The Last War: Chapter 373.

[Bernard Woolley]

With thanks to Matt W.

*

D+29

1135 hours GMT. 21st May. Near Helmstedt, FRG.
It was nice to see shells landing on the enemy’s territory for once, Acting Sergeant Connolly thought, as he saw 105mm shells bursting amongst a group of NVA infantry mounted in BTR-80s, which was advancing on his position. Four of the six L118 howitzers of the Gun Troop, HAC, had been flown in with the PRG and were making themselves very useful. The remaining Light Guns, plus four more from the Gun Troop, 307 (South Nottinghamshire Hussars RHA) Observation Post Battery, would be flown in once the town was better secured and a suitable stock of shells had been built up. The British Paratroopers were also benefitting from support of the bigger howitzers and GMLRS of the rest of 1 (Br) Corps.

“They’re trying it again, Sergeant.” One of the ‘Toms’ near Connolly called out.

He looked to where the Paratrooper was pointing and laughed out loud. A while back a patrol from 16 (Lincoln) Company, the PRG’s patrols/recce unit, had sneaked across the border and removed the East German flag from the old border post. Their replacement for the flag, and old pair of rather grotty looking Y-fronts had evidently annoyed the East Germans. They had already attempted to remove the new ‘flag’ twice, without success.

“Fiver says one of our snipers gets one of them before the Gimpys open up.” A ‘Tom’ said to another Paratrooper in the fox-hole next to him.
“Okay, I’ll take that bet, pal. The Gimpy gunners are quick off the mark.”
“Watch your front, lads.” Connolly reminded them. “Plenty time for betting latter.”

He turned back to the advancing BTRs; a few were on fire or had been disabled by artillery fire. However, the majority were pushing through the light artillery barrage. At the rate they were advancing, the East Germans would hit them within a few minutes. A few more BTRs exploded as they were hit by either Javelin ATGM, or Merlin mortar rounds. But the remaining APCs pushed forward, spraying suspected British positions with 14.5mm machine-gun fire. A few BTR-80A pumped 30mm shells at the British, keeping most of the Paratroopers pinned down in their holes, apart from a few intrepid ‘Toms’ who popped up to fire LAW-80s at the East German vehicles.

Under that covering fire, NVA troops ‘de-bussed’ from their APCs and prepared to assault the British defenders. With the din of gunfire and explosions, the East Germans did not hear the scrape sounds that went along with the sound of multiple bayonets being fitted.

As the East German APCs switched targets, Sergeant Connolly popped up from the bottom of his slit trench. He did not wait for Lieutenant Bridges to give an order before he opened fire on the East German troops he could see out in the open, as did the other surviving ‘Toms’ of B Company. While Connolly could see enemy soldiers dropping as they were hit, they were not falling fast enough to stop them from reaching the British positions.

As he reached for a fresh magazine, he was suddenly thrown against the back of the slit-trench, as if by a giant hand. Dirt and debris rained down on him and the other three ‘Toms’ next to him. Connolly stumbled as he tried to get back up and fell to the bottom of the trench.

1145 Hours GMT. Al-Taji Military Prison, Iraq.
To the prisoners in both compounds at what was now Iraq's main POW prison, the wall of sand that closed in was Deja vu all over again. Just after they had been moved from Al-Rashid, a sandstorm had come in for the better part of an afternoon and evening, and the sand had gotten into everything: their food, their clothes, their hair, and their drinking water. To a man and a woman, all were cursing whatever weather gods had sent the storm, though there were some tangible benefits to the blizzard of sand that had come in: the guards were more interested in staying inside for the most part, only taking prisoners to dump their latrine buckets, bring food, and take those who had the dishwashing detail to handle that necessary chore. The final benefit? The temperature dropped, making what had been a nasty day in terms of heat become a decent one. However,...

