stevep
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Post by stevep on Dec 28, 2019 12:14:46 GMT
One thing just popped in my mind regarding East Anglia. The nuclear power station of Sizewell A is likely in the occupied zone. I would imagine that it has been shut down safely and that staff will remain on duty to look after it. Fortunately, even if the worst happens the risk of a meltdown is negligible due to the Magnox technology involved.
Good point that man. There may be sabotage before the Soviet surrender, largely to destroy the facility rather than spread fall-out.
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James G
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Post by James G on Dec 28, 2019 20:46:59 GMT
The US Military was structured on four levels of depth for a fight against the USSR in Western Europe. First level were forward deployed and ready alert forces- V and VII corps, SETAF, the 2 MARDIV MEUs, and the 82nd DRB; behind them were the quick deployers- III Corps and other POMCUS, 18th AIrborne Corps (101st, 82nd, 10th MTN), 24th Mech on fast sealift, and Marine Prepositioned Brigades. After that were the “standard deployers”- I Corps, High readiness USAR and ARNG units (roundout and missioned forces). Then came the “general mobilization” forces- unmissioned ARNG forces (eg 42nd infantry division) and USAR forces (the training divisions). As an example- in 1989, forward deployed forces had the M1A1, M2A1, AH64, and the M109A3/MLRS with TACFIRE. Quick deployers had the M1IP, M2, AH64, and the M109A3/M110A2 with TACFIRE. The standard deployers had the M60A3TTS , M113A2, AH1, and the M109A3/M110A2 with TACFIRE. The general mobilizers had the M60A1/M48A5, M113A1, AH1, and the M109A3/M110A2. This means that each level is a layer in a cake of declining but still mutually supporting depth. So, as the Soviets bring out cat b and c forces, nato will match them. Ah... those Americans are in the Middle East though. I sent the XVIII Corps - with many other attachments - plus much of the US Marines there. they fought the Iraqis and then the Iranians. There were reinforcements underway at the moment that the war started in Europe. Iraq's armies have bene battered but the Iranians are still fighting. Getting them to Europe and abandoning the region is doable in the long-run - politics aside - but impossible to pull off in an instant. While that eliminates most of America's reserves from the fighting in Europe, there are others such as you mention. They have been & will be arriving. Some have taken POMCUS stocks from other units who went to the Gulf. For everyone else though it means several weeks in transit. The war is moving very fast though. I sent British and French forces to the Gulf too and while their commitments aren't large, like the Americans they invested so much of their support/logistics train in keeping that going. The information I have says that the majority of the Cat B units - which there weren't that many to be fair - had in many cases top-of-the-range gear that can match the Americans. C units less so but what I've seen says that they still won't be a pushover: some even had T-64s & T-72s instead of the T-55/T-62 that others did. Well, if the Soviets can push forwards before NATO gets it's act together, than it makes a potential counterattack very difficult. The question is, how far can they push? If they can get into Belgium/Luxembourg, NATO is in even more trouble than before. Imagine aircraft based in Belgium wreaking havoc on the French railway system, striking shipping in the English Channel, and shortening the time that NATO air defences have to react! They are going to go far and do just that! They'd end up a long way westwards with so many NATO forces behind to the east. Flanders will be a battlefield with air and even missile attacks from there going in all directions. Also: What's going on in Denmark? Have the Soviets gone north? The current fighting is on the Danish border. East German units got that far. Some Poles - paras and marine armour - have joined them but this is a holding flank action.
Thanks for the maps and there are a couple of nasty potential pockets there. Hopefully the British corp and Belgium units east of the river are withdrawing to the west bank before the Soviets are able to take advantage of their exposed position? Not sure what would happen further south as the Americans and French might seek to hold for political reasons.
The fact that Ogarkov and the Soviet military are being kept in the dark about political events in the west is bloody stupid, even if any decisions he might make over the issue would be vetoed by Moscow.
Not clear what the Soviets are planning? If they think they can advance to the French border, stop there, and then make peace they are deluded. It would take a huge effort but the allies could then regroup and continue a conventional war, getting stronger as they moblise forces while the Soviets have occupation duties and the need to get a lot of moblised forces back for civilian work as well as the front line. Would probably take years but its a practical idea as well as the best one since the western powers have refused to accept limited nuclear use.
The maps help me too! Its been a while since I was writing the war on the Conintent and I'd forgotten so much about where I left off. Those Brits, some of the Belgians too, have only just completed a withdraw from much further east. They'd been harassed all the way and have reached the Ruhr. If they pull back again, which would be sensible, everything east of the Rhine there is lost. A Soviet 'easy' envelopment isn't what will happen: it'll be done far away to the west, beyond what they could try to fight their way out of themselves. The Americans and French are holding on for both military and political reasons. I will be covering all of that in tomorrow's update including NATO finally being able to get some chemical weapons into action to hit back. Personally, I think keeping the military commanders out of the political events is a good idea for a war on this scale! It keeps them focused while they betters consider the bigger picture. That is the general strategy, always has been. Get as far as they want, string a defensive position but use politics to see an end to the war rather than have to fight a defensive conflict... which would be from a position of strength if need be. Its not going to be how things play out but it is the strategy being employed. One thing just popped in my mind regarding East Anglia. The nuclear power station of Sizewell A is likely in the occupied zone. I would imagine that it has been shut down safely and that staff will remain on duty to look after it. Fortunately, even if the worst happens the risk of a meltdown is negligible due to the Magnox technology involved. I looked at the map. Soviet advances into Suffolk went to Lowestoft. They were going to go further, Sizewell is between there and the Bentwaters/Woodbridge/Wattisham airbases but trouble elsewhere held that advance off. I think it would have been safety shut down and I'd agree that there will be a skeleton staff. Nuclear power plants in West Germany are behind the lines and it is in no one's interest that they go bang! Chernobyl was only the year before. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Dec 28, 2019 20:48:46 GMT
157 – Crushed under-tread
Artillery, the Gods of Warfare. While not an official position of the Soviet Army, they did give admiration to their big guns and considered them to be those that would bring victory on the battlefield. Tanks, motorised riflemen and aviation was of great importance… but the use of artillery, the correct usage too, would bring forth success. Saturation attacks using as much artillery as possible with all forms of warheads falling atop and behind an opponent was the Soviet Army’s way of warfare when it came to employing their big guns. The more of them the better too, firing until they could fire no more. The Gods of Warfare were tasked to do their worst on the Wednesday morning (the war’s fourth day) when the Western-TVD unleashed their fresh attack to win the war. Where the frontlines ran lateral through the middle of the Netherlands, artillery assigned to units under the command of the Third Shock Army fired from behind water barriers between them and NATO troops to the south. There were howitzers, mortars and multiple-barrelled rocket launchers all sending projectiles into the British and the French. Most were contact fused yet others exploded in the sky. There were gas shells as well which delivered Sarin close-in and VR at distance. The artillery barrage gave every impression of being the preamble for assaults coming over the Waal (part of the Rhine Estuary) by tank units with the Third Shock Army who had yesterday overrun the Central Netherlands. That wasn’t to be though. The Third Shock Army was in no position to advance today. The artillery was used to keep the British & French in-place and stop them from moving eastwards to aid the Dutch on their flank and then further multi-national unit further onwards into West Germany. Near to Nijmegen (Soviet-held) and then along the River Maas, more big guns fired here in the Netherlands and also over the border into the topmost reaches of the Rhineland. Those were assigned to artillery units with that pair of reinforcing Soviet field armies and this was no distraction effort.
