The Last War: 362.

[Bernard Woolley]

D+24

*

0930 hours GMT. Al-Fāw, Al-Faw peninsula, Iraq.
The Iraqi defenders of the al-Faw peninsula and the city that shared its name had been positioned to protect it from a Coalition invasion from the south. Indeed, most of the troops covering the Iranian border had been recently moved to the south when the Coalition had liberated Bubiyan Island; Iraqi commanders had expected an immediate follow-on operation against al-Faw.

What the Iraqis had not been expecting was a well co-ordinated combined operation that saw a reinforced battalion group from the Iranian 56th Air Assault Brigade and a battalion landing group from the First Marine Brigade landed on the tip of the peninsula. Air strikes by CENTAF aircraft had gone in ahead of strikes by Iranian air force jets, taking out Ground Based Air Defences and Coastal SSMs. As promised, airborne Forward Air Controllers would remain in the area to control any further CENTAF strikes.

Iranian artillery kept up a drumfire against their Iraqi counterparts, while also providing support for their advancing infantry and marines. While the Iraqis had been surprised, they fought hard and the battle for the city of al-Fāw soon became a brutal slog, as the Iraqi defenders had to be winkled out of every building.

*

The rumble of distant artillery had woken Major Edris Darvish from his sleep. Orders had come down from division informing everybody that a limited operation against the al-Faw peninsula would be launched at first light. As part of that operation, Iranian Army units along the border between al-Fāw and Khorramshahr, were to stand ready to provide support. 81st Armoured Division in particular had been ordered to make as much noise and make itself as visible as possible around the time that the assault went in. Checking the time at which the operation was due to begin, Darvish had very sensibly decided that he was going to get some sleep while he waited.

Darvish’s loader handed him a fresh cup of tea, made with hot water from the Chieftain’s Boiling Vessel. A feature of the tank that the Major had always appreciated it. He thanked the private and stood up in his hatch to watch the fireworks.

*

As well as being ordered to distract the Iraqis, the 81st had been ordered to engage any enemy troops who seemed to be moving to reinforce the defence of the peninsula. The divisional commander had decided to interpret these orders rather liberally, on the basis that any Iraqi troops within range of his artillery could conceivably reinforce the defence of al Faw. Once confirmation of the landings had come through, the general ordered ‘weapons free’ to his division.

*

Major Darvish sipped at his cup of tea as he watched 155mm H.E rounds from the division’s M109s explode on the other side of the Arvand Rud. He could see what looked like Iraqi tanks and APCs moving south, braving the artillery barrage. Well, it was time to do something about that.

1101 hours GMT. H.Q Allied Air Forces Central Europe, Ramstein Air Base, FRG.
The Commander Allied Air Forces Central Europe, Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Kingsley, opened the folder marked ‘OP HARRIS-SPAATZ’. The operation had been launched late the previous evening and initial post-strike reconnaissance photos had reached H.Q AAFCE.

The first part of the operation, HARRIS, had been an attack on every road and rail bridge in Poland, plus gauge change facilities, railway signalling centres, freight yards and major road junctions. It had taken almost every available Tornado, Strike Eagle and Mirage 2000D/N to carry out, plus Kingsley had managed to persuade CINCSAC to release four B-1B Lancers that had been held as spares for Operation ‘BLUE BOOK’.

The heavy bombers had been held in reserve for SPAATZ, the second phase of the operation. With bridges down from missile hits, railway signalling systems out of action and roads blocked, trains and road convoys carrying the equipment of the Byelorussian Group of Tank Armies were trapped. NATO UAVs located where these were, and the information was relayed to the tactical aircraft and ‘Bones’ allocated to SPAATZ.

The intelligence staff had thoughtfully included a sample of reconnaissance photos in the folder, which showed destroyed bridges and wrecked freight trains and vehicle convoys. The summary of the report stated that approximately 93% of all targets had been destroyed or put out of action during HARRIS and that many of those missed had been taken care of during SPAATZ. Most importantly, the gauge-changing facilities in eastern Poland had been destroyed. Kingsley looked back to a set of photographs of the transfer facility near Dorohusk, which included a ‘before and after’. The latter now looked like a First World War battlefield; COMAAFCE could also see that the Photo Interpreters had marked where trains that had been waiting to use the facility had been. Now there was very little evidence to suggest they had ever existed, bar the occasional tank turret, or waggon on its side.

