James G
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Post by James G on Apr 14, 2018 15:31:30 GMT
Oh, this won't end well at all for the Polish people... Waiting for more, of course... More slid in right there! |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 14, 2018 15:34:33 GMT
(115)May 1984: It took some time, but Arab League mediation eventually brought forth an agreement for Mubarak and Gadhafi to have their representatives meet (not themselves) and discuss an end to their stalled conflict. Gadhafi refused to send anyone to Cairo, the Egyptian capital where the Arab League was headquartered, on the grounds that that would give the appearance of weakness and it was his choice – which Mubarak huffed and puffed about but eventually agreed on – of Tunis as a location for those talks to commence. Egyptian and Libyan diplomats met in the Tunisian capital. Positions were staked out at once with assurances made that these were red lines. Demands were made of the other side which were known to be impossible to fulfil. There was hostility and threats made. It wasn’t going to be a meeting where any agreement was to come, not at the start anyway. The Arab League mediators worked to get each side to backtrack on those firm opening positions and to search for a middle ground. The Libyans claimed once again that they had nothing to do with the assassination of Sadat and tried to turn the Tunis meeting to focus instead of the agreement made between Sadat and the Israelis. Egypt considered the Israeli agreement none of Libya’s business and wanted to discuss an end to the fighting with Libya admitting that it had sponsored the terrorist killing of its former president. Those strong positions were insurmountable at the beginning for the mediators though there was the recognition that each side wanted an end to the fighting. A ceasefire was proposed. Once there came an end to the armed conflict between the two nations, then there could afterwards be talks on a real peace agreement where the principle reasons behind the conflict were sorted out. This was something which the Egyptian and Libyan diplomats would need permission to agree upon from their leaders. They waited in Tunis for that to be agreed to by Mubarak and Gadhafi. That was what each wanted but to agree too fast would be seen as weakness. There was a delay in that approval coming yet it was going to be sent by each right up to the moment that the Gulf of Sirte Incident occurred. For more than a decade since his ascension to power, Gadhafi had claimed the Gulf of Sirte as Libyan territorial waters. This was an arm of the Mediterranean and according to international law, the twelve-mile limit was in effect with regard to territorial waters. Gadhafi disputed that and declared a ‘line of death’ through the Gulf of Sirte where any aircraft or ship which crossed it faced attack. That had been challenged by President Ford where his administration sent military aircraft and warships across the Line of Death several times since. The Libyans had opened fire on occasion without managing to hit their targets. Kennedy hadn’t changed the United States position on the illegality of Libyan actions though had scaled back what he had seen as ‘provocation’ there: that had been one of the many issues which had brought forth disagreement with former defence secretary Muskie and such a dispute rose with Muskie’s replacement in Bentsen too. The current secretary of defence had authorised the US Navy to undertake Freedom of Navigation exercises through the Gulf of Sirte, past that Line of Death, starting in the New Year. Egypt and Libya had gone to war and there had been a scaling back of this where the focus for the US Sixth Fleet was instead on shadowing the Soviets and their warships in the Mediterranean. When the diplomats started talking in Tunis though, there came a partial return to those Freedom of Navigation exercises. From the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, flights were conducted by US Navy fighters along with the undertaking of electronic reconnaissance missions. A clash came in the skies, one instigated by the Libyans yet one which wouldn’t have happened if the US Navy hadn’t been present. Flying from Ghardabiya airbase – near to Sirte, Gadhafi’s birthplace – were a pair of MiG-25 interceptors sent to chase away the Americans. The US Navy saw them coming, closing in fast upon the S-3 aircraft on a reconnaissance mission and put two F-14 Tomcats between that defenceless aircraft and the Libyans. The Libyans shot first. They’d done this before. They did it this time under orders because the position of Gadhafi was that this was a mission conducted by the American aircraft to intimidate him into backing down to Egyptian pressure being exerted in Tunis. The Tomcats got two kills – the calls of ‘ Foxbats launching’ were met with the radio calls of ‘Fox Two, Fox Two’ – and returned, like the S-3, to the Kennedy unscathed. For the second time in two months, during the fourth year of (Ted) Kennedy’s presidency, there had been United States military action where for the preceding years there had been none at all despite all of the apparent provocation. To many, the United States was suddenly getting very aggressive in different areas of the world. Strange it might seem after the years beforehand of inaction but then there was the prevailing view that Kennedy was doing all of this to get himself re-elected. As to those talks in Tunis, they were off when Gadhafi recalled his diplomats and started issuing threats against Egypt and the United States… oh, and the Zionists who were behind all of this. He didn’t forget them in his ranting and raving. So America has struck again. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 14, 2018 15:44:54 GMT
