The Central Front: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part II**

By 1700 hours Soviet forces had secured a firm bridgehead on the Elbe despite a counterattack by the Dutch 43rd Armored Infantry Brigade that left the issue in doubt for a period of time. In front of Luneburg, East German troops kept the Dutch forces there occupied well enough that 2nd GTA’s commander sensed an …

The Central Front: D+1 (10 July, 1987) Part I**

The watchword for the newly installed Soviet army group commanders on 10 July was same it had been for their deceased predecessors: Speed. The first day of war had been a near disaster for Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces on the Central Front. Only the fact that Warsaw Pact forces held a toehold on West …

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

It was generally accepted that the Southwestern Theater of Military Operations (SWTVD) would constitute a secondary theater in the opening days of a war against NATO. The Western TVD (WTVD) was the theater of highest priority and understandably so. SWTVD objectives in the first 3-4 days of hostilities were to halt any NATO air or …

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

The destruction of the Soviet surface action groups in the Eastern Mediterranean marked the end of the 5th Eskadra. Every major surface combatant belonging to the Soviet Navy’s Mediterranean squadron was at the bottom of the sea, along with their escorts, and a number of submarines. The squadron’s commander, Rear Admiral Vladimir Yegorov had perished …

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

Of the twenty Backfires that made up the Iceland strike group four were shot down by F-15s before reaching their launch points. A further three were destroyed  after launching their air-to-surface missiles. Another pair suffered battle damage but managed to return safely to their bases on the Kola Peninsula. Of the sixteen ASMs launched by …

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 …

Peripheries: Central America & the Caribbean D-2 (7 July, 1987) **

Central America and the Caribbean Sea had the potential to turn into a tempest in a teapot for the United States if hostilities with the Soviet Union broke out. Nicaragua and Cuba were both firm Soviet allies, and situated squarely in the geographic backyard of the US. Fidel Castro was still running Cuba despite decades …