The Black Effect (Cold War)

by Black, Harvey

  “It’s a hit,” confirmed Alex as he tapped the switch for the smoke grenades. The remaining launcher rearmed. Smoke trails shot out from the Chieftain tank and, out to the front, it was immediately blocked off from view by a growing cloud of smoke.

  “Back, back, back. Mackinson, get us out of here.”

  1200 8 JULY 1984. COMBAT TEAM ALPHA/ROYAL GREEN JACKETS BATTLEGROUP. MARIENAU, WEST GERMANY.

  THE BLACK EFFECT +8 HOURS.

  “One-One-Alpha, this is Zero-Alpha. Over.”

  “One-One-Alpha, go ahead. Over.”

  “How are you holding up? Over.”

  Russell watched as the 432 he had sent to pick up the Bundeswehr soldiers sped behind his position, the Kanonenjagdpanzer following close behind.

  “About to move to our secondary positions. Over.”

  “Roger that. You have to hold your location. I repeat, you have to hold your location. Acknowledge. Over.”

  “What’s happening? Over.” A slight nervousness in his voice.

  “The line is moving back. Friendlies will be passing through your location. Over.”

  “Understood. Over.”

  “You have to hold, Dean. If you don’t, friendlies will be trapped. Do you understand?”

  “We’ll hold, sir.”

  “Good lad. Zero-Alpha. Out.”

  “You get the gist of that, Colour?”

  “I did, sir. I’ll round up the boys then and we can get set up again. At least we’ve still got the box-heads with us. Sir?”

  “Sorry, Colour. Yes, they will be needed. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 34

  1230 8 JULY 1984. 62 GUARDS TANK REGIMENT. SOUTH OF SCHULENBURG, WEST GERMANY.

  THE BLACK EFFECT +8.5 HOURS.

  Major Chadov pressed the wad of bandages against Colonel Trusov’s upper arm, the sleeve of his tank coverall wet with blood. Trusov constantly pushed him away as he sat in the back of the MTLB, his damaged T-80K parked alongside, his two crewmen surveying the damage. They were lucky to have got out alive, a strike by a Milan missile hitting the glacis low, below the protective array of ERA blocks, but low enough that the chamfer at the front end took the force of the explosion, reducing the missile’s effectiveness. Trusov, who had been standing up in the turret, directing soldiers around the PMP bridge, had been hit by a hot piece of metal that had cut a deep gouge in his upper arm. Kokorev and Barsukov, although badly shaken and partly deaf, had survived.

  “The first of Colonel Kharzin’s tanks are crossing now, sir.” Informed Chadov.

  Trusov looked back along the length of the accordion-like pontoons, now supporting Colonel Kharzin’s 48th Guards Tank Regiment as they crossed to prepare for the next assault on the battered British forces. Tank after tank clattered off the ramp at the end, a cloud of smoke as they accelerated up the gentle slope, powering forwards to do battle with the slowly withdrawing British force. Two pontoon bridges, 500 metres apart, had been quickly laid, the engineers building them at the rate of seven metres per minute; an ingenious system where the truck carrying the pontoons braked at the water’s edge, causing the large pontoons to slide into the water. The pontoons opened automatically and, once turned around ninety degrees by the powerboats in the water, were quickly connected, section by section, forming a continuous strip of floating roadway. While the remainder of Trusov’s regiment and the surviving tanks of the independent tank regiment continued an almost suicidal battle to push the enemy further and further back, the tanks of 12GTD were crossing the pontoon bridge at twenty-five kilometres an hour. The second bridge had been destroyed, but there were so many surface-to-air missile defence systems in place now, further attacks on this bridge had failed and proven costly to British, US and West German pilots. A second pontoon bridging company was already en route.

  Chapter 35

  1300 8 JULY 1984. 1 BRITISH CORPS ALTERNATE HEADQUARTERS, DEEP IN A BUNKER-COMPLEX, WEST OF MONCHENGLADBACH.

  THE BLACK EFFECT +9 HOURS.