(114)May 1984: The introduction of Polish troops to restore order across the nation was not a decision taken lightly. Kociołek wasn’t someone to baulk at the thought of blood running in the streets when using riot police against civilians. Soldiers were a different matter though. There was an absolute certainty that the violence which would come with their use would be far greater. However, nothing else was going to work. The situation demanded that it be brought under control less the whole country end up in rebellion. There had been a period of preparation were the troops were given instructions on how to restore order and instructed only to shoot if necessary but they were still combat soldiers going up against civilians. The Polish Army was trained to fight a war on the battlefields of the North German Plain, across the Iron Curtain over in West Germany and up into Denmark. When going up against civilians, their tanks and artillery were left behind though them men still had their armoured vehicles for transport and personal weapons. The plan was for them to be an unstoppable force which when unleashed against those in rebellion against the government, would force those acting against the state to be fast overcome if they stood or to run away in fright. Bash heads, the soldiers were told before they went into action, and drag counterrevolutionaries back to the lines of military police waiting behind. Snipers were expected to engage the soldiers and so counter-sniper measures were to be used: RPGs or a shell from the cannons of one of the armoured vehicles. There were former conscript soldiers among the counterrevolutionaries who knew how to use captured weapons taken from ZOMO riot police and were training others in that: get them first when identified. Don’t stop advancing in the face of stone-throwing, sniping, petrol bombs and even rifle fire: that was the final message given to the soldiers. Something not said to them was for them to think before they opened fire, to be careful in who they shot at. Why an earth would Kociołek and his generals want soldiers to think? If they did that… they might ask themselves if they would rather go into a fight against their fellow Poles. Thinking, decision-making and using judgement was a no-no. That blood did indeed run in the streets. Polish troops shot their way through protesters… and anyone else standing in their way too. Hundreds died on the first day and hundreds more each and every following day that Polish soldiers were in action against their fellow countrymen. All across the nation, in urban areas, there were massacres which took place when the troops clashed with civilians. Initially, it looked like the forces of the state were going to win. Standing and fighting with combat-trained soldiers wasn’t something that the civilian opposition could achieve. All of their organisation and experience in fighting against riot police couldn’t prepare them for what they came up against. They either died or ran. That brought forth the issue of the soldiers having to root out the last of the counterrevolutionaries though. From above, political instructions were to not destroy factories and infrastructure when the protesters were being eliminated. That would have to be done to effectively finish off the resistance. Orders to do such a thing were refused. Surround them and move in carefully, using caution and avoiding causing destruction were the orders instead. In following these orders, the soldiers took serious casualties and this sunk their morale. It also brought them into close contact with those whom they were fighting. Shooting what they were told who were traitors from afar was very different from engaging them up close and personal. Should those they fought have been in uniform or foreign then the story would have been different. These were their fellow Poles though. Desertions started. It was individuals at first and then small groups of men. Political officers were fast to get wind and pulled certain units out of the line while ‘removing’ identified troublemakers. That didn’t work. The mutinies begun and they took hold fast. Rifle squads and then whole platoons refused to fight. Many of those who joined would soon reconsider, thinking of retaliation against their families, though once they were in this, they were in this. Other units were brought in to open fire on these further counterrevolutionaries. Some did, others refused to as well. Military discipline across the Polish Armed Forces fell off the metaphorical cliff. Officers started getting shot. The political officers