There were Dutch reservists in the general Nijmegen area. The majority were south of the Maas but others were on the northern side of the river and trying to keep the way open for their fellow civilians fleeing from that city and beyond who sought safety far away. The headquarters staff of the 304th Infantry Brigade had operational command over all Dutch forces in this area. The majority were those reservists with all sorts of varied NATRES units though there were a few regulars too. Heavy weaponry was a luxury, armour was non-existent. Those positioned south of the river had dug-in and could only hope they could hold back what was coming their way long enough to provide the time for someone else to come and fight here so they could escape. Too many men were out in the open, mixed in with civilians, when the artillery barrage came. The employment of chemically filled shells had the worst effect upon the Dutch. Sarin was a nerve gas: those caught exposed suffered terribly. Then came a Soviet motorised rifle division under the cover offered by the ongoing barrage. Artillery directors moved the barrage onto every pocket of resistance spotted. The tanks and riflemen barely had to do much themselves due to the effectiveness of the artillery. The 1st Guards Motor Rifle Division, far from its home bases around Kaliningrad, moved on the Maas and begun crossing operations at multiple points. This division was going to lead the way for the rest of the Eleventh Guards Army to follow as the war moved deeper into the Low Countries.
The small West German town of Wesel had changed hands twice yesterday with the Americans ending up in control there. Their 2nd Armored Division had counterattacked northwards up the Rhineland – skirting the Dutch border – and retaken Wesel to smash the bridgehead established there by one of the Third Shock Army’s detached tank divisions leading to that unit being pretty much cut off. Soviet tankers soon had to conduct a three-sided defence against British, French and American efforts to overcome them. It had been an unpleasant evening and night for them but they were promised relief. Their commanding colonel, the former deputy divisional head who now lead the 47th Guards Tank Division after his general had been slain yesterday, was lied to. No relief came. Failure wasn’t going to be reinforced. When the Twenty–Eighth Army sent its leading unit into battle, employing the 24th Motor Rifle Division out ahead, the attack was made near to Wesel under the cover of that immense artillery barrage. This was some distance away from where the tank division had ended up on the Maas just inside the Netherlands. The US Army hadn’t dug-in here because they preferred to stay mobile. Some improvised shelter had been sought by them yet they would rather fight on the move. That they soon had to do. Four regiments showed up with T-72 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles and BTR-70 armoured personnel carriers being the most numerous pieces of equipment but the 24th Division brought everything to the table in terms of weaponry. It was a part-reserve unit but that didn’t mean that it could really be called second-rate. One of the best units of the US Army – though understrength – fought these reinforcing Soviet troops. This fight was spread over a wide area with the 47th Guards Division getting involved. Orders came at the last minute for those already here to strike outwards against both the Americans on the West German side of the border and against the French over on the Dutch side. It was finally understood by that colonel that he wasn’t being relieved and he had been lied to. However, he did as instructed and attacked those ahead of him, throwing everything into the fight: this was the only way that the 47th Guards Division was going to survive.
The 24th Division managed to reach their objectives past where the frontlines had been. This occurred later than projected and came about when the Americans withdrew rather than be destroyed in-place, but they were advancing forward. They moved across the Rhineland and if they had swung eastwards, they could have cut off access to the Ruhr. It was westwards that they were going though. Another motor rifle division joined them when the Twenty–Eighth Army released that formation. A turn was made towards the Dutch border. American forces were being chased and not allowed to break contact. Soviet intelligence pointed to the US III Corps as still being rather weak in terms of available men. Their 2nd Armored only had two brigades and there were national guardsmen from Tennessee manning an armored cavalry regiment. Most of another division – the 1st Cavalry – was assembled at POMCUS sites in Belgium ready to come forward starting later today and there was a whole division of more national guardsmen (the 29th Infantry) flying in to fight as light infantry. Those extra divisions weren’t yet available though. Yesterday, the III Corps had been dangerous. That wasn’t the case today. Backwards the Americans fell, chased by the Soviets towards the Maas when they were unable to fall away to the south. Against that river the 2nd Armored was pinned with the 278th Cav’ being unable to intervene in that fight. A mass of artillery was used again and so were aircraft streaming in. Many of the latter met NATO aircraft in the sky and didn’t make it to the battlefield to drop their bomb loads but the artillery was already doing its work. A two-brigade force the 2nd Armored was after its pre-deployed Forward Brigade had been lost the other day on the North German Plain. With three brigades, even if the 278th Cav’ had come to help, it wouldn’t have been able to stop what happened during the late morning and into the afternoon. The Americans were blasted to bits. That division was no more.
A second division had joined the first one which the Eleventh Guards Army had put into play when moving forward in the southern Netherlands. Dutch resistance had been crushed underfoot – under-tread might be a better description – and the way ahead was supposed to be open. It wasn’t though. There was an undetected opposition force in the way. Soviet intelligence gathering had spotted one French reserve brigade moving up alongside the British on the left (there were more Britons with other Frenchmen to the right) but not noted a second brigade. This was the 109th Reserve Brigade, which had come to the Netherlands to join the 108th as well as the 10th Armored Division already here along with the British 5th Airborne & 19th Infantry Brigades. That further French unit had mainly infantry under command but there were two regiments of armoured cars with them. There were AML-60 mortar carriers and AML-90 anti-tank vehicles. Those 90mm cannons on the fast-moving armoured cars were out ahead and the French had no reason not to use them to engage any armour spotted. Tank killing was beyond the capabilities of those armoured cars but they were soon shooting up any other vehicle that came into sight. It had been the 45th Guards Motor Rifle Division which the Eleventh Guards Army sent over the Maas alongside their other attacking division and they came off badly with infantry carriers and their own scout cars blasted apart. Tank fire from their T-80s (this was a well-equipped unit as many Cat. B ones were) hit many of the French vehicles when spotted and it was hoped that the arrival of attack helicopters hunting them would put pay to these roving anti-armour snipers. Alas, NATO fighters were flying low with helicopters being taken out. At one point, it looked like the 109th Brigade might change the course of the war here… but that was a folly. The Gods of Warfare opened up again. Soviet artillery started blasting everywhere that those armoured cars might be. More tanks were brought into play with dismounted anti-tank teams from surviving infantry carriers flooding the area too. The French started to fall back, westwards to join other NATO units on the flank. They’d done what they could and caused a delay as well as being able to fight another day but the onrush of enemy forces was too much. The Eleventh Guards Army was able to continue. Eindhoven and Tilburg, small cities with major road links around them, was where the blooded Soviets were going towards. They’d get to each by the late afternoon.
Finished with the Americans, the Twenty–Eighth Army crossed the Maas themselves. They kept away from Venlo where the 278th Cav’ had fallen back towards after being separated from the destroyed 2nd Armored and crossed further into the Netherlands too. From on-high, instructions came down to the Twenty–Eighth Army to not cross into the operational area of where the Eleventh Guards Army was operating due to concerns over friendly fire. The way ahead was clear where they were supposed to go and the Twenty–Eighth Army was to keep its two motor rifle divisions out ahead: for the time being, it was to not employ its pair of tank divisions that were still some distance behind. There was nothing to yet warrant their employment. Going southwest instead of towards Eindhoven where the roads ran in the direction of, the motor rifle units turned for the Belgian border. They reached there soon enough and went across. Belgium’s army was back over in West Germany – fighting in the Ruhr area and fixed in-place there – though they did have some men at home. Reservists forming Provincial Reserve Regiments fired their first shots just inside the Netherlands (almost unnoticed) but then attempted to make a stand here on home soil. They met the full might of the Soviet Army. It was an unfair set of engagements. The Twenty–Eighth Army battered their way through them and went deeper into Belgium. By nightfall they would reach the Albert Canal.
