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Post by elfastball7 on Nov 16, 2020 8:22:32 GMT
There is a whole range of ways that the UK can be hit, just as that general says. The airliner shootdown shows just how that can be done with little military effort too. There will be a whole lot of firepower directed at Europe once the shooting starts, Spetsnaz included. Stuff like the airliner shootdown is just the beginning. forcon , Things are hotting up steadily and war is clearly coming.
One small quibble in the report. United States Air Force interceptors responded to provocations today when a trio of Russian Tupolev-160 ‘Blackjack’ bombers entered US airspace, twice probing the edges of Alaska and then flying south towards Newfoundland. While the confrontation was largely peaceful, it served as a reminder that if war does break out, North America may not be shielded from direct attack. I assume it means two probed Alaskan air space and then a 3rd appeared off Newfoundland but as written it sounds like they probed Alaska then flew south toward Newfoundland, which would obviously be wrong.
Steve
One more peacetime update to go. Yeah, thanks for catching that. I meant that a separate flight of Bears came round from Greenland and down towards Newfoundland. Been really digging this TL. Keep it coming! |
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 16, 2020 8:40:44 GMT
There will be a whole lot of firepower directed at Europe once the shooting starts, Spetsnaz included. Stuff like the airliner shootdown is just the beginning. One more peacetime update to go. Yeah, thanks for catching that. I meant that a separate flight of Bears came round from Greenland and down towards Newfoundland. Been really digging this TL. Keep it coming! Forcon knows how to write a damn good story. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 16, 2020 17:19:44 GMT
There will be a whole lot of firepower directed at Europe once the shooting starts, Spetsnaz included. Stuff like the airliner shootdown is just the beginning. One more peacetime update to go. Yeah, thanks for catching that. I meant that a separate flight of Bears came round from Greenland and down towards Newfoundland. Been really digging this TL. Keep it coming! Thanks. Next update coming very shortly! Forcon knows how to write a damn good story. Thank you! Next update should be up shortly! |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 16, 2020 17:23:55 GMT
Part VI.
Tensions rising in Asia as war looms in Europe
Reuters, September 2
With the eyes of the world focused firmly on the unfolding crisis in Europe, tensions are rising in Asia. There are reports of skirmishes between India and Pakistan after last week’s skirmish. Meanwhile, Chinese jets overflew Taiwan and were chased away from the edges of Taiwanese airspace yesterday night…
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NATO Council to meet; possible deadline for Russian withdrawal to be set
The Guardian, September 4
NATO’s North Atlantic Council will again meet tomorrow, a Foreign Office spokesperson has said. The session will discuss the imposition of a deadline for a withdrawal of Russian forces from occupied NATO territory before the use of force is authorised. While the result of the motion to set a deadline is not yet apparent, it is expected that Alliance members will support the imposition of a deadline in order to finally remove Russian forces from the Baltic States.
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NATO; 14 days for Russia to withdraw from Baltics
Associated Press, September 5
Today’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council saw the Alliance agree on the imposition of a final deadline for Russia to begin withdrawing its forces from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania before military action commences.
Russia has yet to respond to the deadline, but it is not expected that the Kremlin will agree to the withdrawal, given its tightening grip around the occupied territories.
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House of Commons authorises military action
BBC News, August 8
Parliament voted today to authorise military action against Russia if the two-week ultimatum for the beginning of a withdrawal from the Baltic States is not met. The vote met success, with 401 MPs voting in favour of military action while 249 voted against. While the vote was not as unanimous as the government had hoped, it shows clear resolve amongst the House of Commons to see Russian troops evicted from allied territory by force is that becomes ultimately necessary.
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Casualties could be massive if military action is authorised, leaked report says
Le Monde, September 10
A report from the Defence Ministry says that military casualties could rise well into the thousands, if military action to dislodge Russian troops from the Baltic States is authorised. The report details the structure and depth of Russian defences laying along the so-called Suwalki Corridor, which was captured by Russian forces in February during the invasion of the three Baltic States.
It is expected, according to the leaked report, that the Army would suffer the bulk of the casualties when breaching Russian defences and in manoeuvre warfare against mobile Russian formations. The Air Force is also expected to lose numerous aircraft, while there are fears within in the Navy that the loss of one of the amphibious assault ships deployed as part of operations could see thousands of sailors and marines killed.
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Breaking; US Embassy in Moscow ordered to close
CNN, September 12
The US Embassy in Moscow has been ordered to evacuate. Amongst the first to leave will be the ambassador and the main intelligence staff, while the marine security detachment is set to leave tomorrow morning. More on the story as it comes in.
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Americans, Brits, French detained in Russia
Reuters, September 14
Following the closure of the US embassy in Moscow two days ago, and the ensuing evacuation of British and French personnel, several dozen citizens of the aforementioned nationalities have been detained by Russian security forces, allegedly for their own protection. There is mounting fear within the Pentagon that the detainees could be used as hostages if war does break out.
Moscow, however, claims that the detainees will be returned to their respective home countries. Russia did release NATO POWs held after the fall of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, hoping that this would soften the Alliance’s response. Unfortunately for Moscow, the Alliance proceeded to mobilise following the release of the POWs; it is questionable whether the Kremlin will make the same mistake again.
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Russian defences will be ‘nightmarish’ to overcome, says retired general
The Chicago Tribune, September 14
As the deadline for Russia’s withdrawal from the Baltic States looms, some form of military action is looking increasingly likely. Retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal, a veteran officer who at one point commanded Allied forces in Afghanistan, stated in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that breaching Russian lines in Lithuania, along the border with Poland, an area known as the Suwalki Gap, would be ‘nightmarish’ and ‘horrendously bloody’.
General McChrystal said, “We can hit them with all the air and artillery we want, but at the end of the day, this isn’t like Kuwait in ’91. The terrain is different. It’s hilly and there’s a lot of woodland, and that’s going to make manoeuvring under fire more challenging. Our engineers can’t just bury them in their foxholes because they’ll be advancing uphill and through treelines. The only way to do it is to go in there and dig them out with bayonets.” He then added, “Our troops are going to be dismounting from Brads [Bradley fighting vehicles] and clear out enemy positions, they’re going to be advancing up hills and through tank traps, rock-fall barricades and barbed wire, all while under a storm of artillery fire, maybe even with chemicals or other WMDs thrown into the mix.”
The spectre of heavy casualties has apparently weighed on the minds of NATO commanders, but there seems to be no apparent way to avoid heavy, close-in fighting.
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Parliament invokes emergency powers act, new powers to be announced tonight
BBC News, September 14
The House of Commons voted to pass an Emergency Powers Act bill, which was rushed through with near bipartisan support, in expectance of war with Russia over the Baltic States. Though the extents and limits of the government’s new powers have yet to be announced, the bill has provisions for closing public meeting places, detaining citizens of ‘enemy powers’ indefinitely, and for the use of the Armed Forces in a counter-saboteur role. Yesterday, troops were spotted arriving at Heathrow Airport in military Lorries; it is expected that access to central London will become limited under the Emergency Powers Act.
