The marshal, responsible for the Western TVD, with the Polish, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian and the Groups of Soviet Forces under his command, opened the file in front of him and pulled out the operations order for молот 84. The rest of the attendees went through the motions of studying a similar document and waited for the Commander-in-Chief to run through the briefing. Baskov left his personal copy in his folder, preferring to listen to its outline from the architect himself. He also used the time as an opportunity to study his generals, thinking through their respective strengths and weaknesses, and scanning their faces, registering the level of commitment they exuded, or any doubts they felt about the impending operation. There were no weaknesses, he thought, only strength. Their commitment was to the motherland. Nothing else was acceptable. If they were weak, they wouldn’t be here.
“Operation молот 84, Comrade General Secretary, Comrade Aleksandrov, is the attack plan to liberate the Federal Republic of Germany, and force the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, NATO, to concede defeat and leave Western Europe.” Obraztsov looked around the room, looking for signs of disapproval, although he expected none. He continued. “The main effort will be from the Group of Soviet Forces Germany and General Zavarin.” He looked at Zavarin who nodded. “His armies will be supported by our Northern and Central Groups of Forces.” This time he looked at his other European group commanders who also nodded their acceptance of their role. They too sensed the Soviet leader looking at them.
Obraztsov continued. “The overriding first objective is to destroy the enemy’s first line of defence, their first echelon. We then push through to the Rhine, Ruhr and North Denmark.”
Baskov added his own thoughts, interspersed with thumps of his desk. “Momentum.” Thump. “That’s the key.” Thump. “Destroy their first echelon quickly.” Thump. “Then our second echelon of our first strategic echelon can smash right through them until their backs are to the Rhine.”
The room was quiet. The Soviet leader nodded in Obraztsov’s direction.
“Thank you, Comrade General Secretary. The Northern Group of Forces, led by Comrade General Zhiglov, along with the 5th German Army, 5th GE and the 1st Polish Army, 1st PVA, will thrust north through Hamburg and into Denmark. Now to GSFG’s main task: Third Shock Army’s first echelon will advance towards Hanover, their second echelon pushing on to Osnabruck. The second strategic echelon, 20 Guards Army, minus the elements we will use to take West Berlin, will come in behind 3SA and strike for Munster and Hamm, north of Essen, and eventually into the Netherlands and Belgium. North of them, 2 Guards Tank Army will advance through Bremen, Oldenburg and, finally, the Netherlands. There, the coast is a mere 400 kilometres from the GDR border. GSFG will push through to Cologne and Bonn via Bad Hersfield, using 8 Guards Army. The 3rd German Army will head for the Rhine at Duisburg and 1 Guards Tank Army, Wurzburg, Mannheim and Saarsbrucken. A mere 150 kilometres to the Rhine! 3 GE and 1 Guards Tank Army will be supported by 4 PVA.”
“And the south, Marshal Obraztsov?” Baskov asked.
“The first and fourth Czechoslovakian armies will push into Austria. But that is just a sideshow, Comrade General Secretary. The main battles will be on the northern German plains, striking deep into West Germany through Braunschweig, Hanover and Osnabruck. The second thrust, using 1 GTA and 8 GA, will be straight for the Rhine, passing through the Fulda Gap.”
“Should you need to concentrate on any one axis if necessary, which would that be?”
“The north, Comrade General Secretary. Our main effort will be focussed on their Northern Army Group. It is their weakest force.”
“What about reinforcements?”
“The British are in Germany in force as is the Bundeswehr, naturally. But it will take time for the Dutch and Belgium armies to commit. British reinforcements will also have to be called up, and those reserves already available will have to cross the English Channel. And, as for the American reinforcements allocated for Northag, VII Army Corps, that will be delayed even further. It will be days before they will be in a position to make any difference.”
“Isn’t the Rhine the best option? It’s a shorter distance. The Americans have stocks of equipment in Germany but, if we can interrupt their Reforger Operation and prevent their men getting into theatre, wouldn’t the south be the best option?”
