“Yes, Comrade General, we will be ready.”
“Good. Make sure Colonel Kharzin has a supply unit to support him.”
“Yes, Comrade General,” responded the commander of the supply battalion.
The general turned to the Deputy Commander ‘Rear’, who was sitting to his right. “Our ammunition stocks complete, Borislav?”
“Yes, Comrade General.”
“Good, good. Akim, your foot sloggers will be first in line of march when we move on the fifth. Your BMPs?”
Akim Yermakion, Commander of the 200th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, grinned as he responded, used to the mickey-taking by a unit consisting largely of tank units. The only infantry unit alongside the three tank regiments, he was often at the centre of their jokes. “Yes, Comrade General, our spares situation has been resolved, thanks to Colonel Yolkin.”
“Been throwing your political weight about, Comrade Colonel?” Turbin said to the skinny Political Officer with a chortle.
“It is always my intention to ensure that our division is ready to do whatever it is asked of it by our masters, Comrade General.”
The reference to the army commanders and above, who directed their lives and actions, didn’t go unnoticed by the Bear.
“So all operational, then?”
The young colonel didn’t need to refer to any notes as he responded proudly. “Ninety-three are fully operational, Comrade General.”
The general moved on. “We know roughly where our area of operation will be, but we won’t know for certain until our first operational echelon has beaten down the NATO covering force and started to eat into their main battle area. So, we will need to be flexible. We are a unique unit. An operational manoeuvre group is exactly that: manoeuvrable. We need to be able to weave our way through their defences, taking the line of least resistance, pushing west until we can move at will in their rear areas, tearing up their communications centres, logistics and supplies, and disrupting any reserves before they arrive in theatre.”
“Comrade General, has it been agreed who our operationally subordinate reinforcements will be?” Asked the Chief of Rocket and Artillery Troops.
“Yes,” responded General Turbin. “You will get a brigade of BM-27s from the TVD. They will be supporting the initial assault. Then they’ll be assigned to your Divisional Artillery Group (DAG). Along with those, we’ll have a regiment of 2S5s and most of the DAG from whichever division we pass through. Major Lagoshin.”
“Sir.”
“The front’s air defence brigade will be providing us with a SAM regiment so we’ll have additional overhead cover. You will need to set up comms with their command elements within the next eight hours.”
“Sir.”
“Major Zakrevsky.”
“Yes, Comrade General.”
“I need you to initiate communications with the fighter-bomber division. I will give you the details later. We’ve been promised at least 100 sorties during our initial commitment to battle. We shall be depending on those links to get the support in the right place at the right time.”
“My men will be ready, sir.”
“Good, good. One last thing then I want to speak to each of the commanders on their own. During our first day of battle, we will have the airborne prima donnas and a few other assets backing us up.” The general laughed at his own joke and was joined by the rest of the officers. He lit another cigarette before stubbing out his current one in a blue china cup in front of him. He took a deep, satisfying draw and blew out a cloud of smoke.
“I have been promised a heliborne assault brigade, a river-crossing battalion, along with an engineer pontoon battalion to support our own engineer battalion. I also have a second commitment from the fighter-bomber boys, up to 200 sorties for the first day of battle.”
He pushed the bottle of vodka across to Colonel Dorokhin, Commander of the 353rd Guards Tank Regiment. “Turin, top our glasses up.”
The thirty year-old colonel picked up one of the bottles on the table and, helped by Colonel Tsaryov of the 332nd Regiment, topped up the empty glasses all the officers were now holding. Once completed, the general pushed his chair back and stood up, his officers following suit. He raised his small chipped glass in the air. “To our motherland, to our Uman Division. Za Vas!”
“Za Vas!” they all responded in unison.
“Our political officer has something to say. Then the briefing is over and I will see you all individually. The floor is yours, Arkaldy.”
MAGDEBURG-COCHSTEDT AIRFIELD, EAST GERMANY. 108TH GUARDS AIRBORNE REGIMENT. 4 JULY 1984.
THE RED EFFECT −23 HOURS.