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Iran warns ‘hands off Syria’ if war comes
The Daily Mail, September 15
In the event of war with Russia, the government of Iran has reportedly warned the United States to avoid targeting Russian bases in Syria, Iran’s ally on the Mediterranean coast. Though Iran has not, to our knowledge, issued direct military threats, a stern warning has been issued and it is expected that Tehran will back up its comments with force.
The Royal Navy maintains a small force in the Persian Gulf, based in Bahrain. Several ships were withdrawn from the region to participate in potential NATO operations in Europe, but some troops to remain in the region.
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Nuke submarine spotted leaving Scottish base
The Daily Mirror, September 16
A Royal Navy submarine of the Vanguard-class, which carries Britain’s nuclear weapons, has been photographed leaving its base at Faslane on the eastern coast of Scotland. Britain has retained one nuclear submarine on patrol since the late 1960s, but it is almost unprecedented for a second submarine to be deployed.
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President implores Putin to ‘listen to reason’
The New York Times, September 16
With NATO’s deadline for a Russian withdrawal only days away, the President launched a publicised plea for his Russian counterpart to ‘listen to reason’ in order to prevent war. Russia has not responded to the President’s implorations, but the State Department hopes that the personal address may sway President Putin’s decision making.
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Air raid sirens tested nationwide
CNN, September 17
Air raid sirens across the country were tested today in an announced drill that many still found disturbing. The ancient sirens located in Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago were all tested, sending haunting wails cascading over all three cities. The test is part of a new national defence initiative, which also involves the deployment of ground-to-air missiles to major cities in case of what the Pentagon referred to as a ‘strategic attack’ on the mainland United States.
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Shooting in West London
BBC News, September 18
Amidst the deployment of American-manned ‘Patriot’ surface-to-air missile batteries to London and Liverpool, a shooting occurred today in West London. Although no official comment has yet been made, residents of a tower block in the area filmed what appeared to be armed soldiers raiding a flat in the area, after which gunfire was heard.
Speculation is rife that the shooting was related to the current international crisis, as many speculate that the flat could have been a staging area for Russian saboteurs or spies. These theories have yet to be confirmed or denied by Whitehall.
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Protestors demand ‘peace at any price’
FOX News, September 19
Anti-war groups demonstrating today in Washington DC have been filmed chanting ‘Peace at Any Price!’ repeatedly. Though the prospect of war in Europe is horrifying, the protestors seem to have little regard for the subjugation and suffering of the Baltic people’s beneath the jackboot of Russian occupation.
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The ultimatum has passed – now what?
NBC News, September 20
With NATO’s ultimatum for a Russian withdrawal from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, occupied since late February by Russian forces, having passed some six hours ago, questions as to what happens next persist. A press release from NATO headquarters issued shortly after the deadline was imposed stated that its passing would mean that the Alliance would resort to military action to remove Russian forces.
However, it appears that, as of yet, no military operations against Russia have occurred. The Pentagon has not commented on whether or not military action will commence within the next few days.
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Breaking; President calls press conference in White House
NBC News, September 20
The President has announced a press conference in the White House, which will take place at 1800 local time. Further information will follow…
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President Biden’s Speech from the White House
September 20
“My fellow Americans, I stand before you tonight to announce grave news. Six months ago, as you well know, forces of the Russian Federation launched an illegal war of aggression against three of our valued NATO allies; the Baltic Republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. During this attack, dozens of American service personnel were killed, and hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen from our NATO allies were likewise slaughtered.
In the hopes of saving countless American lives, I took the difficult decision to order US forces to stand down, to not resist the invasion. I took this decision in good conscience, because at the time it was felt that doing so would save more lives than it would cost. We held hopes that Russia would see reason, that it would negotiate, and that the Baltic people would again be free from the jackboot that had so suddenly and so viciously quashed them.
For six months, myself and the members of my Administration have been seeking a peaceful solution to this crisis. We have explored every possible reasonable avenue to prevent war. We have done everything in our power to ensure that the peace that has held much of Europe together since 1945 was maintained. Regardless, Russia has not been receptive to our efforts.
Two weeks ago, a final ultimatum was issued by the most powerful alliance of democracies that the world has ever seen. The ultimatum called for the withdrawal of Russian occupation forces and the cessation of brutal repression against the Baltic People’s whose sole crime is yearning for their freedom and for the basic rights that should be afforded to all.
I have received no such undertaking from President Putin.
Therefore, I have taken the most painful decision of my life; the decision to order the United States Armed Forces, operating alongside the Armed Forces of our valued allies from around the world, to initiate combat operations against the Russian Federation, in order to liberate the Baltic States and prevent a future of tyranny, oppression, and persecution at the hands of ruthless dictatorship that views itself as beyond the boundaries of international law and common decency.
I have absolute faith that with the strength and courage of not only our military personnel, but of our nation as a whole, we will prevail. Our country was forged by a valiant offensive against a tyrannical oppressor. In our long history, we have withstood a civil war, two world wars, a pair of devastating pandemics, and countless economic crisis. There is no doubt in my mind, no doubt whatsoever, that whatever the future holds, our great nation will prevail in its fight for freedom and the rule of law.
I must ask you to make sacrifices in order to achieve this victory. We must be vigilant yet compassionate; we must give shelter and comfort to those who need it most. And even though victory is not in doubt, we must brace ourselves for a long and bloody fight in the name of preserving justice around the world. I have taken the decision to activate the draft. As of tomorrow morning, able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one will be called to service, not to impose our will on a defiant people, but to fight in the name of all those things we, as Americans, value most in the world.
My fellow Americans, good night, and may God be with us all.”
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 16, 2020 18:59:34 GMT
And so begins the slaughter.
Its gonna be probably worse that McChrystal said too.
The US draft is going to be CONTREVERSIAL!
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 17, 2020 11:28:43 GMT
This is going to be very bloody, as the Russians have had six months to dig in and also terrorise the local population. I wouldn't be surprised if many have been deported to somewhere deep in Russia and more Russians bused in, especially in Latvia and Estonia. However the allies have little choice if the alliance is to have any meaning.
I can't remember if anythings been said about the Kalinngrad enclave. Suspect there won't be attempts to overrun it unless the war gets very long and bloody but would expect there would be attempts to suppress the Russian forces and bases there. Otherwise its likely to be a source of a lot of problems being on the allied flank and rear as they seek to liberate the conquered lands. Of course unless Belarus becomes dragged into the conflict their also got a very narrow front which further increases their problems.
There's one small typo in that the entry for:
As this I presume should be September.
