The Last War? : Chapter 381

[Bernard Woolley]

With thanks to Matt Wiser.

*

D+31

*

1045 hours. RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland.
Wing Commander Stapleton eased her Tornado F.3 down onto the runway. The reverse thrust buckets automatically deployed as soon the main undercarriage took the aircraft’s weight. She taxied to the clutch of Hardened Aircraft Shelters normally used by 208 Squadron’s Buccaneers. An aircraft tractor pushed the Tornado into one of the HAS and Stapleton shut down the engines once the doors were closed.

*

With most of the Buccaneers based at Lossiemouth deployed abroad, the station was being used by 11 Group to refuel and rearm its aircraft. Tankers of 38 Group supporting the interceptors were also using ‘Lossie’ as were some of the Nimrods normally based at nearby RAF Kinloss.
More by coincidence than planning RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss had become some of the best defended RAF stations in the UK. They were defended by two RAF Regiment air defence and one Field Squadron. With its field squadrons deployed to Germany, No. 3 Wing’s H.Q staff had been deployed to Lossiemouth to control the three squadrons. [1] The air defence squadrons had positioned their flights so that they defended both stations, as had the Field Squadron.

The RAF Regiment Gunners at the two stations had also been given the responsibility of providing protection to the Forward Operation Base at RAF Wick and the Sector Operations Centre at RAF Buchan. The Wing Commander commanding No.3 Wing had deployed the Starstreak HVM Flight of No. 2612 (Aberdeenshire) Squadron along with one of its rifle sections to Wick. Once No. 48 Squadron had gained a flight equipped with three Bofors L70s, he had sent that squadron’s HVM section to Buchan. RAF regular reservists who were ex-Regiment Gunners had been used to reinforce both detachments. [2]

*

While her Tornado was being refuelled and rearmed, Wing Commander Stapleton and her navigator, Flight Lieutenant Joseph ‘Joe’ Masters, took the opportunity to step outside to get some fresh(ish) air. The sound of an approaching helicopter made both of them look up. A AS332L Super Puma in the markings of Bristow Helicopters hove into view. As it got closer, Stapleton and Masters could see that it was carrying an underslung load. As they watched, the Super Puma came into the hover and descended until its load was on the ground. Once it was released, the helicopter climbed away and RAF personnel swarmed over the load, which contained urgently needed missiles, transporting it to concrete bunkers. The Super Puma was already climbing away, heading away to another important task. The helicopter was part of the fleet that normally supported North Sea oil and gas platforms, but with those shut down, they were now assigned to support the RAF and army in the UK. Something that was proving fortuitous.

“Cup of coffee, folks?” A Squadron Leader Stapleton recognised as a Senior Engineer Officer asked. “NATO standard, if that’s okay?”
“Brilliant, thanks.” She replied, taking the offered disposable cup.

She had only taken a couple of sips when she heard the station’s air raid sirens sound.

“Oh, for f*cks sake!” She muttered with vehemence, quickly downing the coffee before throwing the cup into a nearby bin.

While she and Masters had been airborne there had been indications that a Soviet raid was developing over the Kola. However, she and her wingman had needed their Tornados refuelled and serviced before confirmation had come in. Now Stapleton was going to be stuck on the ground.

“Come on you two, we need to take shelter.” The Squadron Leader said urgently.

*

Corporal Karen Cameron was taking her turn in the gunner’s seat of the Oerlikon GDF-005 35mm anti-aircraft gun. Cameron was a member of A Flight, No. 2612 (City of Aberdeen) Squadron, RAuxAF Regiment. Her husband was an NCO armourer on the Nimrod force at RAF Kinloss, so when 2612 Squadron had been formed at the station, it had seemed like a natural fit for her. [3]
Not long after Cameron had joined, the squadron’s guns had been upgraded from GDF-002 to GDF-005 standard. The biggest difference for the Gunners had been a reduction of crew on the mount to one person. Something the automatic re-loading system allowed for. The surplus personnel allowed for greater sustainability when in action, some of them also forming the core of the new HVM section. Her gun, named Goose Green, had once belonged to the Argentinean Army and had come to Cameron’s unit via No. 2729 (City of Lincoln) Squadron. [4]