The two officers, dressed in camouflaged, one-piece coveralls, a blue and white horizontally striped shirt beneath, walked and talked near one of the aircraft aprons at Cochstedt Airport, situated thirty-kilometres south-west of the city of Magdeburg. The airport was built in 1957, as a Soviet Air Force Base, now one of the many forward bases being used for the impending attack on the West. The two men were airborne officers, the VDV (Vozdushno -Desantyne Voyska) blue and white striped shirt confirming their elite status. Their conversation was loud, as the activity in and around the airport was feverish.
There was the basson sound of the aero engines of the Illyushin II troop-carrying aircraft as they reached take-off speed. A steady stream of aircraft had been arriving and leaving the airfield ever since the 108th Guards Airborne Regiment had arrived: a mixture of AN-12 Cubs and AN-22 Cocks. There were even a couple of AN-124 Condors, barely in service with the Soviet Air Force. Although capable of carrying over 100 tons of cargo, it was not really suitable for carrying paratroopers due to pressurisation issues. Many of the aircraft had Aeroflot markings, commandeered for use by the military. The other side of the airport was swamped with a range of different helicopters, the whop-whop of rotor blades caused as a consequence of the manually induced noise from the main gearbox and transmission chains along with the main and tail rotors slicing through the air. There were Mi-2 Hoplites, small, lightly armed transport helicopters, capable of carrying eight passengers and used in close-air support. But, at the moment, they were being utilised as taxis, ferrying senior officers around as the tension and planning built up in readiness for the strike that they now knew was a matter of days away.
Bigger helicopters were also on the move, the Mi-8 Hips, able to carry twenty-four combat troops or play a significant role in close-air support, its two stub wings supporting four weapons pylons capable of carrying rocket pods, anti-tank missiles or machine guns. Heavyweight Hooks had also started to arrive but, as yet, none of the newer Mi-26 Halo.
The two airborne officers held a hand on top of their pale blue headgear as they moved closer to the activity. They were part of the 108th Guards Regiment, their mother division being the 7th Guards Airborne, based in Kaunas, Lithuania. They had been notified of the intended attack on the West and had received a warning order for the role they would have to play. Once the flow of the battle was apparent to the TVD command, their airborne unit, along with the rest of the division and many others, would be assigned targets well behind enemy lines. They didn’t as yet know what theirs would be: Securing a bridge, high ground or blocking a supply route. Whatever it was, the Soviet Union had a significant airborne force at its disposal to make life very difficult for NATO.
“God, do you think we’ll ever get used to this bloody racket?” Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Yezhov, battalion commander of one of the BMD assault battalions of the 108th Airborne Regiment, laughed.
“You love it really,” his regimental commander, Boykov, shouted back.
“This isn’t going to be like Afghanistan, sir.”
Boykov thought for a moment, thinking through what was likely to be expected from his unit. A veteran of Afghanistan, he was no stranger to battle and had certainly seen men mortally wounded or killed outright in some of the actions he had led. “It won’t.” He laughed. “Too bloody wet and cold for a start. Make sure you have your waterproofs.�
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They sat down on a battery-powered truck that was used to move small items of cargo about the airport.
“With fifteen air assault brigades and the other divisions vying for assets, it’s going to put a bit of a strain on our air force.”
“I’ve just been talking to an air force colonel. They are already commandeering aircraft,” Colonel Viktor Boykov responded.
Yezhov stood up. “We don’t want bloody civilians flying us into battle.”
Boykov pulled him back down. “Sit down, Stani. They’ll use the taxi drivers for routine stuff. We’ll have military pilots for what we need to do.”
“Thank God for that. If they had to help us to destroy the enemy’s nuclear capability, destroy or neutralise their surface-to-air missile sites, disrupt logistics and lines of communication, they’d shit themselves.”
Boykov burst into laughter, joined by his junior officer, a member of the ground staff looking at them strangely as he walked past.
“Have you any inkling, sir, any idea what target they have us lined up for?”
“Until it kicks off, they won’t really know themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were used to support an OMG.”
“Oh, a chancy one then.” Yezhov smiled. “We take the ground, and sit and wait for them to turn up.”