Steve
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 18, 2020 12:09:10 GMT
And so begins the slaughter. Its gonna be probably worse that McChrystal said too. The US draft is going to be CONTREVERSIAL! The Draft won't be all-encompassing, but it will be deeply unpopular amongst several communities, especially young liberals, although I'm sure the Proud Boy/MAGA-types will be happy to oblige. You're right about McChrystal; it's going to be a narrow advance through a heavily-defended area, with no room (politically, that is) to manoeuvre through neutral Belarus and the risk of nuclear escalation in the event of a ground attack on Kaliningrad. NATO's heavy ground forces are going to be forced to push through the Suwalki Gap, which is going to be...nightmarish.
This is going to be very bloody, as the Russians have had six months to dig in and also terrorise the local population. I wouldn't be surprised if many have been deported to somewhere deep in Russia and more Russians bused in, especially in Latvia and Estonia. However the allies have little choice if the alliance is to have any meaning.
I can't remember if anythings been said about the Kalinngrad enclave. Suspect there won't be attempts to overrun it unless the war gets very long and bloody but would expect there would be attempts to suppress the Russian forces and bases there. Otherwise its likely to be a source of a lot of problems being on the allied flank and rear as they seek to liberate the conquered lands. Of course unless Belarus becomes dragged into the conflict their also got a very narrow front which further increases their problems.
There's one small typo in that the entry for: House of Commons authorises military action BBC News, August 8 As this I presume should be September.
Steve
Yup, that's a typo; thanks for catching it. Moscow will stop short of actual ethnic cleansing or genocide, but there would certainly be efforts to persuade Russians to move to the Baltic States following the occupation and enlarge the pro-Kremlin population there. While Putin has been trying to make the war and occupation appear as a clean, moral crusade to protect Russians in the Baltics, most ethnic Russians don't want Russian forces occupying them, and a growing resistance movement has led to some pretty brutal reprocussions against Baltic people's. Back in July, the US indicted seven Russian officers for war crimes after various sources had identified them as having been responsible for a series of massacres, and there was the massacre of protestors in Riga that was also mentioned. The geography of the region is going to make the ground offensive very bloody and difficult indeed. The risks of a ground attack on Kaliningrad are...significant, to say the least. Nevertheless its geographic location means that it's effectively impossible to liberate the Baltics while Kaliningrad is in Russian hands. Two Polish divisions, a French division, and a USMC air wing, will be delegated that unpleasant task. Overwhelming the main defensive belt across Suwalki and driving onwards to Tallinn is going to be the responsibility of US, British, and German heavy divisions. Brigade and battalion-sized ground units, many in a supporting role rather than a combat one, from Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czechia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and numerous other nations, have also been committed. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 18, 2020 14:00:41 GMT
Part VII.
Opening Moves:
The commencement of Operation Righteous Sword was time to roughly coincide with President Biden’s speech announcing the initiation of hostilities.
Biden’s speech occurred at 1800 EST, or 0100 local time in the Baltic States (2300 GMT). However, US Cyber Command began bombarding Russian communications nodes with a massive ‘non-kinetic’ strike almost an hour beforehand, in preparation for the first strikes by Allied forces, which occurred almost exactly as the President addressed the nation. Five US Air Force EC-130H Commando Solo aircraft, having taken off from RAF Fairford in England, launched an intensive radar jamming effort aimed at confusing, blinding, and harassing Russian air defence sites down from the operational to the tactical levels.
At 0039 local time (1739 EST), the US Navy destroyers Nitze and Winston S. Churchill, the cruiser Philippine Sea, and the submarines Georgia and New Hampshire, began launching a combined total of 122 Tomahawk cruise missiles. The missiles were targeted at the Kaliningrad headquarters of the 44th Air Defence Division, and the 2nd Air Defence Division, scattered across the Baltic States, along with the Voronezh radar site at Pionorsky in Kaliningrad, the Hantsavichy radar site in Belarus, the General Staff & Ministries Building in St. Petersburg (housing the headquarters of the Western Military District), and the headquarters of the 6th Air & Air Defence Army, also located in St. Petersburg. As the Tomahawks struck the first air defence targets, three B-2A Spirits of the 509th Bomb Wing, flying directly from Missouri, along with 24 F-35A Lighting IIs of the 388th Fighter Wing and four F-22A Raptors of the 1st Fighter Wing, struck St. Petersburg directly. The stealth bombers, using GBU-31s, hit the Severo-Zapadanya power plant, plunging much of the city into darkness. They also flattened the St. Petersburg Television Tower and the Kirov Plant Factory, and damaged Pulkovo International Airport. The F-35s dispensed tinfoil strips to jam enemy communications and further sew confusion into St. Petersburg’s populace, and destroyed five SAM sites that turned on their radars using AGM-88 anti-radar missiles. Three F-35s were lost to Russian SAMs during the raid.
At 0126, three US Navy EA-18G Growlers and eight US Marine Corps F-35Cs led 76 F/A-18s from the decks of the carriers USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln in the largest carrier-based air raid since 1991. With the Growlers jamming enemy communications and the Lighting IIs targeting SAM sites with HARMs and Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs), the Super Hornets began targeting Russian air and naval bases across the enclave. At the same time, another sixteen F-22s of the 94th Fighter Squadron led 48 F-15Es from the 48th and 4th Fighter Wings through the Suwalki Corridor, punching a hole in the now-uncoordinated Russian combat air patrol. The Strike Eagles immediately began targeting Russian airfields in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Meanwhile, flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, ten B-52H strategic bombers flew over Ukrainian airspace and launched 73 AGM-86 cruise missiles at the Russian air bases at Pskov, Ostrov, and Soltsy. Another ‘cell’ of B-52 bombers belonging to the 93rd Bomb Wing struck the Russian Baltic Fleet base at Baltiysk as much for the psychological effect as the tactical one. The nine B-52s each dropped fifty Mark. 82 unguided bombs, with devastating effect. However, upon the egress, two of the Stratofortress bombers were shot down by a flight of Su-27s.
Some 900 Allied aircraft then entered the fray, including F-16s, F/A-18s, F-35s, Mirage-2000s, Rafael’s, Gripens, Typhoons, and Tornados. The air forces and naval air arms of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Norway, and Czechia all played a part. They began systematically destroying communications nodes, bridges, troop concentrations, headquarters, command centres, airfields, ports, naval bases, supply dumps, SAM sites, and Iskander missile sites. One strike package, consisting of four US Navy EA-18Gs and 21 Marine Corps F/A-18Cs & -Ds armed with AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs), flew directly over Finnish airspace with the tacit but unspoken cooperation of Helsinki. The Marine strike package causing heavy damage to the naval bases at Kronstadt and Lomonosev. Another successful attack was the raid on Estonia’s Lennart-Meri International Airport. The airport had been badly damaged during the Battle of Tallinn, but once repaired, Russian MiG-29 multirole fighters and, more of more concern to Allied commanders, Su-24 strike aircraft, had been deployed there. Two flights of four Tornado IDS’ of Germany’s Luftwaffe cratered the two runways of the airport during the first night of air operations. US Army AH-64D Apache gunships participated in the operation. A flight of eight Apaches entered the airspace of Kaliningrad. In conjunction with a strike by seven MGM-141 ATACMs missiles launched by the 41st Field Artillery Brigade from M270A1 MLRS systems, the helicopters used Hydra rockets and Hellfire missiles to attack a pair of suspected command centres of the Russian 11th Army Corps. They then withdrew westwards, flying at extremely low altitude.
