On this day 25 years ago (Commentary Thread)

[chico20854]

December 19, 1996

The war widens even further in scope...
photo
The US 2nd Infantry Division is engaged against North Korean commando units. During the night the North Korean People’s Army launches a massive artillery barrage on Seoul and the DMZ, accompanied by commando attacks throughout the peninsula and raids by its obsolescent air force.

unofficial:

As a result of the sinking of the Tor Hollandia the prior day, the Swedish government prohibits Swedish-flag vessels from carrying military supplies or participating in convoys, on pain of loss of registration and revocation of captain's licenses. Several shipowners immediately file to reflag their vessels in Panama, while others order their ships to head to the nearest port to unload any offending cargo.

The 479th Field Artillery Brigade (USAR) declared combat ready at Ft Carson, CO.

With supplies dwindling and no hope of relief, the commander of the Soviet units in Narvik ordered his remaining troops to disperse and seek their own way back to Soviet territory, an epic trek of nearly 460 miles/750 km across Lapland (including neutral Swedish and Finnish territory) in the middle of winter. He himself, unwilling to return to the USSR for the inevitable show trial and equally unwilling to be paraded in front of TV cameras as a NATO prisoner, shot himself in his brigade’s basement headquarters. Few of his subordinates were successful in escaping back to Soviet territory; nearly 300 were interned by Swedish border police, several small groups were intercepted by Finnish troops patrolling Lapland, and untold numbers froze to death in the wilderness.

The USS Forrestal is docked at Bodo while specialists from the shipyard in Norfolk are flown in to assess damage.

Teams from the 8th, 9th and 10th Spetsnaz Brigades cross the Romanian frontier in predawn hours. Several engage in firefights with alert Patriotic Guard, Border Guard and Army troops.

Iranian Shia leaders declare Soviet Communism forbidden to Moslems and call on all the faithful to wage Jihad against the USSR. This call is less powerful than it would have been 10 years earlier, before Iranian society had tired of religious rule. Nonetheless, the Pasdaran militia sees a surge of eager young volunteers, while the IPA also sees a smaller increase in recruiting.

[chico20854]

December 20, 1996
The war widens more...
North Korea launches a massive dawn ground assault across the DMZ.

Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Soviet troops begin invading Romania. Romania formally withdraws from the Warsaw Pact, declares war on the three nations, and applies to NATO.

The Bundeswehr 2nd PanzerGrenadier Division enters Leipzig.

A flood of refugees from northern Iran begins to enter territory in central and southern Iran controlled by the Iran Nowin government.

Unofficial:

The 185th Tactical Fighter Group (Iowa Air National Guard) placed on alert.

The Dutch Red Army fires a RPG rocket at the frigate Evertsen as it approached the Vlissingen naval base. It missed and the attackers were hunted down by a detachment of the Dutch Marines.

In Norway, a NATO truck convoy from Trondheim arrived at the Bardufoss air station, the first since Soviet paratroopers and marines had cut the E6 highway in Narvik in November.

The submarines USS Memphis, USS Montpelier & USS Providence launch conventional TLAM cruise missiles against Soviet air bases in the Kola, destroying several Tu-22Ms and Su-22s.

Experts declare the burned-out carrier Forrestal damaged beyond economical repair; Second fleet orders her decommissioning and salvage of useable parts in place.

The transport USNS Bobo arrives in Gibraltar and discharges its cargo, the vehicles and equipment of the 487th Tactical Missile Wing. Later in the day the unit reports itself ready for action, although its pre-assigned targets are all out of range from Gibraltar.

[chico20854]

December 21, 1996

Romanian forces rush to the fronts, as do South Koreans and Iranian Pasdaran troops.

Unofficial:

The fighting in Leipzig continues, although Warsaw Pact forces begin falling back. The British 1st Corps, US III Corps and German II Korps make progress along the autobahn to Berlin, which suffers another day of heavy bombardment.

The burned out remains of the tractor truck that had hauled the missing shipment of M40 recoilless rifles was found in a warehouse district on the outskirts of Tampa, Florida. There was no sign of the trailer and its cargo.

The Idaho Freedom's orders to transport ammunition to Europe from Oakland, CA are changed, directed to wait in San Francisco Bay while escorts and ships are assembled for transit to Korea, where the ammunition will be needed as well.

A P-3 of VP-45 locates and sinks the damaged Victor-I class nuclear submarine K-438 as it limped back to home waters. The kill was the result of close coordination between the P-3, SOSUS operators ashore and SURTASS surveillance ships patrolling the North Atlantic.

The US attack submarine USS Providence sinks KGB Grisha II corvette Ametist but is damaged by the surface ship's RBU ASW rockets.

[chico20854]

December 22, 1996

Despite the Soviet invasion of Iran, low availability of shipping due to war in Europe and Korea results in the decision to delay the deployment of CENTCOM until after first of the year.

Unofficial:

The Iranian Air Force 33rd Tactical Fighter Squadron receives its last F-20 Tigershark from the converted business jet plant in Savannah, Georgia and flies it to Pensacola to begin a month of training on the new aircraft before returning home and the war raging over its homeland.

The nuclear-powered cruiser Long Beach, on a detached forward air defense/communications relay sortie in the Norwegian Sea is located by a squadron of Osa-class Soviet missile boats (hiding among icebergs in the Arctic night) and sunk.

