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The Operational Art of War IV
The Third World War (European Scenario)
A Narrative Replay
By Bootlegger

This scenario is a direct conversion from Frank Chadwick's (Game Designers Workshop) excellent board game “The Third World War: The Battle for Germany. The OOB's have been massively updated along with the possible battle plans the Soviet AI can execute as those plans and OOB's were obtained after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Chapter 1
“The Day Before”

0705901930Z

Vicinity Casteau, Belgium. SHAPE/SACEUR Hq's Command Ops Center.

General Mark Russo, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), was standing behind his work station when his Intel Officer came out of the Coms bunker. Col Josef Krubb of the West Germany Army handed him a folded piece of paper. Russo looked at Krubb whose face stayed stoic, as it always did.

He unfolded the note and read the four words..”Permission Granted, Godspeed, SecState” “Took them long enough” said Russo to Grubb. “Coms, get me the Cdrs of AGNorth, AGCenter, the German 1st and US VII Corps on the secure line. I need it done as fast as possible” ordered Russo.

The “Permission” gave Russo authority to order the demolition of the bridges in Hamburg, Hanover, and Nurnburg, an order he was waiting to give. Hopefully they had enough time before Ivan crossed the IGB...

..Cont

Cont...

Chapter 2
“The Good, Bad, and Ugly”

9 July, 1990 0345Z
0709900345Z

Russo was looking at the four folders on his desk. “Personnel, Intel, Ops, Logistics.” He slid the Log and Per folders to the side, grumbling under his breath as he did. He knew the timelines regarding getting reinforcements and supplies from the US to Europe . 7 days at best. 4-5 crossing the Atlantic, 2-3 offloading and getting them into theater. The Chief Naval Ops (CNO) had reminded him that Ivan was not playing very nice at the moment. Russo knew that the Navy was taking some pretty good hits as they covered the convoy.

Thankfully REFORGER was implemented once the order to send the 82nd into Iran was given. That gave the personnel of the 1st ID (Mech), time to fall onto their POMCUS Site, draw their equipment, and occupy their GDP positions before the outbreak of hostilities.

He opened the Intel and Ops folders, read the bullet summaries, and then stared at the Satellite, JSTARS, and Photo Recon data. He glanced over to an Ops bullet point then looked at a series of JSTARS pictures showing the Warsaw Pact forces moving into the salient that formed between Hamburg and Hanover. A penetration of 150Kms. The loss of Hamburg along with the 3rd Pz Div was bad enough. The Brit 1st Ar Div took a beating and withdrew to Bremen trying to reorganize. The Dutch 1st Mech Div made it to Bremerhaven but there was a gap, one he couldn't fill because Russian Spetnaz forces disrupted the deployment of the Dutch 1st Mech Corps.

|He looked at the Bullet points from both reports and wrote a separate list, taking only those that mattered (To Him):
COMNOR: 76th Gds Abn Div atks at Bodo. Est...Lost 1-2 days
COMDEN: WP airstrikes cause heavy loses to Danish AF
AG North: WP will bypass Kiel, Isolate Jutland 1-2 days
AG North: WP continues atk along axis Bremen-Groningen and Hanover-Bielfeld-Munster.

Russo changed the screen on the wall displaying the disposition of AG North's combat units to that of AG Center. After 4 days of fighting and delaying, the 11th and 2nd ACR's were spent, but their sacrifice gave the US V and VII Corps much needed time to get set. That front was stable, for now.

Switching to AG South's display, well here were surprises. Even after Yugoslavia declared neutrality, the WP still attacked. Same with Austria when they launched an airstrike against the airfields around Vienna. Greece and Turkey, although attacked, were well dug in.

The next few days will be the hardest thought Russo as he leaned back in his chair....

Cont...

Cont...

Chapter 3
“The Hammer has to Fall”

0430hrs 12 July, 1990
0712900430Z

Eight days into the war and the lines were holding, some areas better than others.

As expected, Ivan hit the forward deployed elements of NorthAG and CentAG. 2nd GTA, 20th GA, and the 3rd Shock Army attacked along the axis . The WG 3rd Pz Div absorbed the brunt of the 2nd GTA and paid for it. Hamburg fell earlier than he expected, right after. The UK 1st Ar Div fate was much same as they got hit with both the 20th GA and elements of 3rd Shock. What remained of the Division regrouped in Bremen. Whereas the 2nd GTA and 20th GA had good success, the 3rd Shock was stopped at Hanover and Braunschweig by the 1st and 7th WG Pz Div's. With those two positions anchoring the right flank of NorthAG, and Bremen/Bremerhaven holding the left, and all the major river and rail crossings between them destroyed, the 20th GA pushed SW towards Bielfeld, where they ran into the Belgium 1st Mech Div who just arrived. The meeting engagement ended in a tactical loss for the Belgiums who lost over 60%, but it did contain the penetration until the BE 16th Mech fell in on their postions.

The lead elements of the US III Corps (2nd AD and 3rd ACR) fell onto their Pomcus Sites and road marched to Osnabruck and Bielfeld to back up the Belgiums. The US 4th Mech Div also arrived and took up positions on the US V Corps left.

It was here in CentAG, in the Fulda Gap, did Russo believe Ivan would make his next large attack. The 1st Gds Tk Army, 8th Gds Army, and 3rd EG Army had engaged and destroyed the ACR screen but then only conducted positioning attacks. They were at 90% strength yet no major attacks since the 9th. The respite gave Russo time get the French II Corps into position along the Main River covering the gap between the US 3rd Mech and 1st AD.

CentAG's right flank was held by the WG III Corps along with the Can 4th Mech Bde, and the French 1st Corps. Here also a major attack is expected.

Cdr AFSouth secured permission from the Yugoslav Gov't allowing the It V Corps to enter the country and take up defensive positions at Rijeka, Ljubjana, and to the north. Greece and Turkey were holding their own against the Bulgarians', Romanians', and Albanians'.

NATO had Air Superiority but the kill ratio of 3.5 to 1 was too low to maintain it for much longer. He was running out of air cover.

Cont....

cont....