The incoming Kh-26N missiles had been travelling at Mach 2 when A Flight’s Skyguard radar had picked them up. However, as they descended down into thicker air, they had slowed down to around Mach 1.5. Under radar control, the flight’s guns automatically traversed on target. Under radar control the guns would fire automatically when the Skyguard commander pressed the firing button, or they could be fired by the gunner. If a ‘radar silent’ engagement was needed, the guns could also be fired independently by their gunners.

Cameron felt her throat grow dry as she waited for her gun to engage.

1105 Hours GMT. Soviet MAAG HQ, Samarra East Air Base, Iraq.
The first message from Moscow had been a surprise. For General Kurchatov, he was now a Lieutenant General and had also received another job. For he was now Commander Soviet Forces Iraq. The second message, coming after the first, was expected. His command was now supposed to form a combat brigade built on the Soviets who had left Syria and prepare them for commitment to combat. Where and what they were to do were questions that the message didn't answer. One thing was sure, they would definitely not go under Iraqi command, but they would certainly coordinate with the Iraqis.

Kurchatov then pulled out a map of Southern Iraq that had the estimated Coalition dispositions marked out, along with the Iraqis. In his mind, he was trying to see what CENTCOM would be doing, If I was in command in Doha, I'd go for Nasiriyah and Samawah, get some bridgeheads across the Euphrates, then go north. And leave Basra to the Iranians, if and when they come in. If that happened, though, Kurchatov knew that Saddam would be screaming for a Soviet incursion into Northern Iran, to force the Iranians to redeploy forces north. The General knew that was the last thing anyone in the General Staff wanted, for it would be an Afghanistan writ ten times larger. But....If the Defense Council gave the orders, the Army would go south. Which was something he didn't envy his comrades in the Transcaucasus and Turkestan Military Districts.

He was checking over the map again when a knock on the door came.

“Enter!”

General Trimenko, his deputy-and former counterpart in Syria, along with Colonel Nastin, his Chief of Staff, came in.

“Comrade General.” Trimenko said. “Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you, General.”
“And may I offer mine as well.” Nastin added.
“Of course, Colonel.” Kurchatov said. “Now, what do you have for me about this brigade we're supposed to form?”

Trimenko nodded.

“Comrade General, pending Moscow's approval, we've designated the 92nd Independent Marine Brigade, which fought at Stalingrad. I have the 881st Naval Infantry Battalion, which was the afloat battalion for the Fifth Eskadra before ….”
“Before they were forced ashore before their ships were sunk.” Kurchatov said. He knew the story from Trimenko after the Soviets in Syria arrived. “Continue.”
“Ah, yes, Comrade General.” Trimenko went on. “Two battalions formed out of the Naval Infantry Security Battalions at both Latakia and Tarturus Air and Naval Bases, along with some Army elements.”
“Such as?”

Trimenko nodded.

“Such as an extra tank battalion, and a battalion each of 2S1 152-mm SP howitzers and 2S3 122-mm. That's in addition to the engineers, air defence, medical, and other support units.”
“Very good, Trimenko,” Kurchatov said. “Seeing a Soviet brigade in or near the front lines will make the Americans and their allies take notice. Though I'm wondering why Moscow wants this done.”

A Signals Officer came in with a pair of message forms.

“From Moscow, Comrade General.”
“Thank you,” said the General as he took the forms. “Well, the first one explains it all. They want us to keep the American 4th Armored Division in this theatre for as long as possible.”
“STAVKA wants us do what?” Nastin asked. “And why?”
“They didn't say how,” Kurchatov replied. “But as to your second question, Colonel,” the General went on, reading from the message. “NATO requests American 4th Armored Division in Europe. Take all possible steps to ensure this division remains in Iraq-Kuwait Theatre.”
“And organized Soviet combat forces in Iraq does just that.” Trimenko noted.