The Soviet destroyer Udaloy sinks the damaged American attack submarine USS Providence and in turn is sunk by the submarine USS Montpelier, which was attempting toescorts the damaged boat.

The air base in Keflavik, Iceland is struck by 10 SS-N-19 Shipwreck cruise missiles (with fuel-air explosive warheads) fired by the Oscar-II cruise missile submarine K-141.

Poor weather over the Norwegian Sea hampers naval flight operations.

Convoy 105 arrives in the German ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven, less two ships sunk on the 18th. (The ships are divided between ports to avoid overloading port facilities and speed discharge). The convoy is carrying trailing elements of the 5th Infantry Division, replacement vehicles, ammunition, spare parts and troops and equipment for corps and army-level support units, mainly US Army Reserve.

Seoul is subjected to particularly heavy artillery bombardment, while ROKAF and USAF fighters break up a North Korean air raid on the city. Air Force commanders come under increasing pressure to reallocate close air support aircraft from supporting troops in contact to seeking out and striking North Korean hardened artillery firing points.


B-52s launch a second raid on Soviet shipping and bases in Conakry, Guinea, striking targets which had survived the earlier raid. Anti-American riots follow the attacks, ironically in which 2 Soviets are killed but no Westerners.

US troops from the 193rd Infantry Brigade seize the Bulgarian-flag Smolyan as it transits the Panama Canal. It is the last Warsaw Pact ship to enter the canal.

[chico20854]

December 23, 1996

NATO offers full membership to Jugoslavia and Romania, which they accept.

photo
A Jugoslav expeditionary force of three divisions and five brigades arrives at the front outside of Timisoara, Romania. The force, composed of units from central Serbia under the command of the 37th Corps, is placed under command of the hard-pressed Romanian 4th Army.

The Siege of Berlin is broken when the Bundeswehr 3rd Panzer Division is the first NATO unit to enter the city. Battle continues to rage in and around the battered city.

Taking advantage of the devastation wrought upon the Polish Air Force (which has been largely swept from the skies), US and British strike aircraft hit the oil fields and refineries near Uscie Solne (east of Krakow) in an attempt to hamper Polish military operations and defense industry operations.

US Green Berets increase their support of Eritrean and Tigrayan rebels as Cuban troops focus on evacuating, leaving a few dozen overburdened Soviet advisors to support the Ethiopian regime.

Unofficial:

AFRICOM and CENTCOM agree to the reassignment of the Horn of Africa from CENTCOM to AFRICOM, reflecting the demands being placed on CENTCOM's few troops in the region as a result of the Soviet invasion of Iran. 5th Special Forces Group B-teams in the Horn of Africa are reassigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, while the 2nd Battalion, 3rd SF Group is redesignated 2nd Battalion, 5th SF Group and deployed by air from Ft Bragg, NC to Oman. This allows the Green Berets embedded with local guerillas and friendly militaries to continue working alongside those allies without a disruptive change of personnel.

photo
The 185th Tactical Fighter Group (Iowa Air Nationa Guard)'s force of A-16 attack aircraft is declared fully operational. The 111th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (Texas Air National Guard) is ordered to Loring AFB, ME to bolster the northeastern USA's air defenses after an assessment that Cuba was, in fact, complying with its stated intention of remaining neutral and that therefore it was a reasonable risk to dilute Texas' air defenses.

Peace activists outside RAF Upper Heyford are caught by MI-5 radio-direction finding unit broadcasting takeoff and landing notifications for F-111 strikes from the base. A series of arrests begin.

USAF Europe launhces Operation Speed Bump, which has USAF F-117s strike bridges across the Wisla River in Poland being used to tranport Soviet reinforcements to the front.

The USAF orders the 112th Tactical Fighter Group (Pennsylvania Air National Guard) and its 24 A-7 strike aircraft to prepare to deploy to Jugoslavia as reinforcements.

The war in space heats up, when MAJ Amy "Buns" Nakamura becomes the first female ace of the war after shooting down two Soviet RORSATs with ASAT missiles.

The squadrons that were part of the air wings assigned the USS Forrestal and USS George Washington are disbanded following the loss of their carriers. The remaining aircraft and aircrew, which had been operating from bases near Trondheim in central Norway, are reassigned to other squadrons fighting in the waning clashes in the Norwegian Sea, while surviving headquarters, maintenance and administrative personnel are flown home to the US for reassignment or to rebuild selected squadrons. US Naval Aviation losses in the Norwegian Sea exceed 50 percent overall.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by chico20854

The war in space heats up, when MAJ Amy "Buns" Nakamura becomes the first female ace of the war after shooting down two Soviet RORSATs with ASAT missiles.

Is this a nod to Red Storm Rising? IIRC, the ASAT firing F-15 pilot in the book is a woman (I can't remember her name, though).

-

[chico20854]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Is this a nod to Red Storm Rising? IIRC, the ASAT firing F-15 pilot in the book is a woman (I can't remember her name, though).

-

Yes, it is. One of my unofficial sources is a draft USAF Vehicle Guide that Stilleto69 is working on and has generously shared with me. He has a couple operations in there that seem to have been borrowed from RSR, including the female F-15 ace and the TLAM strikes on airfields in the Kola.

