The Second Battle of Britain - a Soviet Sealion

[James G]

Jan 2, 2020 10:39:50 GMT stevep said:

Jan 1, 2020 7:44:39 GMT amir said:

Wow- it looks like the soviets are trying to isolate France.

Here’s two random thoughts:
1. What if one side or the other uncovers an employable nuclear weapon (either a loaded bomb, artillery round/sadm with unlocked PALS, or a Pershing/glcm/pluton with codes).

2. When does political will fail? Politicians, unlike soldiers tend to choose an all or nothing approach. At what point do the decision makers in the rump of nato decide this is a problem best solved on the east side of the North Sea? Or do we get an update on unconventional warfare efforts by any SOF other than german in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary? Maybe the SF mafia has an answer that keeps us out of the sunshine.

  Amir, James

  With 1) it could be very nasty if the Soviets used such a nuke in an attack on their own forces - but somewhere relatively unimportant then blamed NATO and threatened retaliation unless the European members [at least] came to terms immediately and that could well scare some of the remaining states into submitting.

  Alternatively what if some group of soldiers from a NATO nation comes across such weapons and decides to use one unilaterally?

  Steve

The first idea was a plot element in Red Storm Rising which never occurred. I'm not favourable to the idea.
The second one is actually possible. The situation could come up where that could occur. There were meant to be PAL links with bombs but I don't think they were all they were cracked up to be. I'll consider this.

Jan 2, 2020 10:57:04 GMT stevep said:

  James

  Well I could see Reagan being stupid but that is bloody moronic.  Possibly an attack after Castro's refusal but not beforehand.  Its also going to look bad to the other members of NATO that the US is starting another conflict and reinforcing a colonial possession while their fighting for their lives.

  Even greater chaos in the ME and I'm a bit surprised that the Soviets attacked Egypt as that pretty much secures their hostility and that is very important in the region.

  Sounds like the trigger for a nuclear exchange could be unauthorised use by a naval commander on either side, which is the sort of thing that could escalate very rapidly and badly.  Hopefully your not going to totally roast human life on Earth James.

  Good that the Iranians aren't doing much so at least that area seems to be calming down, at least for the moment.

  Steve

I disagree. Cuba is seen in American eyes as poised for an attack: the US has already been attacked once so who needs a second go. A threatening Cuba is a major worry for US convoys going out of the South too. Its unfair but what I'd expect in a global war. I think too the vast majority of allies wouldn't care considering Cuba is a long tiem USSR ally with their troops on the island.
Egypt is in the Coalition and was abig player in the war with Iraq. The value of Suez to the US is also something that Moscow would be foolish to ignore.
With Iran, they are either beaten up... or playing the waiting game and waiting for the right moment. We shall see!
The at-sea nuke issue is going to come into play big time. Some very bad things will happen!

Jan 2, 2020 11:17:41 GMT forcon said:

Good update. I was just about to ask how things were going in the METO. The use of chemicals is also interesting. IIRC, France maintained if not the weapons themselves then the ability to produce them.

Thank you. I've missed many things out in the ME and will go back to that region soon.
France's chemical posture changed between '85 and '89 a great deal. I think they had the weapons in '87 and were, like the US, in a position to use them even if they weren't in frontline service... I think/hope!



For the world situation, I'll do a map hopefully tomorrow. It will be reds-vs.-blues, though the true situation there will be more complicated due to regional issues.

[James G]

162 – Proper management of available forces


NATO had huge uncommitted reserves of manpower. There were many troops available from members of the alliance which had been mobilised but yet to see action or be close to doing so. The Spanish had a large army. A NATO member for the last five years, with a confirmatory referendum on that status seeing a ‘yes’ vote the year before, Spain was at war with the Warsaw Pact as soon as it started. Existing plans called for the Spanish to move to Italy in wartime and there had been the initial dispatch of paratroopers and Spanish Legion troops to that country though they had yet to see action. Others were promised for the fight in West Germany. A corps command with two full heavy divisions alongside a mass of supporting troops was envisioned to go through France and to join CENTAG during to the seriousness of the disastrous wartime situation. However, the Spanish had never practised anything like this before in any NATO exercise beyond staff work and paper plans. There were delays with mobilisation and then transportation too. The Spanish were sending their corps but this was taking time. It could be another week before there was the ability for their men to see action… and it didn’t look likely that would be in West Germany either. Portugal was a founding member of NATO. The Portuguese Army was small and not very well-equipped. Regardless of limitations, ones the Portuguese were aware of, they too made assurances to allies that they would send men to the fight. Within days of the war erupting, Portuguese paratroopers and also marines were on their way to Greece to support the defence against the invasion of their fellow NATO member from out of Bulgaria. An extra paratrooper battalion had been held back for a possible Italian mission but instead they were flown to Southern England to see action in London. Portugal was forming up a mechanised brigade to go to West Germany. Like the Spanish, there were delays incurred but they were moving. Still, it would be some time before they could make the long journey all the way up through Spain and France. The capability of that one brigade was something quite questionable too.

Italy had a large army, one which grew significantly with mobilisation. The Italians positioned themselves ready to fight against an invasion coming through Austria – intending to fight inside Austria too – as well as any possible attack coming out of neutral Yugoslavia either by the Yugoslavs themselves or Soviet forces moving through there. In addition, while on Italian soil there were small numbers of Americans and then those Spanish, the Italians themselves had sent men to Greece too. West Germany had asked for the Italians to support the fight in their country. This was a big ask. Should Austria have been invaded, this could have been something done but without that, there were geographic challenges involved for a deployment to West Germany. The neutrality of both Austria and Switzerland was being jealously guarded by each of those countries which lay between Italy and West Germany. The Italians formed an expeditionary force up but it was no more than a division and had yet to begin making a move. It would have to go the long way round when it did. There were many who questioned the wisdom of this: called it stupidity of the first order in fact. Canada had troops pre-war in West Germany and those were joined by some more flown in when the conflict started. There were others at home, a lot more. Current planning was for some of them to go to Norway but there were others without a firm commitment. The best thing would have been for the Canadians to send all that they could to Western Europe and this was something that was being projected as national defence policy for the coming years. However, the plans for that Norway mission were there and everything was in-place: throwing everything away in an instant wasn’t happening. This left still a good number of others available to go to join the fight in West Germany. They were ordered to make that deployment. Seeing as those were regulars based in the western reaches of Canada and thus a significant distance away, it was going to take a very long time for them to reach Western Europe! Men could fly there in a few hours – as seen by that battalion of light infantry reservists which went to London to join those Portuguese – but the heavy gear and stores couldn’t all be thrown in the back of waves of airliners. It had to go by ship in quite the long voyage.