The report did also mention that due to a number of factors, SPAATZ had achieved a lower success rate, only hitting 70% of its targets. The PIs were also of the opinion that of those hit, at least 50% of the armoured vehicles were salvageable, given a few days. POL were a different matter; however, the evidence of fires and secondary explosions clear for all to see. The intelligence staff recommended that Op ‘PORTAL’ be launched as soon as possible to hit those targets missed and to make sure of those that had been struck.

Kingsley consulted another part of the report. It stated that HARRIS-SPAATZ had used up 90% of the remaining stocks of stand-off weapons like the Storm Shadow, SCALP and KEPD 350. Stocks of AGM-158 held in Europe for SAC bombers and F-15E were also now dangerously low. ‘PORTAL’ would use up most of what was left. There was no way that Kingsley could under his own authority order the use of the last remaining precision stand-off weapons in NATO’s armoury. That was a decision that SACEUR. He picked up the phone on his desk.

“I need to make a priority call to SACEUR, immediately. Also, let the planning cell know that they need to work up ‘PORTAL’ variants that do not include the use of stand-off weapons.”

COMAAFCE hung up knowing fine well that any options for ‘PORTAL’ that did not include stand-off weapons, would require aircraft to penetrate the enemy’s defences to drop LGBs. Or, worse ‘iron bombs.’ Even with the use of stealth aircraft like the F-117A and F-22, such an option would be bound to result in the loss of precious aircrew and valuable aircraft. Whatever happened now, Kingsley could at least take comfort from the fact that the Byelorussian Group of Tank Armies were now going nowhere and that I (US) Corps would win the deployment race.


***


D+26

*

0900 hours GMT. 18th May. SHAPE situation report.
‘In the last forty-eight hours the Soviets have completed the withdrawal of the 2nd Guards Tank Army and 4th Guards Tank Army from the ‘Seevetal Corridor’. Losses suffered by both armies have been assessed as heavy, with the most up to date assessments being that most units have been reduced to below 40% of their authorised strength. It has also been assessed that the Soviets have chosen to amalgamate both armies.

‘Contact has been regained with friendly forces on southern perimeter of Hamburg. Evacuation via ‘Hamburg Corridor’ continues. Some Soviet and NVA attacks have been mounted against the corridor but have been held. There has been some other activity from the enemy’s Baltic Front, thought to be in response to our deception operations around Kiel.

‘I (NL) Corps and I (GE) Korps are moving forces forward to relieve 2 (Br) and III (US) Corps. Which will allow both of those corps to be withdrawn into reserve, pending future offensives, or to allow for counterattacks.

‘Reconnaissance flights and satellite images have shown that while some repair work has been carried out, the Polish rail network is still largely at a stand-still. Some major road routes have been re-opened through the use of military bridging, however there is major congestion on the roads, and it appears that the surfaces are beginning to break down. While some advanced units of the Byelorussian Group of Tank Armies have arrived in the DDR, the majority of the group is spread out across Poland. Moreover, at least 40% of the group’s vehicles have been destroyed by Operation HARRIS-SPAATZ. A shortage of stand-off weapons and PGMs has meant that Operation PORTAL has been postponed until stocks have been rebuilt. Realistically this means that the operation has been cancelled, as it is likely that the Soviets will have been able to deploy the BTA by the time missile and bomb stocks have reached a level at which PORTAL could be launched.

‘In northern Greece, WARPACT forces have pushed defending troops back to the outskirts of Serres and Drama. This threatens one of two east-west supply routes into Thrace. In eastern Thrace, WARPACT forces have achieved a breakthrough to the north of Uzunköprü. An Operational Manoeuvre Group formed from 2nd Unified Corps has been pushed through and is advancing south down the E87. A similar advance is progressing down the E85 to the west.

‘COMSOUTHEAST has authorised the deployment of theatre reserves and has urgently requested that CINCSOUTH release further reserves, including AFSOUTH Amphibious Force to his command. The UK MoD has authorised the release of a reinforced infantry battle group from Cyprus to Turkey. This will form part of an ad hoc task force formed from mainly US troops in Thrace, who were in transit.