[stilleto69]

Originally Posted by chico20854

Yes, it is. One of my unofficial sources is a draft USAF Vehicle Guide that Stilleto69 is working on and has generously shared with me. He has a couple operations in there that seem to have been borrowed from RSR, including the female F-15 ace and the TLAM strikes on airfields in the Kola.

You're absolutely correct. Couldn't help it. RSR is one of my all-time favorites, plus who else to borrow from, but the undisputed master of techno-thrillers IMHO.

[chico20854]

December 24, 1996

British and American forces reach the outskirts of Berlin, and the British 1st Corps relieves the besieged NATO forces there after a week of bitter street fighting, the Second Battle of Berlin.

SACLANT orders the withdrawal of Strike Fleet Atlantic from the Norwegian Sea, marking the end of the Battle of the Norwegian Sea. Scattered Soviet commerce raiders break out and raise havoc in North Atlantic convoy lanes.

The Turkish 1st Army launches an offensive against a thin Bulgarian covering force (composed of border guards backed by a single mobilization only MRD, the rest of 3rd Army forcing its way across the Danube) in Thrace.

Unofficial:

The British government authorizes the arrest of hundreds of anti-war activists and communist sympathizers following the prior days arrest at RAF Upper Heyford. Internment camps are established in rural Scotland, Wales and Northwest England.

North Korean troops continue their fierce attacks, supported by massed artillery and rocket fire. South Korean divisions on the front line hold, although reserves of replacement troops and artillery ammunition are being depleted at a rapid pace.

The last American troops are withdrawn from Italy. Only US Marine guards at the embassy remain.

The Chinese 29th Group Army renews its attack north of Beijing, its ranks replenished with three new divisions raised in Hunan province.

The Soviet 28th Army's attack into southern China is called off after getting bogged down 15 km into Chinese territory. The USSR's Vietnamese allies declined to provide additional troops and were concerned about their transportation system's ability to continue to support the offensive.

For the first time in over 40 years, NORAD does not publicize incoming flying objects coming from the North Pole. Instead, missile-armed American and Canadian interceptors await any southbound traffic.

[Ewan]

Originally Posted by chico20854

December 24, 1996
For the first time in over 40 years, NORAD does not publicize incoming flying objects coming from the North Pole. Instead, missile-armed American and Canadian interceptors await any southbound traffic.

Really enjoying the day to day narrative and particularly enjoyed this little snippet.

Hope you keep up the excellent work into the new year.

[chico20854]

December 25, 1996

The Soviet 7th Army captures Tabriz in northwestern Iran, eradicating the last of the city's fanatical Pasdaran defenders (and thousands of civilians) with nerve gas delivered by artillery and aircraft bombs.

Unofficial:

The citizens of the world have a very unsettled holiday. Training at military bases around the world is paused and the fighting is relatively light, giving soldiers time to reflect on their uncertain future and their families and friends back home.

In the war-torn cities of Berlin and Seoul, citizens huddle in shelters, while millions of refugees continue to seek a safe haven. In the many places away from the fighting, families gather, grateful for the ability to be together but nervous about how the growing conflict will be resolved and how it will affect them.

[chico20854]

Originally Posted by Ewan

Really enjoying the day to day narrative and particularly enjoyed this little snippet.

Hope you keep up the excellent work into the new year.

I'm glad you and others are enjoying this! I plan to try to keep it going.

[The Zappster]

I for one am very glad to hear it. Its a great resource and just good to read.

[chico20854]

December 26, 1996

Nothing in official canon for today, but unofficially:

Military operations continue around the world, joining the convoys, combat air patrols, casualty evacuation and patient care, outpost duty and artillery barrages, the war machine that did not stop for the prior day's holiday celebrations.

A relatively safe transit corridor is opened from Berlin to Hanover in West Germany. While subject to sporadic Pact artillery attacks, the German government organizes convoys of relief supplies into the city, accompanied by a fleet of empty busses to evacuate civilians from the city, which is still a battle zone as NATO forces continue their advance.

Soviet bombers launch another round of conventional cruise missile attacks on ports and air bases in the UK, launched from over the Baltic Sea, overlying southern Sweden along the way.

The USSR ignores Swedish protests about the violation of their airspace, pointing to the NATO transit of Swedish airspace in Lapland two weeks prior. The Swedish Air Force adopts a more aggressive posture regarding Soviet activity. To further emphasize Soviet disregard for Swedish sovereignty, the Soviet Mirka-II corvette SKR-90 is sunk by a mine in Swedish waters off Karlskrona.

Convoy 202 sails from San Francisco, bound for Honolulu, Guam (where the convoy will split), Okinawa and Pusan, Korea. It is composed of 37 cargo ships, one rescue/salvage vessel and four escorts, a collection of USNR-manned frigates and destroyers and the Coast Guard cutter Boutwell.

The US Congress passes a supplemental budget, authorizing over $1 Trillion of additional spending as may be needed to support the war effort. It also contains several classified sections that authorize paramilitary operations by the CIA, a FEMA stockpiling program and development and deployment of several aircraft and missile systems.

[chico20854]

December 27, 1996

another day of nothing in the canon, but unofficially:

Warsaw Pact forces begin a general withdrawal to eastern East Germany, intent on holding the line Stralsund-Neubrandenburg-East Berlin-Dresden. The shorter line free up three divisions to serve as a TVD reserve.