The three officers nodded. For once the news got to Doha and CENTCOM Headquarters that organized Soviet combat formations were in Iraq, the Gulf States would be demanding that CENTCOM hold off any redeployment of the 4th Armored to Europe. Kurchatov also knew from a GRU Report that General Peter Pace, the Vice-Chairman of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Doha for some type of conference, but exactly what the agenda was, Moscow wasn't sure.

“It does, General,” said Kurchatov. He checked the other form. “And Moscow is sending us reinforcements via the air link along the Iraq-Turkish border. A VDV Division from Kirovabad.”
“Isn't that 104th Guards?” Trimenko asked.
“No.” Kurchatov said. “We'll be getting an M-O formation, the 117th Guards Air Assault Division. Second formation of the 104th Guards Air Assault Division.”

Wonderful, Trimenko thought. Airborne reservists and junior officers fresh from officer training. The Old and the Bold, as the British say.

“At least they won't be jumping.”

Kurchatov smiled at that. Though he longed for the days of jumping out of aircraft, that old back injury meant he never would again.

“There is that, General.” He saw Nastin nod, then raise his hand. “Yes, Nastin?”
“Comrade General, may I?”
“By all means, Nastin. Say what's on your mind.”
“Comrade Generals, our forces will have to pass through Baghdad on their way to the front, correct?” Nastin saw the generals nod, then continued. “Why not arrange things so that the Western Media in Baghdad not only sees them, but films them as well?”
“I don't follow,” Trimenko said.
“I do.” Kurchatov nodded. “And I like it. Footage of Soviet Marines passing through Baghdad will certainly raise eyebrows at CENTCOM and at the Pentagon, while giving the Americans' Gulf Allies a good fright. Yes. Make it so, Nastin. And tell the Iraqis that we do want the Western Media to see our forces as they move through Baghdad on their way south.”
“Of course, Comrade General.” Nastin replied. “As for air cover? We have some air assets that came from Syria-”
“But we need more.” Kurchatov finished. “I'll request that Moscow send a squadron or two of fighters and fighter-bombers. We have air force units in the Far East and Central Asia with nothing yet to do. Maybe we can use some of them.”
“Thank you, Comrade General.” Nastin said. “What about Boris?” He asked.
“Having Soviet combat forces in-country does give us some options.” Trimenko pointed out.

Kurchatov nodded agreement.

“It does, and we'll start serious planning for that,” he said. “But-” He raised his right forefinger. “NO Operation Storm-333.”

Kurchatov was referring to the joint KGB-Spetsnatz assault on the Kabul Presidential Palace at the Start of the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

“When Saddam and his cronies are done away with, it has to be done by the Iraqis themselves.” He added, “if at all possible.”
“Yes, Comrade General.” both Trimenko and Nastin said.
“Any other questions? Between Boris and this, we'll be pretty busy from now on,” said Kurchatov. “If that's it, let's get on with it.”

1117 hours. Near RAF Kinloss, Moray, Scotland.
The Rapiers of No. 48 Squadron were the first to engage the Kh-26N missiles, knocking down several of them. The squadron continued to engage as the surviving missiles closed and would do so even when they passed into the engagement zone of the GDF-005 of No 2612 Squadron.

*

Cameron felt her gun make a slight adjustment, a sign it was about to fire. With the missiles being very fast targets, the Skyguard commander had chosen the automatic engagement option. Cameron could just make out the target through her gun sight as the gun tracked the target.

‘BRRR!’

In a second the two 35mm cannon on the mount spat out twenty-eight rounds, as did the two other mounts in the flight. The Soviet missile was obliterated. With no re-engagement needed, the guns were already traversing to engage the next target. As it had proven on numerous occasions, the Skyguard/Oerlikon system proved that it was deadly accurate, destroying a good number of Kh-26N. A couple of missiles passed to the west of the Flight’s position, marking the end of the first wave.