“Yes, Comrade General Secretary, if that is the case then we would switch our efforts. But we would be up against two German and two American Corps. If the French agree to support NATO then we would have the French Army to fight as well. Also, the ground is better in the north: the northern plains are ideal for our superior massed tank attacks. Although the ever growing German population has expanded the size and number of towns and villages in the area, providing them with some defensive positions, it is still the best option.”
“I see. I trust the reorganisation of your force is progressing well, General Zavarin?” Baskov said, turning to the Commander of the Group of Soviet Forces Germany.
“It is, Comrade General Secretary. 2 Guards Tank Army now has three independent tank regiments. That’s ninety tanks per regiment, and an additional tank battalion for each motor rifle division. That has increased the overall tank strength for that army from 700 to over 1,100 tanks.”
Baskov nodded, clearly satisfied with figures being spouted. “And our elite Shock Army?”
“3rd Shock Army has been upgraded and now consists exclusively of four armoured divisions, giving them a force of over 1,200 tanks.”
“3 SA will also fight on a narrower front, Comrade General Secretary, enabling them to slice through the Northern Army Group’s meagre defences,” interrupted Obraztsov.
Zavarin continued. “20 GA, currently surrounding Berlin, and 8 GA have been upgraded from three motor rifle divisions to two motor rifle divisions and two armoured divisions. This takes their tank force from just under 300 to over 700 tanks each.”
Baskov thumped the desk. “NATO will not be able to stop us. Our forces will be far too strong. What about our Intermediate Strategic Reserves?”
Obraztsov responded. “The Baltic Military District has three tank, six motor rifle and two airborne divisions; Belorussian Military District, ten tank and four motor rifle divisions along with one airborne division; and the Carpathian Military District has four tank and eight motor rifle divisions.”
“Excellent, excellent, Marshal Obraztsov.” Baskov was clearly excited at the size of the forces available to him, knowing that, behind all of those forces, they still had the deep strategic reserve. “How will you be using our airborne and Spetsnaz?”
Obraztsov referred to his briefing notes. “Our GSFG Spetsnaz forces will, in the main, be used to support 3 SA operations. They will help to capture key bridges, attack and disrupt communications centres, and play havoc with NATO’s supply and reinforcement routes. The Central Group of Force’s Spetsnaz will be used to support 1 GTA.” He shuffled his notes until he came across the one he needed next. “Our airborne forces have an equally important role to play. 7th Guards Airborne Division will land south of Hanover, securing bridges in that area of the River Leine and causing disruption amongst the enemy’s rear. 76th Guards Airborne Division will later drop west of Hanover, supporting 3 SA’s push west. 35th Air Assault Brigade will attack near Braunschweig; 83rd Air Assault Brigade at Peine; 104th Guards Airborne Division at Minden. It will create a major panic. 106th Guards Airborne Division will support 1 GTA in the south, attacking bridges in the area of Wurzburg, along with 31st Air Assault Brigade landing west of the Fulda Gap.”
Baskov laughed. “Ah, they will have over forty thousand elite troops in their rear area. It will cause chaos, will it not?”
“Yes, Comrade General Secretary,” the generals chorused as one, Zavarin adding, “There will be so many airborne divisions, helicopter assault troops and Spetsnaz behind their front line, they will never be able to consolidate a defensive position, Comrade General Secretary.”
“An opportunity that our
Operational Manoeuvre Groups can exploit,” added Obraztsov.
“Yes,” responded Baskov thoughtfully. “We will have an opportunity to see how much damage they can do.”
“Is the date for the attack still 5 July, Comrade General Secretary?”
“Yes, Marshal Obraztsov, yes, it is. By tying it in with our annual exercise, we can have our troops in position for a quick strike.”
“Won’t the Americans and their NATO allies increase their preparedness, Comrade General Secretary?”
“No, Colonel General Zhiglov. We hold a large exercise in Europe every year and every year they have done nothing. This time it will be the same level of indifference.”
“Will we be inviting observers as usual, Comrade General Secretary?”
“Yes General It is part of the agreement we have with them. We are obliged to. But...” his bushy eyebrows scrunched together as he responded with a sly smile, “…it’s what we let them see that counts.” He slapped the desk, a deep laugh reverberating from deep down inside, his assembled officers joining in. Their confidence was absolute. “What about our new tanks, Marshal?”