The air raids were controlled by seven NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft orbiting over Poland, along with a pair of E-8C JSTARS planes of the US Air Force. About 30 tankers of varying models from numerous air forces also provided support to the strike packages. F-16s of the Polish Air Force and the Royal Danish Air Force and US Air Force F-15Ds the Oregon Air National Guard provided a defensive CAP over Poland and the Baltic Sea to protect the supporting assets. The first night of the air war saw some forty-three Allied aircraft fail to return, of which thirty-eight were a direct result of enemy action. Only nine aircraft had been lost to Russian fighters, however; the vast majority had been shot down by Russia’s extensive SAM network.
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Special Operations in the Baltic States:
Six twelve-man ‘Alpha Teams’ from 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, US Army, were inserted by parachute into Lithuania under the cover of the morning’s second round of airstrikes, using MC-130s flying at high altitude over eastern Poland to conduct High Altitude, High Opening (HAHO) parachute jumps, which allowed the Green Berets to drift into enemy territory without risking the Combat Talon aircraft. Similarly, a platoon of Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Eight swam ashore from the German submarine U-34 and infiltrated Latvia just west of the Gulf of Riga. British SAS teams and more US Green Berets prepared to move in by helicopter during the night, supported by Allied airstrikes. Unbeknownst to Russian intelligence, several CIA Special Activities Division operatives had infiltrated all three of the occupied Baltic States as early as May, and begun establishing contacts with the resistance. Special Forces teams were now authorised to link up with the CIA assets and the resistance cells to provide training, leadership, equipment, and support to these outfits. General Miller’s staff also begun to study the prospect of sending SAS teams into Kaliningrad to seek out and eliminate the Iskander missile threat, especially as the weapons began to be fired at targets in Poland and Denmark. At present, the plan was deemed too risky, given the very limited area of operations and the high chance of compromise due to an unfriendly local population. It was not, however, shelved in its entirety; several SAS teams were put on standby in case the plan was authorised further down the line.
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Naval Engagements in the Baltic:
NATO’s Standing Maritime Group One had been redesignated Maritime Striking Group One on the eve of hostilities, and had moved into the Baltic Sea to contain Russian naval assets deployed there. MSG-1 was essentially a large surface action group operating under land-based air cover from Denmark and Germany. Upon learning that war had commenced, the commander of Russia’s Baltic Fleet immediately ordered his comparatively meagre naval forces to move to enforce an effective maritime blockade along the coast of Kaliningrad to prevent a NATO amphibious operation there. The UK/NL landing force was afloat in the Denmark Strait, with the task force led by the British amphibious warship HMS Bulwark. Two battalion-sized commandos of Royal Marines along with an infantry battalion and the Dutch 1st Marine Combat Group were afloat, meaning that the Russian’s fears were well-founded. The Russian force consisted primarily of small but well-armed corvettes along with two frigates and a single Sovremenny-class destroyer. At 0357 local time, the destroyer, the Nastovchivyy, along with the frigate Yaroslav Mudry and three corvettes, launched an attack against MSG-1 with surface-to-surface missiles. The German Navy’s frigate Bayern was subsequently sunk by a trio of missile hits, while the French frigate Cassard suffered severe damage and began steaming northwest to escape the battle zone.
However, an immediate retaliatory strike was launched by the German frigate Brandenburg, the US Navy destroyer James E. Williams, and a pair of Royal Navy Wildcat HMA2 helicopters flying from the decks of HMS Northumberland and HMS Montrose, both attached to the UK/NL Landing Force, fired back with a mixture of Harpoon and Sea Venom anti-ship missiles. The Nastovchivyy was lost to four Harpoon strikes, while the frigate also took a pair of hits. At 0424 local time, Luftwaffe Tornados engaged the surviving Russian vessels with anti-ship missiles. They sank the damaged Yaroslav Mudry, and a pair of corvettes supporting them. Another corvette was shortly thereafter sunk by a German SSK. A second air raid was launched at 0908 local time, this time conducted by a flight of Danish F-16s, which proceeded to sink an additional corvette, although one Falcon was engaged and shot down by an Su-35. Russia’s Baltic Fleet quickly began a retreat to the safety of St. Petersburg, where it could be supported by land-based airpower. A Russian spy ship was later stormed by Royal Marines, who boarded the vessel from Wildcat AH1 helicopters of the Commando Helicopter Force. No resistance was met on-board the ship, and the crew quickly surrendered. The men on-board became the first Russian POWs in NATO hands. They were flown by helicopter to RFA Argus and given a brief tactical interrogation by Royal Marines and Royal Navy intelligence officers, before being flown to Denmark for further processing.
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Late afternoon; fighting breaks out in the Atlantic:
While the carriers Gerald R. Ford and Abraham Lincoln, along with the Royal Navy’s carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II, were in the North Sea supporting air operations in the Baltic, US intelligence satellites with the National Reconnaissance Office quickly identified the formation of a massive Russian task force off of Murmansk in the Kola Peninsula. The group included the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, along with the nuclear-powered battlecruisers Admiral Nakhimov and Petr Veliky. Identified as the 43rd Missile Ship Division, the task force was apparently being joined by virtually all of the Northern Fleet’s conventional cruisers, destroyers and frigates. It quickly became apparent that the Russians were going to attempt to move their surface forces into the North Atlantic and bring a halt to the supply convoys moving in from the US East Coast. Subsequently, Commander, US 2nd Fleet (CINC-2nd Fleet) ordered the Abraham Lincoln group to abandon air operations in the Baltic and move into the Norwegian Sea with all due haste in order to prevent a Russian breakout into the North Atlantic. Similarly, six NATO SSNs were ordered to move into the area. Meanwhile, an additional carrier strike group led by the USS Harry S. Truman deployed from Norfolk, headed eastwards to the Norwegian Sea in order to either support the Abraham Lincoln CSG’s operations or provide additional air support to operations in the Baltic Sea.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic, the Russian Navy scored its first major success in the region when it sank a Dutch-flagged merchantman with the use of an unidentified Kilo-class submarine. Shortly afterwards, at 1145 local time, the Royal Canadian Navy lost the frigate HMCS Toronto to an attack by the Akula-class submarine Pantera. The Russian vessel was quickly tracked and sunk by HMS Sutherland, a Royal Navy frigate. Meanwhile, the US Navy successfully sank two Russia submarines, the Lipetsk, of the Kilo-class, and the Akula-class SSN Volk.
