Soviet Domination - A Red Dawn story

No it won't.




I hope to live up to the expectation.




WW3 demands that. The movie says - hence the chapter title - the US and USSR fought just because they were the 'two toughest kids on the block'. I always wanted to expand on the real why.



I have it all in my head and it is hard sometimes to keep it all straight.

(120)

Late June 1984:

There had been a belief with Kennedy that he and Andropov had an understanding. Their relationship had never been one of friends or allies, but of mutual understanding when it came to a wish of peace between them and no desire to see war take place. Kennedy’s critics had accused him of being wilfully blind to Soviet aggression yet he hadn’t been. He hadn’t had friendly relations with the Soviet Union, just non-aggressive ones. Détente had been continued in his opinion with a new hope for better relations brought on by his presidency. He had believed that he knew what he was doing while those critics were ideologically committed to hostility which would lead to a war if their approach was followed. Then Andropov had died to be replaced by Ustinov. The cold shoulder was given by the new general secretary who instructed his foreign minister to turn hostile. Ustinov allowed Cuban expansionism to take place – which could be stopped in an instant if the money tap was turned off – and then he sent his troops into Poland to commit the massacres there. Kennedy saw it as Ustinov purposely doing what he did to antagonise the United States. Maybe he was shoring up his new leadership by acting tough and would soon dial that back? Maybe this was how his leadership would be? Kennedy didn’t know. Others believed that they did: advisers and critics of the president. It was put to Kennedy from inside his administration that the Soviet relationship with its allies might be similar to the one which the United States had with its own allies in the form that they were growing in independence and Moscow couldn’t control them. From the outside, it was said that this was what they had said all along when it came to attempted Soviet Domination of as much of the world as possible. They were bringing the Cold War to a close, it was suggested, and would do so with a Hot War. As president, the buck stopped with him. He had taken his country down this path of engaging with the Soviet Union in the manner which had been done. The threat of nuclear war had been lessened and even conventional conflict made less likely by troop withdrawals too. Cuba’s actions with Mexico and events in Poland threw all of this into doubt as the long-term strategy for relations though. Kennedy came to the view that the two of them were related. Ustinov was allowing this to happen, possibly making it happen.

The question was what to do in response. Kennedy could listen to those in Congress and outside – prominent among the latter in the form of Zbigniew Brzezinski, the Polish-born high-profile academic all over the media – calling for the United States to stand up to the Soviets over Poland and join with Western Europe in cutting ties. On the subject of Mexico, he could listen to those in Congress and governors like Brown & White (Democrats from California & Texas where those refugees were) and do something even stronger than Blue Shard to force Cuba to stop its activities in Mexico. That ‘even stronger’ meant providing arms and air strikes, just as the Monterrey Government wanted. The opposite way was to do nothing and let everything play out. The American voters, who Kennedy answered to, were demanding something else rather than do nothing. He’d seen the polling numbers where his support was collapsing and Kemp’s was rising at an alarming rate. Doing nothing wasn’t an option. Kennedy would have to act, which he knew would increase tension. There was no other choice available to him. Following the ‘advice’ of Brzezinski and his ilk personally offended Kennedy though: they would say they were right, he was wrong but they were glad he – the President of the United States of America, the most-powerful man in the world – was only acting under their guidance.


Decisions were being made in Moscow too. By chance, just a quirk of history, the decision made by the Politburo was on June 22nd: quite the symbolic date for the Soviet Union. That decision was the one to go to war with the United States in just over twelve weeks time.

Kennedy’s increasing aggression in Latin America was at first a concern and then a major danger for the security of the Soviet Union. He had been played for the fool for a long time but no longer was willing to be. Future plans for increasing Soviet security abroad by gaining allies and neutralising threats were at threat by his actions but neither that nor his waking up were the real issue which drove Politburo decision-making. What was the issue was what was foreseen in his actions as he acted in the crazed manner which he was as he struggled to get himself re-elected. In doing so, the view in Moscow was that he would do almost anything. He was power mad. A vain and determined man who thought he knew best was what Kennedy was judged to be… among those who decided this only one (Gromyko) who’d ever met him. Kennedy was eventually going to go to war in Latin America. He’d take on Cuba, Nicaragua and anyone else who stood in his way. Once the Americans started taking casualties, which they inevitably would, they would be drawn in further. Kennedy would use a war in the region to get himself re-elected but carry on afterwards to secure for himself a legacy denied to his slain brothers before him. Every nation in Latin America which stood in his way would be taken down. Soviet forces in the region, those small ones in Cuba, would be in the way and while he wouldn’t directly attack Soviet forces, the would attempt to bully the Soviet Union by threatening them with the ‘accidental’ destruction of those. America would restore subservience across Latin America. From there, who knows where else? That could be improving the United States relationship with China – improving all the time – to eliminate Vietnam. Or through the Middle East where Kennedy had his emotional ties to Israel, an implacable enemy of Soviet regional allies. Further to his own power ambitions, Kennedy would do this to get his country out of its economic woes. That was how in the past, his country had recovered from recession and made sense in how capitalists operated.