  Although well lit, the room in the concrete bunker felt cold and dark. Even when occupied, a musty smell seemed to hang in the air. A small group sat around a large metal table covered with a layer of hessian and topped with a map of the 1 BR Corps area of operations. The plastic-coated map had various tokens on it, representing the numerous British units now deployed to stem the Warsaw Pact forces pushing west. In attendance were Lieutenant-Colonel Stevens, SO1 G2 Intelligence, Major Colin Archer, the SO2 G2 Intelligence, Major Bill Castle, SO2 G3 Operations, Major-General Clifford Renshaw, Deputy Commander of 1 British Corps, and the Commander of 1 BR Corps himself, Lieutenant-General Sir Edmund Cutler. The General also had his aide, Captain Mallen, with him.

  “They’ve gone and done it, sir, a full-scale chemical strike right across NORTHAG’s and CENTAG’s FLOT. Not only has it disrupted the forward line of our own troops, killing many, but thousands of German civilians have been caught up in the strikes. The German politicians are furious.”

  “We knew it was coming, Clifford,” responded General Cutler, his well tanned face at odds with the cold, whitewashed walls. “The Soviets have always trained as if they intended to use chemical weapons in a conventional war, so we shouldn’t be surprised that they’ve done just that. It’s just part of their normal conventional arsenal.” He turned to Bill Castle. “Major Castle, what are the casualty rates looking like for the Corps?”

  “Better than we had expected, sir.” He checked the figures in front of him. “We’ve had about 400 killed as a direct consequence of the chemical strikes. That’s including our rear areas and airfields. The airfields and weapons stores have been hit by a powerful, persistent nerve agent. It’s going to take some time to decontaminate those areas.”

  “And the Corps area?”

  “At least 120 killed so far, sir. And we estimate over 200 wounded. The field hospitals are coping, but with the Soviet’s latest big push still in progress, they now have an influx of standard battle injuries. On top of that, there are hundreds of German civilian casualties and they are swamping the local hospitals and looking to our Field hospitals for aid.”

  The General was quiet for a moment before turning to his SO1 G2. “What’s the latest on the Soviet advance?”

  Colonel Stevens pointed to the River Leine. “They’ve crossed here, sir, south of Schulenburg. Our forces have pulled back, but they have an airborne regiment right behind them.”

  “Just the one?”

  “Yes, sir. Immediately behind, that is. A second regiment has also been dropped north-east of Bad-Nenndorf. But the forces across the river are also swinging south, moving forces further south. They clearly intend to threaten Gronau from the north. The Soviet Air Assault Brigade west of Gronau has increased its tempo and is now aggressively attacking Gronau from the south. They are also pushing a battalion here, towards Coppenbrugge.”

  “What do we have around Coppenbrugge?”

  “Just a beefed up platoon and some German reservists in Marienau.”

  “Christ, how have we let that happen?”

  “We were lucky to have them, sir. They are part of the Royal Green Jacket’s Battlegroup. 1st Division decided to keep an element of 4 Div in the local area as a reserve.”

  “Just as well they did. How are they doing?”

  “They’ve repulsed the first attack and are now pulling back into the centre of Coppenbrugge. The Soviets’ intention is to cut Gronau, and our forces there, off.”

  “What have we got in that area?” the General asked his deputy.

  “22nd Brigade is responsible for Gronau, but the 14/20th are under a lot of pressure. We need to get their forces back across the river and pull everything back to Coppenbrugge.”

  “What do you make of the enemy’s intentions in general, Colonel Stevens?”

  “I think they’re after these three gaps, sir: here, between the high ground of
Deinster and Hanover, the route through Coppenbrugge, where they can push for Bad-Munder, and then Bisperode south-east of Hameln.”

  “That would take them across the Weser and head for Osnabruck?”

  “Yes, sir. They have the option of going north or south of Osnabruck.”

  “Or both.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Won’t 3rd Shock Army have run out of steam by then?”