The Americans had more men than their NATO allies to reinforce the fighting in Europe. There was a redirection of many of those inbound for the Middle East (the largest being the 5th Infantry Division, men and equipment) but also those back in the United States too who were mobilised once the war started. REFORGER flights had seen thousands of men fly to Europe to link up with stored equipment. The effort had been extraordinary yet also very costly in terms of losses taken when it faced enemy attacks. The global situation pre-war had seen the part-mobilisation of much of the Army National Guard with the then full call-out made. There were a lot of national guardsmen (some of whom were already sent to take over gear stored in Europe in POMCUS sets) available with many heavy units equipped with excellent gear. The Americans intended to send them to the fighting. Several standing divisions plus many independent brigades received European-deployment orders with the priority for movement being those already held at the high alert status. When this all reached Western Europe, this was going to be a major reinforcement for NATO. However, it couldn’t be sent there in an instant. All of the equipment and supplies for these massed Army National Guard forces had to be transported there by ship: the men could go by air but would only fly once the ships were very close to European ports. All across the United States, military movements were made by road and rail towards ports as ships assembled. Convoys were forming up with the US Navy as well as NATO naval assets assembling to escort them. The timescale before the national guardsmen were on the ground on the other side of the ocean and then ready to see action kept on slipping. It could be another week, maybe ten days…

When those troops who flew to Europe left their bases across the United States, they left behind their equipment. POMCUS provided two sets of gear for a large number of major combat units. What was left behind was quite a bit too. Four US Army divisions (1st Cavalry, 1st Infantry, 2nd Armored & 4th Infantry) plus one of those Army National Guard divisions (the 49th Armored, which had been forming up with stored equipment in the Netherlands when overrun) had left behind everything in addition to several combat brigades. This was only the combat units: many combat support & service support elements had seen their men fly to Europe to also link up with what was in-place there. The Americans didn’t intend to leave all of this where it was back home. The equipment, ammunition and everything else was all needed in Europe to replace losses. They were going to send this in trans-Atlantic convoys as well. There were flights being made were aircraft could take some key pieces of equipment and ammunition as well. However, the best way to move all of this was by sea and so it would be. Just as it was with all of those national guardsmen – the 35th and 40th Infantry Divisions the largest units there –, the timescale for this huge undertaking was slowly slipping backwards. Enemy interference wasn’t a factor in this. It was all about the size of the logistical effort. The idea that these further American reinforcements would see action in West Germany as the fighting moved further westwards every day was beginning to look impossible. There were American generals preparing themselves to see the fight in France instead.


Spread across occupied portions of West Germany and the Netherlands were armies which had invaded those two countries. These Soviet and Eastern European forces were all over the place. Almost all of this massive force had seen action though that was to varying degrees. There had been some which had been defeated while others were victorious but exhausted; certain forces had seen little action in their victory too. Orders had been for those who could fight until they were unable to do so any longer. The progress of the war saw all sorts of movement made and much of the pre-war planning had been thrown away due to how the conflict had been fought. It wasn’t chaos but it was hardly an organised current deployment on foreign soil. Invading forces had gone forward with integral stocks of ammunition, fuel and other supplies under their own command. There was a separate rear-area logistics network which aided those fighting in addition to what the field armies themselves had brought with them. NATO deep strike air attacks had been blasting away at this. The effects of that would be felt in time but those bombing runs hadn’t slowed down the advances made. Only attacks against the committed forces themselves with their own supporting mobile infrastructure had yet to have a meaningful effect. Doctrine called for combat units to keep fighting until they ran out of men and supplies. They would be replaced by fresh units behind them and to keep forward movement going. That was all well and good in theory. The complexities of the war underway had seen such a thing not follow that doctrine though. What war had ever gone to plan?

Marshal Ogarkov had several large forces which had seen little direct combat when they made their attacks. There were those which had gone into the Netherlands, with the first attacks made to overrun much of that country, who had seen a few fights against unprepared defenders and kept on going until they reached the sea. Much of the Third Shock Army and especially the majority of the 5th Guards Army Corps had poured into that nation where they brushed aside stunned opponents without exerting themselves. These were first-line units that were out of place once they achieved their objectives. Their manpower levels were high and their supply stocks were large. Stavka had told Ogarkov before the war started that he was given what he was given and that the troops he had would be sufficient to do the job. There was mobilisation underway back home in the Soviet Union but this wasn’t full-scale. Regardless of that, Western-TVD had enough assigned forces to complete their mission. This wasn’t an unfair decision. Ogarkov’s own Plan Zhukov / Operation Elbe stated that granted what he had, the war could be won: those reservists being mobilised back home were being readied in case something went seriously wrong… and by that point, their field commander wouldn’t be in charge.