‘The Italian Army Group has withdrawn to new positions close to the Italian border. The Italian authorities have begun to evacuate civilians from Gorizia and Trieste. The Austrian Army Group has reported increased pressure from WARPACT forces, including commitment of forces previously held in reserve. A renewal of the Soviet offensive in Austria is expected shortly.’

1412 hours GMT. Southwest of Neuwittenbek, Schleswig-Holstein.
Having found all the bridges, including replacement Soviet ones, over the Kiel Canal blown, the cavalry units of the 9th Infantry Division (Mech) had cautiously felt their way down the northern bank of the canal looking for a potential crossing. LANDJUT forces had secured a crossing of the canal at Rendsburg, but that was too far to the west, and, moreover, was in use by forces supporting the evacuation of Hamburg.

*

Sergeant First Class Steven Hawke checked his map; according to it there was a ferry at somewhere marked Fähre Landwehr. Yes, there was the landing stage and its counterpart on the other side of the canal. And, yes, there was the ferry scuttled in the middle of the canal.

“Damn.” Hawke muttered.

Without the ferry, the division’s engineers would need to build a crossing. Given that the division’s operations were meant to be part of a diversion and not an actual attempt to liberate Kiel, it was a moot point whether the divisional commander would authorise an assault crossing. In the event, he decided to take the risk, on the basis that while today his division might be conducting a diversion, tomorrow it might have to do it for real. A lodgement on the southern bank of the canal would serve both purposes.

*

1st Lieutenant Hall felt naked without his Bradley. When he had chosen his branch of service, mechanised infantry had been his first choice because he wanted as much protection and firepower as possible if he had to fight. However, his M2A3, the others that made up his platoon, along with the soldiers who served as crew were all on the northern bank of the canal. Leaving Hall with a slightly shrunken light infantry platoon.

The 2-23rd Infantry Regiment (Mech) had sent two of its companies over the canal by boat to set up defensive positions on the southern edge of the village of Landwehr. With the infantry in place to provide cover, combat engineers would be able to build a ribbon bridge relatively undisturbed.

The lack of Soviet response to the assault crossing was puzzling to American commanders, but at the level of platoon, Hall could not have cared if the nearest Soviet troops were in Moscow. He was all for an easy time.

Once the ribbon bridge was completed the first Bradleys and Abrams crossed and Hall was able to mount his vehicle again. As the engineers built additional bridges, the rest of the division’s 1st Brigade was pushed across, advancing south until it reached Bundesautobahn 210. The brigade took up defensive positions, pending 3rd Brigade passing through it to continue the advance until it reached Bundesautobahn 215.

*

If the Americans had thought that they had achieved surprise, they were mistaken. The Soviet Baltic Front still believed that 9th Infantry Division was part of a major NATO offensive to take Kiel and they had planned their response accordingly. So, it was slightly unfortunate that the US divisional commander had decided to expand his unit’s role. Especially as it left the division somewhat exposed.

The 9th Guards Army had been badly battered in its previous encounter with the powerful American division and it had retreated into the city of Kiel. However, both it and the 14th Army, which had moved north to contain the American advance, still had a lot of fight left in them. [1]

The first sign of trouble came when the bridging site came under a massive artillery barrage, as all available artillery units in both armies, with support from 149th Artillery Division, opened fire. The villages of Landwehr and Quarnbeck were annihilated, along with the ribbon bridges and two companies of the 15th Combat Engineer Battalion. 1st Brigade was now cut-off from the rest of the division and left to face an attack by the 9th Guards Army out of Kiel, along the line of the east-west autobahn and another mounted by the 14th Army pushing up from the south.

Troops from the 1st Guards Motor-Rifle Division were able to fight their way through to the former bridging site, forcing Task Force 1-33 Armor to retreat to the west. With a real risk of 1st Brigade being cut-off and destroyed in detail, its commander ordered a retreat, hoping that a new crossing site could be found.

1501 hours GMT. Southwest of Berlin, DDR.
Sergeant Garvie carefully cleaned his HK33, examining each component before reassembling the rifle. Satisfied, he put the weapon down and picked up a Soviet made PB silenced pistol. Garvie had found the pistol in the weapons cache and had decided that it would be something handy to carry.

