[chico20854]

September 29, 1997

(Unofficially) With the front opposite it a rare quiet sector, NATO forces withdrawing from Poland and Allied commanders growing increasingly concerned about the long, lightly held (on both sides) southern East German border with Czechoslovakia, (officially) XV US Corps detaches the 38th Infantry Division (Indiana, Illinois and Michigan National Guards) to establish defensive positions south of Berlin. (Unofficially,) Retreating American corps deploy their assigned Armored Cavalry Regiments to serve as a screen covering the withdrawal of the rest of the corps; in many cases frustrated cavalry commanders discover that the supporting field and air defense artillery batteries, engineer companies and other support units assigned to them are "not available" when called upon, their troops bugging out rather than hang around and get overrun by advancing Pact troops. (According to canon) Two of the ACRs, depleted by months of hard tactical nuclear combat, are surrounded by Soviet armored formations that are able to outflank their extended lines - the 3rd ACR east of Piła and the 107th north of Bytom in Silesia.

Unofficially,

The American freighter Louise is reactivated in Oakland, California and moves to Puget Sound to load ammunition at the Port Hadlock naval ordnance facility.

Tokyo announces the formal incorporation of the Kurile Islands of Iturup and Kunashir back into Japan and appoints a regional governor and authorizes the creation of local government authorities. Elections for local officials are to occur in April, giving six months for officials, candidates and parties to prepare.

German territorial troops engage in numerous firefights in the Rhine Valley as Soviet special operations troops and pro-Soviet terrorist groups arrive in the region intent on attacking NATO nuclear weapons units.

In a final blow for Jugoslavia, the Bulgarian 1st Army crosses the now lightly-protected border (many troops having been diverted to other fronts) and makes rapid progress towards the town of Pirot, advancing down the valley of the Nišava River.

In the predawn hours the Iranian 9th Airmobile Brigade embarks in a mixed flotilla of Huey helicopters (old American built Bell 214s and Italian Augusta-Bell 205s), the remaining four UH-60s delivered in 1994 and a pair of CH-47s. Sunrise finds the brigade's troops landing amongst the Soviet paratroops of the 387th Airborne Regiment and, supported by the guns of the USS Salem and her escorts, a series of small actions erupts throughout the wadis and villages of the region. By midmorning supporting USMC EA-6 electronic warfare aircraft have identified the location of the Soviet regimental commander and his position is soon plastered with high explosives. As the situation continues to deteriorate for the elite Soviet force, at noon the deputy commander orders the remaining desnatniki to head for the hills, to return to friendly lines in small groups.

Pakistani lines crumble on a broad front as additional Indian motorized formations stream through the gap south of Lahore. The remnants of the Indian Army's II Corps (which saw many months of combat starting in the summer prior to being withdrawn for reconstruction) are committed once again, even though at 45 percent of authorized strength. That corps drives southwest, heading for the communications hub of Multan. Indian fighter-bombers break up a forming Pakistani infantry counterattack that sought to drive north and seal the hole in the lines.