To win the fight against NATO, Ogarkov had to reposition his forces. This meant turning around those who had gone as far westwards as they physically could when going through the Netherlands. Furthermore, aside from those there across the northern & central parts of that country, there were other troops in West Germany still with large numbers of men & supplies. These were fully capable first-line units as well who had seen more action than those who had gone that great distance westwards but far from being at the end of their capability. Individual divisions and regiments were shuffled about and reassigned from one higher command to another. There were mergers which took place too. It was all about the proper management of available forces. A senior officer like Ogarkov had completed all of the staff courses to oversee this and he had extensive staffs with him to follow his instructions on this. The deployment orders went out to those involved. On the ground, there was assistance provided to get those troops where they needed to be. NATO air attacks and the occasional opposition from special forces or cut-off forces came. The air strikes eventually lifted and firefights were met head-on. There were physical obstructions too due to war damage: again, there was nothing that would be allowed to stop this and those were forced past.

NATO had reinforcements for its forward forces in combat either in distant parts of the European continent or an ocean away. Soviet-led forces had theirs much closer to hand. Ogarkov was going to employ as many men as possible on the frontlines – rather than have them sitting on their behinds on the rear – to complete the job and win the war.

[archangel]

Keep up the good work, James!

[James G]

Jan 3, 2020 0:16:39 GMT archangel said:

Keep up the good work, James!

Will do, thank you.

The story shall return to Belgium this evening.
Perhaps some T-72 tank crewmen might want to take in the sights of Brussels...?

[stevep]

Jan 2, 2020 20:38:44 GMT James G said:

Jan 2, 2020 10:39:50 GMT stevep said:

  Amir, James

  With 1) it could be very nasty if the Soviets used such a nuke in an attack on their own forces - but somewhere relatively unimportant then blamed NATO and threatened retaliation unless the European members [at least] came to terms immediately and that could well scare some of the remaining states into submitting.

  Alternatively what if some group of soldiers from a NATO nation comes across such weapons and decides to use one unilaterally?

  Steve

The first idea was a plot element in Red Storm Rising which never occurred. I'm not favourable to the idea.
The second one is actually possible. The situation could come up where that could occur. There were meant to be PAL links with bombs but I don't think they were all they were cracked up to be. I'll consider this.

Jan 2, 2020 10:57:04 GMT stevep said:

  James

  Well I could see Reagan being stupid but that is bloody moronic.  Possibly an attack after Castro's refusal but not beforehand.  Its also going to look bad to the other members of NATO that the US is starting another conflict and reinforcing a colonial possession while their fighting for their lives.

  Even greater chaos in the ME and I'm a bit surprised that the Soviets attacked Egypt as that pretty much secures their hostility and that is very important in the region.

  Sounds like the trigger for a nuclear exchange could be unauthorised use by a naval commander on either side, which is the sort of thing that could escalate very rapidly and badly.  Hopefully your not going to totally roast human life on Earth James.

  Good that the Iranians aren't doing much so at least that area seems to be calming down, at least for the moment.

  Steve

I disagree. Cuba is seen in American eyes as poised for an attack: the US has already been attacked once so who needs a second go. A threatening Cuba is a major worry for US convoys going out of the South too. Its unfair but what I'd expect in a global war. I think too the vast majority of allies wouldn't care considering Cuba is a long tiem USSR ally with their troops on the island.
Egypt is in the Coalition and was abig player in the war with Iraq. The value of Suez to the US is also something that Moscow would be foolish to ignore.
With Iran, they are either beaten up... or playing the waiting game and waiting for the right moment. We shall see!
The at-sea nuke issue is going to come into play big time. Some very bad things will happen!

Jan 2, 2020 11:17:41 GMT forcon said:

Good update. I was just about to ask how things were going in the METO. The use of chemicals is also interesting. IIRC, France maintained if not the weapons themselves then the ability to produce them.

Thank you. I've missed many things out in the ME and will go back to that region soon.
France's chemical posture changed between '85 and '89 a great deal. I think they had the weapons in '87 and were, like the US, in a position to use them even if they weren't in frontline service... I think/hope!



For the world situation, I'll do a map hopefully tomorrow. It will be reds-vs.-blues, though the true situation there will be more complicated due to regional issues.

  James

  On the 2nd idea I remember coming across it in a WWIII book I read once.  The politicians were on the verge of some sort of cease-fire when a commander in a fairly dire position - think he was American but could be wrong - decided to use some tactical nukes unilaterally.  Things then went to hell very quickly.

  On Cuba I would have to disagree.  If the attack had occurred after Castro had given a response and the US deadline had passed then yes while in reality a mistake it would have been logical.  However to attack without warning before that deadline expired or Castro had replied is not going to look good internationally, including among allies fighting the Soviets who will be pissed off that the US has started another front tying up forces that could have been used elsewhere.

  Egypt either way.  It was in the coalition against the Iraqi attack and the Soviets were giving support to the latter and generally being as awkward as possible to the anti-Iraq alliance - which was a major factor in their blundering into starting the wider war.  However not sure if Egypt would be seriously committed to a war against the Soviets before such an attack.  Basically after being idiots in the ME their being stupid again in adding to their enemies.

  Steve

[stevep]

Jan 2, 2020 20:39:54 GMT James G said:

162 – Proper management of available forces


....

To win the fight against NATO, Ogarkov had to reposition his forces. This meant turning around those who had gone as far westwards as they physically could when going through the Netherlands. Furthermore, aside from those there across the northern & central parts of that country, there were other troops in West Germany still with large numbers of men & supplies. These were fully capable first-line units as well who had seen more action than those who had gone that great distance westwards but far from being at the end of their capability. Individual divisions and regiments were shuffled about and reassigned from one higher command to another. There were mergers which took place too. It was all about the proper management of available forces. A senior officer like Ogarkov had completed all of the staff courses to oversee this and he had extensive staffs with him to follow his instructions on this. The deployment orders went out to those involved. On the ground, there was assistance provided to get those troops where they needed to be. NATO air attacks and the occasional opposition from special forces or cut-off forces came. The air strikes eventually lifted and firefights were met head-on. There were physical obstructions too due to war damage: again, there was no be nothing that would be allowed to stop this and those were forced past.