He looked up as Captain Hagen dropped down into the bottom part of the Operational Base. The American officer had a broad smile on his face.

“Got some good news for you guys.” He said. “They’re sending in an Osprey to re-supply us tonight and Hereford wants you guys to be on it when it returns.”
“Sounds good to me, Captain.” Garvie replied. “Although, I have to say it sort of leaves me in two minds. We’ve had sh*t-loads of fun here.” He added with a grin. “But I still want to get back to the rest of the Regiment.”
“We’ll be sorry to lose you, David.” Hagen said. “You guys know your business.
“Soon as it gets dark, we’ll move out to the LZ.”

The three SAS troopers decided to get some sleep in the meantime. The trick of dropping off at a moment’s notice was something the men had learned a long time ago.

*

Garvie had been sceptical that the Americans would manage to get a CV-22B this deep in enemy territory, but as he watched the Osprey land, he had to admit that he had been wrong. The crew kicked out some crates before gesturing urgently to Garvie and his men.

“Let’s not keep them waiting!” He yelled to Edwards and Caplan. “See ya, Captain, good luck!” He said to Hagen.

The American gave him a casual wave before ordering his men to pick up the supplies. They had to clear the LZ as quickly as possible, especially as the CV-22B was likely to have attracted some attention.

The Osprey was already lifting off before Garvie had found a seat and strapped himself in. The crew chief made his way over, moving from one handhold to the next as the CV-22B made some radical manoeuvres.

“Welcome aboard, Sergeant. We should be feet-wet in about an hour. Then it’s home via Sweden and Norway.”
“I’m more than happy to let you guys to all the driving.” Garvie replied. “I know there’s no in-flight movie on this service, but is there any chance of something to eat?”
“I’m sure I can get the three of you something. Can’t promise it’ll be up to 1st Class service though!”

1631 hours. HMS Dovey, the Firth of Forth.
Sailing the damaged minesweeper from Faslane to Rosyth had taken longer than planned. A lot longer. The remaining operational Ruston diesel engine had evidently suffered more the nearby mine explosion than had previously thought and it had a maddening habit of deciding to break down at the most inconvenient moments. It reminded Lieutenant Ladd of the engine of the barge used in the film The Sea Wolves. Like it’s fictional counterpart, the diesel seemed to need a mixture of coaxing from the engineer, along with much swearing and hitting it when things went wrong.

The journey up the Caledonian Canal had been relatively smooth, although the troublesome diesel engine had decided to break down in the middle of Loch Ness. Then again as the ship was passing through the Clachnaharry Sea Lock, which had led to her also blocking the Clachnaharry Swing Bridge for an hour.

Things had gotten worse when Dovey had reached open water and she had made her way south via stops at Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath and finally Anstruther to carry out repairs. Now finally the ship was making her way upriver on the final part of her voyage to Rosyth.

As had become the norm, the Forth was busy; Motor Fishing Vessels of the Auxiliary Minesweeping Service were carrying out their unceasing vigil, keeping the cleared shipping channels open. While other vessels, such as the anchor handling tug Kingdom Of Fife, were maintaining marker buoys and acting as messengers between the minesweepers and patrol vessels.

On entering the firth Dovey had been challenged by HMS Dasher, an Archer class patrol and training vessel. In peacetime she was assigned to the Edinburgh Universities Royal Navy Unit, while now, like her sisters, she was an armed patrol vessel. While most of her sisters had been armed with three GPMGs, Dasher had benefited from being based at a major naval base and carried a single 20mm Oerlikon on her fo'c'sle, which had been found in storage, in addition to two GPMGs on her bridge wings. Despite Dovey clearly being an RN vessel, Dasher had required her to confirm her identity via a daily changing code.

*

Lieutenant Ladd drummed the fingers of his right hand on the back of the captain’s chair. Once clear of Anstruther harbour, he had chosen to remain on his feet, rather than sitting down. While he waited for the inevitable failure of the Ruston diesel he stood behind the chair, resting his hands on the back.

“Sir! She’s not answering!” The helmsman suddenly said, alarm in his voice.
“All stop! Drop the anchor!” Ladd ordered. “Hoist the ‘Not Under Control’ pennant.”