In Norway, NATO troops declare western Finnmark secure as the US 111th Air Defense Artillery Brigade enters action approaching the Norwegian-Soviet border.

Following the withdrawal from the Norwegian Sea, Strike Fleet Atlantic disbands temporarily, its constituent carrier battle groups heading to various ports in the US and UK for repair and replenishment. Despite stringent efforts, the carrier's magazines are nearly completely depleted, their escorts low on fuel and ammunition and all battered by the combination of harsh winter weather and three weeks of furious combat. SACLANT establishes a patrol line of cruisers along the GIUK Gap and redoubles efforts to provide adequate escorts for convoys as the first reports of random sinkings by Soviet raiders begin to trickle in.

The Commander of the Red Banner Northern Fleet receives a status briefing of the results of the Battle of the Norwegian Sea. Most importantly, the NATO maritime offensive against the Kola was halted, with heavy losses to the NATO fleet that make a second attack in the next few months unlikely. The Soviet SSBN fleet remained safely intact in port. Soviet losses were heavy, with over 80 percent of large ship tonnage sunk (including the entire carrier force built at such great expense), bomber losses over 50 percent and the loss of the best of the Naval Infantry force.

The submarine USS Philadelphia is ambushed and sunk by a Victor-I class attack submarine in the English Channel as the American sub attempted a transit in the narrow passage not aggressively patrolled or mined by the French Navy.

The Turks break through last of the Bulgarian Krali Marko line fortifications and advance into the so-called "Triangle of Death"; the undermanned dug-in Second-World-War German and Soviet tanks were easily taken out by Turkish ATGMs and the forces allocated to the "Traingle of Death" were being hurredly recalled from the Romanian frontier over 250km to the north.

Pasdaran resistance in northwestern Iran wavers as some formations disintegrate when faced with the possibility of Soviet chemical weapons and the massive firepower Transcaucasian Front brings to bear.

[chico20854]

December 28, 1996

another day with nothing official, but unofficially:

There is a major sortie of US Pacific Fleet carriers from their homeports in Pearl Harbor, San Diego and Puget Sound. The deployments are under EMCOM (emissions control, with all radiating electronics turned off) and in the pre-dawn hours.

Soviet, Polish and Czech units make tactical withdrawals to align with the new defense line. The evacuation of civilians from Berlinn continues as the battle lines shift to the eastern side of the city and Soviet artillery bombardments intensify.

Game wardens patrolling the woods outside of Bodenmais (in Bavaria near the Czech border) report a group of armed men in the distance. A hunt by BGS Border Guards and territorial troops fails to locate the men.

The US 197th Field Artillery Brigade (New Hampshire National Guard) is declared operational in Norway.

The Pact offensive in Romania stalls as Bulgarian troops are withdrawn from the southern front (leaving it static, with three Bulgarian bridgeheads on the north bank of the Danube), allowing Romanian reinforcements to be shifted to the northeastern and northwester fronts. The Pact advance is also slowed by inadequate numbers of Soviet troops and the poor training and materiel condition of the Hungarian force.

A 757 carrying infantry replacements fresh from Ft Benning, Georgia disappears over the mid-Atlantic; postwar research reveals that it was shot down by a SAM fired by a Soviet commerce raider.

NASA announces a revamp of its launch schedule; all scientific missions are cancelled and future missions will be to support the war effort.

[chico20854]

December 29, 1996

Tehran falls to Soviet troops after paratroopers seize the airport and Pasdaran forces flee. Pasdaran leaders call for their fighters to continue fighting the Soviets and encourages those separated from their units to rally to defend the holy city of Qom.

Unofficial:

NATO defense ministers (including the Jugoslav and Romanian ministers flown out at low level but not the French, Belgian, Greek and Italians) begin a meeting at the heavily guarded NATO command bunker in Northwood, England to discuss war aims andexecution. They receive status updates from SACEUR and SACLANT as well as many of the coordinating bodies (on shipping and air transport, defense production, civil relief and allocation of vital materials).

The Polish 12th Armored Division (rebuilding after being destroyed in China) is declared "limited operational" and deployed along the German-Polish border west of its garrison in Szczecin.

German and American troops reach the outskirts of Dresden, advancing against disorganized Pact opposition. The Pact effort in Germany is hampered by NATO air attacks on its lines of communication, which are further disrupted by attacks by East German units that found themselves isolated behind enemy lines by the East German coup.

NATO air forces launch an offensive air sweep over Poland in an attempt to lure surviving Soviet and Polish fighters into dogfights and surface to air missile batteries to reveal their locations so they can be attacked by accompanying Wild Weasels.

Additional trains of tanks and other military vehicles, the prewar complement of the 1st Infantry Division, arrive at the Bayonne Military Ocean Terminal, an Army-operated port in New Jersey. The 1st ID fell in on vehicles from POMCUS storage in Europe, leaving a complete complement behind in Kansas. Those were now being sent to Europe as shipping space permitted as replacements for vehicles lost in combat.

The Panamanian flagged bulk carrier Empire Pilot, carrying a cargo of Brazilian corn to neutral Finland, is sunk by a Soviet submarine 500 km west of Gibraltar. Canadian fishing vessels report unidentified warships east of Newfoundland.