were quick to make a run for it though those who weren’t fast enough suffered the punishment for those who got away. Neutrality was the claim made by many soldiers: neutrality in this fight between the state and counterrevolutionaries. Others went wholescale over to those in rebellion and joined with them. Kociołek’s leading generals – Jaruzelski and Siwicki – were unable to guarantee to him that more troops wouldn’t desert or munity among those already involved in the fighting or yet to be introduced. Polish military counter-intelligence was active alongside the SB state security service in trying to stop all of this from happening but it was too much to give a guarantee that this wouldn’t spread further. As before, all that Kociołek could do was to pull back. The soldiers were withdrawn from what were the frontlines of a Polish civil war. The state had been checkmated. It couldn’t put down the counterrevolution. Someone else would have to. So might be this the Polish Revolution of 1984, this is going to end badly for the Polish people. I fear so, especially in the short term. Depending what the state of play is when the dust finally settled there might be a chance of a free Poland but I suspect its less likely than OTL. Things are definitely going to be bloody in the months ahead. [This is probably another reason why the Soviets want things tightly restricted in the European theatre of the wider war, especially if a lot of their ground forces are tied up in Poland. Possibly also in more areas as other non-Soviet forces could end up defecting and/or you could see unrest in other areas. I'm actually rather surprised it went that far before the Polish army started to defect. Remember I think it was a radio report during the early 80's. Might have been a from "From Our own Correspondent" during the period when Solidarity and the Polish government were facing each other and there was a fear the army might be sent in. Someone talking about the situation and with a Polish family where one member, I think it was an older son, was in army uniform and given pride of place at the end of the table for dinner. The correspondent was questioning whether such a man would turn his gun on ordinary fellow Poles. The Poles are brave, sometimes insanely so and very passionate about their country, as history has shown too often. I remember a little while back you started a thread about a kind of 1980s' Sealion type position where Britain was desperately trying to hold on until support from the US arrived. Were you thinking of this TL? Its different in that W Germany and other areas to the west aren't being occupied and I suspect the Soviets aren't expecting a successful invasion? Otherwise the situation developing here is quite similar to what your talking about. The crisis in Poland, especially when the Soviets send in other WP forces, is going to cause further unrest in the US. Not just in the large Polish community there. Its going to be interesting to see how Kennedy reacts? Does he harden his line or still try and maintain good relations with the Soviets? Also while John Paul II has gone the Catholic church internationally is likely to have something to say about the bloodshed. |
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raunchel
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Post by raunchel on Apr 14, 2018 18:05:06 GMT
The Soviets will have to suppress the Polish situation, but I think that for a very long time there will be unrest there, although they will learn more about fighting insurgents. They can't really launch an offensive to Western Europe when their supply lines go through a place like that, so that would be another reason to not attack.
And Kennedy is getting a little unlucky with the fighting in the Gulf of Sirte. But then again, he deserves some bad luck. I however fear that his successor won't be fixing things. That is, if he manages to lose the election.
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 14, 2018 18:28:48 GMT
So America has struck again. That is how it will be portrayed but actually Libya acted (they did this a lot in RL though the late 70s and 80s) against them and got a spanking. I fear so, especially in the short term. Depending what the state of play is when the dust finally settled there might be a chance of a free Poland but I suspect its less likely than OTL. Things are definitely going to be bloody in the months ahead. [This is probably another reason why the Soviets want things tightly restricted in the European theatre of the wider war, especially if a lot of their ground forces are tied up in Poland. Possibly also in more areas as other non-Soviet forces could end up defecting and/or you could see unrest in other areas. I'm actually rather surprised it went that far before the Polish army started to defect. Remember I think it was a radio report during the early 80's. Might have been a from "From Our own Correspondent" during the period when Solidarity and the Polish government were facing each other and there was a fear the army might be sent in. Someone talking about the situation and with a Polish family where one member, I think it was an older son, was in