The men who decided that this was what would be done could throw their allies in Latin America to the wolves and let Kennedy have his kill. It was the same with Vietnam and Libya & Iraq. None mattered overall when it came to the Soviet Union’s security. Yet… that security depended upon those world allies there to stop American aggression. That frontline of defences would be imperilled when Kennedy was certain to go on his aggressive spree. Evidence had come in his recent action. The future was foreseen. That would have to be stopped. There had been agreement recently among Ustinov and his comrades that they wouldn’t be bullied by Kennedy as he woke up. They were strong, he was weak. Yet there was an understanding that the United States had put itself in such a weak position and could get out of it if chose to. Relations with allies could be repaired – Britain was an example of how that had been (partially) fixed – and military preparation increased. The belief was that would soon be. At the moment though, there was an historic opportunity to act. This was an opportunity never to arise again. The risks of failure were high but the risk of allowing what was foreseen to occur was judged to be worse. One day, the Soviet Union and the United States must fight. The two superpowers must eventually fight it out and now was the time to end this once and for all with a final showdown, one on Soviet terms.

How and where to act was discussed. There had been some thinking done beforehand, authorised back in April. A bold proposal had been set out in speculative planning for a war with the United States. Eyebrows were raised, to put it mildly. To fight in such a manner as suggested on the other side of the world, where the Soviet Union had no practical military experience of, was a challenge. In the manner suggested too… including letting the forces of allies do most of the initial work as well. There would be supporting actions alongside the main effort, again conducted in a different manner for what had long been expected. As to previous expectations for warfare, that being an epic battle in Central Europe, that would be the main missing feature of the planned conflict. Eastern Europe would be defended, not a springboard for an attack west. Twelve weeks was a short time for military preparations; it was a long time for things to change diplomatically on the international scene. The question was raised among the Politburo as to what would happen if Kennedy didn’t do as foreseen and backed down. Naturally, the response came, if that could guaranteed, then the war could be called off. This was a pre-emptive war after all. That was a lie though, a clever one. To achieve the situation which was demanded to allow the start of the war to go as desired, there would have to be things done. A maskirovka would need to commence, a series of deceptions leading to distractions and confusion all to disguise intent. With those crafted events taking place, there would be no stopping what was coming no matter if Kennedy rolled over and played dead. From June 22nd, the world was destined to go to war.

While the true believers will dismiss them, the great part of the population will believe that...and they will be scared, a lot; many will think that are a little exagerated...but the basic will be believed. The PCI will be rocked and the same will happen with the PCF and they were already in bad terms with Moscow; in general the approach will be to keep the peace and avoid war...maybe using diplomacy it's a better method to aid Poland instead of risking WWIII, only a minority will go the 'it's a lie, it's all a lie, damned bourgeous dog'. There is too much experience with such kind of shit to not really know the reality, at least for the greatest part of the people involved.
THings will be very complicated in west Germany, as pointed in the update it's the invasion of Poland by Russia and Germany all over again, and just that will make people very very carefull on what said, expecially dismissing all as a lie; hell the Green can be caught in a political scandal if caught by a camera due to the pecualiar nature of the situation, and seen as they have not great experience it's very possible; considering also that much of their success is circumstantial and due to a protest vote against the mainstream party...not a dedicated electorate groups, so it's easy that much of their votes will not be here the next time.

Dismissing everything as a lie will be much more difficult, for anyone not a true-believe, because i image that the various western embassy will be litteraly been invaded by Polish citizen trying to escape from that hell and any journalist with just a half dead brain cell will start to interwiew them and spread the news. NOt that this will cause western europe to invade, just a raise of the alert

Buckle up, kids! The clock of doom is ticking.

I wonder - what happens to Key West when the war kicks off?

If i can give my two cents, the update lack a sense of desperation for the Soviet to start a war of this kind (a possible last war for humanity); sure they will lose part of the advantages gained till now...still they will be in a better position than from they started and frankly many of the politbureau will make comparisation with Germany being dragged in the war by Austria-Hungary as much of the conflict it's the work of Castro and his puppet, hell many can thing at the american intervention as a good thing as it will make them waste men and resources and will teach at the upstart revolutionary who's really call the shoot. Adding a note about the collapse of the Ukraine production and how this will put at the total mercy of the americans and can be forced to pubblicy let their allies dry (among other things) IMVHO give the right contest on why the Soviet (that till now were more on gradual advance and avoid too strong direct confrontation) will decide to launch a direct invasion of North America

The countdown is on.
There is an end to the Kennedy saga.





I agree with what you are saying. Things will be very muddled. The choice to go to war or to duck out of the way will not be easy for governments. For people, fear will be struck into them with some of those dismissed stories about Poland being believed in the way to not make them want to see their countries at war: increased belief rather than disbelief.




Mid September awaits.




It will be epic in scale certainly and horrible too. WW3 will be the worst one of the three.




It is in the perfect place for destruction or capture. As a bastion of resistance, that will mess with everything and there is the issue of exposure for any defence. Still not 100% sure on where I will go with that.




Red Dawn is always something crazy to write for that purpose. The idea is, standing alone, insane for an attacker.
They should have walked away and made defensive plans for their theory of Kennedy's War, but they haven't. Self belief in strength is what has driven the decision plus they believe they will eventually win out in how the war will be done past the actual attack/invasion.
It will be a mess. The pretty plans will go awry. The Americans won't be able to bat it away though, not in the manner it is done.