There was no resistance to the Eleventh Guards Army when they approached Eindhoven and Tilburg as this field army also used it motor rife divisions rather than tank divisions to head towards Belgium today. Direct entry into urban areas where a fight was expected was going to be left to follow-up troops. The Dutch Air Force airbase outside of Eindhoven was overrun yet there had already been a pull-out of there by NATO aircraft and personnel. Some damage had been done yet it was going to be a Soviet airbase afterwards regardless of those few demolitions. The progress now that those Dutchmen and the French had been dealt with was easy going. Few obstacles were encountered. It was almost as if the 1st & 45th Guards Divisions were on summer manoeuvres. They could occasionally meet an ambush by a few men with a missile launcher or the odd sniper but the only real armed opposition came from air attacks. Soviet fighter cover was nowhere near as effective as promised. Vehicles broke down and units got lost… yet the advance continued. The Belgian border was reached. That frontier was crossed and there was then encounters with Belgian reservists. The Albert Canal wasn’t going to be reached today by the Eleventh Guards Army. However, despite all that the Belgians did, they weren’t going to stop this advance where this field army, like the neighbouring Twenty–Eighth Army, lanced deep into the country with the full knowledge that there was no one ahead of them who could put a stop to this.
NATO forces had been shunted aside or caught in pockets by today’s advances through the Low Countries. There were British and French troops still under artillery fire coming from the north who were in the Breda area (the 5th Brigade) and dangerously far forward near 's-Hertogenbosch (those two French brigades). Their only escape route out was to either go into Zeeland or to try and make it to Antwerp. There were again British and French troops – this time heavier units – caught in the middle between Eindhoven and the Maas and thus pocketed behind the lines. Those Americans at Venlo sat in precarious position where they’d been bypassed and while not cut-off, were at risk of being hit from several directions by any follow up attack. Out ahead of the Soviet forces which had forced their way into Belgium was the 1st Cavalry Division. It had two regular brigades and one of national guardsmen (out of Mississippi) with this being a tank & infantry formation despite the historic name. Orders had come for 1st Cavalry to pull back what units it had north of the Albert Canal to join those who were south of that water barrier. Soviet entry into Belgium caught the division strung out and in the very last stages of getting ready to go into action. If that order hadn’t have come, the 1st Cavalry would have been savaged when unprepared. There was now a concentration of force where before everyone had been spread out when getting ready in what had initially been the ‘safe rear’. The Albert Canal was the new frontline. Coming from US III Corps headquarters, that night the divisional commander was told that there were four Soviet divisions on the other side, with another four possibly coming towards Belgium as well. Of course, not all of them would be employed at once against the 1st Cavalry… yet four-to-one wasn’t that much better than eight-to-one was it? Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day! These Americans stood between the Soviet Army and Brussels. They were also the only ones standing between those invaders and the French border beyond.
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dunois
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Post by dunois on Dec 28, 2019 21:55:10 GMT
France is about to be exposed on her entire northern border. This is a nightmare scenario for the French armed forces and politicians. We're just about to see another débâcle à la 1940. However, this is exactly what the French nuclear deterrent was designed to prevent. It is unlikely that France alone can muster enough conventional forces to resist a Soviet attack. Mobilising all the French reserves will take weeks and equipment wasn't that great compared to what was later put in service. I have a feeling that Pluton missiles will fly and obliterate the Soviet forces sent ahead.
I really wonder what the post-war consequences in the Low Countries will be. They've been routed in days, will suffer occupation (for how long?) and have been thoroughly humiliated. Populations will be crying for blood post-war and there will be a lot of finger pointing. It is not impossible that Western Europe becomes far more militarised post-war. Defence integration within NATO or the European Community could go either way. The situation proves the "wisdom" of France in creating its own independent nuclear deterrent ...
If French tactical nukes have been used on West German/Low Countries soil, things could become rather "interesting" ...
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Dec 28, 2019 23:17:58 GMT
France is about to be exposed on her entire northern border. This is a nightmare scenario for the French armed forces and politicians. We're just about to see another débâcle à la 1940. However, this is exactly what the French nuclear deterrent was designed to prevent. It is unlikely that France alone can muster enough conventional forces to resist a Soviet attack. Mobilising all the French reserves will take weeks and equipment wasn't that great compared to what was later put in service. I have a feeling that Pluton missiles will fly and obliterate the Soviet forces sent ahead. I really wonder what the post-war consequences in the Low Countries will be. They've been routed in days, will suffer occupation (for how long?) and have been thoroughly humiliated. Populations will be crying for blood post-war and there will be a lot of finger pointing. It is not impossible that Western Europe becomes far more militarised post-war. Defence integration within NATO or the European Community could go either way. The situation proves the "wisdom" of France in creating its own independent nuclear deterrent ... If French tactical nukes have been used on West German/Low Countries soil, things could become rather "interesting" ...
I think James said a little earlier was that the Soviet plan was to reach the French border then stop and make peace. Which of course assumes that the western powers are willing to do that. They may be hoping that France will do so to avoid using nukes but not sure that will occur. [Even through the western powers have ignored many better occasions to use a nuclear warning shot already when it was quite possibly going to work.]
If the remaining western powers refuse to make peace and accept the loss of their eastern allies then what do the Soviet do? Seek to hold their existing line, continue conventional and chemical attacks without crossing the border - which is going to really wear down the Soviet air force - or risk attacking into France? I suspect the latter as the allies have given way a number of times already and Britain recently has failed to respond to an actual invasion but then thing are likely to go nuclear.
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amir
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Post by amir on Dec 29, 2019 1:47:53 GMT
It looks like things are about to get “exciting” in France, James. This is a great narrative!
It will be interesting to see who’s resolve breaks first- France or NATO’s if the Soviets hit their stop lines and begin to negotiate a separate peace.
One factor I can see dividing NATO on a decision to release nuclear weapons or accept terms is the question of citizens behind Soviet lines in bypassed cities. I imagine it would be more difficult for the Dutch prime minister (for example) to support nuclear release over seeking terms if the Soviets made clear that Dutch cities behind their lines would be considered viable retaliatory targets in the event of a NATO strike. The French will not have the same concerns and vulnerabilities.
That said, I can’t imagine what the postwar order would be like if the French unilaterally deliver nuclear weapons onto their neighbor’s soil in an effort to preserve France.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Dec 29, 2019 10:32:55 GMT
It looks like things are about to get “exciting” in France, James. This is a great narrative! It will be interesting to see who’s resolve breaks first- France or NATO’s if the Soviets hit their stop lines and begin to negotiate a separate peace. One factor I can see dividing NATO on a decision to release nuclear weapons or accept terms is the question of citizens behind Soviet lines in bypassed cities. I imagine it would be more difficult for the Dutch prime minister (for example) to support nuclear release over seeking terms if the Soviets made clear that Dutch cities behind their lines would be considered viable retaliatory targets in the event of a NATO strike. The French will not have the same concerns and vulnerabilities. That said, I can’t imagine what the postwar order would be like if the French unilaterally deliver nuclear weapons onto their neighbor’s soil in an effort to preserve France.