For Lieutenant Commander Lisa Eichhorn, the previous day, when the sandstorm had come in, it had been mixed. What had started as a tolerable day in captivity had turned into a miserable one. The morning had started normally, with the usual wakeup before the first call to prayer. Then the guards had brought what they called “breakfast”, namely, the usual toasted bread-which had likely been stale to begin with-and a cup of weak tea. After that, came her workout-the 3000 counts on her right foot, followed by some calisthenics. Not only was the exercise a way to stay in shape, but it was also a way to pass the time. Then she got on the wall to tap to her next-door neighbours, Lynch and MacKenzie, to see what, if anything they had picked up. And all the while Eichhorn was dreading the heat, for that would make the heat rash she had perk up, and only by sheer luck had she not developed any boils. Though she knew via com that others were not so fortunate.

Sure enough, the heat began to set in, and as the sweat started to pour off her face in what seemed to be like a river, she tried fanning herself with a piece of cardboard a guard at Al-Rashid had given her. It didn't take long to find out that staying perfectly still was the best way to go, for if she moved for any reason, it was back to square one.

Sometime in the morning, the cell door opened, and a guard motioned to Eichhorn to get dressed, for all she had on were the boxer shorts the Iraqis had given her. After putting on her T-shirt, the guard motioned to Eichhorn's waste bucket. She picked it up and followed the guard outside to the bucket dump near the bath area. There, she found Lieutenant Commander Laura Black, the last arrival before they were moved from Al-Rashid, doing the same chore. Both of them exchanged smiles, before some shouting attracted the guard's attention, and he went to the gate to see what was happening.

“I'd like to know what that's all about.” Eichhorn muttered.
“Yeah.” Black replied. Her blonde hair was quite messy, and she was hoping for a bath day so she could get somewhat clean. “Does anyone here know Arabic?”
“You know, I never thought to ask.” Eichhorn admitted.

Since most of the POWs-men and women-were aircrew, apart from the Army supply people, hardly anyone knew it. Though the SF guys in the Men's Compound no doubt had a couple with some fluency in the language.

“Pass it around: find out if anyone knows Arabic. I'll do it on my end.”
“Got you.” Black said. She looked around and saw the guards at the gate and it looked like they were having a heated discussion, given the looks of their body language. “Hear about the Kut Raid?”
“Yeah.” Eichhorn said, keeping an eye on the guards. “We had a few people come in after it happened. Bev Lynne's no doubt kicking herself because she and her crew missed a ticket home by a few hours.”

AF Capt. Beverly Lynne had been in the Kut Processing Centre with the other members of her helicopter crew, being moved to Baghdad a few hours before the raid. She thought for a minute.

“Any ideas for a signal?”
“I got it. A ground-to-air signal.” Black smiled. “Just like in SERE School. A 'K' signal.”

The letter K, if put on the ground, signalled to aircraft or to satellite recon that someone was on the ground, calling for help. In their case, the POWs would be signalling that “We're here. Come and get us.” Black thought for a minute.

“How do we keep the guards from seeing it? The tower guards will spot us doing it, and then we'll be in a world of hurt-again.”

Eichhorn nodded.

“I know. Still, I'll pass it around, and you do it, too. Even if we can't, at least thinking about it's a good way to pass the time.” And anything to do just that would be welcomed.

Nodding, Black noticed a guard coming back.

“Ever have a guard lecture you about being 'modestly dressed?'”
“No, why?”
“Nadine Glover's next to me.” Black said, referring to RAAF Flight Lt. Nadine Glover. “And Amy Verell's on the other side of Nadine.” Noting Army Sgt. Amy Verell. “One of the guards seems to think that we're not 'properly dressed' in trying to beat the heat.”

The POWs had been doing just about anything to try and stay cool. With cell temperatures over Ninety degrees at least, everything had to be tried-even if it meant going about one's cell topless. Or even less.

“Let me guess: he makes you guys get dressed, and when he leaves...?”
“We take it off,” Black smiled. Nothing wrong with getting back at a guard they disliked.

The guard who had left returned.

“You must finish,” he said. “There is a Shmal coming.”
“Excuse me?” Eichhorn asked.
“Sandstorm. A large one.” The guard said. “Hurry!”

The two POWs finished their business, then were taken back to their cells. There, they passed the word about the signal, and word that a sandstorm was coming.

