[chico20854]

July 7, 1997

After a frantic 48 hours of legal activity, the members of the megapunk band Terminal Illness are released on astronomical bond. The band's attorney locates the band's leader and frontman Dain Danger in the Waltham County Sanatorium, where he has been admitted under the name of John Doe 23.

The Presidium of the Soviet Union authorizes the use of nuclear weapons.

Unofficially,

The decision to release nuclear weapons causes great consternation in the Soviet high command. The Minister of Defense had argued vigorously against the decision, stating that nuclear weapons are not a panacea and in fact would cause great damage to Moscow's Polish ally as well as opening the very real possibility of escalating rapidly to a general strategic exchange that would end in the destruction of the USSR. He is overruled by General Secretary Sauronski, who has convinced himself that NATO will be shocked by the first use of nuclear weapons since 1945 into abandoning its folly of supporting the Polish traitors' claim of the pre-1939 borders. He is joined by the Politburo's idealogical "voice of wisdom" who argues that the capitalist West is morally weak and that the Soviet victories in the Kola show that NATO troops do not have the will, at the individual soldier's level, to fight to overthrow the Soviet workers' paradise. The Foreign Minister doubts that the peace talks would be fruitful without the USSR having to accept humiliating conditions to secure peace. KGB Chairman Yangel remains largely silent throughout the deliberations, mostly confining his remarks to technical issues such as the release of warheads from KGB custody to military units tasked to deliver them. He, therefore, makes it of the utmost importance that his departure from Moscow immediately after the conclusion of the meeting remain absolutely secret.

Private Cutler's barracks business is faltering as his platoon mates have eaten their fill of candy and he has amassed a sizeable portion of the platoon's available cash. (The privates are required to have their pay deposited in a bank and only allowed to take a small portion of their pay in cash). He decides to expand his market to other platoons in the company, whose needs have been, until now, unmet!

The final regiment of the 5th Marine Division, the 28th, arrives in California to begin advanced combined-arms training as evaluators declare the 26th Regiment ready for action.

The Soviet 130th Air Assault Brigade on Shemya Island, Alaska has overrun the airfield and most of its hangars, destroyed the fuel tanks and has rallied its remaining paratroops into a semi-coherent force that has most of the remaining defenders pinned down in the base's support and barracks buildings.

The US supports Operation Repo, the Japanese occupation of the Kuriles. The 732rd Tactical Fighter Wing provides top cover & SEAD for Japanese aircraft that are supporting the landings, the 27th Tactical Fighter Wings's F-111s help interdict the islands. A RF-16C of the 192nd Tactical Reconniassance Squadron is lost on a dawn mission performing bomb damage assessment of the B-52 strikes. The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force escorts civilian transports, US Navy amphibious ships and its own force of 6 LSTs and the LSD Ōsumi from Hokkaido to landing stations off the islands of Iturup and Kunashir, landing troops around mid-day.

The Bundeswehr calls up the security units it had released in May, and Denmark commits two mechanized brigades and a regimental combat team to assist the struggling Austrians.

Additional units of First German Army surge eastwards in Poland to link up with the paratroops that are struggling along the Soviet border.

XI US Corps secures Rzeszow and its airport, while struggling to maintain a secure front to its south against frequent partisan attacks and infiltrators from the Polish 3rd Army.

The 113th Field Artillery Brigade (North Carolina National Guard) is transferred from III Corps in northeastern Poland to the Warsaw area, assigned to XXIII Corps, where the brigade's M-109 howitzer battalion (the 1st Battalion, 113th Field Artillery) is thrown into action supporting infantry battling towards the Siekierki power plant on the city's south side.

2nd Brigade, 6th Infantry Division (Light) embarks on buses and airliners for transfer to Stavanger, Norway, where it will load on ships for transfer to the Netherlands.

The Sierra III-class submarine K-231 is delivered from the shipyard in Gorky. The titanium-hulled boat is the last, and most advanced, nuclear-powered attack submarine built by the USSR. It begins a voyage to the Black Sea via the inland waterways, escorted by a tug boat and armed KGB riverine patrol vessel.

The Victor II-class attack submarine K-517 locates an Allied convoy moving along the East African coast. It attacks, blowing the bow off the escorting American frigate USS Bagley as well as sinking the American freighters Cape Farragut and Richmond Freedom (on her maiden voyage) and Liberian tanker Esko Stokes. It flees the area, pursued by the British frigate Juno and American Coast Guard cutter Jarvis.

The second flight of AT-33E Skyfoxes arrive at Howard Air Force Base, Panama.