The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Early Spring, 1993, East Germany. A large fire started at the Saale rail yard, the storage area for Group Of Soviet Forces - Germany (GSFG). The local commander insisted there was no need for a civilian evacuation of the surrounding area. By the afternoon the fire reached the missile and ammunition storage area, causing a gigantic explosion and spreading a cloud of noxious gas across the area. By the end of the day 405 people had died and over 1500 injured.
Instead of suppressing the story, and realising that the underground press and West German television stations would have the story anyway, the German Communist Party decided to allow reports of the story in the press to give them credibility. The explosion could be seen for miles around and there was no way of denying it. The German Communist Party braced itself for minor civlian protests. The first protest happened that weekend, in Saale. Shots rang out at Ukranian troops watching at the periphery of the protest, the Ukranians returned fire into the crowd, killin 20 East Germans.
The situation escalated faster than predicted, East German has long been thought of as placated and tolerant, if not happy, with Soviet rule. Two days later large scale protests erupted in every town and city of East Germany and they continued with rising violence.
In June, a bomb exploded at a cafe in Dresden, killing the Soviet area commander and his staff. By the end of June, two ammo dumps in Fuerstenberg had been destroyed by sabotage, and the 2nd Guards Tank Regiment commander was ambushed and killed along with his bodyguards and chaufeur.
Martial Law was declared across East Germany, ostensibly to contain "acts of Capitalist sabotage", but this was another mistake. The troops deployed to enforce this were mainly the East German troops and militia, who found the idea of fighting their own population unbsavoury. Over half the force mutinied, and stole weapons, equipment and ammunition.
By the end of July, in Leipzig, the largest march of protest was organised and the Soviets deployed a mix of Ukranian and Slav troops, fearful of the East Germans they still had remaining loyal to them whom had been confined to base. Again, shots hit the Soviet forces, who returned fire. At the East German troops bases on the edge of Leipzig the East German commanders intercepted radio communiques of the fighting and broke out of their bases and headed for the centre of Leipzig. Two days of street fighting ensued with a massive death toll on both sides.
A Soviet report blamed West German infiltrators for the problems and the Soviet High Command restricted travel to West Berlin. In response, and unpredicted by the Soviets, West German forces went onto high alert and deployed along the Berlin Wall border areas.
August 7th saw a massive protest in Berlin, in theory to show solidarity with Leipzig, but all was not as it seemed. The night before, East German troops seized a section of the Berlin Wall on the East German side and set siege engineers to clearing the wall and obstacles, at the same time East German special forces made it to West Germany and informed the authorities of what was about to happen. The East German army would breach the wall, and hold it for as long as possible to allow citizens to escape to freedom in the West. As the protestors arrived early on the 7th they realised what a chance they had, and most made for the opening in the wall. Soviet forces in Berlin soon learned of this, and made for the area, but with the remnant of the East German army holding a cordon of 9 city blocks they were held back. The Soviet command ordered Migs to attack from the air, but West German fighters intercepted them, AA fire from West German air bases took a tool, leading to the local Communist Party leadership authorising the use of Bombers to take out the site.
The Bear bombers hit their target...except they had mistaken an American base for the West German one.
American forces in Europe went to high alert. Air battles between West German and Russian fighters continued throughout August with no further escalation. America distanced itself from the West Germans, urging them to impose a ceasefire, but the Soviets mistook this approach to mean American passivity to further Russian action. By September 9th peace talks had begun and the situation was returning to normal. NATO troops, mobilised at the start of August, were stood down and began withdrawals from forward positions, West German units returned to barracks.
At midnight, on September 10th, 48 russian fronts, equivalent to 3 NATO armies each, smashed through West German defences, and into Western Europe all across the divide. Over 1 million men, backed by APCs, artillery, air support, bombers and the chemical weapons, drove forward heading for the East German border with Western Europe...