Soviet and Vietnamese troops return to their start lines along the Chinese border, ending their incursion at the cost of 1200 Soviet and 800 Vietnamese soldiers' lives. The effort tied down a dozen Chinese divisions, three of which are released for transit to the fighting to the north.

[chico20854]

December 30, 1996

Nothing official for today, but unofficially:

The Battle of Dresden. NATO forces surround the city, exploiting the boundary between Soviet and Czech troops to the south of town. As American forces rush forward, the Polish 6th Air Assault Division is landed by helicopter behind the American tanks, amidst the 2nd Armored Division's artillery and rear area. The rear area troops fight valiantly against the elite Poles, but the assault has to be broken off. The American armored and mechanized battalions turn around, and in a confused nighttime melee drive off the paratroops. The decimation of the Polish unit buys time for the withdrawal of Pact troops from the city.

Elsewhere in East Germany, Allied forces continue fierce house to house fighting in East Berlin, while along the Baltic coast the remnants of the East German Navy attempt to interdict Pact evacuation and resupply efforts.

Norwegian and American troops reach the Soviet border southeast of Kirkenes, the retreating 6th Army still withdrawing over the frozen tundra to the east of town.

Convoy 109 departs Jacksonville, Florida. It will travel up the east coast before crossing the Atlantic.

The transport ship USNS Pollux, returning unescorted from Europe at its top speed of 32 knots, reports being pursued by a Soviet raider, which could not keep up with the speedy transport. A B-52 sortie from Loring AFB's 42nd Bomb Wing locates the Krivak II-class frigate Bessmennyy nearby and sinks it with 3 Harpoon missiles.

US Navy SEEBEEs arrive at the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport in the Indian Ocean to begin upgrading the facility to support the planned deployment of a P-3 patrol squadron.

The Akula II-class SSN K-453 is delivered in Severomorsk and rushed into Northern Fleet service. (The boat was incomplete, but the shipyard management knew that they would receive a bonus if it was delivered before year-end; the naval crew was responsible for bringing the boat up to operational standard).

Japan's foreign ministry announces the establishment of 1000 nautical mile Maritime Security Zone around its home islands. The Self Defense Forces (Air and Maritime) will actively patrol this zone and intercept hostile forces.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by chico20854

December 30, 1996

US Navy SEEBEEs arrive at the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport in the Indian Ocean to begin upgrading the facility to support the planned deployment of a P-3 patrol squadron.

This bit is of interest to me. The Cocos Keeling Islands are administered by my state jurisdiction (delegated authority from the federal government). The islands have a very contentious internal political history (a single white family ruled there like kings for 150 years, over a population of imported Malay workers).

There was a small military presence on the islands during WWI and a much bigger presence during WWII, including military airfields and bomber squadrons.

But the interesting part in terms of this T2K timeline is that under normal circumstances the stationing of US forces on the islands around that time would probably have been hugely contentious, but for three important factors:

1) The rapidly escalating WWIII.
2) The Liberal-National Coalition had won federal government in March of that year.
3) The Liberal-National Coalition retained government in Western Australia just 16 days before, but with an increased majority.

The new federal government was led by Liberal Party Prime Minister John Howard, who was and is hugely pro-US (the Australian Liberal Party historically has always been so to some degree). With the Liberal Party also now having an absolute majority in the Western Australian Parliament, any political opposition to the decision to station US forces on the Cocos Keeling Islands would have been totally ignored.

[chico20854]

Originally Posted by Targan

This bit is of interest to me. The Cocos Keeling Islands are administered by my state jurisdiction (delegated authority from the federal government). The islands have a very contentious internal political history (a single white family ruled there like kings for 150 years, over a population of imported Malay workers).

There was a small military presence on the islands during WWI and a much bigger presence during WWII, including military airfields and bomber squadrons.

But the interesting part in terms of this T2K timeline is that under normal circumstances the stationing of US forces on the islands around that time would probably have been hugely contentious, but for three important factors:

1) The rapidly escalating WWIII.
2) The Liberal-National Coalition had won federal government in March of that year.
3) The Liberal-National Coalition retained government in Western Australia just 16 days before, but with an increased majority.

The new federal government was led by Liberal Party Prime Minister John Howard, who was and is hugely pro-US (the Australian Liberal Party historically has always been so to some degree). With the Liberal Party also now having an absolute majority in the Western Australian Parliament, any political opposition to the decision to station US forces on the Cocos Keeling Islands would have been totally ignored.

I'm glad I caught your itnerest! I try to put things in that will be interesting to everyone!

I read up a little on the Cocos Keeling Islands, and saw that the RAAF regularly launched P-3 patrols from there as well as a think tank proposal about 10 years ago to construct a major Diego Garcia-type facility with hardened aircraft shelters and a pair of two-mile runways. Much more than what I imagined the SEEBEEs would do, which was more oriented towards the housing, administrative and logistical upgrades needed to equip the existing airport with the minimal facilities needed to support the aircraft and their associated personnel.