  James

  Sounds like basically your saying the Soviets need to win quickly, i.e. in 10-14 days before NATO reinforcements arrive - else they face a long war.  Despite the huge losses that the NATO front line forces have already taken.  In part IIRC the Soviets have created a problem for themselves here in that going for a short and limited war they haven't moblised fully, hence those reinforcement would have a good chance to stop the invasion if not possibly even start to force it backwards.  Also by going for a limited war they didn't attack Norway or IIRC fully moblise their fleet and send it out into the Atlantic so those factors can make getting the reinforcements from the US considerably easier.  From what your said I don't think it will be that long before nukes start to fly which rather reduces the impact of the conventional battle but could be set up without that.

  By the way how are munitions and other supplies for the remaining NATO forces?  I know its been mentioned before that the members often had limited stockpiles, even without the loss of so much equipment from the rapid Soviet advance, so how close are many of the units that have been fighting since the opening day to running out of fuel or ammo?

  I hadn't realised how early Spain had joined the alliance as thought it was a few years later, not 1982.  However how are their equipment levels and training standards as the country has been somewhat isolated for quite a while and the army probably mainly orientated towards suppression of dissent so that could also be a factor in how it performs in combat.  The men will definitely fight but not sure how prepared they are for such an high level conflict.

  Anyway another good chapter and overview of the current situation.  Not saying I'm really looking forward to seeing more as its going to get even nastier when the nukes start flying but curious as to what develops.

  With the penultimate paragraph is there something missing here.  Suspect that the no should simply be a not although that still sounds a bit strange to me.

  Steve

[amir]

Great writing as always, James! Looks like a new Battle of France is about to begin.

The peripheries are interesting.  In a longer war, sea control and the ability to threaten a key periphery area like Alaska/Phillipines, Kola or Soviet Far may be vital to sustaining capability in the central region.

[James G]

Jan 3, 2020 11:47:48 GMT stevep said:

Jan 2, 2020 20:38:44 GMT James G said:

The first idea was a plot element in Red Storm Rising which never occurred. I'm not favourable to the idea.
The second one is actually possible. The situation could come up where that could occur. There were meant to be PAL links with bombs but I don't think they were all they were cracked up to be. I'll consider this.


I disagree. Cuba is seen in American eyes as poised for an attack: the US has already been attacked once so who needs a second go. A threatening Cuba is a major worry for US convoys going out of the South too. Its unfair but what I'd expect in a global war. I think too the vast majority of allies wouldn't care considering Cuba is a long tiem USSR ally with their troops on the island.
Egypt is in the Coalition and was abig player in the war with Iraq. The value of Suez to the US is also something that Moscow would be foolish to ignore.
With Iran, they are either beaten up... or playing the waiting game and waiting for the right moment. We shall see!
The at-sea nuke issue is going to come into play big time. Some very bad things will happen!
Thank you. I've missed many things out in the ME and will go back to that region soon.
France's chemical posture changed between '85 and '89 a great deal. I think they had the weapons in '87 and were, like the US, in a position to use them even if they weren't in frontline service... I think/hope!



For the world situation, I'll do a map hopefully tomorrow. It will be reds-vs.-blues, though the true situation there will be more complicated due to regional issues.

  James

  On the 2nd idea I remember coming across it in a WWIII book I read once.  The politicians were on the verge of some sort of cease-fire when a commander in a fairly dire position - think he was American but could be wrong - decided to use some tactical nukes unilaterally.  Things then went to hell very quickly.

  On Cuba I would have to disagree.  If the attack had occurred after Castro had given a response and the US deadline had passed then yes while in reality a mistake it would have been logical.  However to attack without warning before that deadline expired or Castro had replied is not going to look good internationally, including among allies fighting the Soviets who will be pissed off that the US has started another front tying up forces that could have been used elsewhere.

  Egypt either way.  It was in the coalition against the Iraqi attack and the Soviets were giving support to the latter and generally being as awkward as possible to the anti-Iraq alliance - which was a major factor in their blundering into starting the wider war.  However not sure if Egypt would be seriously committed to a war against the Soviets before such an attack.  Basically after being idiots in the ME their being stupid again in adding to their enemies.

  Steve

Its a possible way of ending things with an unauthorised release. It's under consideration.
We'll have to agree to disagree on Cuba!
Egypt is led by Mubarak. I think he would have got himself into this situation. Egypt ended backed by Saudi cash and it spiralled from there.

Jan 3, 2020 12:08:16 GMT stevep said:

  James

  Sounds like basically your saying the Soviets need to win quickly, i.e. in 10-14 days before NATO reinforcements arrive - else they face a long war.  Despite the huge losses that the NATO front line forces have already taken.  In part IIRC the Soviets have created a problem for themselves here in that going for a short and limited war they haven't moblised fully, hence those reinforcement would have a good chance to stop the invasion if not possibly even start to force it backwards.  Also by going for a limited war they didn't attack Norway or IIRC fully moblise their fleet and send it out into the Atlantic so those factors can make getting the reinforcements from the US considerably easier.  From what your said I don't think it will be that long before nukes start to fly which rather reduces the impact of the conventional battle but could be set up without that.

  By the way how are munitions and other supplies for the remaining NATO forces?  I know its been mentioned before that the members often had limited stockpiles, even without the loss of so much equipment from the rapid Soviet advance, so how close are many of the units that have been fighting since the opening day to running out of fuel or ammo?

  I hadn't realised how early Spain had joined the alliance as thought it was a few years later, not 1982.  However how are their equipment levels and training standards as the country has been somewhat isolated for quite a while and the army probably mainly orientated towards suppression of dissent so that could also be a factor in how it performs in combat.  The men will definitely fight but not sure how prepared they are for such an high level conflict.

  Anyway another good chapter and overview of the current situation.  Not saying I'm really looking forward to seeing more as its going to get even nastier when the nukes start flying but curious as to what develops.

  With the penultimate paragraph is there something missing here.  Suspect that the no should simply be a not although that still sounds a bit strange to me.