Sure enough, the wall of sand came just after the prisoners finished their noon meal. The guards made one of the prisoners collect and wash the dishes, but other than that, they all wanted to stay inside. At least, it meant the guards wouldn't be patrolling the compound, and the prisoners could use the tap code freely.

That afternoon, after the evening meal-which, like what had passed for lunch-was the usual soup with greens, “Mystery Meat”, a bowl of rice, and bread, the wind picked up. The blowing sand had become a blizzard. And everyone-guards as well as prisoners, hunkered down.

Commander Eichhorn wound up spending the rest of the afternoon and evening huddled in a corner of her cell, covered with her two blankets. The effort to keep the sand away had less than good results, but she finally fell asleep sometime after dark.

The new day had started somewhat as was usual by now, with the guards bringing the “breakfast”, and then she did her workout. The bad was that the sand was getting into everything, food, drinking water, clothes, all of it. The good was that with the sand, just like with the previous sandstorm, kept the temperatures inside the cell down, though seeing the sky turned orange-brown was definitely new. As for the guards? They were themselves hunkered down, only going outside when necessary. Which made communicating between cells no problem at all, but with gusts of wind on occasion, flashing signals from building to building was more of a problem. One minute, there was no blowing sand, but then....

The subject of how to signal their presence had come up more than once when Commander Eichhorn tapped to both Lynch and MacKenzie. Lynch was of the opinion that it might be hard with the guards watching, while MacKenzie had an idea to use laundry the next time they were allowed to wash their clothes, laying it out on the line in a pattern with either Morse or the Tap Code. But with the sandstorm still ongoing, it would have to wait. But at least the conversations were a way to brainstorm and a way to kill time.

“We'll figure it out.” Eichhorn said to herself as she sat in the corner of her cell. “One way or another.” All we need is this damned sandstorm to lift, she silently added.

1201 hours GMT. Near Helmstedt, FRG.
Sergeant Connolly’s ears were still ringing as he pulled himself back to his feet. Whatever had caused the initial large explosion that had knocked him down had been followed by second a moment later. He had also felt, rather than heard at least two, or three similar ones further off from the direction of 4 Para’s positions.

“F*ck me!” He said on seeing the scene in front of his slit-trench. “Haud the f*ck on! I’m deef!” Connolly added on realising that he could not hear his exclamation.

Where before there had been East German BTRs, were now burning wrecks. Connolly could see a few surviving APCs and soldiers retreating back to cover. As he watched a few BTRs exploded as they ran over mines dropped behind them by an MLRS battery. The howitzers of the HAC Gun Troop also opened fire again, harassing the retreating motor riflemen.

*

Once Sergeant Connolly regained his hearing a short time later, he was able to find out what had happened. COMNORTHAG had decided that 2 (Br) Corps needed additional MLRS for its future missions and had directed that 39 Heavy Regiment, RA, should swap one of its GMLRS batteries with a M110A2 battery from 61st (Staffordshire) Heavy Regiment, RA (V). The six 8inch Self-Propelled Howitzers had arrived just in time to provide fire support to the Parachute Regiment Group. A pair of howitzers had been assigned to support each of the three battle groups holding the defensive perimeter.

With his battle group facing being imminently overrun, the Commanding Officer of 15 Para, Lt Colonel Charles ‘Chic’ Murray had requested a ‘danger close’ fire support mission. Which just happened to have come from the two M110A2. The effects of the two 203mm HE shells had been devastating, with so much damage being caused to the East Germans, that the Forward Observer attached to 15 Para had radioed a ‘cease-fire’ order. The battle group’s mortars joined the HAC Gun Troop in harassing the retreating East German survivors.

*

The ‘Tom’ who shared the slit trench tapped him on the right shoulder and pointed towards the East German border post. Connolly squinted through the dust and smoke, and started to laugh when he saw it. The ‘flag’ left by 16 (Lincoln) Company was still flying.