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Political and domestic reactions around the world:
The political reaction to the opening moves of the war were unpredictable and varied greatly by location. Initially, President Biden’s speech announcing the commencement of hostilities was well received by pundits, who praised the President for his statesmanlike attitude and his passion. Many Americans were united behind the war effort, especially as the media, including numerous right-wing organisations famed for fear-mongering, rallied for calm. With the war technically having begun on September 20 in the US, many people tuned into CNN or FOX News to watch the tragedy unfold live on air. However, by morning, there are anti-war demonstrations. Several of the marches were left-wing in nature, organised by anti-war groups who called for pacifism and appeasement. Equally, there were right-wing anti-war groups who argued that the war was revenge for Russia’s perceived support of President Trump, while others claimed the war was a plot by the government to impose a dictatorship. These demonstrations quickly turned violent in several cities, including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Austin. Congress, however, rallied behind President Biden at least in the short term, and support for the draft, while not unanimous, was strong enough for an emergency bill to sail through the House of Representatives and the Senate. In Britain, Stop the War Coalition organised several rallies, with a moderate turnout in London. While some attending the rallies were clearly merely there to cause trouble, many held legitimate views. However, with the Emergency Powers Act behind them, the Metropolitan Police were quick to fence in the demonstrators and the fear of Russian-orchestrated terror attacks meant that there was a heavy presence of armed police officers, which the protestors, in many cases, viewed as a direct threat towards them. Overall, London saw some major violence, but this was tempered by a larger group of protestors who simply held a candlelight vigil at the Cenotaph. Berlin, Paris, Rome, and Madrid equally saw protests with responses varying from calm and placid in Germany, too violent on behalf of the police in France.
On the other side of the world, US allies in Asia were hesitant to offer outright support for fear of inviting Russian attacks against US bases on their soil. In Tokyo, government ministers squabbled over whether or not to back the Allies.. Secretary of State Chris Coons personally assured the Japanese Foreign Minister that the Alliance intended to keep the conflict localised in Europe. However, this did little to calm anybody’s nerves in Tokyo as the Seventh Fleet sortied from Yokosuka Naval Base. While ROK and US forces maintained a watchful eye on North Korea, there seemed to be no unusual activity on the DMZ. On the floor of the United Nations, India’s representative called for an immediate ceasefire. While India maintained a close relationship with Russia, it also had partnerships with the UK, France, and the US. There was no appetite for war in India, but Delhi feared that China could act in some way while the US was distracted in Europe. However, the calls for calm were instead echoed by Beijing’s representatives, who feared an economic calamity as a result of war.
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Russia strikes back:
Facing a second wave of airstrikes, Russian commanders were eager to demonstrate their ability to hit back and to degrade NATO’s offensive air combat capabilities. Sixteen Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, known respectively as ‘Bears’ and ‘Backfires’, took off from bases on the Kola Peninsula which had avoided destruction during the first night of hostilities. With the intention of hitting back at numerous NATO facilities, the bombers carried KH-55SM cruise missiles to be launched from a stand-off range of over 3,000 kilometres away, allowing their vital strategic assets to be spared from directly participating in combat. The bombers launched a volley of cruise missiles at Oslo International Airport, as well as Bodo Air Base. Both targets were struck despite the efforts of the US Army National Guard’s 164th Air Defence Artillery Regiment. Damage at Bodo was minimal due to the militarised nature of the base and its abundance of hardened aircraft shelters. However, in Oslo, Russian missiles caused major damage, and 54 civilians were killed when one of the cruise missiles went astray and careened into an office building. Furthermore, another wave of KH-55s were launched at the recently-reactivated Keflavik Air Base on Iceland. The airfield was now being used by US Navy P-3 and P-8 squadrons to mount anti-submarine hunts across the Atlantic and thus it needed to be neutralised as soon as possible. Though the damage was moderate, the Russians used delayed action munitions to tear up Keflavik’s runway, meaning that engineers would have to spend several hours painstakingly clearing every individual bomblet before flight operations could resume. Consequently, the P-8s that were already airborne were directed to land at the civilian airport at Reykjavik. A convoy of trucks carrying weapons, fuel, and pilots as well as a security team left Keflavik and drove rapidly to the civilian facility, allowing air operations to continue from Reykjavik on an ad hoc basis.
Finally, Russian bombers launched cruise missiles from over the Norwegian Sea aimed at Britain. The US Army had a pair of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence or THAAD batteries based in the UK, one in East Anglia, covering the abundance of British and American fighter bases there, and one on the south coast, protecting the naval bases at Portsmouth and Devonport. The THAADs, designed to engage ballistic missiles, were moderately successful in bringing down the KH-55s, and RAF fighters over the eastern coast also shot down at least four. Nonetheless, seven missiles struck RAF Fairford (an American bomber base despite the misnomer) and RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s primary air transport facility.
Using SS-26 Iskander missiles, Russian forces in Kaliningrad struck back at Poland and Denmark, launching several missiles targeted towards Copenhagen and Warsaw, armed with high-explosive warheads. The Iskanders were ostensibly aimed at military targets such as government buildings, but were in reality being used as blatant terror weapons. Casualties in both cities were high, with over two hundred dead, mostly civilians. Several more Iskanders were aimed at NATO airfields in Poland, which, thanks to the abundance of THAADs and MIM-104 PATRIOT batteries protecting them, suffered only minimal damage. Under relentless pressure from civilian authorities in Poland and Denmark, General Miller reluctantly ordered that Allied Air Command direct a significant amount of resources towards eliminating the Iskander threat.
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 18, 2020 14:35:39 GMT
Holy sh*t.
And this is just the beginning.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Nov 18, 2020 15:59:04 GMT
Quite a start and as James says this is just beginning. I wonder how much both sides will be willing to and successful or not in limiting the war. So far I think the NATO/alliance attacks have been limited to the Baltic region but the Russians might start something in the far east - or a certain Mr Kim possibly - although if he has any sense, especially since his main sponsor is now Beijing, will hunker down. Also the sending out of the Northern surface fleet could be a mistake by Moscow as it will hopefully be taken out pretty quickly that way, albeit not without some losses I expect and might also open up the Murmansk region as a valid target. Of course the purpose could be to distract the allies while subs sortie, although I would suspect that most of those the Russians can send out are already in the Atlantic.
The terror bombings could backfire as it might well harden feelings, especially in Poland and other parts of the former Soviet empire that Russia must be defeated.
You mentioned that the B52's operating from Cyprus flew over Ukraine. Did they also fly over Turkey, which I think has declared neutrality - if I'm not getting confused with another TL.
What is happening elsewhere in the world at sea. Historically once war started combatants merchant shipping were fair targets for opponents and given the widespread use of 'trawlers' and the like for intelligence activity I can see some interest in the allies seizing up any Russian ships at sea. Not to mention some of those might have shadier purposes such as laying minefields or other hostile tactics.
I would expect China to sit things out with Xi rubbing his hands with glee at the way rival powers are bashing each other. They may actually be concerned about the economic impact but traditionally wars have been economically good for neutral powers so I suspect the appeals for a cease-fire is largely for political purposes, to appear a peace-keeper and moderate. Of course if the USN especially takes some losses and political will for intervention declines after casualties then after the fighting is over, or possibly in its end stages Beijing might decide to 'protect the security of Taiwan in such unstable times'.
