One thing to keep in mind was that Spain and Portugal were both NATO members by 1996.
That likely means some Spanish combat veterans as well as troops in Germany. Would Spain sit idly by with France invading NATO allies?
In my campaign -
[1993] In Norway, King Harold declares a state of emergency and persuades the Storting (parliament) to pass a number of emergency measures. Among these is permission for foreign units to be based on Norwegian soil (normally not allowed unless by war). The U.S. 10th (Mountain) Division, elements of the U.S. 6th Marine Regiment, Canadian Airborne and 3 (Commando) Brigade Royal Marines deploy (the Americans using pre-positioned material in caves in north Norway). The Canadian 1st Infantry Brigade is to be added as a reinforcement if required. Norway also shops around for more tanks and ATGMs, managing to purchase over three-dozen non-upgraded Leopard 2A3s from German stocks and getting Spain to deploy a battalion of Spanish AMX40s manned by Spanish Foreign Legion troops as well as an infantry battalion of Spanish Legionnaires together with a battalion of 105mm towed guns (designated as the Norway Battlegroup).
With this clear invasion of another NATO ally, Danish and Dutch units soon cross the border into Germany, as well as Norway, entering combat. In Norway, as more crack British commandos and U.S. Marines join the battle, bolstered by Dutch marines and Danish special ops troops, the front line moves east again toward the Soviet naval facilities on the Kola Peninsula, and elite Soviet paratroopers and naval infantry are isolated and destroyed. Meanwhile, a still mobilizing Portugal and Spain begin to deploy units to Germany, with a handful going to Norway. Spanish A7Fs prove especially useful in attacks on Pact naval ships and shipping in the Baltic Sea.
On July 29th, a carefully orchestrated air campaign is unleashed on Italy from Spanish air bases and from the USS America and USS Kennedy as well as Spanish carriers. U.S. F117 and F19 aircraft operating from Spain attack the air defense network in Sicily and Sardinia, followed by F111 strike aircraft attacking airfields up and down the length of the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. U.S. naval aircraft and submarines search for and attack the Italian and Greek surface and submarine fleet. The Spanish and Portuguese air forces attack airfields in Sicily and Sardinia, respectively, with A7Fs and Ps used extensively. By the end of August 2nd, the Italian surface fleet has lost most of its major units, including the Garibaldi, which was struck by no less than seven Harpoon ASMs before breaking in half when her magazine exploded. What remained of the Italian surface fleet moved northward into the Adriatic Sea.
Operation Carthaginian begins August 1st with the airdrop of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade (deploying from Cairo and Alexandria), elements of the German 15th Airborne Division, and the Canadian Airborne Regiment, as well as a battalion of Spanish paratroopers, outside of Messina, Sicily supported by the landing of Spanish and U.S. Marines. On the morning of August 3rd, Canadian paratroopers and another battalion of Spanish paratroopers seize the municipal airfield, and a stream of C130 and C17 aircraft began airlifting in additional forces. By August 9th, NATO wraps up active combat operations with the defeat and surrender of all Italian forces on the island. NATO now possesses secured lines of communication and supply to Turkey using Spanish, Portuguese, and American airpower based on the island. With the western and central Mediterranean secure, the U.S. and Spanish navy advance into the eastern Mediterranean and then into the Red Sea and Persian Gulf supported by both the Egyptian and Israeli navies. The USS America begins patrolling the western Indian Ocean and eastern Med operating from Alexandria and the Persian Gulf. The USS Independence likewise patrols the Persian Gulf and the eastern Indian Ocean.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Soviets unambiguously cross the threshold with ICBMs and SLBMs launched against strategic targets in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and France. Military targets are hit (including the first decapitating strikes at U.S. targets), industrial targets clearly vital to the war effort, followed by economic targets of military importance (transportation and communication, oil fields and refineries). The Soviet ICBMs’ primary targets include major industrial and oil centers in both belligerent and neutral nations. Neutral nations are targeted to prevent their possible use by the other side. Mexican, Portuguese, Spanish, Brazilian, Venezuelan, and Australian refineries are attacked using missiles armed with FAE warheads from SSGNs and SLBMs (an indication to NATO intelligence that the Soviets have limited numbers of deliverable nuclear warheads left). Numerous warheads are aimed at logistical stockpiles and command-control centers of the armies in the field. The civilian political command structure is first decimated, then eliminated (almost by accident in some cases). The exchanges continue, fitfully and irregularly, through November and then gradually peter out in early 1998.
Spain reacts to the violation of German territory by unexpectedly invading France and occupying a broad swath of French territory in southwest France. The Spanish army occupies towns and villages as deep as 30km inside France as far west as the Garonne River with armor and infantry units occupying the city of Pau. The invasion leads to scattered fighting as combat erupts throughout the area. Cooler heads prevail, and a cease fire of sorts takes shape, but Spain refuses to evacuate French territory as long as French troops remain in Germany. Portuguese troops reinforce the Spanish troops, and a combined mechanized infantry force patrols from Pau.
In late May ['98], the Pact forces in southern Germany renew their offensive in an attempt to seize the scattered surviving industrial sites in central Germany. Actually, the most intact parts of Germany were those areas in the south which had been under Warsaw Pact occupation, as neither side was willing to strike the area heavily. Galvanized into renewed action, NATO forces make a maximum effort to reform a coherent front, with the Spanish II Corps and the American III and VI Corps carrying the brunt of the early fighting, and the Pact offensive finally stalls along a line from Frankfurt to Fulda.
In Europe in July, NATO mounts a massive counter-offensive into Austria with the German II and IV Corps and U.S. V Corps along with the Iberian I Corps, and the Brazilian EF, pushing Warsaw Pact forces back into Austria and closing in on the Czech border. Italian troops in conjunction with Austrian rear guard troops force the passes into eastern Austria and penetrate to the Czech border as the Italians re-enter the war on the NATO side, rolling up the Pact forces as they tear into the Pact’s flank. The combined NATO force enters Czech territory before running out of steam after capturing Budweis. However, NATO is spent at this point and is not in a logistical position to make any further follow up. Stories start to circulate of clashes between Czechoslovakian 24th Motor Rifle Division troops and Soviet troops relieving them of occupation duty in Austria, when the 24th's commander (backed by his commissar) refuses to hand over scarce vehicles and supplies. The 24th MRD is quickly and quietly recalled home given internal security duties at home, where it is noted they take great delight in hunting down Soviet deserters and marauders who try to cross the Carpathian Mountains.
BAOR was pulled out of Czechoslovakia in the spring [98] and moved back to central Germany, encamping in an area stretching from Osnabrück to Hanover and Braunschweig to Paderborn. For the rest of the year, they were involved in a number of anti-marauder actions and some rebuilding work. The Spanish II Corps and Iberian I Corps, along with the BEF and the ANZA I Corps take the place of the BOAR in the front lines, firmly establishing a well-deserved reputation as elite front-line troops.
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