1246 hours GMT. SITREP sent to CINCENT.
From: Commander, Northern Army Group
To: CINC Allied Forces Central Region
CC: SACEUR

‘I (Netherlands) Corps and I (German) Korps have completed the relief in place of 2 (Br) Corps and III (US) Corps. The former have been fully replenished and have absorbed replacements. The latter have now been withdrawn to NORTHAG reserve to replenish in preparation for either further offensive action, or to help meet any attack by the Byelorussian Group of Tank Armies. In the meantime, the commander of I (GE) Korps has suggested a combined Dutch-German attack towards Lübeck in conjunction with LANDJUT forces. Subject to your permission, I intend to grant permission to mount such an operation. Request additional intelligence gathering and reconnaissance to support the operation.’

From: CINC Allied Forces Central Region
To: Commander, Northern Army Group
CC: SACEUR

‘Preliminary permission for the proposed permission is granted. You should start preparatory operations. However, final permission is subject to authority from SACEUR.’

1403 hours GMT. Jamestown, St. Helena.
Major James ‘Shirley’ Williams, O.C D (City of Swansea) Company, 4th (V) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot), would be glad to get back to Gibraltar. Although, a part of him would miss the island of St. Helena. However, there was no real justification for the majority his company group to remain on the island. [1]
The company group had done a lot of work to repair damage caused by the Soviet raiding party. The Royal Engineers Troop had even taken the time to survey the site for the proposed airport on Prosperous Bay Plain.

The other main task of the company group had been to train the personnel of the newly formed Saint Helena Regiment (St Helena Rifles), which was a platoon sized force, forty strong, although recruitment was ongoing. The name had been chosen to recall previous volunteer units that had been raised on the island. A small Ascension Island Detachment, under the command of the RAF Regiment, had also been formed from ‘Saints’ living on that island. To arm them, L98A2 rifles had been obtained from the Army Cadet Force of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, along with a small number of L86A2 and two L7 GPMGs.

RMS St. Helena had been kept very busy, ferrying equipment from Ascension Island to her namesake. At least she was not now operating un-escorted, as HMS Grafton had moved north to help protect the merchant ship now that the threat to the Falkland Island from Argentina had been reduced. A Brazilian ASW group was also now active in the area.

Now that the part-time soldiers from the Saint Helena Regiment were judged efficient enough to perform their duties, mainly protecting Key Points, it was time for D Company to be withdrawn. A few volunteers, mainly from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment platoon, would stay behind to act as instructors. A detachment of Royal Engineers and some RAMC and RN medical personnel would also stay on the island.

*

“Thank you for everything you and your men and women have done, Major.” Acting Governor Christopher said to Williams as he prepared to board St. Helena. “You came in our hour of need.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Williams replied, saluting the Active Governor. “I’m sad to leave the island and its people. But I’m glad to be leaving you in safe hands.”
“We won’t let you down, Sir.” The new commander of the local regiment replied.
“I’m sure you won’t. I am very impressed with the colour party, Captain.”

To mark the departure of D Company, the ‘Saints’ had assembled an honour guard. Including a colour party carrying colours that had first belonged to the St Helena Volunteer Sharpshooters, then the St Helena Rifles. Which had been preserved in the local museum; a new colour had been requested but had not yet been delivered.

He was a platoon commander from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, promoted to local captain, while a ‘Saint’ was trained to become his successor. The regiment’s Senior NCO was also a Gibraltarian, temporarily attached until a local was ready to take up the role.

“And I’d like to thank you too, Major.” Chief of Police Lamb added. “Your company has made sure that we will never have to face another raiding party unprepared.”

Williams returned the salutes from the captain and Chief of Police before becoming the last member of his company to board RMS St. Helena. He took up position on one of the bridge wings and watched Jamestown shrink as the ship sailed.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Major.” The ship’s captain said, joining him. “But a message from London came in for you while you were ashore.”
“From London?” Williams asked, puzzled, taking the message. He had expected a message from Gibraltar, but not from London.

‘From: DirOps, PJHQ
To: O.C, D Company, 4 RRW
CC: Com, BFG

‘Due to urgent need, the majority of your company will not now be returning to Gibraltar. As this method of communications is not fully secure, am unable to give further details. These will be supplied on your arrival on Ascension Island.’

He carefully folded the message and put it away in one of his DPM jacket pockets.