I try not to delve too deeply into the political realm other than outcomes, and honestly I hadn't put a lot of thought into the domestic political implications. One additional thought I would throw out there would be - does the public (and even members of the political and military leadership) know that this is even occurring? The islands are isolated and have a small population. With wartime emergency measures, the civilian population could be evacuated or the communications links turned off. As time goes on these things become more difficult to conceal, but there were lots of secret agreements and plans that had been put in place in the Cold War, and maybe this was one of them?

I recently acquired a copy of "Cold War Warriors: Royal Australian Air Force P-3 Orion Operations 1968-1991" and hope to find time to read through it and put in some things about RAAF P-3 operations, as well as anything it may have about plans for cooperation with the US.

[chico20854]

December 31, 1996

Nothing official for the last day of 1996, but unofficially:

As the year of 1996 closes out, the world has taken an ominous turn. The Sino-Soviet War w,hich while massive, was limited to East Asia, has become a worldwide conflagration, with war all along the borders of the Soviet empire, from Kirkenes on the Norwegian Border, through Berlin, Romania and Tehran to Manchuria, with ships and aircraft on and over the high seas around the world in flames. Optimists hope that the war will reach a negotiated settlement soon, grateful that fears that nuclear war would erupted immediately had not come to pass, while pessimists see every day of the ongoing war as just a momentary pause before the inevitable holocaust.

British, American and German troops drive Soviet and Polish troops out of the city limits of Berlin, but fierce house-to-house combat continues in the eastern suburbs.

The Soviet anti-satellite complex in Zelenchukskaya (known to the West as Dushanbe) attempts its first operational mission, partially blinding a KH-17 photo reconaissance satellite with coordinated strikes from multiple lasers.

The US War Production Coordination Board compiles its list of major end items produced in the US for the year. It includes:

AH-64 attack helicopter 144
AV-8B aircraft 72
A-6F aircraft 72
F-16C/D aircraft 325
F-15E aircraft 144
F-14D aircraft 96
KC-10 conversion aircraft 24
P-7 aircraft 24
SH-2G helicopter 48
SH-60B/F helicopter 60
UH-60 helicopter 145
AH-1G helicopter 180
OH-58D helicopter conversion 145
CH-47D helicopter 48
CH-53E helicopter 24
OH-6D helicopter 125
M-2A2 Bradley IFV 792
M-1A2 tank 1,080
LAV-75 AFV 480
LAV-25 APC 606
M-109A6 howitzer 540
AAVP-7 APC 600
AMRAAM missile 3,600
Sidewinder missile 8,400
Harpoon missile 660
Patriot missile 840
HARM missile 6,500
Hellfire missile 6,720
Maverick missile 14,400
Phoenix missile 420
Standard ER missile 480
Standard MR missile 845
Stinger missile 11,500
Tomahawk cruise missile 540
TOW II missile 30,000
Peacekeeper missile 48
MLRS rocket 36,000
4.2" mortar rounds 600,000
155mm FASCAM rounds 85,000
8" HE rounds 60,000
2.75" rockets 540,000
Volcano mine canisters 48,000
AT-4 LAWs 180,000
transport ships 25
naval combatant ships 10

[Olefin]

You need to add 144 M88A2 tank retrievers - used to work at BAE in York and we could ramp the line up to 12 per month quickly with a max of 18 per month on the single production line if we went to two shifts - and we were capable of making brand new hulls instead of just upgrading old M88 hulls

If you are looking at V2.2 you would have M8 AGS Bufords being made at BAE in York PA - that line was built to make 12 per month at low rate and we could have ramped it up to as many as 36 per month if we went to two shifts

As for the Bradley's - they would have been most likely making new hulls as well as upgrading old vehicles at York PA and doing refurbs at our facility in Lemont Furnace - that plant opened in 1993 and probably would have been where damaged Bradleys would have been sent to get them repaired and back in the fight

I worked for BAE on the Bradley, M88 and M109 line from 2008 to 2014 - talked to guys who worked there in the 90's

[cawest]

as the OH-58 are moved to D's. or they are pulled out of Fort Rucker. The role of scout and trainer could fall to something like a Robinson 44. it is in production in 1993. Also, Cessna could start modifing T-37 to the A-37 Dragon fly. Also by now Davis-Monthan would have Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group sending out its first craft now that this is not a short war.

[chico20854]

January 1, 1997

The meeting of NATO defense ministers concludes, issuing a statement that NATO heads of state have declared support for a Polish government in exile. The London-based government had operated in exile since September 1939 (when it had been run out of Poland by the Nazis) and still retained some items that supported its legitimacy - the presidential banner, the presidential and state seals, the presidential sashes, and the original text of the 1935 Constitution.

The British 1st Airborne Brigade is formed at Aldershot, England.

Unofficial:

photo
The US Navy orders the reactivation of Forrest Sherman and Decatur-class destroyers, held in mothballs for over 10 years (including DD-933, the USS Barry, which was a museum ship at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC). The reactivation places a further burden on shipyards already overloaded with ships damaged in the fighting in the Norwegian Sea, but the 17 ships would partially replace the losses of the last month.

The declaration by NATO heads of state also includes a call for the neutralization of the Soviet threat in the high north and authorization for NATO forces to sieze Murmansk.

