**July 1968. Exercise SEVER turns hot.**
What if the Soviet Union had used the concentration of forces associated with a major Baltic exercise to launch a sudden operation against neutral Sweden — with Gotland as the objective?
Gotland 1968 is a hypothetical Cold War scenario built around forces, equipment, geography and mobilization systems that actually existed in the Baltic region in 1968.
**Scale:** 2.5 km/hex
**Turn length:** 6 hours
**Length:** 28 turns
**Recommended play:** Human USSR vs Swedish PO, or PBEM/Hotseat
The Soviet player begins with surprise and the ability to create crises almost anywhere on the island. The 76th Guards Airborne Division can arrive quickly, but airborne troops alone cannot sustain a prolonged campaign. Naval infantry, heavier equipment and supplies must cross the Baltic while Swedish resistance grows with every passing turn.
Sweden begins with only part of its potential strength available. PB18 mobilizes progressively from dispersed personnel and equipment stores, while Hemvärn, local defence forces, coastal artillery, the navy and the Swedish Air Force try to survive the opening blow and turn time into combat power.
**Ports matter. The Visby airfield matters. Mobilization matters.**
The opening battle is deliberately fluid. Soviet airborne forces must convert surprise into a sustainable lodgement before Sweden fully mobilizes. The 336th Guards Naval Infantry Regiment and the Baltic sea route become increasingly important as the battle develops — and Soviet transport capacity is not unlimited.
The scenario includes:
- detailed Soviet and Swedish orders of battle
- staged Swedish mobilization
- airborne and amphibious operations
- port-dependent Soviet reinforcement and supply
- Swedish coastal batteries and mine barriers
- Draken and Lansen operations under the STRIL air-defence system
- Baltic Fleet operations and vulnerable Soviet sea transport
- Soviet Tu-16 strike missions
- historical Swedish Bas 60 airbase infrastructure
- extensive event-driven scenario systems
For solo play, **USSR vs Swedish PO is recommended**. The Soviet side requires simultaneous airborne, naval and amphibious operations which the PO cannot reliably coordinate.
### THE GOTLAND TRILOGY
Gotland 1968 is intended as the first of three scenarios examining the same operational problem at different stages of the Cold War:
**Gotland 1968 — The Soviet Madness**
**Gotland 1975 — planned**
**Gotland 1984 — planned**
The geography remains the same. The aircraft, missiles, naval forces, ground equipment and doctrine do not.
For now, however, it is July 1968.
**The Soviet gamble begins.**
- Gotland - map
- Gotland-map.png (1.54 MiB) Viewed 18 times
- Soviets in trouble — the Swedish mobilization gathers momentum
- Soviets in trouble.png (3.34 MiB) Viewed 18 times