lordroel
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Post by lordroel on Jan 22, 2019 19:16:26 GMT
Wait, that must means East Germans had crews trained for flying Soviet Tu-22s as east Germany had none of them in service. Yep, other flew Tu-22s for the Libyans over Chad during the 80s too. So they flew it in colors from those countries and also giving the Soviet some deny if something happened to the bombers and pilots. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Jan 22, 2019 21:58:04 GMT
Yep, other flew Tu-22s for the Libyans over Chad during the 80s too. So they flew it in colors from those countries and also giving the Soviet some deny if something happened to the bombers and pilots. Well... the aircraft in question were supposedly Iraqi and Libyan with the air crews being 'volunteers'. In theory, the Soviets don't have to deny anything. |
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Post by Anchises on Jan 26, 2019 23:40:43 GMT
As lordroel shows, East Germany was active all over the Third World. A real fight though would likely be in Africa, IMO, especially southern Africa so Angola is the most likely but maybe also Rhodesia or Mozambique if the conditions were right. There is a difference between operating in the shadows and real East German soldiers in uniform fighting for all to see. As to Afghanistan, that is possible too but it would mean a serious change of geo-political circumstances in the region for the USSR to have 'fraternal assistance' coming from other countries too. Maybe if the war there expanded to Pakistan or Iran? Not trying to hijack the thread but how and when could the Soviet Union kickstart a wider Middle Eastern war?
This would be interesting for a TL idea of mine but if the USSR seriously considers deploying Eastern German troops the situation would be bad. Neglecting Europe like this would hint at serious American weakness or a giant Soviet priority shift.
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James G
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Post by James G on Jan 27, 2019 12:02:24 GMT
As lordroel shows, East Germany was active all over the Third World. A real fight though would likely be in Africa, IMO, especially southern Africa so Angola is the most likely but maybe also Rhodesia or Mozambique if the conditions were right. There is a difference between operating in the shadows and real East German soldiers in uniform fighting for all to see. As to Afghanistan, that is possible too but it would mean a serious change of geo-political circumstances in the region for the USSR to have 'fraternal assistance' coming from other countries too. Maybe if the war there expanded to Pakistan or Iran? Not trying to hijack the thread but how and when could the Soviet Union kickstart a wider Middle Eastern war?
This would be interesting for a TL idea of mine but if the USSR seriously considers deploying Eastern German troops the situation would be bad. Neglecting Europe like this would hint at serious American weakness or a giant Soviet priority shift.
A different 70s or 80s with US disengagement from Western Europe of troops and aircraft but where they retain nuclear weapons? The Soviets would then be able to free up their own troops - not those in-place but reinforcements for war - to use elsewhere. They could take a force of WP allies - say a division each - under command to use for the fight to give it an 'Internationalist' angle. In Iran? In Israel? I'm not sure though. |
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Post by Anchises on Jan 27, 2019 12:25:44 GMT
Not trying to hijack the thread but how and when could the Soviet Union kickstart a wider Middle Eastern war?
This would be interesting for a TL idea of mine but if the USSR seriously considers deploying Eastern German troops the situation would be bad. Neglecting Europe like this would hint at serious American weakness or a giant Soviet priority shift.
A different 70s or 80s with US disengagement from Western Europe of troops and aircraft but where they retain nuclear weapons? The Soviets would then be able to free up their own troops - not those in-place but reinforcements for war - to use elsewhere. They could take a force of WP allies - say a division each - under command to use for the fight to give it an 'Internationalist' angle. In Iran? In Israel? I'm not sure though. Hmm, interesting ideas. What about a German Reunification in the late 70s/early 80s? Germany is established as a neutral buffer. Maybe due to a incident that involved NATO and WP troops shooting at each other. The world got even closer to the brink than IOTL and both Superpowers tried to defuse tensions in Europe. The CW shifts to Asia and the Middle East. Of course then we wouldn't see Eastern German troops.... Israel as a theater is unlikely though. They have nukes. Pakistan as part of a wider Afghanistan war or Iran as part of a revolutionary intervention might be likely targets. |
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