A French unilateral nuclear line in the sand might work but such a move would be weaker now since one hasn't been done earlier despite repeated Soviet escalations so Moscow might be more likely to escalate further against the French with the hope/expectation that Britain and the US would be cowered into not responding. Also if things are left until the Soviets have taken just about everything up to the French border then a French warning, or even single shot is likely to be taken as a condition for peace leaving them unoccupied but implicitly accepting the Soviet occupation of the rest of western Europe.
I suspect that open mass murder of civilians behind the Soviet lines would be a step too far even for a shell-shocked western alliance. Would hope so anyway. The other issue here is, as with Germany earlier I think it was suggested that once your down and out then you have no real say on alliance decisions - albeit that some German units are still fighting hard.
Suspect that Moscow is thinking they can live with a cowered French and Britain still independent, especially if the price was a break with the US and Canada but if they close up to the French border and France decides to continue fighting, which I think they will, with alliance forces retreating into France and more arriving from the US and Britain then the Soviets have to realise their plan is flawed.
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amir
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Post by amir on Dec 29, 2019 14:57:05 GMT
The force de dissuasion gives France the ability to independently exercise a deterrent, but as you stated the moment for deterrence may have passed already. I guess it really comes down to whether the Soviets will gamble that the French will continue to resist escalation or choose a path that involves diplomacy. Although, given that they tried and failed to kill Mitterrand, diplomacy may be off the table.
I agree that it makes sense that I being down and out does take you away from alliance decision making, However, a private understanding of this is one thing. Anything perceived as a public break in the alliance is yet another vulnerability for the Soviets to exploit. Besides which, not all the NATO aircraft headed East would be US or UK. The Luftwaffe, KLu, and FAB all have delivery responsibilities in the central region as well. While the Luftwaffe and KLu have doubtless suffered very heavy losses in personnel and material, the NATO strike reserve may have been preserved or reconstituted. In addition, the AM may be retasked into the central region. I don’t doubt that the military forces will continue to fight and follow orders, but I am wondering how long it will be for the political foundations to begin to erode- especially if offered a deal of some nature (i.e. Finlandization).
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James G
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Post by James G on Dec 29, 2019 20:22:47 GMT
France is about to be exposed on her entire northern border. This is a nightmare scenario for the French armed forces and politicians. We're just about to see another débâcle à la 1940. However, this is exactly what the French nuclear deterrent was designed to prevent. It is unlikely that France alone can muster enough conventional forces to resist a Soviet attack. Mobilising all the French reserves will take weeks and equipment wasn't that great compared to what was later put in service. I have a feeling that Pluton missiles will fly and obliterate the Soviet forces sent ahead. I really wonder what the post-war consequences in the Low Countries will be. They've been routed in days, will suffer occupation (for how long?) and have been thoroughly humiliated. Populations will be crying for blood post-war and there will be a lot of finger pointing. It is not impossible that Western Europe becomes far more militarised post-war. Defence integration within NATO or the European Community could go either way. The situation proves the "wisdom" of France in creating its own independent nuclear deterrent ... If French tactical nukes have been used on West German/Low Countries soil, things could become rather "interesting" ... France is staring defeat in the face and it isn't looking good at all. In reserve, the French has the 27th Alpine Division,the only unused major combat formation so far... and a whole lot of reservists with very old gear that would take months to organise. The two reserve armored division (12th & 14th) and those eight brigades (102nd & so on) have already been committed. I have info that says there are many dismounted infantry regiments/battalions in reserve and I know heavy gear was stored but that it really it for organised reserves! What happens in the Low Countries post-war is an interesting concept... that being if the whole place isn't an atomic ruin. If it isn't, they will be blaming everyone else for what occurred. Worner already begged his allies not to nuke West Germany and the leaders of the BENELUX countries will be doing the same, though probably arguing that if nukes had to be used can they please be used elsewhere! We'll see soon enough how this all develops yet there will be no happy ending.
I think James said a little earlier was that the Soviet plan was to reach the French border then stop and make peace. Which of course assumes that the western powers are willing to do that. They may be hoping that France will do so to avoid using nukes but not sure that will occur. [Even through the western powers have ignored many better occasions to use a nuclear warning shot already when it was quite possibly going to work.]
If the remaining western powers refuse to make peace and accept the loss of their eastern allies then what do the Soviet do? Seek to hold their existing line, continue conventional and chemical attacks without crossing the border - which is going to really wear down the Soviet air force - or risk attacking into France? I suspect the latter as the allies have given way a number of times already and Britain recently has failed to respond to an actual invasion but then thing are likely to go nuclear.
I strongly hinted that but haven't exactly said that the stopline on the border is the plan (unless I messed up somewhere). The Soviets want the French to give in, like everyone else. They only went west because they had been attacked - in the Middle East and by accident - and have no real desire to swallow the whole of Western Europe. The end of NATO, de-militarising Europe, goodbye to the Americans, exploiting a pacified Europe are all aims instead. Some in Moscow might want different but that is the official position. There is no one in Moscow who wants a long war like that in Europe. They'd prefer it over a nuclear release, yes, but it is similar to having a choice between having a finger cut off or a whole hand: neither is favourable despite one being less painful than the other. It looks like things are about to get “exciting” in France, James. This is a great narrative! It will be interesting to see who’s resolve breaks first- France or NATO’s if the Soviets hit their stop lines and begin to negotiate a separate peace. One factor I can see dividing NATO on a decision to release nuclear weapons or accept terms is the question of citizens behind Soviet lines in bypassed cities. I imagine it would be more difficult for the Dutch prime minister (for example) to support nuclear release over seeking terms if the Soviets made clear that Dutch cities behind their lines would be considered viable retaliatory targets in the event of a NATO strike. The French will not have the same concerns and vulnerabilities. That said, I can’t imagine what the postwar order would be like if the French unilaterally deliver nuclear weapons onto their neighbor’s soil in an effort to preserve France. Thank you very much. This is enjoyable to write. I've done stories before where the fighting has been contained in West Germany with a push on to Berlin and - yawn - I wanted to do something different! There are many cities that can be held hostage. And, yes, NATO is a collection of countries where - in theory - everyone is equal. When the Americans and French wanted to use nukes as the Rhine was reached, their allies begged them not to. Now things are far worse but many countries still will not want to see weapons release no matter what either on their own soil yet even on allied soil. However... we'll see how that goes in the end. The force de dissuasion gives France the ability to independently exercise a deterrent, but as you stated the moment for deterrence may have passed already. I guess it really comes down to whether the Soviets will gamble that the French will continue to resist escalation or choose a path that involves diplomacy. Although, given that they tried and failed to kill Mitterrand, diplomacy may be off the table. I agree that it makes sense that I being down and out does take you away from alliance decision making, However, a private understanding of this is one thing. Anything perceived as a public break in the alliance is yet another vulnerability for the Soviets to exploit. Besides which, not all the NATO aircraft headed East would be US or UK. The Luftwaffe, KLu, and FAB all have delivery responsibilities in the central region as well. While the Luftwaffe and KLu have doubtless suffered very heavy losses in personnel and material, the NATO strike reserve may have been preserved or reconstituted. In addition, the AM may be retasked into the central region. I don’t doubt that the military forces will continue to fight and follow orders, but I am wondering how long it will be for the political foundations to begin to erode- especially if offered a deal of some nature (i.e. Finlandization). If one country breaks off in a manner like that, really dropping out, I think the whole alliance would crumble. One nation refusing to commit certain forces to a particular fight wouldn't break it but leaving in the midst of war, France for example, really would see the alliance doomed. There will be many Soviet efforts underway to force this. So far all they have seen is every member fight them so that hasn't worked. We'll have to see what I do with that as time moves on. A very good point about who will be flying those aircraft. NATO has never been a dictatorship so there is national veto powers available. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Dec 29, 2019 20:24:08 GMT
