Arabian Peninsula/Persian Gulf D+20 (29 July, 1987)

In the pre-dawn hours along the Iraq-Iran frontier a number of small unit engagements, allegedly between Iranian and Iraqi ground units, broke out on the western side of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway. By the time dawn came, forward Iraqi positions near the border were reportedly under fire from Iranian artillery batteries. A short time later, the …

The North Atlantic D+20 (29 July, 1987) Part III

As the last aircraft trapped on Kitty Hawk, debriefings were already underway. Officers from Forrestal’s air wing, which was slated to handle the afternoon strikes, had flown over to Kitty Hawk and were present as CVW-9s aircrews recited the morning missions from their own perspectives. The Soviet tactics had come as a rude surprise. Forcing …

The North Atlantic D+20 (29 July, 1987) Part II

Author’s Note: Going to have split North Atlantic into 3 parts. Real world commitments have cut my blog writing time down this week,  so we won’t finish North Atlantic until Friday. Not a terrible setback,  but still. 😊 –Mike 0632- Sixty miles southeast of Bear Island, the USS Kitty Hawk turned into the wind and …

The North Atlantic D+20 (29 July, 1987)

In the pre-dawn hours, Strike Fleet Atlantic’s three carrier air wings had completed preparations for the day’s planned missions against targets on the Kola Peninsula. The morning strikes were scheduled for a 0630 launch with another wave of strikes and supporting missions set for later in the day. Each air wing commander had private concerns …

2021 Holiday Tournament: Final Four Part I

Here we are at the end of the road. Four titles remain and by Tuesday evening a champion will be crowned. It has been an exciting, unpredictable tournament so for. There were some big upsets early on. As time went on, a pair of #1 seeds fell prematurely and others rose to replace them. So, …

Politics of Armageddon: Intermission

NEACP-Primary landed back at Andrews AFB at 1303 hours local time, roughly twenty-five hours after the aircraft had departed from the base. As President Reagan and a contingent of his advisers and Cabinet secretaries deplaned, other senior members of the US government remained outside the District of Columbia and would remain so for the duration. …

The Central Front D+19 (28 July, 1987) Part III

1300- President Reagan places a call to SACEUR and gives the American general the green light to prepare and launch the anticipated counter-offensive. He warns SACEUR that NATO forces are not to cross the Inner-German or Czech border under any circumstances unless Reagan orders otherwise. “Your mission is to push the Russians out of West …

The Central Front D+19 (28 July, 1987) Part II

Author’s Note: CENTAG is coming first because my laptop went south on Friday and it took over 36 hours to get it reset and all my files recovered. Need some extra time to gather my CENTAG and NORTHAG timelines and notes up from the wreckage. As a result, this entry will be short, unfortunately. 😊 …

The Central Front D+19 (28 July, 1987) Part I

The opening hours of D+19 in Germany were marked by a series of small unit engagements along the length of the front. As the morning went on, the size and scope of the battles rose. Contact and engagements of company and battalion size broke out in sectors where the lines had been rather stationary, such …

The North Atlantic D+19 (28 July, 1987)

SACLANT placed a critical emphasis on ASW patrols in the Western Atlantic. With Pandora’s Box seemingly open now, the threat posed by a Soviet SSBN operating inshore could not be discounted. Even a single missile sub lurking near the Eastern Seaboard of the United States could be catastrophic. From the early 70s through early July, …