*

Two further waves of attackers were bearing down on both RAF stations; a request had come from the Soviet Northern Fleet to hit Kinloss hard and the targeteers of the DA had decided that if they were going to hit Kinloss, they might as well hit Lossiemouth too. Complicating the task of dealing with the second wave was the fact that some of the missiles were the Kh-26MP anti-radiation variant. The Flight Commanders of No. 48 Squadron fortunately were able to identify these weapons and prioritised targeting them. However, as they closed in, the squadron shut down both its Dagger search and Blindfire tracking radars, instead relying on the optical IR tracker on each firing unit. That meant the engagements took place at a shorter distance, with less time for the system to react.

*

With the Skyguard radar shut down, the Kh-26MP missiles that had targeted it went ballistic, crashing into the sea of open farmland around the Flight. However, it meant that the three guns were now operating independently, relying on the gunners to spot the targets. Thankfully, when the RAF had procured the Starstreak HVM, it had bought enough of the accompanying Air Defence Alerting Devices to also issue them to the Skyguard/Oerlikon squadrons.

The ADA attached to A Flight gave Corporal Cameron a few extra vital seconds of warning as well as an indication of where the incoming target was. Once she lined the sight on the gun mount up on the incoming missile, it did all the hard work for her, calculating the range and lead. The mount now automatically tracked the target as it came into range. A light came on, letting Cameron know the missile was now in range and she mashed the firing button.

‘BRRR!’

Again, the system showed its accuracy, even without the Skyguard radar controlling the engagement. Three Kh-26 being shot down, even if one mount had to engage twice. This time three missiles escaped destruction, heading on to their pre-programmed targets. It was time to engage the final wave of attackers.

Cameron glanced down to check how much ammunition she had used in the engagement so far and was slightly shocked to see that one hundred and fifty of the two hundred and eighty rounds carried on the mount had been fired.

“Jesus, look at that!” She heard the voice of the Airman manning the ADA call out.

The Corporal looked up and saw two large targets off in the distance. Maybe around 10km away.

“Jeeze Louise, those are bloody Backfires!” She exclaimed.

With the threat of anti-radiation missiles gone, the Skyguard radar was in the process of being re-energised. It would take less than a minute for the three guns to be put back under full radar control. But that was time they did not have. Instead, Cameron and the two other gunners would engage independently.

As the two Tu-22M4 ‘Backfire-D’ closed in on their target, they pumped out chaff and flares. Hoping to fool any British defence that might seek to stop them from dropping the eighteen FAB-500 bombs they were carrying. However, their nemesis was tracking them visually and using a laser rangefinder, rather than radar.

“Have some of this.” Cameron muttered as she pressed the firing button again.

By sheer bad luck, all three guns targeted a single ‘Backfire’, which had been slightly ahead of the other bomber. A single burst of twenty-right rounds would have been enough to have destroyed the Tu-22M4. Eighty-four rounds blasted it into several large pieces and then blasted those pieces into even smaller pieces. The second ‘Backfire’ banked sharply to the left, the pilot deciding on behalf of his crew to head for their secondary target.

“Oh no you don’t!” Cameron said.

She fired off a very short burst of less than a second as the ‘Backfire’ passed out of her gun’s engagement limit.

“Yes!” She shouted, punching the air as she saw some of her rounds blow the bomber’s tail off.

*

Unlike the first bomber, the crew of the second Tu-22M4 were able to eject before their aircraft plunged into the Moray Firth. Shortly after the crew had come down in the water, a yellow painted Sea King HAR.3 took off from RAF Lossiemouth to rescue them. They were afforded some ad hoc post-attack target assessment as they were flown back to the station. It was somewhat disappointing to see that no damage had been done to Lossiemouth, but they could see smoke rising from somewhere around five or six kilometres to the southeast.

“Damn target planners.” The rather soggy and cold pilot muttered. “They f*cked up the target co-ordinates.”

