The North Atlantic D+22 (31 July 1987) Part II (Alpha)

0201- The first Tu-16 Badger started rolling down Severomorsk-3’s 2500-meter runway. The twenty-seven bombers and three ECM-equipped Badgers of the regiment were airborne and heading towards a pre-designated rendezvous point over the Barents Sea, 321 kilometers from the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula. 0220- As the Badgers flew north, operations for the morning’s offensive …

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 …

D+18 On The Flanks And At Sea 1830-2359 Zulu 27 July, 1987

For NATO and Warsaw Pact commanders on the flanks and at sea, news of the exchange halted operations for a period of time as preparations for potentially yet another round of nuclear exchanges got underway. In each theater, these preparations were complicated by conditions exclusive to each respective theater of operation. On NATO’s Southern Flank, …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part VIII

The raid commander had been flying on a Badger that was part of the northern raid. When the American carrier-borne fighters and their incoming missiles had been detected, he transferred overall command to his deputy who was aboard a Backfire in the southern raid. Instantly, the new raid commander reviewed the situation in his mind …

The North Atlantic D+13 (22 July, 1987) Part II

As the Backfires and Badgers lifted off from the Kola, Strike Fleet Atlantic was steaming west at 20 knots. Task Force 20.5 and 21.3 were located 180 and 200 miles southwest of Bear Island respectively. In the late evening the two carrier task forces had moved closer together in order to improve coordination and mutual …

The North Atlantic D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part III

Scott’s dispatch of the Tu-95 frayed nerves immeasurably and brought on questions that had no answers at present. Did its crew have enough time to transmit a radio message before its death? How many more reconnaissance aircraft and submarines were out there searching for the carrier force? News of the Eisenhower air wing’s attack against …

The North Atlantic D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part II

The last confirmed sighting of the Baku/Kirov group came at 2200 hours on D+11 from a British Nimrod, putting it 75 miles east of Bear Island and steaming southeast at eighteen knots. After transmitting the report, the British maritime patrol aircraft disappeared. When the information reached Strike Fleet Atlantic’s commander, he ordered two of the …

The North Atlantic D+12 (21 July, 1987) Part I

D+12 marks the start of a crucial, and decisive three-day period of the war in the Norwegian and Barents Seas, Baltic Approaches, and Germany. Before diving headfirst into these areas, I’m posting an order of battle for Strike Fleet Atlantic  as it stood at 000 on D+12. Given the significance of the carrier force’s contributions …

The North Atlantic D+11 (20 July, 1987) Part III

It had taken longer than expected but on D+11 SACLANT secured HMS Illustrious and her escorts for operations in the Norwegian Sea and Barents. After the loss of Invincible, the British government became extremely reluctant to risk another Royal Navy aircraft carrier. Morale in Great Britain had taken a hit when news of Vince’s sinking …