158 – Not in a bubble
The US Army’s V Corps, forward deployed in the central part of West Germany, had done the best out of all of the equivalent corps NATO commands during the course of the war so far. Like everyone else, the Victory Corps had been hit by a surprise attack when in barracks on a quiet Sunday morning with missile strikes and the release of gas which killed service personnel and also family members. Thankfully, there had been no entry into their area of operations by one of those advance guard columns of Soviet paratroopers travelling down autobahns to throw everything into chaos. However, the Americans had seen much smaller detachments of roving scouts come over the border travelling fast as well as Spetsnaz operations that had taken place. An airmobile operation to seize Hanau Army Airfield – home of many V Corps helicopter operations – had been defeated though and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment had met the enemy on the border soon enough. The first couple of days saw the Blackhorse Cav’ take a battering as the rest of the V Corps deployed into battle. The Fulda Gap had been lost and so too had the key access/supply route up the Kinzig Valley plus the heights of the Vogelsberg when the 3rd Armored & 8th Infantry Divisions saw battle. Still, in spite of many casualties and a need to make a fighting withdrawal from forward positions where the Americans had intended to see this war fought, they had held on. They’d fought the Soviet’s Eighth Guards Army to a standstill. A bloody standstill that was. Frankfurt and the lower reaches of the Main Valley hadn’t fallen. This was an area of great strategic importance and thus the saving of it really meant something. Coming directly at the Americans and then with one approach from one flank and then another from the other, the Soviets hadn’t been able to do what they’d done to others fighting for the defence of West Germany. The soldiers of the V Corps knew that they had done a good job. They’d met the enemy and put a stop to him. The full horrors of war had been encountered and where others faltered, they held.
Achieving what they had here hadn’t occurred elsewhere though. The V Corps wasn’t fighting this war in a bubble where nothing else mattered. The West German III Corps on their left had been overcome and the French hadn’t been able to stop Soviet forces from crossing through much of Hessen and not just reaching the Rhine but getting over it. As to Bavaria…? What a mess that had become for fellow US Army units as well as others based there. Central Army Group’s (CENTAG) commander – the pre-war deputy head of the US Seventh Army; the then-commander had died of wounds caused in the war opening ballistic missile attack on Campbell Barracks two days after the fact – had been forced to pay attention elsewhere away from where the V Corps was fighting. Air support was directed to try and avert the disasters befalling those NATO forces fighting not as successfully as the V Corps was. This came alongside the redirection of supplies and soon enough reinforcements too. The V Corps had held their ground and thus suffered accordingly for doing so well. Under plans drawn up in peacetime, there was meant to be a substantial reinforcement for them once war came with troops flying in from the United States to meet up with equipment & stores kept secure in those Rhineland POMCUS sites. In terms of combat troops, two independent brigades plus a full division, all of regulars, were meant to be assigned to the V Corps alongside many different combat support and service support units too. These plans changed once the war progressed in the manner that it did. The majority of the US VII Corps over in Bavaria was lost in battle with the survivors forced to flee southwards with West Germans from their II Corps. The VII Corps headquarters and many of its rear area units managed to get away – loss of the ‘corps trains’ would have been a catastrophe beyond words; the headquarters staff maybe not so much – and they were joined by combat reinforcements assigned to come to them under REFORGER plans along with some other West Germans attached due to operational need. This new fight for the VII Corps took place in the southernmost reaches of Hessen, very close to the Rhine in Baden–Wurttemberg and right on the V Corps’ flank. Under CENTAG orders, the VII Corps was then given V Corps-assigned reinforcements. The 4th Infantry Division would stay with the V Corps as planned but those two independent brigades, one of which was now national guardsmen using gear stored for regulars because those troops had been sent pre-war to Iraq, went to the VII Corps.
What the V Corps’ commander and his staff wanted to do was to conduct an offensive. Defensive warfare wasn’t what they were suited to and was costing them more than any attack would. As the 4th Infantry moved closer to readiness, the desire was to have them lead an attack going northwards though Central Hessen. Much was expected to be achieved when going forward by them and this would, in the words of the corps commander when talking to CENTAG, would ‘put a hurting’ on the Soviets as ‘hell was unleashed’. CENTAG at first wouldn’t agree to this though there was a change of mind there when the V Corps could provide accurate intelligence on what lay ahead in the projected line of advance for the 4th Infantry. There were improvised airfields that the Soviets were using but more than that there was their whole exposed rear area support network for forces such as their First Guards Tank Army which had gone over the Rhine. NATO air power had been hitting all of those supply columns, semi-mobile communications stations, engineers laying aboveground fuel pipelines and so on. Yet, what could be better than making a ground attack there which would not just do physical damage but throw the enemy into the reactive mode for a change? CENTAG authorised the attack yet couldn’t promise that much air cover as required due to everything else going on. To make up for that, the V Corps did get its hands on a weapon that the Soviets had been using against them without retaliation: chemical weapons in deployable form arrived.
It wasn’t until the Wednesday afternoon that the V Corps was able to get the 4th Infantry into action. If they had been subordinate to the Northern Army Group rather than CENTAG, there would have been none of this silly business of making an attack when everything was being thrown at the defence. Up in the north, NORTHAG was trying to contain attacks which had taken Soviet forces into the Netherlands but here in the middle of West Germany, the Americans went on the offensive. Passing through the positions of the 8th Infantry, who would follow them afterwards by striking out themselves yet as support, those reinforcements fresh from back home got their first taste of warfare. They struck first in the general area around Bad Homburg but the intention was to get up to the Giessen-Wetzlar area. US Army artillery fired gas in support of them. The shells were 155mm & 203mm ones long stored in bunkers over the Rhineland near to the Saar and the French border. Soviet attacks using gas of their own against the supporting infrastructure for their storage had brought about the long delay in the Americans breaking out the gas yet so too had been the peacetime non-chemical posture employed. There were those weapons there but, on an official level, gas wasn’t part of the American military arsenal. It was today. Soviet soldiers caught up in the shelling, some done at great distance too using big guns, suffered terribly. Their chemical warfare suits didn’t always protect them from ‘friendly’ gas and when the Americans made use of VX nerve gas there were huge casualties inflicted. Unfortunately, there were West German civilian casualties too. Care was taken by the V Corps but there were always going to be losses among innocents. Collateral damage it was called: a term which sounded quite callous. The gas was effective in opening the way though alongside all the other firepower that the Americans employed today to make a counteroffensive.