The last Belgian forces are repatriated from Norway, where they had fought as part of the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land). Tensions between Belgium and NATO rise as disputes arise about the disposition of property, personnel and equipment in Belgium and Germany. (An example of the tit-for-tat is the Belgian refusal to allow NATO to remove office equipment from the headquarters in Mons in retaliation for the German Ministry of Transport to authorise the transportation of ammunition stocks from ammunition dumps in Germany, ammunition that happens to be increasingly needed at the front and which was partially funded by NATO).

Turkish forces break out of the mountainous terrain along the Black Sea cost, capturing the town of Grudovo (Sredets), in position to threaten the road and rail lines to the vital port of Burgas.

NATO sealift planners conclude a major effort to adjust their fleet resources, eliminating the sizeable Greek merchant fleet and other nations that have left NATO and adding in the smaller Jugoslav, East German and Romanian merchant fleets, as well as the couple dozen Pact ships seized in port or on the high seas since the outbreak of war. The Romanian fleet is the most problematic, with nearly 40 percent in the Black Sea, mostly stuck in port lest they be sunk by the superior Soviet Black Sea Fleet while racing for the Bosporus.

The US submarine Bluefish slips through the Bosporus submerged underneath a supporting Turkish navy transport, en route to start a campaign against Soviet shipping in the Black Sea.

[chico20854]

Originally Posted by Olefin

You need to add 144 M88A2 tank retrievers - used to work at BAE in York and we could ramp the line up to 12 per month quickly with a max of 18 per month on the single production line if we went to two shifts - and we were capable of making brand new hulls instead of just upgrading old M88 hulls

If you are looking at V2.2 you would have M8 AGS Bufords being made at BAE in York PA - that line was built to make 12 per month at low rate and we could have ramped it up to as many as 36 per month if we went to two shifts

As for the Bradley's - they would have been most likely making new hulls as well as upgrading old vehicles at York PA and doing refurbs at our facility in Lemont Furnace - that plant opened in 1993 and probably would have been where damaged Bradleys would have been sent to get them repaired and back in the fight

I worked for BAE on the Bradley, M88 and M109 line from 2008 to 2014 - talked to guys who worked there in the 90's

Thanks! I hadn't seen a number on the M88 line in the 1980s documents I was working off of. For the Bradley, I kept the Santa Clara plant going (it was shut down as a result of the merger of FMC and BMY in the post-Cold War defense industry consolidation), so York is concentrating on M109 and M88, plus the M8 for the v2.2 timeline. I also have a plant in Johnstown subcontracted to help with M109 hull work.

I didn't know about the Lemont Furnace facility. I'll also have a lot of repairs done at the Army facilities, Mainz in Germany (plus the POMCUS sites, once emptied, the crews and faciltities there could do some repair work), Red River, Anniston and the others in CONUS.

One thing helping the US production is the massive orders for ordnance placed by the Chinese in late 1995. That pays for the activation of the second shifts at the existing munitions plants as well as the outfitting of additional mobilization plants. I have the Atlanta, Leeds, Missouri and Framingham GM plants, Bridgeport CT ammo line, DeKalb tractor plant, Indiana Army Ammunition plant, Madison TN truck plant and a few others (plus shipyards) all coming on line to meet Chinese demand. Unfortunately for the Chinese, when the US enters the war much of the output from these plants gets fed into the maw of the US military.

[chico20854]

Originally Posted by cawest

as the OH-58 are moved to D's. or they are pulled out of Fort Rucker. The role of scout and trainer could fall to something like a Robinson 44. it is in production in 1993. Also, Cessna could start modifing T-37 to the A-37 Dragon fly. Also by now Davis-Monthan would have Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group sending out its first craft now that this is not a short war.

For the OH-58Ds, I had envisioned continuing conversions of OH-58C models. When you look back at the budget & planning documents from the 80s, the goal was stated as 477 -D models converted from -A and -C models, rather than the TH-57 trainers from Rucker. The gap in scout helicopter numbers is partially filled by fielding MD-500s from the reopened production line in Long Beach to National Guard division cavalry squadrons.

I'll certainly look into the Robinson 44! Later in 1997 as things get even more desperate I even have the CH-54 flying crane go back into production, as a small company had bought the rights and design, remaining components and the complete tooling IRL and had manufactured new aircraft for the first time in decades.

I don't have a lot of additional A-37s coming out, since the USAF had been shifting the last of those aircraft out of the reserve components in the 90s. They aren't that useful in a high-threat air defense environment, and I figure there were a good quantity of them in AMARC to replace losses from the few units that still used them.

I had Davis-Monthan in high gear for all of 1996, although primarily to support sales to allies. With Iran resuming friendly relations with the US in the years prior to the war, their air force could make ready use of the F-5s and F-4s at AMARC. The Chinese are desperate for aircraft following the devastation of their air force, so the skies of the US in 1996 are full of PLAAF pilots flying older F-4s, A-7s and A-4s pulled out of AMARC. I even have the 115th Tactical Fighter Group activated as an active-duty USAF F-4E unit to augment continental air defense with airframes pulled from Davis-Monthan.

[chico20854]

January 2, 1997

Scattered workers uprisings occur across Poland as a result of the Polish government in exile gaining NATO recognition. ZOMO riot control units quickly mobilize to suppress the rioting following strong words from the Soviet ambassador.

unofficially:

Convoy 202 arrives in Honolulu/Pearl Harbor, detaching two cargo ships and gaining two others as well as the USN tanker Ponchatoula and an additional escort, the frigate USS Reasoner.

photo
The German hard rock band the Spyders announces its "Winds of Change Tour" to celebrate the liberation of East Germany and raise money for relief for East German civilians; many of the band's most ardent fans are unable to attend the concerts as they had been called up for service in the Bundeswehr.