Steve
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 18, 2020 16:46:38 GMT
I just saw those NATO air loss numbers again. Wow. Mr SAM had one heck of a night. stevep I assume the BUFFs flew around Turkey via Greece and Bulgaria/Romania. They have the range and gonna get tanker support. forcon where are the two other Tomahawk-Ohios? Off Kola, Vladivostok, or somewhere else? |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 18, 2020 19:19:58 GMT
Quite a start and as James says this is just beginning. I wonder how much both sides will be willing to and successful or not in limiting the war. So far I think the NATO/alliance attacks have been limited to the Baltic region but the Russians might start something in the far east - or a certain Mr Kim possibly - although if he has any sense, especially since his main sponsor is now Beijing, will hunker down. Also the sending out of the Northern surface fleet could be a mistake by Moscow as it will hopefully be taken out pretty quickly that way, albeit not without some losses I expect and might also open up the Murmansk region as a valid target. Of course the purpose could be to distract the allies while subs sortie, although I would suspect that most of those the Russians can send out are already in the Atlantic.
The terror bombings could backfire as it might well harden feelings, especially in Poland and other parts of the former Soviet empire that Russia must be defeated.
You mentioned that the B52's operating from Cyprus flew over Ukraine. Did they also fly over Turkey, which I think has declared neutrality - if I'm not getting confused with another TL.
What is happening elsewhere in the world at sea. Historically once war started combatants merchant shipping were fair targets for opponents and given the widespread use of 'trawlers' and the like for intelligence activity I can see some interest in the allies seizing up any Russian ships at sea. Not to mention some of those might have shadier purposes such as laying minefields or other hostile tactics.
I would expect China to sit things out with Xi rubbing his hands with glee at the way rival powers are bashing each other. They may actually be concerned about the economic impact but traditionally wars have been economically good for neutral powers so I suspect the appeals for a cease-fire is largely for political purposes, to appear a peace-keeper and moderate. Of course if the USN especially takes some losses and political will for intervention declines after casualties then after the fighting is over, or possibly in its end stages Beijing might decide to 'protect the security of Taiwan in such unstable times'.
Steve
Thanks. There will be escalations globally - I simply don't think it's possible for a war with Russia to be contained to such a geographically small region. On the other hand, Iran, China, North Korea etc really aren't going to be looking to join this fight. They have little to gain and a whole lot to loose. In the future, perhaps, they might take their chances against a defeated or embattled America, but as things stand, the DPRK knows it can't overrun the ROK and Iran has little to gain by attacking Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. You could be right about China and Taiwan, but Beijing is more than happy to sit on the sidelines, cashing in and trading arms-for-oil with Russia. Invading Taiwan invites a huge degree of risk, and the ROC won't go quietly into the night either. In terms of risk-to-reward ratios, it just doesn't add up for most countries to take Moscow's side in actual fighting (diplomatic measures and covert ops are a different thing entirely). Those BUFFs, as James says, went over Greece, then turned north over Ukraine and launched their missiles on the cusp of Belarusian airspace. The Turks are neutral; so are the Ukrainians, but they aren't complaining about overflights by NATO aircraft, for obvious reasons. Kiev will also be getting ideas about lost territory further down the line. The naval war will expand on Day #2. ASW ops in the Atlantic are the priority, and controlling the Baltic Sea is also vital. As for the Pacific - US forces will not strike first, but they can and will act in self defence, at which point Far Eastern Russia is open to attack. I just saw those NATO air loss numbers again. Wow. Mr SAM had one heck of a night. stevep I assume the BUFFs flew around Turkey via Greece and Bulgaria/Romania. They have the range and gonna get tanker support. forcon where are the two other Tomahawk-Ohios? Off Kola, Vladivostok, or somewhere else? I did some (very basic) calculations on the SAM-inflicted losses. I heard in a documentary that Coalition commanders anticipated losing about 20% of aircraft on the first night of Desert Storm. Of course, the losses were far lower. So with the Russian IADS, NATO commanders here would be expecting similar losses. That works out as about 180 aircraft. By comparison, losing "only" 29 aircraft to SAMs (plus nine to fighters and five to accidents) is actually relatively light compared to what was expected. Of course, many of those SAMs are still up-and-running and will have to be taken out as the war goes on. St. Petersburg is in the position of Baghdad during GW1, as Moscow is off of the table for now. St. Petersburg has a whole lot of naval bases, command facilities, political headquarters and other valid targets all around it, and the NATO Area of Operations stretches right down to Smolensk and as far east as the M11 Highway coming north from Moscow. Losses are natarually heavier the further into Russia Proper the bombers fly. You're correct about the B-52s; Cyprus, north towards Greece, then east over Romania, then north over Ukraine. One of those SSGNs is likely in the Norwegian Sea, and another is somewhere in the Pacific. However, NATO commanders haven't yet been authorised to destroy targets outside of the immediate AO between Smolensk, St. Petersburg and the M11 (Roughly, anyway). That's a purely political decision, one that is probably contested by SHAPE. Once fighting breaks out in the Med and the Pacific, strikes against targets all across Russia will become militarily necessary. As for the Kola - action there will be shown in the next update. Thanks for the comments! |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 18, 2020 19:21:24 GMT
Another heads up for readers: I will be using the same format for tomorrow's update, but after that I will likely return to the news/media format for the majority of the air campaign while writing more detailed updates for major events, as it makes more sense than detailing the events of every single day. However once we get to the ground war, I will write more detailed updates like today's.
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James G
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Post by James G on Nov 18, 2020 19:27:02 GMT
Another heads up for readers: I will be using the same format for tomorrow's update, but after that I will likely return to the news/media format for the majority of the air campaign while writing more detailed updates for major events, as it makes more sense than detailing the events of every single day. However once we get to the ground war, I will write more detailed updates like today's. Both work very well for this story. |
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forcon
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Post by forcon on Nov 20, 2020 18:08:55 GMT
Part VIII.