“Bad news, Major?” St. Helena’s captain wondered.
“I don’t know, Captain.” Williams replied. “Not yet anyway.”

Whatever news awaited him on Ascension Island, he knew he would need to hold an ‘O’ Group before they arrived. Not that he had much to brief his men on.

1428 hours GMT. SHAPE (Forward), near Mons, Belgium.
Looking at the copies of the exchange of messages between CINCCENT and COMNORTHAG he held in his hands, General Baker was not quite sure why the latter needed him to give final permission to launch the operation. It was well within General Dieter Back’s authority as Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe. Something bothered him about that; Back was not normally one to cover his rear by asking for confirmation from higher authority. All he really needed from SHAPE was coordination with LANDJUT.

SACEUR got to his feet and took a look at the situation map pinned to a board in his command trailer. He traced the potential route of the two-corps attack towards Lübeck and the subsidiary attack by LANDJUT forces. Liberating Lübeck had a lot going for it; Soviet forces in Kiel and southern Schleswig-Holstein could be cut-off, or at worst forced to withdraw. It would also put the Northern Army Group in a better position to face any renewed Warsaw Pact offensive. However, he wanted to speak to General Back in person.

*

“Good afternoon, Herr General, I hope you are well.” CINCCENT said on the screen. “What do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“Good afternoon, Dieter, I’m as well as can be expected.” SACEUR replied. “I’m being buried in paper signals like these you and General Horne have generated.” He added, holding up the signal flimsies. “It’s not like you to ask permission for something like this. Talk to me General Back, what is going on? It’s not the coordination issue with LANDJUT, is it?”

Back hesitated. Something evidently bothered him about what he was going to say.

“General Horne is…he is not entirely in favour of the operation. When I spoke to him, he let me know that the idea came from the commander of I (German) Korps, and that officer had said he would go over his head to me if he did not pass it on.”
“What?” Baker asked, shocked. “What the hell did he threaten to do that for? And why is he still in his job?”
“I believe it is because we are both Heer officers and that, therefore, I am his route to appeal a decision he did not agree with. He is still in his job because General Horne wants him to be. General Horne told me that he is concerned that he may be being unnecessary cautious. His staff have talked him around to the proposed operation being one we need to mount.”

Baker raised an eyebrow on hearing this news. He had a lot of respect for COMNORTHAG, but, perhaps General Horne was being over cautious?

“Was General Horne concerned about counterattack?”
“Ja, Herr General. He believed that it was possible that our forces could end up exposed in vulnerable salient. However, if there is proper coordination with LANDJUT, that should not be an issue.”

SACEUR had a decision to take. Should he give permission, or deny it based on the gut feeling of a subordinate, who himself admitted that he was being overcautious?

“You have my permission, General Back. Get it done. For the duration of the operation, you are responsible for direct coordination with LANDJUT. You do not need to go through SHAPE.”
“Thank you, Herr General.” Back replied.

SACEUR terminated the connection, slightly irritated that he had to make the call at all. He had lots of other important things to deal with. Such as the news that the Joint Chiefs had apparently decided to send an additional heavy division to Kuwait. As far as Baker could see, Iraq was all but beaten, even if Saddam had not accepted it quite yet. The Iraqi Army had been smashed, its air force was all but extinct and the Iraqi Navy had all been turned into permanent submarines. Allied forces were now in southern Iraq, and it looked like Iran was poised to join the war. What did CENTCOM need with an extra armoured, or mechanised division? Did the SECDEF and the Joint Chiefs not know just how many enemy divisions he was up against? He could think of several places that an extra heavy division was needed.

When the NATO Military Committee heard the news, she excrement would hit the ventilation device. After it hit the fan, it would hit him. Many of the Europeans were vocally unhappy that America seemed to be keen to escalate the war in the Middle East, when, in their minds, there were more pressing matters. While SACEUR could understand the desire to keep Kuwait safe and defeat Iraq once and for all, the war would be won, or lost in Europe.

1430 hours GMT. Southern Kunashir Island.
Colonel Abram ‘Battleship’ Potemkin lowered his binoculars and stepped away from the Observation Post’s viewing slit. Potemkin, the commander of 484th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiment, which was part of the 18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division, had come down to the coast to look across at Shibetsu on Hokkaido. Which was only around twenty-five kilometres away.

