July, 1987) Part II

0400-1200 The remaining ships of the Soviet amphibious group were anchored off of the southwest coast of Bornholm.  Two destroyers, damaged rather seriously, were tied to the docks in Ronne Harbor as their crews worked to repair what could be repaired. If either vessel was not able to put back to sea on its own …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VI

1230- The Soviet amphibious group passes 20 miles south of Bornholm. Earlier in the morning the damaged cruiser Alexander Nevsky was detached from the group as its maximum speed was reduced to less than ten knots. The ship was becoming a liability. One of the surviving frigates of the Surface Action Group was tasked with …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part V- Charlie

Across western Jutland other paratroopers had shared the experience of their brigade command group and dropped near to or directly on friendly units. In more than one instance the morning’s horror of an airdrop was discussed and news of it started to circulate. As is usually the case with stories of traumatic experiences wrought with …

Baltic Approaches D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part V- Bravo

The Polish airborne drop that morning was inadvertently spread out over an area of western Jutland measuring 30 kilometers in length, and roughly 16 kilometers in width. Once NATO fighters materialized in large numbers the formation of transport aircraft scattered. Flight paths were no longer a priority as survival became the preeminent aspiration for the …