He had remembered that on his charts that nearby Lossiemouth there was an airfield marked as disused. It was the former RAF Milltown, which had closed as an airfield in March 1977. The RAF had retained it as the site of a high-frequency communications station until December 2003, when a new site had opened at Kinloss. Milltown had largely returned to agriculture as well as being used for storage. Those surviving missiles that had supposed to have been targeted on Lossiemouth, had instead headed for Milltown. Significant damage had been caused to an old hangar, which was burning, and some of the old runways and taxiways had suffered damage. RAF Lossiemouth, on the other hand, had not suffered so much as a near-miss.

1151 hours. Brislington, Bristol, England.
David ‘Dave’ Whyte drove into the small government estate, which housed social security offices and the local driving test centre. His destination was at the rear of the estate.

*

The old Brislington Regional War Room was a two-story concrete bunker that had been built in the 1950s. It’s time as a regional war room had been relatively short, being passed to the now defunct Avon County Council, who used it as their County Borough Control until 1981. At that point the Home Office had increased the rent, and the council decided that it did not want to play anymore and refused to pay. [5]

The bunker had lain redundant sat unused and largely unnoticed. Symbolic of the neglect was the fact that the building was now completely covered by Virginia Creeper. In the mid-1990s the National Emergency Volunteers had been looking for a suitable site for a protected H.Q in the Bristol area and had identified the old war room as being suitable. The Home Office had initially offered to rent the bunker to the NEV for similar amount it had tried to charge the former Avon County Council (adjusted for inflation). However, after some lobbying from the co-Chairs of the NEV (both Members of Parliament), the Home Office had been persuaded to sell the bunker to the NEV for a nominal amount. With the proviso, that if the NEV was ever disbanded, or no longer needed the bunker, that it would revert to Home Office ownership.

While the bunker was being refurbished for its new role, the NEV had tried to convince Bristol City Council to move its Emergency Centre to the bunker so that it could be co-located with their H.Q. However, the council could not be moved (both literally and figuratively) from retaining their existing Emergency Centre under the Council House. The best the NEV could manage was to convince them to designate Brislington as a stand-by control, with a couple of rooms in the bunker set aside for the council’s use.

*

Whyte parked his car amongst those belonging to the staff in the bunker. There were also a number of NEV liveried Land Rovers and vehicles of a mobile H.Q unit parked. Opposite the bunker, a set of buildings that had also become disused, had been converted into a base for an Urban Search and Rescue Unit. A couple of its blue painted vehicles were outside, being washed.

Waiting for Whyte was Staff Officer (Operations) Mike Osborne. He was wearing the standard working uniform of the NEV, with Headquarters titles on the shoulders of his ‘Woolley-pulley’.

“Glad you could make it, Dave, know how busy you are. I’ve got something we’ve just received that I’d like your post to try out.”
“Always want to do my best to help when I can, Mike.” Whyte replied. “Let’s have look at what you’ve got for me.”

Osborne led Whyte to his office. On his desk sat what looked like a standard Personal Dose Rate Meter. Basically, a handheld survey meter for measuring radioactive contamination and ambient radiation. It was a little bulkier than the standard PDRM82(M) used by the NEV, Royal Observer Corps and other agencies. These were a little old now, and fire services had started to use more modern radiation survey meters.

“Looks like a normal PDRM, except slightly bulkier.” Whyte observed.
“Oh, it’s a lot more than that, Dave.” Osborne replied.

He picked up the survey meter and turned it around.

“See this, it’s a connection port that allows you to connect the meter to any computer, or laptop. That allows you to download the information held on it.” He turned the meter around again and pressed a few buttons on the front, which made satisfying beeps. “It also has a function that allows you to not only show the current reading, but also any previous reading, so that they can be easily compared. You can also set an alarm which will sound when the reading reaches a certain level.”

Osborne next deliberately dropped the survey meter on the floor before picking it up and showing the display to Whyte. He tapped the case.