  Steve

Yep, in Moscow they wanted a short war. Quick, done, finished as soon as possible. Things have spiralled madly elsewhere but in Europe, things are generally going to plan.
Norway was a limited attack and the Atlantic isn't being contested. Some subs are out and the Americans are wasting time forming convoys fearing big battles.
We'll see nukes soon enough. I want to end the story by the end of Jan / middle of Feb so it will happen.
NATO will be sharing around ammo but there will be huge shortages. It is something I have failed to cover properly and there are probably units which IRL would by now be out but I've gone wrong with that.
Spanish troops, should they get there, would have a torrid time going up against high quality Soviet units. So would the Portuguese too. It would be a bad situation for them to be in.
Ah, yes. Fixed that now. Went wrong again when giving a proof read!

Jan 3, 2020 18:22:25 GMT amir said:

Great writing as always, James! Looks like a new Battle of France is about to begin.

The peripheries are interesting.  In a longer war, sea control and the ability to threaten a key periphery area like Alaska/Phillipines, Kola or Soviet Far may be vital to sustaining capability in the central region.

Thank you.
Without giving too much away, the Battle of France will actually be fought not on French soil. You'll see what I mean soon enough!
In the long run, those regions really matter. Moscow wanted to keep Japan out too and didn't want to see a Cuba fight.
However, in a short war... by the time the global issues come into play, the fighting shall be done!

[James G]

163 – Brussels


The entry of Soviet forces into Belgium late yesterday had seen them cross into the country in its very northernmost reaches. As far as the Albert Canal they had gone before halting the advance for the night. Behind the lead units of the Eleventh Guards and Twenty–Eighth Armies, the rest of those field armies caught up. That day’s advance for them had started some distance back and seen them cross the Southern Netherlands where a significant distance of ground was ridden through. Engagements had taken place and there had been the usual confusion in movement where navigation errors as well as obstacles had seen the two armies spread out. To go any further today, there had to be that catch-up. Artillery units – the Gods of Warfare which had opened the way for this advance – came forward. So too did engineers, chemical warfare units, air defence assets, signallers, military police and so on. The process went on during air attacks which came from above where NATO jets, especially French ones, pounded them from above when they could get past fighters and missiles. As could be expected, this all came with problems. This was unknown and unfriendly territory which Soviet military units passed through. Seemingly a million and one problems cropped up. They all had to be overcome, or at least negated as best as possible, otherwise the projections for how much progress the two armies could make on the Thursday would all have to be binned. The two armies were no longer to remain together when they continued onwards, not staying side-by-side as before. The Third Western Front, whose commander reported directly to Marshal Ogarkov, was issued instructions on what they were to do and passed orders down to his own subordinates. Overnight reconnaissance had been done and just ahead of dawn, onwards the Soviets moved. They pushed deeper into Belgium. Defeating opposition from NATO forces in-country was the primary objective though the (close) secondary one was to overrun as much of the country as possible. There were certain political objectives which had to be met as well, ones which Moscow demanded that be done. Those included the entry of tanks into the city of Brussels.

The 609th Motor Rifle Regiment went into the Belgian capital. This was a component part of the 1st Guards Motor Rifle Division (attached to the Eleventh Guards Army). T-72 tanks and BTR-70 wheeled armoured personnel carriers reached the city during the late afternoon after an advance south. They’d gone over the Albert Canal, the Nethe River and the Dyle River: river-crossing engineers had been busy. Opposition on the way had come from air attacks where they’d been attacked by Spanish aircraft joining in with American and French ones. Losses had come from those more than anything on the ground. Lightly-armed and ill-prepared Belgian reservists had stood in the way while more-capable other NATO forces had been elsewhere. Those poor reservists had been blasted apart as their positions were run through. Soviet air cover with attack-fighters and armed helicopters aided the drive to Brussels before joining in the first real fight of the day which the 609th Regiment had. The Belgians defended their capital’s outskirts. They had regulars alongside further reservists who had orders to keep the Soviets out. A fourth NATO capital was under threat (at that point, the very middle of London was still in Soviet hands) and the Belgians didn’t want to lose it. If they’d wanted to do that, then they would need to have more men than what they had… ones who stood a chance too unlike those here. These Belgians were all light infantry. A few armoured cars were with them and even a couple of heavy guns but this was a incapable force. The regular infantry were security battalions – for the general staff HQ, royal palaces and NATO’s now evacuated HQ – with the reservists being from the Brussels Provincial Regiment. A brigadier-general commanded them yet his headquarters was himself, a few dozen staffers and some radios. The Soviets hit them with a full attack. The fighting on the outskirts of the capital where the approach roads were located was short. Then it was into the city for the 609th Regiment. Several different KGB teams with all sorts of missions came behind the soldiers. There were camera crews for propaganda purposes while others were seeking to make arrests.

Brussels’ important palaces, the one in the city which was the official seat of the monarchy as well as the one outside where the royal family lived, were taken fast. The European Quarter of the city where the EEC had its infrastructure fell into Soviet hands. Government buildings including the prime minister’s office were captured. Overrun too was the military headquarters northeast of the city and the nearby international airport which also served as a military airbase. There was some fighting inside the city. The main battles – such as they were – had taken place outside yet there were stragglers from that as well as others who wanted to play urban guerrilla. Rockets coming from Hind attack helicopters, motorised riflemen taking man-portable heavy weapons from their armoured vehicles and even the cannons of the T-72s put an end to those attempts. Buildings were soon alight and there was the crash of concrete at times when a few others were brought down. In the impoverished former industrial region of Molenbeek, young men from Belgian’s migrant community who called that area home clashed with the Soviets soon enough. They used petrol bombs and improvised weapons rather than guns. The Soviets could have dealt with them properly using conventional means but feared ambushes and the loss of many lives. Seeing Moroccans and Turks rather than Belgians, these civilians were treated as savages. Molenbeek was gassed. Elsewhere in Brussels, the large urban area had been emptied of many of the people who lived here. Belgians had fled, fearful of what was coming. Soviet forces met very little resistance elsewhere. Politicians and officials who the KGB was here to take were almost all gone (a few unlucky ones hadn’t fled) and there was no real military value in everything captured with even the airport/airbase being overall worthless considering recent wartime damage. Still, those back in Moscow wanted the city taken and so it was. Elsewhere in Belgium today, there were military actions which were actually of importance.