Marshal Dolzhikov pulled a sheet of paper from the portfolio in front of him, adjusted his glasses and responded. “Obiekt 219, the T-80. We now have over a thousand tanks in service, Comrade General Secretary. They have been introduced into our elite formations where they will be needed most.”
“Thank you, Marshal Dolzhikov, but have the teething problems been resolved?” Asked Army General Zavarin.
Dolzhikov looked up at him sharply. “All new tanks have to go through a period of improvement and modificstion. The T-80Bs are performing admirably.”
“Yes, yes, Marshal Dolzhikov,” interrupted Baskov. “But will the new armour be fitted?”
“Yes, Comrade General Secretary. They will have Kontakte ERA-Explosive Reactive Armour for protection.”
“All is well, General Zavarin,” added Baskov, smoothing Zavarin’s obviously ruffled feathers. “What about T-64s?”
“We now have over 9,000,” continued Dolzhikov. “We also have 9,000 T-72s, and production has already been ramped up for both models. In total, the army has over 50,000 tanks at its disposal, more than enough for it to carry out its task.”
Baskov nodded. “Continue with your brief, Marshal Obraztsov.”
“To summarise, Comrade General Secretary, the Northern Group of Forces, with 1 PVA and the 5 GE will target Hamburg, Schleswigholstein and Denmark protecting the western TVD’s right flank. 3 SA, 2 GTA and 20 GA will strike through Braunschweig, Hanover, Emden and Osnabruck, hooking left into the Netherlands and Belgium. In the centre, 3 GE, 8 GA and 1 GTA will push for Duisburg, Aachen, Bonn and Saarbruken, and will hook right, trapping the NATO forces in the north.”
“Giving the Germans a taste of their own medicine, eh, Marshal?”
“Yes.”
“And in the south?”
“That will be left to the 1 CSLA and 4 CSLA to occupy Baden and Wurtenburg.”
Baskov sat back with a satisfied sigh and turned to his KGB Chairman. “Yuri, we need to know what the enemy is up to. Equally important is our own counter-intelligence.”
“I agree, Comrade General Secretary. We will do our bit.”
“Well then, gentlemen, we meet again tomorrow, this time with our Eastern European allies. We will all meet for dinner later tonight. Thank you.”
Recognising they were dismissed, the generals pushed back their chairs, gathered their papers and left.
Chapter 10
1 BRITISH CORPS HEADQUARTERS, BIELEFELD. 18 JANUARY 1984.
THE RED EFFECT −6 MONTHS.
The Lieutenant Colonel sat down at the head of the table in the oblong-shaped conference room on the second floor of the brick barrack block. The furniture was sparse but serviceable and served the needs of the occupants of the room. The briefing was about to start.
“Well, Colin, slides ready?”
“Nearly, sir,” responded the SO2 G2 Intelligence, Major Colin Archer as he picked up the slides one by one from the carousel confirming there were only two that had been put in upside down. He would remember to speak to the chief clerk once the briefing was over.
“Here’s your copy of the intel report,” informed Major Bill Castle, SO2 G3 Operations, as he handed out the top secret document: one for Lieutenant Colonel Stevens SO1 G2 Intelligence, one for Colin Archer and one for himself.
All three were staff officers with 1 British Corps (1 Br Corps) based in Ripon Barracks, Bielefeld, part of BAOR, British Army of the Rhine.
“Thanks, Bill.”
“Ready, Colonel,” informed Major Archer as he made his way to the end of the table and sat down opposite Bill Castle, with the colonel to his right.
“Take us through your briefing, Colin. Then we can go through this op order,” Colonel Steven said, tapping the top secret document clipped inside a pink cover with a red diagonal stripe across it.
Archer pressed the button on the remote that was linked to the projector at the other end of the table, and the carousel noisily rotated one slot and a slide clattered down in front of the projector’s lamp. The crest of the British Army of the Rhine, an heraldic shield with golden crossed swords on a red background and thick blue cross, flashed up on the whitewashed wall. He pressed the controller again. Clack, click, clack, the old slide was pushed up into the carousel which then moved forward one slot before dropping the next one down. This time it revealed a picture of the sleeve patch of a Russian motor rifle soldier: a shield-shaped, red patch of felt with a yellow border, yellow five-pointed star, and a yellow hammer and sickle in the centre.