“As you can see, it is robust. I believe the manufacturers tested it by running a 4x4 over it without anything other than some superficial damage.” He handed it across. “Give it a shot.”

Whyte put the shoulder straps over his head, adjusting them slightly so that the meter was at a comfortable distance for him. As he suspected, it weighed slightly more than the PDRM sets he was used to, but not a great deal. He fiddled with it, cycling through its various modes.

“Pretty intuitive, but I guess it comes with a manual?”

Osborne nodded.

“Yup, for those who actually want to read it!” He said chuckling. “Turn it on its end and you’ll see the connector where you can plug it into recharge. Uses standard rechargeable batteries and can be charged using anything with a three-pin connector – the mains, a generator anything like that. There’s also an adaptor that allows it to charge from the cigarette lighter in a car.”
“And you trust me to test this sophisticated state of the art piece of equipment?” Whyte asked with a wry smile.
“Absolutely!” Osborne replied. “I want you and your Wardens to try it out, break it if you possibly can. The manufacturer made a bunch of them and wants to sell them to the government for use by us and the ROC. This is a good opportunity to find out just how good the really are.
“I’ll box it up and let you on your way.”

The carrying case was made of a hard plastic and contained some spare parts and all the various connectors the survey meter need to connect to power, or a computer.

“Oh, and one other quite cool feature.” Osborne said as he closed the case. “The connection to a computer is two-way; if the software on the meter ever needs updating, it can be done via a computer. I guess the manufacturer gives us a disc or something. Though, if you know a computer whizz, I guess they’ll be able to tweak it. Not sure the manufacturer would approve, though!”
“Okay, Mike, I’ll give this gizmo the works. I’ll let you know in a few days’ time if it is still in one piece.”

Whyte put the case into the boot of his car and drove back to his new office. The old one had been destroyed by a Soviet missile that had killed every member of his team. The council had managed to find a few volunteers to transfer from other roles to re-constitute the team and had asked Whyte to head it. The team’s job might not seem important during wartime, but the people of Bristol would soon notice if they stopped doing it for any length of time.

1225 hours GMT. Flughafen Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein.
The Soviets had taken over Lübeck Airport to use as a Forward Operating Base for attack helicopters and Close Air Support aircraft, like the Su-25. The airport buildings were looking rather the worse for wear, the airport having been subject to attacks by both the Warsaw Pact and NATO.

The Soviet Army had positioned SAM batteries and AAA guns to defend the FOB. However, as these were fixed, they had been identified and plotted by NATO. It was, therefore, somewhat unfortunate for them that they were now within range of West German and Dutch MLRS firing a mix of M26A1 ER and M30 rockets. There was no need to use the longer ranged and rarer M48 and M57 ATACMS missiles.

Most of the air defences were obliterated in a hurricane of sub-munitions. Four Luftwaffe Alpha Jets followed the MLRS rockets closely, attacking anything that survived with rockets and cluster bombs. As the surviving Soviet soldiers emerged from cover, they heard the sound of approaching helicopters. Anything that could conceivably be a threat was destroyed by West German Tigers, or Dutch Apaches.
With the defenders suppressed, troop carrying helicopters, a mix of NH90 TTH and UH-1D swooped in, landing Fallschirmjäger. The first lift had brought in all of Fallschirmjäger Battalion 261, a company of Fallschirmjäger Battalion 263 of 26th Luftlande Brigade “Saarland”. Plus, two companies of Fallschirmpanzerabwehrbataillon Battalion 264 and platoon sized units from the rest of the brigade. The Fallschirmjäger spread out, rapidly overcoming the Soviet defenders and set up a defensive perimeter.

An East German truck convoy driving up the nearby Bundesstraße 207 drove blindly into the perimeter and was shot to pieces by gunfire. Its burning vehicles soon blocking the road.