army uniform and given pride of place at the end of the table for dinner. The correspondent was questioning whether such a man would turn his gun on ordinary fellow Poles. The Poles are brave, sometimes insanely so and very passionate about their country, as history has shown too often. I remember a little while back you started a thread about a kind of 1980s' Sealion type position where Britain was desperately trying to hold on until support from the US arrived. Were you thinking of this TL? Its different in that W Germany and other areas to the west aren't being occupied and I suspect the Soviets aren't expecting a successful invasion? Otherwise the situation developing here is quite similar to what your talking about. The crisis in Poland, especially when the Soviets send in other WP forces, is going to cause further unrest in the US. Not just in the large Polish community there. Its going to be interesting to see how Kennedy reacts? Does he harden his line or still try and maintain good relations with the Soviets? Also while John Paul II has gone the Catholic church internationally is likely to have something to say about the bloodshed. Poland is going to fight and the soldiers will fight for Poland. How that will go, I will cover tomorrow. Patriotism against outsiders, not just Soviets but others, will be a big deal. Poles in the US will be a factor coming up soon enough. Most would be Democratic voters too, or assumed to be, as there is that election going on where everything is reflected in the political race. The Soviets will have to suppress the Polish situation, but I think that for a very long time there will be unrest there, although they will learn more about fighting insurgents. They can't really launch an offensive to Western Europe when their supply lines go through a place like that, so that would be another reason to not attack. And Kennedy is getting a little unlucky with the fighting in the Gulf of Sirte. But then again, he deserves some bad luck. I however fear that his successor won't be fixing things. That is, if he manages to lose the election. Poland will eventually be a big deal in limiting the scale of the war, certainty. Ah, as to Kennedy and his re-election, that would take place in November... but the war commences in September. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 14, 2018 18:29:04 GMT
(116)
May 1984:
That one single American air strike against that Mexican airbase continued to have no effect upon the civil war. The Mirage F-1s were on their last legs when used to attack Ciudad Victoria and the whole civil war had seen little use of air power in any reasonable way. The fighting was done on the ground between infantry and also in the fields of intelligence operations away from the frontlines too. The former saw Sinaloa eventually fall during May and the latter was the deciding factor where Yucatán was no longer a player in the fighting. The Northern Alliance was starting to fall apart and the loss of these two key factions highlighted the failure of the Monterrey Government and President Herzog Flores to be able to keep every faction onside. Baja California, yet another faction, demanded more be done too in getting further American help to stop the tide of defeat: Monterrey now had to worry that they might break away leaving Northern Alliance forces in the northeast of the country all alone. Despondency hit many in Monterrey especially as there were further military defeats elsewhere.
Sinaloa was on the western coast of Mexico and isolated for some time. Troops which had once fought for el coronel trying to advance down from the mountains to the sea had afterwards answered to Tirado López in continuing that. Eventually, being cut off for so long and faced with a relentless opponent, Sinaloa’s defenders ran out of bullets. Their only supply line was across the Gulf of California to Baja California who had supply problems of their own. Communist troops made a final attack and managed to reach the edges of Culiacán, the state capital. Emissaries had gone forward first under the cover of a white flag and when the attackers approached, no fire came their way. The city surrendered with the defending troops laying down their arms. Culiacán was declared an open city. The politicians, who’d promised there would be a fight to the last bullet, had already fled and headed for La Paz over in Baja California. Days later, resistance around the city of Mazatlán also gave in with similar circumstances and that was the effective end of resistance from Sinaloa. It would take some time to redeploy communist troops, but what would eventually occur would be the ability of Tirado López to start moving them north. Hermosillo up in Sonora was in communist hands but beyond that city, up as far as the US-Mexican border, there was Northern Alliance territory. When the advance would later start from Hermosillo, it would be ostensibly deeper into Sonora and to sever Baja California from the bulk of Northern Alliance territory. That would send them towards that border though. Communist troops on the border of the United States would certainty have interesting political, diplomatic and military effects.