  “Undoubtedly, sir, but with 20th Guards Army in the fight, the Soviets will probably go for where we are at our weakest. They would be less than 100 kilometres from the Dutch border. I’m not sure of their intentions to the south, but in the north they’ve made it pretty obvious. An airborne regiment has parachuted close to the Mittleland Kanal, and a second landed by helicopters west of Pattensen here. A bridgehead has been secured on the Leine, and an armoured division is crossing it now. Through one of our Corps Patrol Units, we’ve identified it as the 12th Guards Tank Division, of 3 Shock Army. This has to be an Operational Manoeuvre Group, sir. We believe it has been training for this very role for some years now. Its objective, once across the Leine, is to link up with the regiment at Pattensen, push through to the Mittleland Kanal, linking up with the second airborne regiment, and then crossing over the Weser and getting deep into our lines, sir. Once across, they will go wherever we are at our weakest. They won’t be looking for a fight. That OMG will want to get as far west as possible. Then, of course, we will have their second echelon coming at us. We know 20th Guards Army is on the way and their Military Districts, their 2nd Strategic Echelon, are bound to be moving their forces west.”

  “And the other two gaps?”

  “I’m not so sure about those two, sir. Once they’re across at Gronau, they are likely to push a division up through Coppenbrugge and then to Bad-Munder. As for Hameln, we’re not sure at the moment. But we need to know what the 20th Guards are up to.”

  “The CPU can help us with that. Clifford, what do we have covering this gap by Coppenbrugge?”

  “Just that reinforced platoon from 4th Armoured Division. We have the remnants of the Battlegroup in the area still.”

  “Two Div?”

  “The 15th Infantry Brigade, with five battalions, is in position, along with the Queen’s Own Yeomanry recce. Three battalions of the 49th Infantry Brigade are digging in along the Weser. 49th Field Regiment with their FH-70 guns are in position.”

  “The rest of the 49th?”

  “The last two battalions are en route.”

  “Four Div?”

  “Apart from the Battlegroup left to act as a reserve, they are currently resting around the area of Petershagen.”

  “What about the Territorial battalions?”

  “Three have been brought across, sir. Two have been hit quite hard on the way by Soviet interdiction and a Spetsnaz ambush. They have no armour, just soft-skinned trucks.”

  The General remained quiet for a moment, clearly running through his options. He would have liked to have his divisional commanders here from the 1st and 3rd Armoured Divisions, but to take them away from their units at this moment in time would be madness.

  The 1 BR Corps Commander turned towards his aide. “Make a note. I want a stop line along the Mittleland Kanal. Raven. That will run south towards Hameln. I need to go through the plans with the Brigade commanders before I finalise the stop-line further south. The second one, Magpie, will be the Weser. The 24th Airmobile Brigade will deploy, with the 1st Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and the 1st Battalion King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, south-east of the E-36, from here at Wunstorf to Bad-Nennendorf. I’m going to assign the parachute battalion to the brigade, but we’ll hold them in reserve. I’ll talk through the final dispositions with the Brigade Commander when he gets here. I want a blocking position in that area. We can liaise with 1 German Corps and get them to plug the gap north-west of Hanover. You say they’ll take the weakest route, possibly using 20th Guards. Well, let’s give them a fight in the north of our sector; encourage them to deploy 20th Guards further south. 3rd Division are still pretty intact, so if we can push the Soviets to go up against them, we may hold them up at least. Pull 1st Division back. We need to set up a Stop-Line though, to slow the Soviets down and give the division a chance to regroup. Blackbird will run from…” He tapped the various points on the large map. “Hameln, Bisperode, Coppenbrugge, Eldagsen, Springe, Volksen, Bredenbeck, Gehdren and Seelze.”

  “Units sir?” Asked the deputy commander.

  “I’ll work out their positions once I get an update on the situation down there. Clifford, I want you to take a heli ride to the front. I need to know the true situation down there. I need to take action before it all falls apart. I want a Brigade from Four Div on alert for moving to plug any gaps. I want 15th and the 49th to be left alone to dig in.”

  “I’ll leave as soon as we’ve finished here. What about the Kanal? Who are we going to put there?”

  “Those three infantry battalions. Move them there immediately.”

  “But, sir. They probably haven’t recovered from their recent attacks, nor had time to orientate themselves.”

