The Northern Flank D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part I

The plight of the surviving Backfires and Badgers that morning was not yet over. As the aircraft approached the northern coastline of the Kola Peninsula they were directed by the regional air defense center to head back out over the sea and establish a holding pattern. No reason for the change was given, but two …

The Northern Flank D+8 (17 July, 1987) Part II

D+8 marked the onset of a decisive period for both NATO and Soviet fortunes on the northern flank. The fighting in Lapland, and arrival of the US and French aircraft carrier groups in the Norwegian Sea were making the northern reaches of Norway the most valuable plot of real estate in the world at the …

Baltic Approaches D+5 (14 July, 1987) Part I

The naval picture in the Baltic at daybreak on D+5 was best described as a stalemate that neither side was willing to break for fear of  causing irreparable harm to their respective strategic positions in the Baltic region in the event of failure. The absence of a WP amphibious effort against Denmark thus far in …

The North Atlantic D+4 (13 July, 1987) Part III

Later in the afternoon, fifteen Bear D reconnaissance aircraft came across Northern Norway, and  headed south over the Norwegian Sea. As the Bears approached within 200 miles of the Icelandic coast they descended to altitudes of between 300 and 500 feet. The five formations of three aircraft each separated as they neared the Iceland-Faroes gap …

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) 0130-0400 Part III**

0300– The first non-stealth NATO aircraft into East Germany that morning were USAF F-111F Aardvarks, and a mixed force of RAF and Luftwaffe Tornadoes. As the last GBU-27 impacted on the 20th Guards Army’s bunker complex at Mohlau, the fighter-bomber broke formation and scattered, heading for their assigned targets at altitudes of less than 100 feet. …