Quote:
Originally Posted by dude_uk
So you suggesting that the Soviets attempt to take West-Berlin as an attempt to avoid encirclement by Anglo-American Forces?
Once the UK-US get involved, its game over for pact in East-Germany. All that time watching the West Germans will have been spent in target acquisition and training. When the Western Allies move, they will MOVE. They have know for a while, where and how to make the pact bleed best.
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I have a different view on the US/UK/Canadian offensive.
I do not think they had a CLUE what to do. As I read NATO defense plans, (At least the public ones) Every thing that the US/UK/WG etc planned was the carefull retreat with attempts to BLEED the Warsaw Pact at EVERY chance. Then drop back to the next firing position. And the next. and so on until the WP was stopped by attrition. THEN the NATO troops would go over to the offensive. This also allowed for Reforger to occur. The US Army/Air Force would have been re-enforced by Reforger, and then able to go on the offensive.
The opportunity placed at their feet by the West German Army was something the rest of NATO had no way to react to except by striking as fast and as far as they could with what they had on hand.
Something else to consider in the NATO offensive. France steps out. Belgium and Netherlands are neutral, but still in NATO. Italy flips over to WP. THe southern flank of NATO is now a REAL mess. As I read NATO, all the Italians had to do was hold the WP in the Alps. Maybe with a tie in to the Swiss defensive positions.
My $0.02
Mike