As the area around Lübeck was occupied by East German forces, the first military forces sent to investigate the reports of enemy troops at the airport were drawn from Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse and nearby Grepos of the Grenztruppen der DDR. The troops from these organisations were not really trained or equipped to take the West German Fallschirmjäger head on and suffered heavy casualties in the initial engagements. However, they were able to report the presence of NATO troops holding the airport and fell back to try and contain the West German lodgement. A reserve tank regiment and a motor rifle battalion were alerted and started to move towards Lübeck Airport.

*

At his forward headquarters Generalleutnant Scholtz listened with satisfaction as the operation unfolded satisfactorily. True, there had been some delays to the advance of I (GE) Korps caused by enemy resistance, and I (NE) Corps was also a little behind its planned scheduled. But, as Wieker reflected, no plan fully survived contact with the enemy. He was confident that the initial delays could be overcome later. After all, COBALT would not be the first military operation to suffer initial delays, followed by a rapid advance once the enemy was overcome.

*

While on the whole Operation COBALT was going well, the Soviets managed to throw a spanner in the works. One group of helicopters returning to Hamburg had the misfortune to pass a group of ZSU-23-4 that had been undergoing maintenance. While the vehicles were immobile, their guns were very much operational and two CH-53GA, a CH-47D and three UH-1D were shot down before the escorting Tigers were able to locate and destroy the ZSU-23-4 ‘Shilkas’. Several other helicopters suffered damage that would put them out of action. A few of the latter group would make forced landings once they were behind NATO lines. In a few minutes the ability to reinforce the airhead at Lübeck Airport had been seriously reduced.

***

[1] The RAF Regiment Squadrons were:
No. 3 Wing – RAF Lossiemouth (from RAF Catterick)
RAF Lossiemouth
- No. 48 Squadron - Rapier FSC
- No. 2622 (Highland) Squadron - Field Squadron
RAF Kinloss
- No. 2612 (City of Aberdeen) Squadron - Skyguard/Oerlikon GDF-005 35mm

[2] The RAF Regiment orbat and TOEs can be found here.

[3] The original RAuxAF Regiment Skyguard/Oerlikon squadron, No. 2729 (City of Lincoln) Squadron, admitted women decades before its regular counterparts.

[4] The flight’s radar and guns were named as follows:
Radar: Ajax Bay
Guns: Goose Green
Fitzroy Mount
Mt Harriet

See: Fonfé, Wing Commander Mike, ‘The Falklands Guns – The Story of the Captured Argentine Artillery That Became Part Of the RAF Regiment’ (Barnsley 2023), p.214.

[5] Information on the Brislington Regional War Room can be found here. With information on the Regional War Rooms here. Given that the Thatcher government was trying to encourage local councils to modernise their Civil Protection arrangements at the time, increasing the rent from £400 a month to £4,000 a month was a slightly odd thing to do.

[6] Brigade orbat:

26th Luftlande Brigade “Saarland” (-)
- Fallschirmjäger Battalion 261
- Fallschirmjäger Battalion 263
- Fallschirmpanzerabwehrbataillon Battalion 264 (Reserve Unit): Wiesel 1
- Luftlande Mortar Company 260
- Luftlande Engineer Company 260
- Luftlande Logistics Company 260
- Luftlande Medic Company 260
- 1 Field Replacement Battalion

Note: Fallschirmjagerbataillon 263 was detached to the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (Land).

[Bernard Woolley]

Accompanying Pictures

[Cihatari]

While the bunker was being refurbished for its new role, the NEV had tried to convince Bristol City Council to move its Emergency Centre to the bunker so that it could be co-located with their H.Q. However, the council could not be moved (both literally and figuratively) from retaining their existing Emergency Centre under the Council House.

Are some of the Bristol staff ex Sheffield City Council?

Or am I stretching a thread to breaking point?

[Bernard Woolley]

I see you, Mister!

[Eaglenine2]

Question who else is coming on the raid on Lübeck?

[Bernard Woolley]

The rest of 26th Luftlande Brigade.

[Eaglenine2]

Question how is the Soviet reinforcements going to get to Iraq?