*

The outbreak of war had caught the 18th Machine-Gun Division part of the way through modernisation. New T-80 tanks had begun to replace the elderly T-55s, while second-hand BMP-2s had started to arrive to supplement the MT-LB APCs. The division’s artillery battalion had partially reequipped with the BM-27. [2]
It had been decided that it was not worth transporting the worn-out T-55s and PT-76s off the islands. Instead, they had been driven one last time to positions from where they could cover potential landing beaches, supplanting some of the even older IS-3M. Others had been positioned to defend airports.


*

Kunashir was the closest island to mainland Japan and had been used to support the raid on Hokkaido. The 130mm M-46 guns of Potemkin’s regiment had engaged targets as Soviet forces had landed. Now the boot was very much on the other foot; the Japanese and Americans had positioned rocket and tube artillery close to the coast, from where it could hit parts of Kunashir. In the main the tube artillery could only hit parts of the south and western part of the island, rendering it mainly an irritation. However, MLRS and HIMARS could hit most of the island when firing standard rockets and all of it when using ATACMS. Most worryingly, regular rocket fire had effectively shut down Yuzhno-Kurilsk Mendeleyevo Airport, the main source of resupply for Potemkin’s regiment.

When the raiding force had been evacuated from Hokkaido, some of the survivors had found their way to Kunashir. Potemkin had been interested to see the priority for evacuation from the island – specialist troops, then airborne troops, followed by naval infantrymen, then motor riflemen and finally, once those troops had been evacuated, wounded men. With the airport now out of action, further evacuation had become impossible, leaving a hodgepodge of evacuees stranded, which Potemkin had formed into a provisional infantry company. He had positioned it to defend the very stretch of coast he was visiting. As far as he was concerned, if an invasion came, the invasion beaches and countryside immediately behind it would be drenched in enemy artillery fire and bombed to oblivion from the air. Any units he positioned to defend them would need to be expendable. He had, therefore, placed the provisional company on the coast, alongside the companies of reservists he had been assigned to man the coastal defences. The rest of his regiment was held back to keep it safe for counterattacks. [3]

Potemkin was fairly sure that the Americans and their Japanese and Australian allies, would invade Kunashir as their next step. [4] But, it nagged at him that this was the most obvious step. The Americans did not always do what the most obvious thing. He would not put it past them to land on one of the more northerly of the Kurile Islands and cut Kunashir off. Or pretend that was what they were going to do and invade Kunashir anyway. All the permutations of bluff, double-bluff and treble-bluff kept him awake at night and have him headaches.

*

“I think I have seen quite enough, Comrades.” Potemkin declared. “I commend you on your watchfulness.”

As the Colonel returned to the UAZ that would take him back to his headquarters he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. He shook his head, deciding that he was just being paranoid.

*

CPO Eddie Stoddard lowered his carbine. He had recognised the rank insignia of a full colonel in the Soviet Army. His team of SEALs were close enough that he would not have needed to have asked Petty Officer Markovitz to use his Mk.11 MOD 0 DMR to take the shot. However, their job was reconnaissance, not assassination and shooting the colonel would compromise the team.

‘He’ll come again’ Stoddard thought.

***

[1] Order of battle of Williams’s Company Group

- D Company, 4 (V) RRW (-) (+)
-- H.Q Platoon
-- x2 rifle platoons
-- x1 AT Section, Support Company, 4 (V) RRW
-- 1x rifle platoon, Royal Gibraltar Regiment
-- Royal Engineer Troop
-- Medical detachment: RAMC, RN

[2] Divisional Order of Battle:

18th Machine-Gun Artillery Division
- 484th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiment (Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir Island): T-80, BMP-2, MT-LB, M-46
- 605th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiment (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island): T-80, T-55, MT-LB, M-46
- 1527th independent Machine-Gun Artillery Battalion (Krabozavodskoye, Shikotan Island): 122mm D-30
- 000 independent Reaktive Artillery Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island): BM-21, BM-27
- 209th independent Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 110th independent Tank Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island): T-80, BRM
- 1114th independent Communications Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 614th independent Engineer-Sapper Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 000 independent Chemical Defence Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 584th independent Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 308th independent Medical Company (Yuzhno-Kurilsk, Kunashir Island)
- 911th independent Material Supply Company (Goryachie Klyuchi, Iturup Island)
- 1229th independent Electronic Warfare Company