The majority of Belgium’s army was in West Germany. They were fighting there and generally doing well. Benefit had come from not being forward-deployed close to the Inner-German Border when the surprise attack had come. Those garrisoned in West Germany, some distance back from the frontier with East Germany, had been reinforced by those from home. The Belgians had done a good job of getting the I Corps formed up with the 1st Infantry and 16th Armored Divisions fighting alongside the remains of the British. A staged withdrawal had been made backwards though they were still on the far, eastern side of the Rhine. Alongside French tankers had been the Para–Commando Regiment – paratroopers and airmobile light armour – who had fought near to Bonn. Half of the regiment had been lost and the survivors pulled back to act as a mobile reserve…not much of one after they’d gone up against what they had when those Rhine crossings were forced. Overnight, those men had been trucked back to Belgium though would end up today fighting near to Maastricht: a Dutch city on Belgium’s borders rather than inside their nation. The Belgians had their 11th & 13th Regiments on home soil and these were training units wit no more heavy gear than the men of the many provincial regiments. Throughout the war, these units had been on security duties where few had seen action. Those that had went up against Spetsnaz units attacking military infrastructure and lines of communication. Like those who saw action in Brussels, these soldiers had no heavy weapons and the resistance they could muster against the tank-heavy enemy forces invading their country was minor. The Americans and the British too had troops in Belgium. The US Army’s 1st Cavalry Division (with national guardsmen forming a third of the formation) had formed up at Belgian POMCUS sites ready to go into West Germany. There were a trio of battalions of British infantry – light units, again – who were here either for security tasks or moving through towards the Rhine before Belgium was entered yesterday.

The Eleventh Guards Army turned to the right when it began the day’s advance, moving southwest. The lower reaches of the Scheldt provided a water barrier that there was no desire to cross where that river run north of Antwerp. A battalion group went into the city and towards its harbour but found what reconnaissance had shown: NATO shipping wasn’t using Antwerp and the whole area was full of Belgian reservists dug-in ready to fight from warehouses and other buildings in a suicidal last stand. A volley of shells was sent that way and nerve gas unleashed upon them. Two motorised rifle divisions went towards the Scheldt south of that city and it was on the way there that they met the Americans in battle. A meeting engagement it was. This was no battle where the Americans were dug-in and the Soviets had to go up against fixed defences. The 1st Cavalry was outnumbered nearly two-to-one but they fought regardless. The 1st & 45th Guards Motor Rifle Divisions had to come over the Albert Canal first and then there were towns to be fought around (rather than inside) as well as open ground. American armed helicopters operated down low while there were NATO aircraft in the sky above. Meeting the Americans in battle was what the Soviets were here to do: they’d complete their secondary task of going over the Scheldt afterwards. Fighting went on throughout the morning and into the afternoon. The battle moved southwards – allowing for that drive by those who went on to Brussels – but as it did so it didn’t see the Americans defeated. They completed a fighting withdrawal and lashed out where they could with significant damage done to their opponents. Neither Soviet division was a first-rate, Category A one. Still well-equipped, these were part-reserve formations going up against one of the American’s premier divisions. As well as the 1st Cavalry was able to do, it wouldn’t hold back the Soviets for good though. That falling back gave up ground and more of the Soviet force got over the Albert Canal. The presence of tank divisions with the Eleventh Guards Army waiting to come forward was correctly suspected. The last thing that the Americans wanted was to be pinned in place by the motor rifle divisions to allow for the tank divisions to get behind them. The 1st Cavalry was fighting here as a delaying action, waiting on other NATO forces to arrive. They’d already left Brussels uncovered and the time came to make a retreat. Cover was sought behind the Scheldt. The day before, the 2nd Armored Division had been lost trying to do something similar with the Maas River in the Netherlands but the Soviets wouldn’t be able to crush the 1st Cavalry against a water barrier this time. They’d been plans made to do this and preparations started long before the first engagements with the enemy were met. To the Scheldt south of Antwerp the Americans went and over the river. Soviet efforts to stop them were frustrated and they made their escape. Of course, in doing so, the losses had been huge. Thousands were dead, wounded and captives. The 1st Cavalry had taken significant casualties in terms of equipment as well. Another battle like today’s would be the end of them. They were now behind a river but the Soviets were sure to come over that tomorrow. The next fight for the Americans would be in Flanders.