The last Soviet troops are driven out of Norway east of Kirkenes.

photo
South Korean lines northeast of Seoul buckle and, in a handful of sectors, break. The North Korean 1st Shock Army commits its elite 820th Armored Corps to exploit the breakthrough.

Pasdaran troops continue their resistance, gradually withdrawing as the Soviet advance slows. Transcaucasian Front's supply lines are getting longer and the Front's immediate stockpiles of fuel and munitions, especially chemical weapons, has been depleted and the Front commander, Colonel General Suryakin, was forced to beg STAVKA for the trucks and supplies he needed, in competition with Front commanders from around the USSR, all needing the same resources.

The Commander of Frontal Aviaition sought guidance from STAVKA about the need for future pilots and the allocation of aircraft and their crew. Southwestern TVD's handful of fighter regiments had been able to suppress the Romanian and Jugoslav air forces, but were insufficient to provide air support to the bogged-down Red Army troops in Romania. Prewar plans provided that trainer aircraft assigned to pilot training colleges throughout the southwestern USSR be transferred to the Balkans, where it was expected that air defenses would be less formidable than on the Central Front. Doing so, however, meant that new pilot training would be halted. STAVKA replied than the need for pilots was intense and that the Army would have to advance using the blood of its infantry, grateful that Frontal Aviation and the PVO were keeping NATO airpower at bay. Anyone who complained was to be transferred to the German front, where NATO fighters were gradually establishing complete control of the skies over the front lines.

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by chico20854

Thanks! I hadn't seen a number on the M88 line in the 1980s documents I was working off of. For the Bradley, I kept the Santa Clara plant going (it was shut down as a result of the merger of FMC and BMY in the post-Cold War defense industry consolidation), so York is concentrating on M109 and M88, plus the M8 for the v2.2 timeline. I also have a plant in Johnstown subcontracted to help with M109 hull work.

I didn't know about the Lemont Furnace facility. I'll also have a lot of repairs done at the Army facilities, Mainz in Germany (plus the POMCUS sites, once emptied, the crews and faciltities there could do some repair work), Red River, Anniston and the others in CONUS.

One thing helping the US production is the massive orders for ordnance placed by the Chinese in late 1995. That pays for the activation of the second shifts at the existing munitions plants as well as the outfitting of additional mobilization plants. I have the Atlanta, Leeds, Missouri and Framingham GM plants, Bridgeport CT ammo line, DeKalb tractor plant, Indiana Army Ammunition plant, Madison TN truck plant and a few others (plus shipyards) all coming on line to meet Chinese demand. Unfortunately for the Chinese, when the US enters the war much of the output from these plants gets fed into the maw of the US military.

Lemont Furnace did refurb work on M109 and Bradleys - versus rebuilds at York for both - that facility wasnt there when they wrote Allegheny Uprising - so would be a nice addition where the players are sent to get parts stored there for M-109 and Bradleys and find a vehicle there that they could bring back to working status using parts stored there

[chico20854]

January 3, 1997

The US 2nd Infantry Division's 1st and 2nd Brigades (both mechanized) engage North Korean mechanized forces, composed largely of the 820th Mechanized Corps, northeast of Seoul.

unofficial:

The North Korean command commits the 815th Mechanized Corps as a follow-on force. USAF surveillance aircraft note the movement of vehicles, and G Battery, 37th Field Artillery, 2nd ID's MLRS battery, plasters the area with submunitions, slowing the North Korean reinforcements. The US commander then lands 2nd ID's 3rd (light) Brigade in rough terrain to the North Korean flank, where they unleash a hail of Viper/Tank Breaker missiles into the attacking armored troops.

Convoy 109 departs New York, bound for Newfoundland before starting the North Atlantic crossing.

The Turkish 1st Army receives reinforcements, largely taken from 2nd Army on the Mediterranean coast. Bulgarian resistance is stiffening as more troops are shifted from the Romanian front. The Bulgarian Communist Party sends an urgent request to the USSR for military assistance as the impovershed country's economy slows following the callup of so many men of prime working age and the nation's stockpiles are rapidly being depleted.

Fighting continues in the eastern oukstirks of Berlin, with NATO gains measured by hundreds of meters. Along the Baltic coast progress is more rapid, as Polish troops fall back to their border and the ports of Stralsund and Sassnitz fall, shutting down Pact supply/evacuation points.

Following a disappointing rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California by the 1st Brigade, 49th Armored Division, the Department of the Army decides to pull the entire division from the deployment timeline and re-equip it with M1-series vehicles rather than the M60A4s it fielded. In a separate but related action, the brigade commander, two battalion commanders and seventeen other officers are relieved and the entire division is ordered to begin an intensive re-training regime in addition to the retraining and reorganizing needed for the transition to new Tables of Organization and Equipment with the new tanks.

[cawest]

is there a reason that 1st Brigade, 49th Armored Division did poorly at NTC and then was updated from M60A4s to M1s. i would think that the newer tanks would be used on a unit going to Germany or other combat zones.