Down in the Yucatán, the defenders at the front, those in Tabasco, were betrayed by their politicians in the rear. The three states across the peninsula had long been working together as one voice within the Northern Alliance and acting increasingly independent since Veracruz’s loss in February had cut them off. From the city of Mérida, there had been public claims that there would be a fight to the end from here. That wasn’t to be the case though. The state governments had some months ago opened secret negotiations with Mexico City and those had been facilitated by the Cuban DGI. Once again, despite everything that was being said in Washington but in also Moscow too, Cuba was involved in the Mexican civil war. They helped bring about a ‘political settlement’ between Mérida and Mexico City. The Yucatán states would stop fighting and leave the Northern Alliance: all ties with the Monterrey Government would be cut. There would be autonomy for the region in the new Mexico which was being built. This move brought forth howls of betrayal from Monterrey: it certainly was. It was also a betrayal of the fourth state in that region, that being Tabasco. The city of Villahermosa was on the frontlines and the switching of sides from Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán behind them left Tabasco high-and-dry. Tabasco would be overcome before the end of the month. Once again, this would see the freeing up of troops for Tirado López to send northwards as well.
Further to the south, the swallowing up of Honduras by Guatemala and Nicaragua last month saw British substantially increase its military commitment inside Belize. The devastation of the Belize War in 1982 had seen independence for the small country delayed but that had eventually come in January of this year. Belize had requested that Britain maintain a garrison in the country to help defend the new nation because Guatemala had showed no sign of discontinuing its aggression. When Guatemala directed that against Honduras instead, this was seen as a clear sign of what was going to return to Belize soon enough. The Belize Defence Forces were called-out and the Britain was called upon to help. There was already a large force in-place though this was increased. Extra warships were re-routed to the Caribbean and the RAF doubled its number of aircraft on the ground in Belize. As to the British Army, there came the activation from paper plans of the 48th Infantry Brigade. The two battalions of troops inside Belize – one of Gurkhas, the other of a line infantry unit – were to be joined by a further two battalions, including another of Gurkhas: these from Brunei in the Far East. The 48th Brigade was stood up due to the need for Britain to maintain its other brigade headquarters elsewhere due to long-standing commitments in other areas of the world: Britain hadn’t withdrawn any troops from West Germany plus had men in Ulster plus more for NATO missions. Finding the troops for Belize was difficult but doable: a brigade headquarters being redeployed would be impossible. The wait was on now for Guatemala to come back again at Belize. It was anticipated that this time, Guatemala would try to do things ‘properly’. So would the defenders of the country being doing things properly when/if that happened for there would no repeat of 1982.
Chile abandoned El Salvador in May. There had been further loses of Chilean military assets trying to support Romero’s collapsing regime and Pinochet could no longer maintain the fight so far aboard with losses mounting. The withdrawal was humiliating for Pinochet. For El Salvador’s ruler, it was fatal. As Chile pulled out, the guerrillas pushed onwards and won several victories outside of San Salvador before then mounting an assault on the capital city. Last month’s strikes inside the city were joined now by further armed actions to distract away from the fighting outside. When things fell apart, they fell apart fast. Romero decided to abandon the capital and fight from elsewhere. As he fled, he was killed when a meet-up with his evacuation escort went wrong after its details were betrayed to the rebels. Guerrilla troops, fighting with Cuban-supplied arms, were all over the capital and took charge. There were shootings and massacres as scores were settled. Romero’s regime came to a bloody end though he wasn’t alive to see it. Yet another Central American nation had fallen to the tide of revolution – all backed by outsiders – which continued sweeping across the region.
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lordbyron
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Post by lordbyron on Apr 14, 2018 18:52:01 GMT
When I read this update, I think of the Queen song "Another One Bites the Dust."
This is getting worse and worse...
Keep it up and waiting for more...