The 4th Infantry poured forward and the 8th Infantry would afterwards make their own supporting attack on the flank too; the 3rd Armored was unable to join in held up where it was to the right in the Main Valley. Into the Soviet rear the US army went. They shot-up everything in sight that belonged to the Soviet Army. There was some opposition met behind where the frontlines had been shattered, and also in came Soviet aircraft & helicopters, but this was a successful attack. It was the type of thing that those involved were sure would make the history books… as long as they were the victors who got to write them. Night fell when the advance had taken the V Corps’ attacking formations thirty miles ahead. The corps commander sent a message to his superior asking for instructions to turn westwards. He wanted to march on the Rhine from behind, taking the Soviets there who held ground from Bonn down to Koblenz in the rear, in hopefully what would be cooperation with the French. This could have been the start of something wonderful! A halt order came instead. Suddenly almost all of the (little) air support that there was ended up being pulled away and there would be no more further supplies of gas – both nerve gas and vehicle gas – to keep this going. Why, that general asked, was he being stopped after meeting so much success? The Soviets were entering Belgium, that was why. His first reaction was to shrug his shoulders. Belgium was a NORTHAG concern, not one for CENTAG’s US V Corps. But, of course, it wasn’t. No part of this war was being fought in a bubble where something like that could be ignored. While the V Corps couldn’t be teleported there to save the situation, so much of what was supporting their attack was redirected with an urgent haste.
The Americans assumed defensive positions once more. This was the US Army and so that didn’t mean static defence though. There was aggressive forward patrolling done with those being small offensives in everything but name. Their commander was glad that he had made use of the 4th Infantry today: he believed that if it hadn’t done what it had and ended up where it was, that division would have been ordered to charge off towards Belgium and there never would have been a hurting put on the Soviets like the V Corps had just done! There was no way that he could see the V Corps being defeated where it was. This part of West Germany was theirs. However, after calming down from his initial fury at having his legs cut out from under him right in the middle of an successful attack, he did join his staff in consulting the maps which showed the ground far beyond the area of operations where the V Corps was operating. He looked far beyond Hessen and Baden–Wurttemberg. The information which he had was that the Soviets had managed to get a field army, possibly two of them, ones which weren’t Polish as first suspected either, through Brabant in the Netherlands into Belgium. Were they going to charge on Brussels and the English Channel? Or, another option for them would be to keep heading south through the Ardennes towards France. His superiors would be trying to work out the same thing. If either happened, that was going to affect the war that the V Corps was fighting even beyond it already had been. Yesterday, he had taken the time to consider what would have been the outcome if the Soviets had pushed their (other) armies down the Rhineland to get behind him that way while overrunning the countless NATO bases spread down there. That led to his wish today to hit those who’d gone over the Rhine already from behind. He’d wanted to do to them on a smaller scale than what he’d feared they were going to be doing to him instead. The war moving into Belgium now changed everything. The V Corps’ commander nor his men had no way of influencing that though, even if he’d gone after the First Guards Tank Army’s rear like he’d wanted to. The war was going to be decided by what was happening elsewhere. And that outcome looked at the moment as something not going to be good for NATO either.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Dec 30, 2019 10:57:44 GMT
France is about to be exposed on her entire northern border. This is a nightmare scenario for the French armed forces and politicians. We're just about to see another débâcle à la 1940. However, this is exactly what the French nuclear deterrent was designed to prevent. It is unlikely that France alone can muster enough conventional forces to resist a Soviet attack. Mobilising all the French reserves will take weeks and equipment wasn't that great compared to what was later put in service. I have a feeling that Pluton missiles will fly and obliterate the Soviet forces sent ahead. I really wonder what the post-war consequences in the Low Countries will be. They've been routed in days, will suffer occupation (for how long?) and have been thoroughly humiliated. Populations will be crying for blood post-war and there will be a lot of finger pointing. It is not impossible that Western Europe becomes far more militarised post-war. Defence integration within NATO or the European Community could go either way. The situation proves the "wisdom" of France in creating its own independent nuclear deterrent ... If French tactical nukes have been used on West German/Low Countries soil, things could become rather "interesting" ... France is staring defeat in the face and it isn't looking good at all. In reserve, the French has the 27th Alpine Division,the only unused major combat formation so far... and a whole lot of reservists with very old gear that would take months to organise. The two reserve armored division (12th & 14th) and those eight brigades (102nd & so on) have already been committed. I have info that says there are many dismounted infantry regiments/battalions in reserve and I know heavy gear was stored but that it really it for organised reserves! What happens in the Low Countries post-war is an interesting concept... that being if the whole place isn't an atomic ruin. If it isn't, they will be blaming everyone else for what occurred. Worner already begged his allies not to nuke West Germany and the leaders of the BENELUX countries will be doing the same, though probably arguing that if nukes had to be used can they please be used elsewhere! We'll see soon enough how this all develops yet there will be no happy ending.
I think James said a little earlier was that the Soviet plan was to reach the French border then stop and make peace. Which of course assumes that the western powers are willing to do that. They may be hoping that France will do so to avoid using nukes but not sure that will occur. [Even through the western powers have ignored many better occasions to use a nuclear warning shot already when it was quite possibly going to work.]
If the remaining western powers refuse to make peace and accept the loss of their eastern allies then what do the Soviet do? Seek to hold their existing line, continue conventional and chemical attacks without crossing the border - which is going to really wear down the Soviet air force - or risk attacking into France? I suspect the latter as the allies have given way a number of times already and Britain recently has failed to respond to an actual invasion but then thing are likely to go nuclear.
I strongly hinted that but haven't exactly said that the stopline on the border is the plan (unless I messed up somewhere). The Soviets want the French to give in, like everyone else. They only went west because they had been attacked - in the Middle East and by accident - and have no real desire to swallow the whole of Western Europe. The end of NATO, de-militarising Europe, goodbye to the Americans, exploiting a pacified Europe are all aims instead. Some in Moscow might want different but that is the official position. There is no one in Moscow who wants a long war like that in Europe. They'd prefer it over a nuclear release, yes, but it is similar to having a choice between having a finger cut off or a whole hand: neither is favourable despite one being less painful than the other.
I think that if nuclear use was initiated by the west the best bet would be a single - or very limited - warning shots on military targets inside the Soviet union with an ultimatum for a ceasefire and a rapid withdraw from occupied NATO [and allies if that has occurred anywhere] territory, along with the release of all prisoners - military and civilian taken. Don't expect the Soviets to abide by the latter but it would bring home to them that NATO is serious and that they will be hurt badly until either they escalate with nuclear attacks on the west, leading to a massive exchange or they withdraw. By attacking solely Soviet territory it would also reassure the non-nuclear NATO members.
The Soviets tried to cripple NATO and given what they found they must realise now that the excuse they gave for the attack, that NATO was planning an attack on them was false. Also they have done a hell of a lot of damage to the west so they can claim some sort of victory but they need to face the issue that they face either withdrawal or massive/total destruction.
Steve
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amir
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Post by amir on Dec 30, 2019 12:39:17 GMT
A demonstration followed by an ultimatum makes sense, but what if the Soviets gamble that the US is more willing to negotiate than they let on. I can see a sort of win/win where the soviets physically withdraw, both sides exchange prisoners, but there are substantial economic and military restrictions on the former European nato states (maybe with soviet observers).
I fear the west is in a case of win, findlandize, or fry. And the soviets are riding a tiger as well- they can’t afford to allow the west any conventional breathing space on the continent does their own intelligence apparatus probably seeing indicators of planning and requests for nuclear release brought on by the e conventional pressure.
