Real-life question for those who were in

[Legbreaker]

Apparently so. I believe they weren't all that far away of launching an attack in response to what they were seeing and hearing.
And Nato didn't have a clue until after the exercise was concluded.

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah there were plenty times where they were scared.

[Legbreaker]

There was plenty of times when both sides were scared. Fortunately nobody blinked when they shouldn't have, otherwise there's a good chance we'd all be glowing right now, those few of us still survivng anyway.

[Abbott Shaull]

Yeah thankfully no blinked too soon.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

Yeah there were plenty times where they were scared.

I recall reading or hearing something that one of the more surprising things gathered from the two phone taps we put - one on the sea of Ohktosh's trunk line (that one was compromised by the Walkers) and one in the Arctic that was never discovered - was that as cavalier as they might have seemed the Russians were concerned that with a revitalized military and a hawkish president (Reagan) that NATO was on the verge of launching an attack and as a result they (the Soviets) moved their ballistic missile fleet under the northern ice pack.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by raketenjagdpanzer

I recall reading or hearing something that one of the more surprising things gathered from the two phone taps we put - one on the sea of Ohktosh's trunk line (that one was compromised by the Walkers) and one in the Arctic that was never discovered - was that as cavalier as they might have seemed the Russians were concerned that with a revitalized military and a hawkish president (Reagan) that NATO was on the verge of launching an attack and as a result they (the Soviets) moved their ballistic missile fleet under the northern ice pack.

Yup! Ole Ron sure kept the Soviets guessing as to just what the Americans were up to. His eight years were perhaps the closest that either side ever came to pushing the button since the Cuban Missile Crisis. And being on border patrol duty during most of this time, I can testify to just how hairy things were. Nothing like sitting in your jeep, watching a Mi-24 Hind do a slow flyby, just so you could see that the rockets and missiles on the racks were war-shots.

Of course that's when one of us would pull out a copy of the latest Playboy and show off the centerfold! Always good for a round of applause from the Soviets!

[Abbott Shaull]

LOL yeah, I know going to Infantry training at Benning in 1988 they still place emphasis how much we needed to learn regardless, especially those of us active duty that may have to pull stints in Germany or Korea. Even once I got to the 82nd there was Staff Sergeant Ackers or something like that who served in and would add stories at times how they would get rounds fired over their heads every so often while on patrol near the border. Many of the stories got around quite a bit.

[Sanjuro]

I came upon this thread on a work-related website and thought it was interesting:
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...fulda-gap.html

[Abbott Shaull]

It was interesting Reading. Like they stated, it one of those thing you thought about, and had to deal with. It was interesting to see in couple post that the Pact allied Air Force seem to think they would be thrown away at worse, or kept to safe areas.

Also I can see where they would think their ground units wouldn't be used since many of them had obsolete equipment. I still think these units would be press forward. Especially in Northern Germany after the start of the way. After the 3rd Shock Army had spent itself it wouldn't really matter how good the next string equipment was, they were only the their grind down what was left of what was there until the Soviet units from Baltics and Belorussia got to the front to continue to Channel.

Would it take them 36 hours, unlikely 10 days more realistic.

When and who would use nukes is something that will always be debated.

Thought of Soviet enlisted personnel shooting their officers and not going forward, well yeah it possibility but then they have to deal with the KGB and again very few enlisted personnel knew how to read maps and other things that where in the West they train on almost since basic training.