WWIII In Numbers (Entry #2)

WWIII In Numbers Entry #2 14- Senior Soviet generals who were relieved of command and arrested between 9 July and 4 August, 1987. Three TVD commanders, two fleet commanders, three TVD deputies and four senior Soviet Air Force generals. All were executed with the exception of Marshal Ogarkov (Western TVD commander-in-chief) who was simply forced …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part III

On 28 June, 1987 the Soviet general secretary informed the Ministry of Defense that Zapad ’87 was to commence on the first of July. A final decision on the date hostilities were to commence was not mentioned. Senior Soviet generals suspected Zapad would transition directly into a broader mobilization and from there to war. Marshal …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part II

In the early June, 1987 senior Soviet military leaders were being queried daily by the new leadership in the Kremlin about theater mobilization procedures. Specifically, General Secretary Romanov was most interested in the amount of time that the vaunted Soviet military would need to prepare for a conventional conflict in Europe. Chief of the General …

The Central Front Mobilization Race Part I

Mobilization has played a key role in war planning for centuries. Only in the later half of the 19th Century, with the advent of railroads and industrialization, did it take on a new importance and standing. In Europe during the years leading up to World War I, Mobilization was transformed into nothing less than an …

Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part II

In the twenty-four-hour period following the destruction of the Kremlin and Lubyanka, the troika made up of Vladimir Dolgikh, Viktor Chebrikov and Sergei Akhromeyev took stock of the Herculean task before them. Foremost was affirming the temporary cessation of hostilities between the Soviet Union and United States, as well as her NATO allies. The first …

Today’s Friend, Tomorrow’s Enemy D+24 And Beyond Part I

As 2 August, 1987 pressed on towards its climactic conclusion, it was becoming evident that if the world survived the dangerous and rapid escalation then underway, the domestic political dynamic of the Soviet Union, and the geopolitical dynamic of Eastern Europe would appear quite different in the immediate postwar days and weeks. In hindsight the …

The Plan For January, 2023

I should’ve posted this on New Year’s Day but didn’t. Anyhow, here is a brief summary of the main subject points that will be posted about in January 2023. As always, there also be either a few reviews or posts about wargames or World War III pop culture. I try to keep these topics as …

Memories of WWIII: Destination Bitburg Part II

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)- “We touched down at Bitburg in the early afternoon of July 4th. Independence Day and a Saturday, though my first impression of the airbase revealed signs of neither. The airbase was a madhouse of activity and drove home how seriously USAFE was taking this crisis. To be frank, …

Memories of WWIII: Destination Bitburg Part I

Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Andrew Baker, USAF (Ret.)- “Around 2000 on July 3, 1987 I received a call at home from my squadron CO. He ordered me to pack a bag and in front of the wing headquarters building at 2100. Fortunately, packing a bag was no big deal. I already had one ready to go …

WWIII In Numbers (Entry#1)

WWIII is a war defined by numbers. Literally. Mountains of numbers and figures have been released covering every conceivable topic. From ammunition expenditures of every weapon used in the war to the average lifespan of a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle on the Central Front, numbers told the final story. More impressive is the fact that …