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 14, 2018 19:00:24 GMT
Keep it up and waiting for more... Second that, keep it up. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 14, 2018 19:14:51 GMT
James Another set of depressing events for the anti-communist forces. Still another 4 months before things totally fall apart. You raise a serious point that with a big war starting in September, including some large scale invasions of the US, what happens to the US elections, both Presidential and for the house? Going to be impossible to do anything in areas where there is full scale fighting or enemy forces in control. This means that at least some areas will be unable to return a vote. Will there be a suspension with Kennedy staying in office until the war is over? Which could be controversial if he's way behind in the polls at that point. [Almost getting to the point that it would be good for the US if he's assassinated!  ] I think you have a typo "As Chile pulled out, the guerrillas pushed onwards and won several defeats outside of San Salvador before then mounting an assault on the capital city" Think you mean victories? |
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lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Apr 14, 2018 19:19:06 GMT
the guerrillas pushed onwards and won several defeats ? Wait is it not possible to win several defeats. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 14, 2018 19:29:53 GMT
the guerrillas pushed onwards and won several defeats ? Wait is it not possible to win several defeats. You can win several victories or inflict several defeats [on your opponents that is]. But to win several defeats would only make even partial sense, even if a language as flexible as English if, just possibly, it mean you fouled up totally and defeated yourself several times. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 14, 2018 19:41:00 GMT
When I read this update, I think of the Queen song "Another One Bites the Dust." This is getting worse and worse... Keep it up and waiting for more... Dominos are falling in fast order now! More tomorrow including the decision being made that war it will have to be so before that some big events to bring that about. Will do, Admiral! James Another set of depressing events for the anti-communist forces. Still another 4 months before things totally fall apart. You raise a serious point that with a big war starting in September, including some large scale invasions of the US, what happens to the US elections, both Presidential and for the house? Going to be impossible to do anything in areas where there is full scale fighting or enemy forces in control. This means that at least some areas will be unable to return a vote. Will there be a suspension with Kennedy staying in office until the war is over? Which could be controversial if he's way behind in the polls at that point. [Almost getting to the point that it would be good for the US if he's assassinated! ] I think you have a typo "As Chile pulled out, the guerrillas pushed onwards and won several defeats outside of San Salvador before then mounting an assault on the capital city" Think you mean victories? There is whole load of thinking I need to do as to how that goes with the war being on US soil at election time. The research there looking for the law on the issue and precedent too is something I need to do. A typo: good spot! Wait is it not possible to win several defeats. Technically yes, I guess. You can win several victories or inflict several defeats [on your opponents that is]. But to win several defeats would only make even partial sense, even if a language as flexible as English if, just possibly, it mean you fouled up totally and defeated yourself several times. I'd agree with that but fixing typo now. |
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raunchel
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Post by raunchel on Apr 14, 2018 21:23:10 GMT
I was just thinking, are tgere any tensions between the European NATO countries? Otherwise, attacks on Norway and Britain could draw in the rest.
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 14, 2018 21:58:40 GMT
I was just thinking, are tgere any tensions between the European NATO countries? Otherwise, attacks on Norway and Britain could draw in the rest. They should draw in the rest, hence what NATO is all about. The maskirovka (Chapter 8, starting Monday) will have to take care of that. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Apr 15, 2018 12:43:20 GMT
(117)
June 1984:
Exercise Friendship had been planned all year with a start date of June 2nd where Warsaw Pact military forces across Eastern Europe would take place in large scale war games spread across Czechoslovakia, East Germany and Poland. There would be Soviet participation as well with the lead set by them. Events in Poland had interfered with the exercises. Polish participation was certainty out and there was to be none of the exercises taking place in Poland. Friendship was still meant to take place though. It did… but became Operation Unity instead. The war games became real as Unity saw an invasion – or an intervention as the other countries would claim – of Poland. Soviet forces already inside Poland joined with more coming in from outside of the nation engaged in a civil war alongside other troops from Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Order would be restored in Poland: that was the purpose of Unity. If it meant engaging Polish military units alongside armed counterrevolutionaries, so be it. The rules of engagement were quite lax considering Poland remained an ally and there was last-minute arm-twisting diplomacy where officially Warsaw Pact forces were invited into Poland to provide ‘fraternal military assistance’. Unity was to be a bloodbath but with only one possible outcome: victory for those invading/intervening.
The Polish Armed Forces had their own military counter-intelligence and political security organisation, the Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna (WSW). This was an organisation meant to make sure that the military kept political discipline and also that there was no ability for any sort of military coup to take place. The WSW had been busy through the past couple of months arresting officers and enlisted men who were accused of plotting against the state and acting in rebellion. They were no heroes of a free and democratic Poland. They were patriots though. The WSW became aware of the incoming invasion with a couple of days notice. Russian and German troops – the Czechoslovaks weren’t as significant – were once again about to rape Poland. For anyone who loved Poland, to see history repeating itself again like this was enough to cause despair and anger. There came a decision among senior figures at the top of the WSW to stop Unity from achieving its goal of crushing Poland whatever the political motive. If that meant that everything must be sacrificed, then that would be the case. There could be no repeat of the past where the historic enemies of the Polish people and Polish freedom were allowed to carve Poland up once again. On the eve of the incoming Unity operation, forged orders were sent out to Polish military units. These were hand-delivered messages sent with the correct authorization codes and as near to the real thing as possible: no traffic was sent over the airwaves. Those who received the orders were told a version of the truth as the WSW saw it. They were instructed to fight.