  “Clifford, none of us have time. We need good defences along the Weser. I need to leave those brigades to get on with their preparations. Find me a good Colonel from Four Div, make him acting Brigadier and put him in command of those troops, but get them on the Kanal”

  “Understood, sir.”

  The General turned to Major Castle. “How far away is the American Division?”

  “Probably two days, sir. Advance elements could be here in twenty-four hours, if pushed.”

  “Right, I’ll get NORTHAG to release them to us. We have to put in a counter-attack as soon as possible.”

  “Counter-attack, sir?” responded General Renshaw.

  “The Soviets will be stretched, and we need to hit them before their 2nd Strategic Echelon gets to the front.” He turned to his aide again. “Start the preparation for a warning order for Four Div. They will be in action again sooner than they think. Oh, and one more thing: release one Helarm to 1st Division, but keep the second one back for the 24th Airmobile Brigade. They may well need it.”

  “How will we retaliate, sir?” Major Archer asked the General. “To the chemical strike, I mean.”

  “A good question, Major. The answer to that is being discussed by the powers-that-be as we speak. Right, Clifford, you have a Lynx to catch.”

  Chapter 36

  How do you protect your family from a nuclear attack?

  Build a fallout room – You need to protect your family against the heat and blast of a nuclear explosion. Choose the right place. It could be on the ground floor, but a cellar or basement would be better. Keep as far away as possible from an outside wall or the roof.

  How to strengthen your fallout room – Strengthen the weak points, such as doors and windows. One way is to fill bags with sand or earth and stack them outside your windows. If those materials are unavailable to you then push a large bookcase or a wardrobe up against the space you are trying to block off. If you have enough time, you could board up your windows on either side, filling in the gap with earth or sand, or, even better still, brick the windows up completely.

  The core – Inside this fallout shelter build a ‘core’ to protect your family further. It could be a lean-to up against one of the walls, protected with sandbags. Or you could use a cupboard beneath the stairs, making sure you have a layer of sandbags on the stairs and the surrounding area of the cupboard.

  Protect your Family - Handbook 2

  1400 8 JULY 1984. CHANTICLEER, UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT EMERGENCY WAR HEADQUARTERS, CORSHAM.

  THE BLACK EFFECT +10 HOURS.

  The Prime Minister took her twice-daily walk through the main areas of the complex where she had spent a good part of her days and nights since the launch of the Warsaw Pact invasion of
the Federal Republic of Germany. Her circuit of the underground bunker, followed at a distance by one of her close protection team, always started from Area 14, the Prime Minister’s office. It was also the home of the Cabinet Office, Chiefs of Staff and the War Cabinet. No one ever thought the day would come when the Government Emergency War Headquarters (GEWHQ), situated in between the village of Corsham and Lower Rudloe, would ever be used in earnest.

  The Prime Minister walked down the corridor, Area 21 on her left, the home of the Government Communications Centre and, on her right, the British Broadcasting Centre studio, along with the Home Office and local government departments. The BBC studio was far from what the news presenters were used to back at Broadcasting House, now having a space no bigger than three-by-three metres. She turned right and was now walking underneath West Road, which was thirty metres above her head. She could hear the footsteps of her CP officer resonating on the solid floor of the large concrete, and sometimes brick-lined, corridor of the bunker. The sounds were not so hollow now as they competed with other sounds of activity as Britain’s Cold War underground headquarters had now come to life to meet the threat on the other side of the English Channel. The dank, mildew smell that had previously tainted the air had also changed. The odour now consisted of a mix of sweaty bodies, ablutions and machinery, mixed in with freshly baked bread and the smells of stale cooking. Although Harriet Willis still scrunched up her nose slightly on occasion, she, like the rest of the 4,000 occupants, was getting used to the environment and its nuances. She turned right onto Main Road, now with Area 15 on her right and Area 8 on her left, looking up as one of the fluorescent tubes above her head flickered. If she missed anything, apart from seeing her children naturally, although adults now, it was natural daylight. She didn’t think she would ever get used to this unnatural glow. Large conduits lined the ceiling, taking cables and pipes to various parts of the complex. New cables had been laid outside of the casing, quickly put into place to ensure that the site was fully operational.