Weapons Timelines for the Twilight War

[Raellus]

I don't know if this will be helpful to you, Web. You've probably already thought of it but here goes.

The two Gulf Wars and the Western Allies' march from the Atlantic to the Elbe (lasting about a month less than a year) were all accomplished with nearly constant air superiority and, sometimes, even air supremacy. Allied air power could isolate the battlefield and decapitate enemy command and control, making the job on the ground a lot easier than it otherwise would be.

One possible explanation for the relative long duration of NATO's sweep across Poland is a lack of air superiority. Perhaps the Soviets were able to maintain close to air parity or, at times or on certain fronts, limited air superiority. At the very least, the Red Army and air force and their respective WTO counterparts might have been able to deny NATO air superiority over the front lines or in the Soviet's rear areas.