[jemhouston]

The plants on the Brislington Regional War Room is nice touch.

They are living in interesting times.

[Bernard Woolley]

The plants on the Brislington Regional War Room is nice touch.

I don’t know if the Virginia Creeper was planted deliberately, or whether it just started to grow and nobody pruned it. Does remind me of the plants that now soften the Admiralty Citadel in London.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Question how is the Soviet reinforcements going to get to Iraq?

From the conversation amongst the Soviet officers, it looks like the Soviets have set up an air corridor over the eastern part of Turkey.

[Matt Wiser]

Always good to see a new chapter! BZ as usual, my friend, and always glad to help out. And so to business:

The demise of OKB Raduga sure means the DA is going to take their lumps when they come in to drop iron. At least, until they get a new line for the AS-4 family up and going....And that gunner's going to get some recognition from her superiors.

The Soviets have an air link via the Turkish-Iranian border in airspace that is not as contested as the Turks-or the USAF out of Incirlik-would like. It's the same route the Backfires took to stage for the attack on Kitty Hawk, and for a couple of other strikes. As for the 117th Guards Air Assault Division? Airborne reservists, junior officers who are fresh out of officer training at Ryazan, and the respective battalion and higher commanders were the "Shadow" officers at 104th GAAD. IF they are lucky, they have one battalion in each regiment with BMD-1s.

Looks like the air assault on Lubeck is going into a hornet's nest.... EDIT: CH-27?

Want to be there were some creepy crawlies in that bunker when it was reopened?

Good job again, and get with 382!

[Lordroel]

A new chapter in less than a month, you are on a role Bernard.

[Jotun]

Hm…would a brigade of Soviet troops really be enough to hold an armored division in theatre? There is also the problem of moving said unit to somewhere they can be a threat. That‘s a big damn target.

I have an idea for the Fallschirmjäger situation. PM incoming soonest…

[Lordroel]

Hm…would a brigade of Soviet troops really be enough to hold an armored division in theatre? There is also the problem of moving said unit to somewhere they can be a threat. That‘s a big damn target.

Same as Soviets fought the Germans in 1941, die for the Motherland.

[Matt Wiser]

To the Gulf States, it matters. Soviet combat forces in Iraq shows (to them) that the Soviets are supporting Saddam, despite his faults. They will shout loudly (in private to General Pace and in any teleconference with CJCS and the President) that 4th AD stay in theater. Wouldn't be the first time that inter-Allied politics gets involved in these kinds of decisions...

[James1978]

Hm…would a brigade of Soviet troops really be enough to hold an armored division in theatre? There is also the problem of moving said unit to somewhere they can be a threat. That‘s a big damn target.

When you phrase it that way, probably not.

Having said that, who knows what bizarre circumstances could see the GCC getting a tad overconfident and trying to press the attack on their own. We've seen in this war what proper infantry with modern anti-tank weapons can do. Soviet Naval Infantry probably qualify as proper infantry. IF, they can get somewhere useful and dig in, I imagine they could give any GCC force enough of a bloody nose that the Gulf governments will scream bloody murder and elevate a bloody nose into a defeat rivaling the Six Day War. Politics.

[Rocket J Squrriel]

Oerlikon 35mm can take an incoming AS-4? Nifty!

When is 382 going to be ready?

[James1978]

Good chapter!

Re. Fallschirmjagerbataillon 263. I thought AMF(L) had mostly broken up and the units returned to national command?

Sounds like the Soviets hold at least a slight edge in the air over eastern Turkey.

Keep up the good work!

[Lordroel]

Sounds like the Soviets hold at least a slight edge in the air over eastern Turkey.

I wonder, is there a secret agreement between the Turks and the Soviets, they are allowed to fly over eastern Turkey while in return the Turks do not engage them ore is it simple the Turks have to much of their forces focus on Western Turkey.

[Jotun]

Eastern Turkey ismostly desolate mountain ranges. Western Turkey holds most of the population and industry.

I know which part I would prioritize for defence.