The War in the Air
NATO air forces continued their airstrikes throughout the night and well into the second day of the war. September 22 began with a massive, coordinated attack against St. Petersburg, involving some 135 fixed-wing aircraft, including an E-3 Sentry, four US Air Force KC-135 tankers from RAF Mildenhall, and a pair of EC-130H jamming aircraft. With the modified Hercules cargo planes jamming Russian SAM radars, US Air Force F-22s entered Russian airspace with the intention of clearing the skies over Russia’s second city. Meanwhile, a grand total of 36 F-35As of the US Air Force and F-35Bs of the Fleet Air Arm began depositing a massive chaff cloud over St. Petersburg before targeting individual SAM sites ferociously. Meanwhile, F-15E Strike Eagles attacked the Pushkin, Levasovo, and Soshkin Air bases, all housing Russian interceptors. The Strike Eagles were themselves escorted by F-15C Eagles, which circled above the airfields waiting for bandits to rise to meet them. These attacks were only supporting the main effort, however; a large strike package of 36 Navy F/A-18Es & -Fs, and 54 F-16s, targeted numerous facilities across St. Petersburg with various munitions. They flattened the Bloshoy-Dom office building, housing the local office of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Moskovsky Railway Station, the Senate & Synod building, housing Russia’s Constitutional Court, the Admiralty Building (home to the Naval Staff College), and the Main Post Office. The objective of this airstrike was to cause as much shock amongst the city’s populace as it did destruction. Casualties, however, were very heavy; eleven F-16s and four Super Hornets failed to return from the sortie. Outside of St. Petersburg, several additional attacks occurred, including bombings by F-35s of several targets around the inland cities of Luga and Pskov, principally the now-empty garrisons of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division, the 25th Mechanized Brigade, and the 9th Artillery Brigade.
Outside of the Russian mainland, Allied airpower continued to blast Russian forces across the Baltic States as well as Kaliningrad. Large-scale raids continued to target troop concentrations and located headquarters above the brigade-level, as well as key transportation nodes across the Baltic States. The A-13, A-14, and A-6 brigades in Latvia, which lay across the Daguava River, were destroyed by Royal Air Force Typhoons using Paveway IV laser-guided bombs, while French Rafael’s destroyed elements of the 26th Artillery Brigade in Lithuania. Targets in Kaliningrad included the 152nd Missile Brigade and the 244th Artillery Brigade. Additionally, Khrabrovo, Donskoye, Chkalovsk and Chernyahovsk Air Bases, already damaged from the previous night’s raids, received visits from Luftwaffe Tornados. Royal Navy F-35s of the Fleet Air Arm’s 809 Naval Air Squadron began eliminating the individual P-800 missile batteries belonging to the 25th Coastal Artillery Brigade, which would turn out to be a painstaking process.
While the air campaign continued as planned, many of the targets struck would later turn out to be inflatable dummies or other cheap decoys. Furthermore, for all the targets located by NATO planners at Allied Air Command, there were many targets that had yet to be discovered. Russian commanders proved skilled in the art of disguising their troop movements and dispersing their forces down to the company level to avoid near-total destruction. Allied pilots were often frustrated to find that their pre-assigned targets had actually moved by the time they arrived on station. Losses were also significant throughout the day. With Russian air defences having recovered from the confusion of the previous night, September 22 saw a much larger number of Russian fighters taking part in pitched air battles. While NATO pilots generally came out ahead of such air-to-air duels, there were numerous losses and those flying multi-role strike aircraft were often forced to jettison their bombs to defend themselves from enemy interceptors.
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Escalation in the Mediterranean & the expansion of the war
One US Navy aircraft carrier strike group was present in the eastern Mediterranean, centred around the Nimitz-class carrier USS George H.W. Bush. The strike group was under orders not to engage Russian forces without first seeking permission from Sixth Fleet, because Allied political leaders wanted to keep the war isolated to the maximum possible extent. Indeed, a ‘box’ several thousand square kilometres wide, spanning from Kaliningrad to Russia’s M11 Highway north of Moscow, had been imposed on Allied Air Command in order to ensure that aircrews were not bombing targets within Moscow and therefore risking an expansion of the war. However, at 1314 local time off of Cyprus, US Navy E-2D Hawkeye aircraft detected the launch of a flight of Su-30s from Kheimim Air Base in Syria. F/A-18s from the Bush were ordered to intercept the bandits, and an aerial engagement occurred off of the Syrian coastline in which three Super Hornets and eleven Su-30s and Su-24s were shot down. The engagement saw the first wartime us of an experimental laser beam weapons system mounted on the destroyer USS Donald Cook. The beam, a high-energy wave designed to burn through fast-moving aircraft or missiles, was responsible for the destruction of no fewer than four enemy aircraft.
At 1536, a significant concentration of Russian surface vessels, identified as the 30th Missile Ship Division, was located by aerial reconnaissance. Following the engagement off of the Levant coast, the commander of the US carrier group, Rear Admiral Evan Billets, radioed Sixth Fleet headquarters in Naples to request permission to engage. After a brief consultation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, deep underground at Raven Rock, Sixth Fleet authorised the strike group to engage. A strike force of F/A-18Fs armed with Harpoon anti-ship missiles was scrambled from the George H.W. Bush. However, before the strike force could reach its target, the cruiser Moskva and the frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich attained a firing solution on the American destroyers Donald Cook and James E. Williams, the littoral combat ship USS Freedom, and the supply ship USNS Supply. The three warships fired 37 SS-N-12 anti-ship missiles from a range of 300 nautical miles. The Harpoons carried by the American cruisers and destroyers had a range of just 150 nautical miles. Before the Russian missiles struck their targets, the F/A-18s came within range of Russian forces, and fired a wave of Harpoons of their own. In the ensuing melee, American AEGIS air defence systems opened fire on the incoming missiles, as did the experimental laser beam system mounted on the Donald Cook. Only three Russian missiles made it through; they sank the USS Freedom in a devastating ball of fire that tragically cost the lives of her entire complement, and caused moderate damage to the Supply. Although repairs would be needed, the ship could remain on station and would not have to return to port. Harpoons launched from the US Navy fighters proceeded to sink the Admiral Essen and the Admiral Grigorovich, while the radar mast on the Moskva was knocked out by a HARM missile.
The Russian warships began heading eastwards for the relative safety offered by the Black Sea. However, they almost immediately came under a second attack by Royal Air Force Typhoons from Cyprus. The RAF fighters sank the frigate Admiral Makarov using Marte-ER missiles, without suffering any losses of their own. Following this, an unidentified diesel-electric submarine fired a spread of torpedoes at the carrier George H.W. Bush, but a valiant defensive effort saw the torpedoes strike the destroyer James E. Williams instead. The destroyer was quickly lost, but most of her crew were able to escape, with 42 sailors dying. The submarine escaped the ferocious American counterattack. Finally, a second strike by the rearmed Super Hornets sank the Moskva with another wave of Harpoons at 1809 on September 22.
That evening, Sixth Fleet authorised RADM Billets to initiate airstrikes against Russian targets in Syria before heading eastwards and targeting infrastructure in Crimea and the Caucuses.
An ‘Alpha Strike’ by the exhausted Super Hornet pilots began forming up off of the Syrian coastline at 2230 local. Prior to the assault, Tomahawk cruise missiles from the USS California and the USS Donald Cook struck mobile radar sites along the Syrian coastline. Following this, the strike package proceeded to crater the runways at Kheimim, Tiyas, and Shayrat Air Bases, and cause heavy damage to the naval base at Latakia in a wave of airstrikes that lasted throughout the night. Royal Air Force Typhoons from Cyprus provided support to the striking force, and B-52s from the same airfield, launched an additional 24 AGM-86s at various Russian targets located across the country.