Ladd could see that his ship was, of course, heading beyond the cleared channel. He doubted that there were any actual mines outside of it, but one could never be sure. Moreover, on the current course Dovey would run aground in the shallows of Inchkeith if she could not be halted. The anchor was slowing the minesweeper, but not as quickly as Ladd would have liked. He would have to take a risk.

“All back dead slow.” Ladd ordered.
“Aye, aye, Sir.” The helmsman replied, a slight quaver in his voice.

This time the engine did its job, running at slow revs, allowing the propeller to bite and slow Dovey to a gentle halt.

“All stop!” Ladd ordered, deciding that he had tempted fate long enough with the engine.

Seeing Dovey’s predicament, one of the auxiliary minesweepers had reeled in her sweep and was making her way towards the now stopped vessel.

“Mike Two Double Zero Five, Mike Two Double Zero Five, this is Mayflower IV, do you require assistance? Over.”
“Mayflower IV, Mike Two Double Zero Five, we could certainly do with a tow to Rosyth. We seem to be experiencing trouble with our rudder, over.” Ladd replied, swallowing his pride about being taken under tow.

Mayflower IV came alongside, passing a line to Dovey and started to tow her upriver. Finally, the minesweeper came alongside, and Ladd could hand responsibility for her over to someone else. Although he could not help but wonder what job he was going to be given next.

1736 hours GMT. Çorlu, Thrace, Turkey.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.” Major General Christopher ‘Chris’ Holland said to his brigade commanders.

The headquarters of the 28th Infantry Division (Mech) had not long been established in Çorlu and it was the first time that Holland had been able to bring his brigade commanders together for a meeting. He wished he had more time to get to know his new sub-unit commanders and complete deployment of his division, but with the Soviet breakthrough, it was not to be. [2]

“We all know how serious the situation is, so I won’t waste time going over it again. Our job is going to be to stop the Soviet OMG in its tracks and throw it back.”

Holland turned to a map of Thrace behind him.

“Tonight the 194th and 197th Brigades will deploy to Phase Line Ubique here.” He said pointing to the map. “The 177th Brigade will take up position here, ready to exploit any breakthrough. Turkish divisions will take up positions on both of our flanks. At 0201 hours tomorrow we will take part in a counterattack intended to stop the enemy advance. At the same time, the 24th Infantry Division will be spearheading a similar counterattack in Greek Thrace. Between us, we should stop the Soviets in their tracks. Fingers crossed anyway.”
“Why are we waiting until tomorrow, Sir?” The commander of the 177th Armored Brigade wanted to know.
“Logistics, John.” Holland replied. “Personally, I’d like to go now, but it’s going to take time to get everything in place before any attack can be launched. It does mean that the Soviets are going to push further south, but the Turks and Greeks are willing to accept that risk. When I spoke to the corps commander earlier today, he said something about being happy to allow the enemy to stick his manhood in nice and deep before we cut it off.”

The assembled officers chuckled.

“Works for me.” The Colonel who commanded the division’s Provisional Aviation Brigade commented. “Just wish I had more of my choppers available.”
“So do I, Jack.” Holland replied. “At least even with what you do have, the division is better off aviation wise than our Turkish counterparts. I’m also glad that we have our full allocation of artillery.
“I would have liked to have had the chance to manoeuvre as a division before going into action. However, we’re going to have to learn to fight as a division on the first day we go into action. Not ideal, but needs must when the Devil Drives and all that.
“I know that few of you have worked together before, but you are all experienced officers, so I have confidence in your ability to step up to the plate when asked.
“Are there any questions?”

The commander of the 197th Brigade put his hand up.

“What sort of strength are we looking at when it comes to the Soviet OMG?”
“Glad you asked that, Paul.” Holland replied. “It’s been identified as being formed from their 2nd Unified Corps. That’s made up of three tank brigades, a motorised rifle regiment, artillery brigade, air defence and attack helicopter regiments, plus recon and engineering battalions. We have to assume that the OMG is formed of all of the above, minimum.
“One thing we can be thankful of is that the 2nd Unified Corps is a Cat B formation, which means no T-95s, or BMP-4s. It has T-64s and BMP-2s instead.
“I will add that it is vital that we stop this advance in its tracks and re-establish a strong front-line defence, because the Kiev Tank Army Group is about forty-eight hours from being committed. That’s eight tank divisions that could come pouring through the gap if it isn’t closed.”
“No pressure then.” The commander of the 194th Brigade said with a nervous chuckle.