“When you joined with me, Stani, you never said you wanted it easy.”
“It certainly hasn’t been that. So, what’s next?”
“I want to run through some options with my senior officers. Go over some maps of our likely target areas and walk through a few scenarios.”
“Makes sense, sir.”
“Glad you think so!” Boykov shouted back as one of the large Mi-6 Hooks came in to land close by.
“Dry runs?”
“Yes, match units up to their aircraft, talk with the pilots, and agree a loading schedule for the BMDs.”
“A pretty heavy workload.”
“You’re right again, Stani.” The colonel smiled. “I think we should swap roles.” He stood up. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast then pull the lads together, and you can start to earn your high wages.”
Chapter 23
NORTH-WEST OF SUPPLINGENBURG, WEST GERMANY. 0600 4 JULY 1984.
THE RED EFFECT −22 HOURS.
The heavily camouflaged FV107 Scimitar eased forward gently, just poking its nose out of the treeline, the Jaguar J-60 engine, capable of taking the armoured reconnaissance vehicle to a top speed of eighty-kilometres per hour, purring gently. Its latent power obvious, impatient to do what it was best at, it was pushing the Scimitar along at speed.
The light tank was deliberately camouflaged, breaking up its telltale shape, helping it blend in with its surrounding environment. Scrim netting had been draped over its bulk, the crew making sure it didn’t interfere with the movement of the turret or any of the other vital pieces of equipment that were required for the reconnaissance tank to operate effectively. Additional foliage, that matched their immediate surroundings, had been added, placed at strategic points, pushed into the netting or lashed to the sides, to break up the tank’s obvious profile. The crew were satisfied that they merged well with their surroundings. It could give them the edge, delaying the time when the enemy could spot them, potentially saving their lives. Thermal imaging devices would be a different matter, but not all of the Soviet armour was fitted with it. If they were fitted with thermal imaging systems, they would soon pick out the heat of the engine at the front and the three crew members: the driver, gunner and commander in the turret.
It was 0600 and their orders were to sit there and watch and wait. Lieutenant Nicholas Campbell studied the 1:25,000 topographical map as best he could, checking the features marked on the map with those on the ground in front of him. They were sitting on a raised piece of ground on the south-eastern edge of a forest about half a kilometre north-west of the small village of Supplingenburg. Behind them, the forest stretched back for about five-kilometres. On their left arc, about a two kilometres away, was the village of Barmke. Three-kilometres to their east was Emmerstedt on the outskirts of Helmstedt, right on the Inner German Border. On their right arc was the village of Supplingenburg; in front of them a patchwork of cultivated fields, some sewn with potatoes and kelp, others with yellow corn. Much of it had been harvested as a consequence of the good weather that had just been experienced in West Germany. A second Scimitar of Lieutenant Campbell’s troop was further north, providing an overwatch as their troop commander had moved into position. Two further Scimitars were about two hundred metres behind the forward two, ready to provide cover if the two tanks were bounced and had to withdraw quickly. His troop was a small element of 4 Armoured Division, on the leading edge of the covering force.