Over to the east, the Twenty–Eighth Army advanced through the Belgian Limbourg region: Dutch Limburg was right next to this area on the other side of the Meuse/Maas. The Albert Canal was crossed with the fight put up by the Belgian 13th Regiment being barely noticed by the majority of those involved. Heavy artillery had done its work and though there had been the absence of gas shells among all of the high explosives used: much of that weaponry had yet to reach the frontlines due to supply delays and what was on-hand was kept for elsewhere. The 24th Motor Rifle & 128th Guards Motor Rifle Divisions (neither at full strength after fighting the Americans yesterday but still capable of advancing) were engaged in almost a race to outpace one another with the divisional commanders having an unofficial competition between them to earn higher favour. They could do this because they only met light opposition beyond the Albert Canal. There were Belgian reservists met in a few places and also those men from the Para–Commando Regiment who came at the flank before being chased back to Maastricht. To the Meuse as it ran through eastern Belgium the Soviet tanks and motorised riflemen went. There was a proper fight in the hilly region of the Hesbaye that the 128th Guards Division met and that would see them held up and lose the race. Two British battalions, one on foot and another in Saxon armoured personnel carriers, were encountered. They were hit with every weapon possible: armour, infantry, artillery (those gas shells) and attack helicopters. These unsupported troops should never have been thrown into battle and were massacred in an unfair fight. While that ‘delay’ occurred, the 24th Division reached Namur. They were on the Meuse with the Ardennes ahead of them… France was literally just down the road too. The 128th Guards Division would soon enough get to Liege though they were spread out further than that small city on the Meuse with men back inside the Netherlands against where they carried on fighting those Belgians – joined by a few hundred Dutch reservists – around Maastricht. Namur was as far south as the Twenty–Eighth Army would be allowed to go. The divisional commander asked his superior for permission to reach the French border and go onto Sedan even but that general and the front commander above him each had firm instructions from Ogarkov on that matter. Additionally, there was to be no movement west from Namur either, again towards the French frontier. Those down below in the command chain weren’t told the reasons why they couldn’t go up to, even across the border with France, and didn’t enquire as to why: Ogarkov’s word on that was firm enough to not encourage questions. They could go eastwards though. There were two tank divisions with the Twenty–Eighth Army alongside the still combat-capable pair of motor rifle divisions. What was to the east? The Ardennes and then NATO troops fighting along the Rhine back in West Germany. Crossings over the Meuse were secured though no big movement beyond them was made today. The Third Western Front kept the Twenty–Eighth Army where it was. Maybe east it could move though there was still the possibly that while not going directly west towards the French border, there could be a movement of part of the field army up northwest if needed where the fighting was sure to move to Flanders now. What the Soviets were and weren’t intending to do was known only to them though. NATO had no idea of those intentions. They could only see where those tanks of theirs had got too and look on with dread.

The last of the British troops in Belgium were TA men with 5 QUEENS. The battalion-group was in Charleroi, not far from Namur. If the Soviets came at them, they’d be finished in just as short of time as it took to wipe out the 1 KINGS and 2 RIR (Royal Irish Rangers) not far from Liege. The British reservists were deployed here to hold the transport links around the communications centre which was Charleroi. French troops pouring into Belgium after travelling overnight and through the day across their country from one end to the others were deploying here ready to fight. This was the 27th Alpine Division as well as the 127th Reserve Brigade. These were infantry units though with light armour and artillery too. They were all that France had to spare. They were also the only available NATO troops on-hand for the time behind. How long could they hold out against an expected (but not coming) Soviet attack towards the French border a few miles behind them? When it happened, that couldn’t be very long at all.

[James G]

Maps!
None of these are accurate but they are generally up-to-date story-wise.
Click on each map to enlarge.

[lordroel]

Jan 3, 2020 20:38:54 GMT James G said:

Maps!
None of these are accurate but they are generally up-to-date story-wise.
Click on each map to enlarge.
View Attachment

View Attachment

View Attachment

Well i have to learn to speak Russian, Limburg where i live just became occupied.

[stevep]

  James

  Gods there are a sizeable number of what's left of NATO's front line forces facing encirclement and destruction, with a lot of it still east of the Rhine.  Hope they can get out quickly before the jaws on those pincers. 

  Steve

[James G]

Jan 3, 2020 20:40:17 GMT lordroel said:

Jan 3, 2020 20:38:54 GMT James G said:

Maps!
None of these are accurate but they are generally up-to-date story-wise.
Click on each map to enlarge.

Well i have to learn to speak Russian, Limburg where i live just became occupied.

My apologies, Comrade Admiral!

Jan 4, 2020 9:21:04 GMT stevep said:

  James

  Gods there are a sizeable number of what's left of NATO's front line forces facing encirclement and destruction, with a lot of it still east of the Rhine.  Hope they can get out quickly before the jaws on those pincers. 

  Steve

That isn't going to be the case for a good chunk of them: see below!

[James G]

164 – Pocketing the Ruhr


NATO forces fighting to hold the Ruhr should have been put in the pocket by Soviet advances made yesterday. They hadn’t been and the sensible decision that should have been taken then was to withdraw overnight to a position back over the Rhine. Territory can be retaken; surrounded & soon-to-be defeated forces cannot be recovered. No retreat was made though. It wouldn’t have been easy if tried yet that wasn’t the reason why it wasn’t done. Attention was focused elsewhere and the political will was missing to make the decision to give over such a strategically important region to the enemy. There was the false hope that the situation on the ground could be improved on the other side of the Rhine – the western side, at the top of the Rhineland – where physical access to the Ruhr was held. American troops fighting there had been joined by the French and there was confidence in their ability to hold out. Moreover, it was thought too that the Soviets didn’t have the available forces in the area to pocket the Ruhr. There was truth in that latter belief: the situation yesterday was that way. It wasn’t today. Ogarkov had turned around the 5th Guards Army Corps, the ‘victors of Holland’, and sent them south from the Northern Netherlands. Six first-rate heavy brigades, with their own high stocks of ammunition & fuel after the relatively easy win they had had, went over the lower reaches of the Rhine to turn towards where they would begin their advance from. NATO air strikes came and caused some losses during this movement. While the targeting was good, there was an error made when it came to presuming the intention of this force. General Rogers was briefed by his intelligence staff that these men looked likely to head into the Low Countries. Later, only an hour short of the 5th Guards Army Corps going into action, the error was seen for what it was and SACEUR began issuing emergency orders. By then it was far too late. The air strikes had been lifted with aircraft needed elsewhere and the Soviets were getting into position to do what they were going to. Belgian, British and West German troops in the Ruhr were already doomed regardless of this last-minute realisation of what was coming.