Having many troops of their own already inside Poland gave the Soviets an overwhelming advantage in getting Unity underway. The Northern Group of Forces commanded the Twentieth Guards Army – moved out of East Germany the other year – which consisted of five combat divisions plus supporting arms spread across the west and northwest of Poland. These went straight from their barracks into action. Also sent to overcome the armed counterrevolutionaries in Poland was an airborne division and a naval infantry brigade moving from the Baltic Military District, on Poland’s northeastern borders, who went into the Gdansk-Gdynia area. All of these were Soviet formations held at the ‘Ready’ level: what NATO would deem ‘Category A’. Two East German Army divisions along with three Czechoslovak divisions moved up from the south and southwest into Poland and reported to the Czechoslovak First Army. These non-Soviet formations weren’t at full readiness with complete numbers of active soldiers on duty for that would require mobilisation, but they were still all good units regardless. Further Soviet troops, reinforcements readying to form a third field army to operate under Northern Group of Forces command, were partially-mobilised through the Baltic, Belorussian and Carpathian Military Districts: these were ‘Reduced Strength I’ units, NATO-designated ‘Category B’. They actually wouldn’t end up going into Poland and be further mobilised in the months ahead to go somewhere else entirely.
Soviet, Czechoslovak and East German forces went into combat against Polish counterrevolutionaries but also the Polish Armed Forces. The stab in the back, as the Soviets saw it, was a shock though not something completely outrageous and wholly unexpected. The WSW achieved what would be deemed operational surprise rather than strategic surprise with what they did. There had been a belief that the Poles might resist and countermoves made to try and stop that yet the WSW had been quite effective in striking early and striking hard. Still, when Polish troops opened fire on those outsiders involved in Unity, they did do a lot of damage to the operation. Soviet forces were ripped into yet there was even more of an effort made to attack the East Germans as well. Militarily stupid this might have been due to the low numbers of East Germans, but it happened regardless. The price for Poland was heavy. Polish soldiers were slaughtered like Polish civilians were. Polish military actions were uncoordinated and incomplete. The Polish Army wasn’t fighting as one in a joint effort where there had been planning: units were already hit by desertions and munities and now had many refusing to follow the fake orders from the WSW. The Polish Air Force stayed on the ground and the Polish Navy stayed in port. The WSW leadership was eliminated by the actions of the Polish SB plus special KGB Spetsnaz units too. Hostage-taking occurred among the family members of commanders of Polish units engaging Unity forces where they were told those innocents would be killed unless the officers removed their forces from combat. This all combined to smash the ability of the Polish Armed Forces to fight successfully in the defence of their country.
As to Unity’s primary objective, that being to eliminate those deemed counterrevolutionaries, it was fulfilled. It took longer than planned and cost a lot more than foreseen, but the end came for Polish resistance in the face of such a massive combined arms attack. Those Polish factories were destroyed and infrastructure nationwide ruined as well. Tens of thousands, maybe a hundred thousand, lost their lives. Bullets did a lot of that, those fired on the front lines and then in massacres afterwards, but so too did the liberal use of heavy fire-power: artillery, rocket barrages and aerial bombing. All that was before the final ‘security operation’ where captured counterrevolutionaries were then sentenced for betraying the Polish People’s Republic. The Czechoslovaks and East Germans went home before that happened and a lot of Soviet troops returned to their barracks: to kill so many Poles and stuff out the last of resistance came the arrival of special KGB units brought in to do this quietly but at an industrial pace less the flame of resistance be lit any time in the near future. The fear of the WSW where there would be a rape of Poland came true.
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