Nice use of CW by the US, James. The US went away from the G series agents to V series in the 1970s as they developed deeper battle doctrine for a brutally simple reason. V series agents are persistent- this required the soviets to conduct prolonged operations in their CW gear (the rubberized wobble suit), which was less effective for prolonged wear than equivalent western models. The switch to V series also marked the introduction of breathable over garments (noddy suit) drinking tubes, and the first quick change filters in the west. To the US Army, the use of a V series agent was intended to both fix and cause casualties, allowing for effective maneuver. The areas actually meant to be maneuvered through would be suppressed and isolated by conventional and nuclear fires, while the chem strikes would target key logistics nodes, chokepoints on counterattack/reserve routes, and uncovered area targets like helicopter fols and entrenchments.
One reason the US Army finally went away from offensive chemicals entirely was the lack of effect for the limitations/constraints they impose on delivery. Even liquids like VX (it’s oily and just a little denser than water) are impacted by weather. They also require a disproportionate amount of delivery assets compared to nuclear or area denial munitions. Once scatterable mines became a viable munition using high capacity low time delivery techniques (fixed wing, rotary wing) the handwriting was on the wall for CW as anything other than a retaliatory munition. The political message sent by the use of CW by the US is probably more far reaching than the military effect it had enabling V Corps to conduct their counterattack.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on Dec 30, 2019 20:33:57 GMT
France is staring defeat in the face and it isn't looking good at all. In reserve, the French has the 27th Alpine Division,the only unused major combat formation so far... and a whole lot of reservists with very old gear that would take months to organise. The two reserve armored division (12th & 14th) and those eight brigades (102nd & so on) have already been committed. I have info that says there are many dismounted infantry regiments/battalions in reserve and I know heavy gear was stored but that it really it for organised reserves! What happens in the Low Countries post-war is an interesting concept... that being if the whole place isn't an atomic ruin. If it isn't, they will be blaming everyone else for what occurred. Worner already begged his allies not to nuke West Germany and the leaders of the BENELUX countries will be doing the same, though probably arguing that if nukes had to be used can they please be used elsewhere! We'll see soon enough how this all develops yet there will be no happy ending. I strongly hinted that but haven't exactly said that the stopline on the border is the plan (unless I messed up somewhere). The Soviets want the French to give in, like everyone else. They only went west because they had been attacked - in the Middle East and by accident - and have no real desire to swallow the whole of Western Europe. The end of NATO, de-militarising Europe, goodbye to the Americans, exploiting a pacified Europe are all aims instead. Some in Moscow might want different but that is the official position. There is no one in Moscow who wants a long war like that in Europe. They'd prefer it over a nuclear release, yes, but it is similar to having a choice between having a finger cut off or a whole hand: neither is favourable despite one being less painful than the other.
I think that if nuclear use was initiated by the west the best bet would be a single - or very limited - warning shots on military targets inside the Soviet union with an ultimatum for a ceasefire and a rapid withdraw from occupied NATO [and allies if that has occurred anywhere] territory, along with the release of all prisoners - military and civilian taken. Don't expect the Soviets to abide by the latter but it would bring home to them that NATO is serious and that they will be hurt badly until either they escalate with nuclear attacks on the west, leading to a massive exchange or they withdraw. By attacking solely Soviet territory it would also reassure the non-nuclear NATO members.
The Soviets tried to cripple NATO and given what they found they must realise now that the excuse they gave for the attack, that NATO was planning an attack on them was false. Also they have done a hell of a lot of damage to the west so they can claim some sort of victory but they need to face the issue that they face either withdrawal or massive/total destruction.
Steve
That would be sensible... if using nukes is ever sensible! Withdrawing like that would also be very sensible too. Things have gone too far beyond this for both sides by now though. I don't think many in the West would accept an end like that even for the greater good. Moscow is seeing other things going on in the world - we'll see that in a couple of updates time - and their grand geo-strategic plans have been disturbed. The point of a controllable war and controllable end have gone out of everyone's hands. A demonstration followed by an ultimatum makes sense, but what if the Soviets gamble that the US is more willing to negotiate than they let on. I can see a sort of win/win where the soviets physically withdraw, both sides exchange prisoners, but there are substantial economic and military restrictions on the former European nato states (maybe with soviet observers). I fear the west is in a case of win, findlandize, or fry. And the soviets are riding a tiger as well- they can’t afford to allow the west any conventional breathing space on the continent does their own intelligence apparatus probably seeing indicators of planning and requests for nuclear release brought on by the e conventional pressure. Nice use of CW by the US, James. The US went away from the G series agents to V series in the 1970s as they developed deeper battle doctrine for a brutally simple reason. V series agents are persistent- this required the soviets to conduct prolonged operations in their CW gear (the rubberized wobble suit), which was less effective for prolonged wear than equivalent western models. The switch to V series also marked the introduction of breathable over garments (noddy suit) drinking tubes, and the first quick change filters in the west. To the US Army, the use of a V series agent was intended to both fix and cause casualties, allowing for effective maneuver. The areas actually meant to be maneuvered through would be suppressed and isolated by conventional and nuclear fires, while the chem strikes would target key logistics nodes, chokepoints on counterattack/reserve routes, and uncovered area targets like helicopter fols and entrenchments. One reason the US Army finally went away from offensive chemicals entirely was the lack of effect for the limitations/constraints they impose on delivery. Even liquids like VX (it’s oily and just a little denser than water) are impacted by weather. They also require a disproportionate amount of delivery assets compared to nuclear or area denial munitions. Once scatterable mines became a viable munition using high capacity low time delivery techniques (fixed wing, rotary wing) the handwriting was on the wall for CW as anything other than a retaliatory munition. The political message sent by the use of CW by the US is probably more far reaching than the military effect it had enabling V Corps to conduct their counterattack. Neither side can mind read the other. Walking away when you're winning never seems the best idea either. For those on the receiving end of blows, they'll always think that they can hold and turn things arund... until the moment where ending it without complete destruction is gone. Thank you. I looked at what the US had a CW stocks and there was Sarin and VX. The latter seemed the best option though they will probably use Sarin too soon enough. I've read enough about Soviet NBC gear in terms of personal protection to know it was bad but thank you for the extra info! It is good campaigning weather at the minute but when an unexpected weather system comes in there is that negative effect. Nukes work better! My thinking was just that: chemicals used more for politics than anything else. The US saw how the Soviets hit their stockpile so hard - doing aboveground damage to cause disruption - and wanted to show they could put a hurting on them back with gas regardless. IIRC the Americans had more gas in Colorado and also at Johnson Atoll in the Pacific. And... the French had their own nerve gas stocks too. |
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James G
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Post by James G on Dec 30, 2019 20:37:38 GMT
159 – The gateway to France
While French troops were knocked aside in the Netherlands, and others in the middle of the Rhineland undertook exhausting holding actions, Frenchmen were fighting much closer to home further south. Late yesterday, Soviet tanks had reached the border with West Germany where the easternmost extremes of France were located north of Strasbourg. No enemy crossing operation was made over the river into France by Eighth Tank Army units. There were a dozen nuclear-armed Pluton short-range ballistic missiles aimed at them ready to fly at a moment’s notice should they begin to do so. The fighting was taking place over in West Germany in the state of Baden–Wurttemberg with the hilly Black Forest being part of the battlefield. In addition, the Rhine Valley on its eastern side was also where France was trying to hold back those overrunning West Germany. The differences in terrain were negated quite a bit by the good summer weather though made use of where possible. France was going to fight for seemingly every inch of it too, doing everything possible to keep the Soviets from being in a position to keep on marching westwards. However, their opponents were actually going north and south, staying this side of the Rhine. They had orders to carry on fighting in West Germany with no current instructions to proceed into France.