There were a few other nervous chuckles from the other officers present.

“Let me make this clear, gentlemen.” Holland said, stilling the chuckles. “If we f*ck this up, the Soviets are going to be washing dirt from their tanks with water from the Sea of Marmara.”

***

[1] Orders of battle of the two Soviet armies:

9th Guards Army:
1st Guards Motor-Rifle Division
3rd Guards Motor-Rifle Division
40th Guards Tank Division
Note: Units are understrength

14th Army:
26th Guards Motor-Rifle Division
88th Motor-Rifle Division
501st Independent Motor-Rifle Battalion (from 11th Guards Army)

[2] Planned divisional order of battle:

28th Infantry Division (Mechanised) (-) (+)
177th Armored Brigade (-)
- 1-52nd Infantry Regiment: M2A2
- 1-63rd Armor Regiment: M1A2
- 8-40th Armor Regiment, USAR: M1A2
194th Armored Brigade (-)
- 4-33rd Armor Regiment: M1A2
- 5-33rd Armor Regiment: M1A2
- 4-15th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized): M2A3
197th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) (-)
- 2-69th Armor Regiment: M1A2
- 1-18th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized): M2A3
- 2-18th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized): M2A3
Provisional Aviation Brigade
- 1-238th Aviation Regiment (Attack) - MI NG: AH-1H, OH-58C, UH-1H
- 2-238th Aviation Regiment (+) - IN NG: UH-60A, OH-58C, EH-60L
-- C Company, 3-159th Aviation: UH-60L
- Composite Cavalry Squadron: M1A2, M3A3
-- A Troop, 15th Cavalry Regiment
-- D Troop, 17th Cavalry Regiment
-- E Troop, 17th Cavalry Regiment
-- Provisional Aviation Troop: AH-1H, OH-58C, UH-1H
28th ID Divisional Artillery - PA NG: (-) (+)
- 4-41st Field Artillery Regiment: M109A6
- 1-77th Field Artillery Regiment: M109A6
- 1-222nd Field Artillery Regiment: M109A6 UT NG
- 1-109th Field Artillery Regiment: M270 MLRS
- F Battery, 109th Field Artillery (Target Acquisition):
28th ID Divisional Support Command - PA NG:
- 75th Support Battalion
- 177th Support Battalion:
- 197th Support Battalion:
- 728th Support Battalion (Main)
- 103rd Combat Engineer Battalion - PA NG: (+)
-- 177th Engineer Company:
-- 522nd Combat Engineer Company:
-- 72nd Combat Engineer Company:
- 128th Military Intelligence Battalion (CEWI) - USAR: (+)
--177th Military Intelligence Company:
- 1-213th Air Defense Artillery Regiment: Avenger, Stinger MANPAD (+)
-- F Battery, 5th Air Defense Artillery
- 28th Signal Battalion – PA NG
- 28th Military Police Company - PA NG: M1114
- 128th Chemical Company - PA NG: M1135
- 164th Chemical Company: M93
- 177th Medical Company:

[Bernard Woolley]

Accompanying Pictures

[Eaglenine2]

So the Divisional units of the 28th Infantry are in Turkey while 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry Brigade is in Denmark? Question where are the Vermont National Guard units?

[jemhouston]

Ladd is a good officer, puts his ship and crew above his pride.

[Bernard Woolley]

So the Divisional units of the 28th Infantry are in Turkey while 2nd Pennsylvania Infantry Brigade is in Denmark? Question where are the Vermont National Guard units?

That’s right.

86th Infantry Brigade is deploying to Eastern Turkey.

Ladd is a good officer, puts his ship and crew above his pride.

A good Officer thinks of others and doesn’t worry about personal embarrassment.

[jemhouston]

Ladd is a good officer, puts his ship and crew above his pride.

A good Officer thinks of others and doesn’t worry about personal embarrassment.

Mission, Men, Self.

Old Calvary

Horse, saddle, self

[Bernard Woolley]

Exactly.