[3] Order of Battle:

484th Machine-Gun Artillery Regiment
- Tank battalion: T-80, BRM
- Motor Rifle Battalion: BMP-2, MTLB
- Artillery Battalion: 130mm M-46
- 3x coastal defence company
-- 3x infantry platoon
-- 3x tank platoon: T-55
-- mortar platoon
-- ATGW platoon
- Provisional infantry company

[4] Sorry New Zealand & Fiji!

[Bernard Woolley]

Accompanying Pictures

[Simon Darkshade]

Another quite spiffing installment. As well as my personal favourite sitreps, we got a nice cross-section of the World War and the not so nice aftermath of Danger Close 8" fire missions.

[Bernard Woolley]

Thank you, Simon. The addition of the M110A2 was a late addition to close that scene.

[Simon Darkshade]

You’re very welcome. You’ve always had a nice touch at doing heavy artillery scenes, going back to 1944.

[James1978]

Good chapter!

Interesting to see the political dimension cropping up in military decisions.

Keep up the good work!

[Bernard Woolley]

You’re very welcome. You’ve always had a nice touch at doing heavy artillery scenes, going back to 1944.

I appreciate that, Simon. I do sort of like good, old-fashioned tube artillery. Probably comes from my strong interest in the First World War. I'm just sad I can't give 1 (Br) Corps, or NORTHAG railway artillery! Although, there is that 18inch railway howitzer barrel that in @ is currently at at Fort Nelson. In 2005 it was in storage...I wonder how long it would take...

Good chapter!

Thanks very much.

Interesting to see the political dimension cropping up in military decisions.

The European NATO countries, especially those who still have territory which is occupied, are having a "WTF" moment. As far as they are concerned, the Coallition have won in the KTO. Kuwait and Saudi are secured, therefore, so is the oil. There's no reason for America to be drawn further into Iraq & importantly, to fritter away much needed army formations. SACEUR can see their point and is fully supportive. He thinks he has a better claim on reinforcements than CINCCENT. As, what's the point of having Baghdad if the Warsaw Pact has Paris?

Keep up the good work!

Will do my best.

[Jotun]

Good chapter!

Interesting to see the political dimension cropping up in military decisions.

Keep up the good work!

They have been cropping up practically forever. The 8th AF strike on the 1st Unified Corps, the West German paradrop on Hamburg, Libya(!), the odyssey of that brigade (81st Inf Bde?) originally earmarked for LANDJUT that turned up in CENTCOM, the decision to not yet, Kameraden, not yet retake Zealand, and more...I am sure I am missing quite a lot.

The heavy division going to the Mideast would be better employed in West Germany, I agree. The Allies in the sandbox can, to use another German saying, let Iraq's army be starved to death at the end of an outstretched arm.

[Bernard Woolley]

There are certainly several places it could go to in NATO's area. Jutland and Thrace are two pretty good examples.

[Jotun]

There are certainly several places it could go to in NATO's area. Jutland and Thrace are two pretty good examples.

Of course. Arguably Jutland and Thrace are a bit more critical at the moment. I forgot Eye Corps is nearly across the pond (IIRC). I lost sight of the big picture. Maybe I should not post during the last hour of a children‘s birthday party

If it‘s Thrace, that division would not even have to repaint their vehicles. It is not the greenest of terrains^^

[Eaglenine2]

The Armored division is 4th Armored?

[James1978]

I'm sure Seoul has feelings on the matter as well.

Interesting to see the political dimension cropping up in military decisions.

They have been cropping up practically forever. The 8th AF strike on the 1st Unified Corps, the West German paradrop on Hamburg, Libya(!), the odyssey of that brigade (81st Inf Bde?) originally earmarked for LANDJUT that turned up in CENTCOM, the decision to not yet, Kameraden, not yet retake Zealand, and more...I am sure I am missing quite a lot.