“Operation молот 84, Hammer 84, sir. The Soviets are planning a big one this time.” Archer leant forward and flicked the switch of the overhead projector, and the image from the vu-foil lying on top of the plate of glass suddenly appeared alongside the Soviet badge. Pushing back his chair, he got up and walked to the end of the table, casting a shadow on the wall as his head occasionally interacted with the beams of light. He extended a stainless steel pointer, a convenient ball point pen at one end, capped as it was currently not needed for writing with.
He pulled down two blinds at that end of the room and then tapped the wall. “Operation Hammer 84.” Tap, tap, tap. “It’s not just going to be big, sir. It’s going to be bloody big. It’s set to kick off on 26 June.”
Clack, click, clack. The projector displayed a coloured map of East Germany, populated with irregular, dark patches of translucent orange, signifying the areas permanently restricted, PRAs, to British, French and American military missions patrolling East Germany: effectively no-go areas for the military missions, but frequently ignored by the intelligence gatherers as they searched for signs of Soviet military activity.
“As you can see, sir, we’ve been given the latest PRA map, with the additional temporary restricted areas. The TRAs are more numerous and bigger than usual.”
“There’s a copy in the intelligence briefing pack, sir,” informed Bill Castle, sitting to the colonel’s right.
Colonel Stevens turned to Bill, a tough, stocky soldier from the Gloucesters, the Gloucestershire Regiment. He was destined to become its commanding officer one day. “What’s the increase, Bill?”
“Significant, sir, at least ten per cent. They’ve also added twelve new areas.”
“But they’ve always added new restricted areas when they have major exercises.”
“Yes, they do, sir, but this is twice the number, and the sheer size of some of them beggars belief.”
“Bill, will you switch vu-foils?” asked Archer.
Major Castle leant across the table and replaced the current vu-foil with a second one.
Archer tapped the wall again, the picture showing the order of battle of the Soviet forces involved in Hammer 84. “Just look at this, sir: five Armies from the Group of Soviet Forces Germany. That means that GSFG will effectively be mobilised in full. That’s all nineteen divisions.”
“Our potential adversary, 3 Shock Army, will be on the move then,” mused Bill Castle.
“There’s more, Bill,” continued Archer. “Two Soviet armies of the Central Group of Soviet Forces, CGSF, based in Czechoslovakia, are part of it. That’s six divisions; some 100,000 troops.”
“They certainly mean business this year,” responded the SO1 with a frown. “The entire bloody Russian Army will be on the move.”
“I’ve not finished yet, sir.” The SO2 G2 walked to the projector and pressed the button on top. Clack, click, clack. A map of Europe now shone on the wall next to the list of Soviet forces. He went back to the end of the table and tapped the wall showing one of the Eastern European countries. “Then there’s the Northern Group of Soviet Forces, NGSF, based in western Poland. They will contribute three divisions, amounting to a further 45,000 troops.” He tapped the wall again over another section of the map. “Hungary. The Southern Group of Soviet Forces, SGSF. Five divisions with around 50,000 troops.” His pointer hovered over the Baltic. “11th Guards Tank Army, part of the Baltic Military District. That’s six divisions, two artillery divisions, along with an airborne division. There will be four other divisions from the BMD. An additional 300,000 troops.”
There was silence apart from the hum of the fans cooling the bulbs of the slide and overhead projector. The SO1 was stunned by what he had just heard; and not just with the scope and scale of the forthcoming Russian field exercise. He’d already had a brief preview, but hearing it out loud from one of his staff – the enormity of it was setting in. What shocked him most of all was the response from his masters and NATO in general when they had first been notified of this particularly large exercise. They seemed completely blasé, and Stevens, although mildly surprised, had accepted it at the time. Now though, reflecting on the flagrancy of the exercise, he was not so sure any more.
“Can you slap on the next vu-foil, Bill?”
The Red Effect (Cold War) Page 8