[Matt Wiser]

Well, that was quick! BZ as usual, and so to business:

The Iraqis had better be thankful that the Iranians are content to take Faw City and push the artillery and Coastal SSM threat far enough from the border. If the Iranians feel like it, a bridging op could probably be mounted, and some heavy armor sent across to back up the air-assault troopers and Marines.

Haven't had a theater-wide SiTREP in a while. Good to see what's going on with the "Big Picture."

CINC-SOUTHWEST might want to think about committing as much of the Kiev TAG as he can, or STAVKA might decide to take one tank army from it and move into Austria, with orders to "Cross the border into Germany, and don't stop until you get to Munich."

First of the 9th is going to be in some serious trouble.

The pickup team that's now 28th ID is in for a brawl. At least they're dealing with Ivan's second-string in terms of armor.

Good work, and get with 363!

[Bernard Woolley]

If the Iranians feel like it, a bridging op could probably be mounted, and some heavy armor sent across to back up the air-assault troopers and Marines.

Just a limited 'Special Military Operation' for the Iranians at the moment.

Haven't had a theater-wide SiTREP in a while. Good to see what's going on with the "Big Picture."

Cards on the table. I had run out of ideas and it was the only way I could come up with to move the narrative on. Had a major case of Writer's Block.

CINC-SOUTHWEST might want to think about committing as much of the Kiev TAG as he can, or STAVKA might decide to take one tank army from it and move into Austria, with orders to "Cross the border into Germany, and don't stop until you get to Munich."

Use 'em, or lose 'em.

First of the 9th is going to be in some serious trouble.

The Kiel Canal currently separates the brigade from the rest of the division. The nearest operational bridge is to the west at Rendsburg. It would be Very Bad (TM) if the Soviets got that far.

The pickup team that's now 28th ID is in for a brawl. At least they're dealing with Ivan's second-string in terms of armor.

It may well be a little bit of an ad hoc division, but it's still probably the strongest division the Turkish 1st Army has. It does have an interesting mix of the best kit and, arguably, second-line stuff.

Good work, and get with 363!

Thanks again and will do!

[Bernard Woolley]

I might just be showing a bit of anxiety here, but from the fewer replies, was this a less popular chapter?

[mac1812]

I might just be showing a bit of anxiety here, but from the fewer replies, was this a less popular chapter?

Well I enjoyed it. Just not a lot I feel needs questioned.

[Bernard Woolley]

Ah, okay. Thanks.

[Jotun]

Don‘t fret. I simply did not have the time yet. Both kids are in a respective annoying phase, I am still fighting my illness and I spent a few days preparing a P&P roleplaying session. In short, RL is interfering.

I also think that the new board isn‘t quite as populated as the older editions.

It certainly isn‘t the quality of your writing.

[Cihatari]

I enjoyed this chapter.

No question from me.

[Canman_v3]

I might just be showing a bit of anxiety here, but from the fewer replies, was this a less popular chapter?

Enjoyed the chapter! Just lurking, as usual.

[beaverjohn]

Ditto to "Enjoyed the chapter! Just lurking, as usual."

[James1978]

Good chapter.

A storm a few nights ago has resulted in occasional power outages and no home internet.
More comments when I have reliable home internet.

[Timbo W]

Always a pleasure to read Bernard/Jan!

Was there any progress on getting the old story archive back up? Every few years Ive re-read from episode 1.

[Eaglenine2]

Question where did the Provisional Aviation Troop came from? 28th Infantry Division commands Regular brigades along with aviation assets from 38th Infantry Division along with organic divisional assets. Question what with the aviation assets from 38th infantry Division.?

[Bernard Woolley]

Looks I was just letting myself get a bit too anxious!

Thanks, everybody.

Don‘t fret. I simply did not have the time yet. Both kids are in a respective annoying phase, I am still fighting my illness and I spent a few days preparing P&P roleplaying session.

Kids, eh. Can't live with them. Can't kill them. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Was there any progress on getting the old story archive back up? Every few years Ive re-read from episode 1.

AFAIK, James has saved everything that can be saved.

Question where did the Provisional Aviation Troop came from?

It's drawn from 1st and 2nd of the 238th Aviation Regiment.

Question what with the aviation assets from 38th infantry Division.?

Sorry, I don't quite follow.