The French II Corps – missing portions lost early on but given wartime additions – fought to the north of that deep Soviet penetration. There were units on the French side of the Rhine ready to counter a crossing operation but the fighting was taking place on the eastern side. Near towns such as Bad Schonborn and Wiesloch, as well as the motorsports complex which was the Hockenheim, here in the low-lying Rhine Valley the battle raged. French tanks and infantry, joined by a number of West German reservists who hadn’t deserted like others had, battled to keep the Soviets back. There was the use of gas against them and also extensive enemy air power as well. Each side had a lot of artillery support too with France bringing many big guns from reserve units and keeping them on the other side of the Rhine to fire across. Attacks and counterattacks were made with key ground exchanging hands several times. Behind the French were the three small cities of Heidelberg, Ludwigshafen and Mannheim while out ahead (and thus behind enemy lines) was Karlsruhe. Those Frenchmen fighting here didn’t want to see what had happened to each of them occur to French urban areas! Throughout the day, the fighting carried on here with no end in sight to it. The Soviets weren’t going to get their tanks where they wanted them to head towards Darmstadt first and then onwards to Frankfurt. The French weren’t going to be able to get a real advance going to drive southwards to link up with their fellow Frenchmen down there. It was a stalemate of quite the magnitude.
It was the French Rapid Reaction Force (Force d'action rapide – FAR) engaging the Soviets to the south. This corps-sized command was very different from its peacetime structure with only the 11th Parachute Division (missing some men who were in Iraq) remaining. There were two reserve armoured divisions on West German soil with the FAR alongside a brigade-group of mixed Foreign Legion troops. The airbase at Baden-Soellingen was in Soviet hands but nearby Baden-Baden itself was held by those paratroopers. West German towns and villages were being fought over. The slopes of the Black Forest which looked down upon the Rhine Valley saw tanks clash head on while deeper in the forest there were infantry battles. The Canadians were long gone from Baden-Soellingen and weren’t here to see it recaptured by the French. Using their tanks, they forced their way into the ruins of that Canadian Forces facility with their AMX-30s fighting Soviet T-64s in close engagements. The airbase was no use to anyone but it was practically on the banks of the Rhine. Over on the other side, there were thousands of armed Frenchmen pouring into Alsace and being told to dig-in there all waiting for a river-crossing operation which wasn’t coming. Autobahn-5 went along the Rhine Valley and was fought over as the French tried to make a major push north after taking that airbase. The 12th & 14th Light Armored Divisions were instructed to advance upon the industrial town of Rastatt. That proved impossible. They couldn’t get there because the opposition was too strong. A countermove was made against them before the day turned to night with Baden-Baden near flattened by Soviet artillery before their tanks and motorised riflemen moved towards it. This was a determined effort to hit the French on their flank to get in behind them. Baden-Baden became a mini Verdun. Paratroopers held on here and were supported by their own light armour as well as the Foreign Legion units holding on close by too. Soviet efforts to turn things around were defeated because the French just wouldn’t give in even when hit by seemingly everything that their attackers could throw at them. Even when VDV paratroopers from that first day advance guard column #5, plus the Czechoslovak airmobile troops who’d inadvertently rescued them, were thrown into Baden-Baden, the French there held.
President Mitterrand had said that morning to President Reagan when the two of them spoke that he considered Baden–Wurttemberg to be the gateway to France for the Soviet Army’s advance. Of course, things would change by the time night fell later due to what happened in the Low Countries yet at that point, combatting the Soviets when they were on France’s doorstep was the pivotal fight for France. Mitterrand was presented once more with nuclear attack options where tactical strikes could be made. He disagreed with his generals that there was the need to go that far at this time… they silently raged over the abandonment of decades of nuclear defence policy where warning shots were at the heart of keeping Soviet forces back from France’s borders. France had a chemical weapons capability alongside its nuclear weapons. Nukes were preferred over gas and there was no peacetime deployment of chemical armaments. Still, France had its weapons stocks. These were employed today in the fight for West Germany just as the Americans were starting to do with theirs. Using shells fired from big guns over great distance, artillery units delivered gas to the enemy down through Baden–Wurttemberg. It wasn’t used in direct support of French troops fighting on the frontline despite their own protective gear but rather against time sensitive Soviet targets spotted behind the frontlines. Those in the way of it took large numbers of casualties. Unfortunately, so too did West German civilians as well. Mitterrand informed Chancellor Wörner what had happened (after the fact) rather than waiting to hear from the West German leader. Wörner wasn’t pleased, not at all. France had no choice, Mitterrand told him, and there would be further use of nerve gas again. Other West German civilians continued to pour into France. There were gaps which they went through where the Soviet armies were. France was creaking under the strain of now close to a million refugees from West Germany and the Low Countries – who’d come in just four days! – who were seeking safety. They wouldn’t be gassed in their home country, yes, but conditions for them once in ‘safe’ France weren’t exactly comfortable.
Some of those gas strikes took place further southwards than away from the general areas in Baden–Wurttemberg where France’s II Corps and FAR were fighting the Soviet’s Eighth Tank Army. The West Germans had also made the Black Forest a defensive position from where they were fighting. Joined by some Americans and Canadians which had also come out of Bavaria with them, the West German II Corps had staged a long retreat ahead of that stand that they made. They shook of the Soviets trying to follow them for just enough time to make sure that they could fight in the terrain which they chose to. Mountain troops and fallschirmjager were employed alongside panzers. There’d been some extra Canadians that had flown in to join those who’d withdrawn all this way. Neither the Americans sent any more men to join what few they had with the West Germans and nor did France deploy combat forces here. The defensive position stretched from near to Baden-Baden – where some of those West German Leopard-2s joined with the French in the fighting there – all the way down to the Swiss border. Engagements were fought with Soviet Thirty–Eighth Army units playing catch-up down on the lower ground before those Canadian and West Germans who undertook that task fell back into the forest. Though they weren’t aware at the time, those French gas strikes aided their falling back. There would be complaints from the corps’ commander up to CENTAG once that was discovered because they should have been given more warning to get out of the way yet what was done was done. The gas had already been delivered and done its job.
The gateway to France wasn’t being broken open. The French and their allies were keeping it shut. It was no easy task but one that was being achieved albeit at high cost in terms of lives lost. The French First Army was due to assume command over the French II Corps, FAR and West German II Corps starting tomorrow too where there would be a transfer from CENTAG of control over a large section of NATO’s frontlines. While it wasn’t a case of things looking rosy, there had been the hope that there was an end in sight now to the continued Soviet advances as they brought their armies closer and closer to France. The First Army’s commander was planning to eliminate that salient in the general area around Karlsruhe for good. The Americans and West Germans with the US VII Corps located on the left flank – from Heidelberg up through the Spessart – remained under CENTAG command but there would be cooperation in hopefully making that possible. And then the army’s commanding general was told that the Soviets had got their tanks into Belgium.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
Posts: 7,608
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Post by James G on Dec 30, 2019 20:39:28 GMT
If anyone knows what particular nerve gas France could employ in 1987, I'd be most grateful to know...
...and hope that my info is correct too that they had some! Otherwise, big edit.
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