As the covering force for 1 British Corps, 4 Armoured Division had an important role to play. In fact, its role was crucial to the defence of 1 BR Corps’ sector of responsibility. With three brigades, one armoured and two mechanised, it had been assigned a eighty-kilometre wide front to defend: a massive task for such a small force. A division would normally only be expected to defend a front of thirty to fifty-kilometres but, for a covering force, this could be extended up to ninety. 4 Div had to cover an area that started just below Wolfsburg in the north to Bad Harzburg in the south, its task to delay any attack long enough to allow the bulk of 1 BR Corps to get into their wartime locations, dig in and prepare to hold off the potentially unstoppable force that would be rolling towards them. Lieutenant Campbell’s troop was an inherent part of that covering force. 20th Armoured Brigade was moving into position between the south of Wolfsburg and north of Konigslutter, and 11th Mechanised Infantry Brigade had the province between Konigslutter and east of Wolfenbuttel. The third brigade in the division, 33rd Mechanised Infantry Brigade, covered the rest of the sector to the south. Two hundred and twenty-four tanks and less than 3,000 infantry was not a particularly powerful force to hold back the Soviet steamroller that could be heading their way. A couple of hundred Chieftain tanks against 3 Shock Army’s 1,300 T-80s and T-64s seemed an unfair match. Following 3SA, there would be the Soviet’s second strategic echelon, equally as powerful. 20th Armoured and 11th Mechanised Brigade had a key area to defend. Any advancing Soviet force would have to negotiate the large town of Braunschweig. Located in Lower Saxony, with a population of a quarter of a million people, it was a sizeable barrier to a straightforward advance. Their options were limited. Go straight through the town, clearly a poor option. Bogging down their infantry units in house-to-house fighting, restricting the movement of their main battle tanks, this route was patently not an option for a speedy advance. Bypassing the town to the north and south was the obvious route to take. To the north, they had relatively open ground and could take advantage of the Route-E3 autobahn that ran between Braunschweig to the south and Wolfsburg to the north. 20th Armoured Brigade had been given the mission to protect that route, its two armoured regiments, with their 114 tanks between them, more suited to the relatively open ground. They had the means to move around the battlefield quickly and block the path of the Soviet advance. Their task though was not to hold but to delay – but delay the enemy long enough to force their units to break out of their route of march and deploy. Long enough so they could inflict some major damage on the battalions or regiments they would come up against, blunt their attack, dent their confidence, test their command and control, and make them hesitant. Buy some time for the Corps. The more time available for the main body of the British forces in Germany to get in position, to dig in, build up their defences, stockpile their ammunition, the better. And, just as important, buy time for reinforcements to arrive from Britain, particularly the 2nd Infantry Division.
Their allies would be doing the same. To the north of 1 BR Corps, 1st German Corps would also be deploying their covering force and primary forces into their wartime locations and, to the north of them, the 1st Dutch Corps would have some units moving forward, although the Dutch politicians had delayed making t
he decision to deploy and German forces were having to initially cover in their stead. To 1 BR Corps south, Northern Army Group were also waiting for 1 Belgium Corps to take up their positions.
Lieutenant Campbell’s Scimitar was part of the reconnaissance platoon of the Second Battalion, Royal Green Jackets. 11th Brigade consisted of three battle groups: the Royal Green Jackets, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and the Third Royal Tank Regiment. Each battle group was further subdivided into four combat teams. The Brigadier, in consultation with Major General Walsh, commander of 4th Armoured Division, had deployed a thin screen at the furthestmost point of the FLOT (Forward Line of Own Troops) using the Royal Green Jacket’s battle group. Further back, he had stationed the remaining two battle groups. One would cover a line from Braunschweig to Wolfenbuttel, with a combat team as far forward as Schandelah; one at Konigslutter; a third deployed in the town of Wolfenbuttel itself; and the fourth covering the south of Braunschweig. The 3rd Royal Tank Regiment battle group would be dug in further west. The Royal Green Jacket’s battle group would eventually withdraw through these units once the pressure from the advancing Warsaw Pact forces became too great.
Combat Team Alpha, made up of an infantry company, supported by the mortar platoon and two Milan sections, each with five firing points, were disposed in and around the village of Supplingenburg, with Lieutenant Campbell’s troop of Scimitars covering them to the north. Combat Team Bravo, two troops of tanks from the armoured regiment and a mechanised infantry platoon, covered the village of Supplingen further south. Combat Team Charlie was further south again. Two troops of tanks and a mechanised platoon had been allocated to defend the village of Frellstedt. The smallest of the combat teams, Combat Team Delta, with a single tank troop, mechanised platoon and the mobile Milan section, was arrayed along the wooded area, der Elm, that ran north-west to south-east behind the other three units. The majority of the battle group would withdraw through this woodland, Combat Team Delta covering the withdrawal as best they could. Ahead of the Green Jackets’ battle group was a thin screen of Scimitars from the divisional reconnaissance regiment, 15th/19th Hussars.
The Red Effect (Cold War) Page 21