The 81st Infantry Brigade ended up embarking for Korea and got diverted to Japan. But yes, there were a few other brigades that could have fallen in on the POMCUS set.

As far as Zealand, to be fair, the forced entry assets weren't available until rather recently as the UK, US, and Dutch amphibious ships and Marines have been rather busy in Norway. And I don't think we've visited that theater recently, so who knows when they may actually be able to move south.
And after what happened dropping the 3e Parachutiste d'Infanterie de Marine into Zealand earlier in the war, I doubt the US would have gone along with dropping the 82nd Airborne into Zealand at the time even if they hadn't been in Libya.
But now, we've got the entire 82nd Airborne, 2/3 of the 101st Air Assault, and (hopefully) the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade + associated amphibious ships. And we can base in Sweden.

If it‘s Thrace, that division would not even have to repaint their vehicles. It is not the greenest of terrains^^

The Armored division is 4th Armored?

Not 4th Armored. They've been in theater in CENTCOM for about a week now.
I combed through what was left in CONUS and cobbled together a mechanized division + a few odds and ends by pulling a few lower readiness National Guard heavy brigades that weren't assigned to JBSEC down on the US-Mexico border and weren't already tagged for other roles and waiting for shipping. I'm still putting the finishing touches on it. It's pretty much the last of the heavy units available to the US for the foreseeable future, so their vehicles may not have even been painted desert tan yet.

[Bernard Woolley]

I would imagine that their vehicles will be painted in an interesting variety of camouflage.

[Matt Wiser]

It's alive! BZ as usual, and glad to be of service. And so to business:

Interesting times on the IGB, though the Soviets and their East German allies (lackeys) will want Helmstedt retaken ASAP, regardless of the costs. The old M-110A2's back at it, I see.

The POWs are trying hunker down and also find a way to let someone know where they are. Even if a raid to rescue them is out of the question, at least CENTCOM will know where they are being held, so that the appropriate measures to protect them from their own bombs can be put in place. And figuring out a way to signal-and the POWs at Son Tay did that on several occasions, as did those in the Hilton at least once-is a way to kill time. And they will have a lot more time, looks like... And no, the Iraqis are NOT marking the location themselves.

Political considerations: something Flag officers-ashore or afloat-the world over wish they didn't have to deal with when in combat. And there are such matters in the KTO to take into account. Because everyone in the region-Saudi and Kuwait especially-wants Saddam's regime done away with. No doubt GEN Abazid at CENTCOM-Forward in Doha is furious that his plans to shake hands with his Iranian counterpart outside the Republican Palace in Baghdad are on hold indefinitely. NATO Europe is the decisive theater, and thus has the bulk of the resources, but some reinforcement to placate CINC-CENT and make the Gulf Allies happy should be made available, even if it's an NG brigade with M-113s and early M-1A1s. The divisions now forming are everyone's best bet, as this marathon goes on....

Ascension Island forming a regiment?

Soviet Far East: Kunashir is going to be another sideshow where the combatants fight just as hard and the losers are just as dead.

Good work again, and get with 374!

[jemhouston]

Soviet Union was the aggressor nation that came out with more territory post war than they had going in. Chopping off part of Soviet Far East is step in the right direction.

[Jotun]

Soviet Union was the aggressor nation that came out with more territory post war than they had going in. Chopping off part of Soviet Far East is step in the right direction.

Judging by the growing unrest in the Baltics, Ukraine, Chechnya etc., if the war is going to go the way I think it is, the post-WW3 USSR or whatever it is going to call itself is going to miss quite a lot of once-annexed real estate.

[jemhouston]

Soviet Union was the aggressor nation that came out with more territory post war than they had going in. Chopping off part of Soviet Far East is step in the right direction.

Judging by the growing unrest in the Baltics, Ukraine, Chechnya etc., if the war is going to go the way I think it is, the post-WW3 USSR or whatever it is going to call itself is going to miss quite a lot of once-annexed real estate.

Couldn't happen to a nice lash up country.