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Russia’s ‘Missile Blitz’ in Europe
Russian retaliatory strikes against Europe not only continued into the day, but escalated. Iskander missiles were launched in large volumes in response to the NATO strikes against St. Petersburg. This time, the majority of Iskanders were fired at Warsaw, Prague, and Copenhagen. They used high-explosive warheads as well as some napalm munitions to cause distinctly heavy civilian casualties in all three NATO capitals. Ostensibly, Russia claimed that the strikes were being launched against legal military targets in the cities, such as government buildings, but there was little doubt in the minds of many that the attacks were designed to cause heavy loss of civilian life and attack the civilian populace’s will to fight. Bear and Backfire bombers over Western Russia and over the airspace of neutral Belarus launched more long-range cruise missiles, primarily KH-55SMs, at European military targets across Europe.
The first of these raids saw missiles strike Berlin International Airport, as well as the Ramstein and Spangahlem Air Bases. Though good SAM cover across German airfields meant that there were relatively few casualties, and that all three bases remained operational, they caused great panic across the country. In particular, the strike on Berlin caused many to fear that further attacks on German cities would be swift in coming, and the general anxiety at the prospect of a nuclear exchange was only heightened by the bombardment. Furthermore, the Russian Air Force struck Britain once again at 1745 that night, launching more cruise missiles aimed this time at the RAF’s northern radar network, RAF Lossiemouth, and the American P-8 and P-3 squadrons that were now flying from MOD Aldergrove in Ulster, and Glasgow-Prestwick International Airport in Glasgow. Moderate-to-heavy casualties were incurred throughout the strike, with RAF interceptors able only to engage enemy missiles as opposed to taking on the bombers themselves, which launched their weapons from the Norwegian Sea.
A third attack was launched late in the evening, this one using Tu-160 ‘Blackjack’ bombers. The aircraft flew fast and low over the Baltic Sea, avoiding NATO combat air patrols over the water, before launching an additional 22 cruise missiles, also KH-55s though not the longer-ranged SM model. These cruise missiles landed in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, destroying power stations as well as causing significant damage to port facilities. Though NATO air defences shot down several of the inbound cruise missiles, casualties and damage were not insignificant. Panic was, as in the UK and Germany, just as devastating as the attacks themselves. Western newspapers quickly coined the bombardments as the first wave of a Russian ‘Missile Blitz’ against Europe, which added fuel to the fire of anti-war protests throughout the Continent.
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Retaliation against Kola and Allied naval deployments
Following the previous day’s airstrikes against the UK, Norway and Iceland, NATO governments demanded retaliation against Russia. After consulting with the Pentagon and the White House, General Miller at SHAPE authorised the expansion of the area of operations to include the Kola Peninsula and areas of far-northern Russia. This decision was made in part to allow NATO naval and air forces to strike at Russian naval facilities in the areas the ships of the 43rd Missile Ship Division moved southwards towards the GIUK Gap. At 0108 local time, twelve B-52Hs, a full squadron, took off from RAF Fairford. They were joined by an additional three B-1B Lancers flying directly from the Continental United States. Using the same ‘stand-off’ tactics as the Russian Bears, the B-52s and B-1Bs launched AGM-86 air-launched cruise missiles at targets across the Kola Peninsula. The Murmansk and Polyarny naval facilities were both hit, along with the two Severomorsk airfields.
The USS Harry S. Truman and her escorting Carrier Strike Group made for the GIUK Gap at flank speed, but it would still take no less than five days for the strike group to arrive on station. Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group moved northwards into the Norwegian Sea, ceasing its participation in the airstrikes against Russian forces in the Baltic region in order to head off the Russian task force, formed upon the 43rd Missile Ship Division, that was moving southwards past Norway. Several airstrikes were mounted US Marine Corps Hornets and Lightning IIs from Norwegian airfields in an effort to halt the naval movement, but these attacks met little success, with a trio of Hornets shot down by SAMs in return for a single corvette sunk and a destroyer damaged. General Miller ordered his Marine Corps air wing in Norway to retain its focus on the Baltic region, allowing the Navy to meet the Russian ships in a few days’ time on Allied terms, rather than allowing the Marine Corps to waste its air assets in a futile campaign to stop the Russian Navy.
A Royal Navy frigate, HMS Montrose, tracked and sank a Sierra-II SSN in the North Sea, and a Belgian frigate then used its helicopter to destroy a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine. A third vessel was sunk later in the day, this one a brand-new Lada-class SSK. The US Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy both participated in the effort, but it was ultimately the SH-60R Seahawk helicopter from the USS McCampbell that claimed the kill. However, there were Allied naval losses. In the Baltic Sea, Su-34s flying from Kola sank the Polish frigate ORP General Kazimierz Pulaska, and the corvette ORP Kaszub.
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Anti-satellite strikes
The US Navy cruiser USS Lake Erie launched a modified RIM-161 anti-aircraft missile, which proceeded to destroy a Russian Kondor reconnaissance satellite. The destruction of the satellite would mark the first of several as part of a larger anti-satellite campaign. This would be the first wartime us of anti-satellite weapons by any military, but Russia also had an ASAT capability of its own, which would be demonstrated the following day as part of a wider response to the NATO offensive. In the evening, President Putin ordered his General Staff to initiate a series of counterstrikes using anti-satellite missiles fired from specially-modified MiG-31s from airfields in central Russia.
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Politics and international reactions
Anti-war protests and demonstrations occurred around the world. A large multi-city demonstration, apparently coordinated, took place in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Phoenix, Dallas, Austin, Columbus, New York City, Boston, and Washington DC. Nearly 100,000 people were in attendance. The demonstration was organised to take place simultaneously across numerous time zones, and a heavy police presence as well as the presence of counter-demonstrators quickly led to outbreaks of violence. Clashes across the country took place throughout the day. Sixteen people died in various incidents of looting, shootings, and stabbings. It was one of the largest and bloodiest demonstrations in the US in decades. Meanwhile, European cities saw similarly-sized although less violent protests.
The passing of the selective service bill also caused political turbulence throughout the United States, and while the Pentagon had yet to begin actually inducting new draftees, the Selective Service Administration was scrambling to begin a lottery to bring some 500,000 new soldiers into service. The draft would not be totally universal; the DOD couldn’t support such a huge expansion of the military even if there was the political will and military need to bring in millions of new recruits. Instead, then administration would begin by drafting 25% of the young men eligible to be conscripted, with their training to take place at the hands of US Army Reservists at various stations across the US. The draft would eventually bring the 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 23rd, and 24th Infantry Divisions and the 2nd and 3rd Armored Division’s to full wartime strength. Equipment – tanks and AFVs but also smaller pieces such as radios, night-vision goggles, and body armour – was being sought from various supply depots across the US, and personnel from the Department of Defence had been working towards locating and stockpiling the equipment necessary for a massive expansion of the US Armed Forces since July. Additionally, personnel had been deployed to the ‘Boneyard’ at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
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