Three brigade-level attacks were made first with each of them moving in a southeastern direction. The Dutch border (with the Maas just over that) was on the right with the Rhine to the left. It was a narrow corridor down which the 5th Guards Army Corps made their attack with more room being something that would have been preferred. They fought with troops assigned to the US III Corps… a command which was unrecognizable from its peacetime order of battle. The national guardsmen with the 278th Cav’ and the British 19th Infantry Brigade were in the Dutch region of Limburg and thus not directly in this fight. What the III Corps had between itself and those attacking were what was left of the French 10th Armored Division and the Army National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division. Neither of these two larger NATO units was in any shape for what came their way and that was especially true of those Americans here. They were a light unit and this wasn’t a battlefield for them. They were on the frontlines by accident. The French with them had taken many losses in previous engagements and their placement with the III Corps wasn’t planned. Working together they had to do but there had been no time to get that organised. They were facing an opponent with all of the advantages. This part of the Rhineland was open to the movement of massed armoured forces. As the Soviets pushed on, they encountered American soldiers dug-in while French tankers on the move. III Corps supporting assets in the form of artillery and armed helicopters were present too. It was no easy fight for the Soviets but they had the numbers on their side and they were, for lack of a better explanation, better soldiers for this fight in terms of organisation. The Americans and French didn’t properly co-ordinate their fight whereas the 5th Guards Army Corps did. Tanks and armoured vehicles poured onwards. Where the 29th Infantry, national guardsmen from Maryland & Virginia, managed to hold on, they were bypassed. The 10th Armored tried to fight a mobile battle and they were run through. US Army soldiers in the rear were in a few places joined by West German reservists from a scattering of countless support units where they suddenly became riflemen. American artillery, engineering, supply and transport units were now in the way of the onrush of Soviet forces. They didn’t last very long at all.

While they had come over the Rhine downstream, Soviet forces now turned towards it upstream. There was no need to employ the tank brigades which were waiting in the rear as the trio of mechanised & motor rifle brigades did all the work here. Moers, Krefeld and then Monchengladbach were taken. These were Rhineland towns around which there were many communications links with roads and rail lines. Each sat just before the river and the Ruhr on the other side. Demolition charges erupted all along the waterline as the Soviets approached. Engineering troops from many NATO armies had thrown pontoon bridges over the Rhine to support those fighting on the other side. These were now blown up so the Soviets couldn’t go over them. There hadn’t been any orders to do that for the 5th Guards Army Corps units yet those who did this didn’t know that. On the other side of the Rhine, there were large West German cities on the eastern banks. Duisburg and Dusseldorf didn’t have Soviet armour now roll into them like the small urban areas on the western banks did. While there was no occupation for those across the river to have to face, they were now isolated though. Joining those cities almost completely cut off were all those NATO soldiers fighting over there too. Nonetheless, the pocket was yet fully complete. There was no realistic chance that those over in the Ruhr could get away but all possibilities of that, however remote, were going to be closed off. That hypothetical escape route would be towards Cologne. That would mean NATO units would have to flee through not easy terrain – if they could break contact and get away successfully – to reach a way over the Rhine near to that larger city which sat on the river. Nearby, there were Soviet forces long stopped from advancing towards Cologne after securing Bonn and a-joining portions of the Rhine. They couldn’t go forward but still held their ground. The First Guards Tank Army was long fought out and incapable of making any more advances: the 5th Guards Army Corps had only just gotten started.

The tank brigades were released. The 5th Guards Army Corps was still an experimental force with brigades instead of divisions & regiments. It had two regular-assigned ones as well as a wartime created ad hoc one. Overall, taking away losses in combat and two mechanical issues incurred during the war, there were over two hundred and fifty of them remaining: T-64s and T-72s. Opposition in front of them was now non-existent. Only a pitiful few NATO air attacks came to do some damage yet the majority of enemy air power was focused elsewhere. Along with all the other armoured vehicles joining the tanks forming the mass of firepower, it was tsunami of steel which drove south during the afternoon to make sure that the Ruhr was completely in the pocket. This didn’t take long. Very quickly, they went past Cologne – not going in there yet – with advances made along the riverbanks as well through the countryside dotted with towns between the Rhine and the Low Countries. Contact was eventually made with French forces and that was the signal that they were reaching their objectives. The French III Corps was met on its flank by these oncoming tanks where they fought back yet like those Soviets they were holding back from exploiting their Rhine crossing in the days before, they were worn down too. They couldn’t stop the beginnings of the link up being made as the 5th Guards Army Corps reached the lines of the First Guards Tank Army. Certain French units could and did hold their ground but the majority had to fall back less be lost. The good defensive ground of the slopes of the hilly Eifel region – with the Ardennes behind them – was where they began to anchor their defensive positions upon. The progress of the oncoming Soviet tanks was slowed here yet it wasn’t fully stopped. Through the evening and as the night approached, there would be further advances made down through the Rhineland here. It was a long way from the start-lines for those tank brigades and they didn’t have enough infantry support with them to keep on going for good. The drive south would finally peter out, eventually. Before it did, the mission assigned to the 5th Guards Army Corps had been achieved.

Everyone fighting in the Ruhr was now firmly cut off here. There was no way out for them and there was no one coming to save them. The Belgians had most of their army in there and the British had the last of their pre-war forces deployed in West Germany in the Ruhr too. Many Heer and Territorialheer troops, West Germans who’d fought on when others had faltered or deserted, were likewise now caught in the pocket formed east of the Rhine. They were all joined by millions of civilians too, those who hadn’t fled further than the Ruhr. No one was getting out of here. Humanitarian issues were already a massive concern due to there being local residents and West German internal refugees within the region desperate for food, medical attention and shelter. Now they were only going to get worse. As to those in uniform fighting there, the Belgians were in a better shape than the British & West Germans with them yet there were still shortages of everything needed to fight. No supplies were going to reach them now and they could be attacked from all sides at leisure or, more likely, left to rot. For NATO keeping the Ruhr out of enemy hands due to its industrial infrastructure had been important but the Soviets weren’t focused on that. They wanted to see NATO units there knocked out of the war with everything else secondary. This spoke much as to how each side was fighting the war.

[James G]

The advance in the above update is shown in orange on this map.
(click to enlarge)