****************
I've taken this account form the book Red Thrust by Steven J Zaloga. It's a what if book written in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell and posed the question of just how the Cold War could have become so much different, he had no way of knowing that just one month after publication, the wall would come down. Hence the book is quite rare, and very detailed, it makes for sober reading and serves as a reminder that the future is always in balance with the present.
Instead of suppressing the story, and realising that the underground press and West German television stations would have the story anyway, the German Communist Party decided to allow reports of the story in the press to give them credibility. The explosion could be seen for miles around and there was no way of denying it. The German Communist Party braced itself for minor civlian protests. The first protest happened that weekend, in Saale. Shots rang out at Ukranian troops watching at the periphery of the protest, the Ukranians returned fire into the crowd, killin 20 East Germans.
The situation escalated faster than predicted, East German has long been thought of as placated and tolerant, if not happy, with Soviet rule. Two days later large scale protests erupted in every town and city of East Germany and they continued with rising violence.
In June, a bomb exploded at a cafe in Dresden, killing the Soviet area commander and his staff. By the end of June, two ammo dumps in Fuerstenberg had been destroyed by sabotage, and the 2nd Guards Tank Regiment commander was ambushed and killed along with his bodyguards and chaufeur.
Martial Law was declared across East Germany, ostensibly to contain "acts of Capitalist sabotage", but this was another mistake. The troops deployed to enforce this were mainly the East German troops and militia, who found the idea of fighting their own population unbsavoury. Over half the force mutinied, and stole weapons, equipment and ammunition.
By the end of July, in Leipzig, the largest march of protest was organised and the Soviets deployed a mix of Ukranian and Slav troops, fearful of the East Germans they still had remaining loyal to them whom had been confined to base. Again, shots hit the Soviet forces, who returned fire. At the East German troops bases on the edge of Leipzig the East German commanders intercepted radio communiques of the fighting and broke out of their bases and headed for the centre of Leipzig. Two days of street fighting ensued with a massive death toll on both sides.
A Soviet report blamed West German infiltrators for the problems and the Soviet High Command restricted travel to West Berlin. In response, and unpredicted by the Soviets, West German forces went onto high alert and deployed along the Berlin Wall border areas.
August 7th saw a massive protest in Berlin, in theory to show solidarity with Leipzig, but all was not as it seemed. The night before, East German troops seized a section of the Berlin Wall on the East German side and set siege engineers to clearing the wall and obstacles, at the same time East German special forces made it to West Germany and informed the authorities of what was about to happen. The East German army would breach the wall, and hold it for as long as possible to allow citizens to escape to freedom in the West. As the protestors arrived early on the 7th they realised what a chance they had, and most made for the opening in the wall. Soviet forces in Berlin soon learned of this, and made for the area, but with the remnant of the East German army holding a cordon of 9 city blocks they were held back. The Soviet command ordered Migs to attack from the air, but West German fighters intercepted them, AA fire from West German air bases took a tool, leading to the local Communist Party leadership authorising the use of Bombers to take out the site.
The Bear bombers hit their target...except they had mistaken an American base for the West German one.
American forces in Europe went to high alert. Air battles between West German and Russian fighters continued throughout August with no further escalation. America distanced itself from the West Germans, urging them to impose a ceasefire, but the Soviets mistook this approach to mean American passivity to further Russian action. By September 9th peace talks had begun and the situation was returning to normal. NATO troops, mobilised at the start of August, were stood down and began withdrawals from forward positions, West German units returned to barracks.
At midnight, on September 10th, 48 russian fronts, equivalent to 3 NATO armies each, smashed through West German defences, and into Western Europe all across the divide. Over 1 million men, backed by APCs, artillery, air support, bombers and the chemical weapons, drove forward heading for the East German border with Western Europe...
****************
I've taken this account form the book Red Thrust by Steven J Zaloga. It's a what if book written in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell and posed the question of just how the Cold War could have become so much different, he had no way of knowing that just one month after publication, the wall would come down. Hence the book is quite rare, and very detailed, it makes for sober reading and serves as a reminder that the future is always in balance with the present.
The actual book is far more detailed, this summarises the basics of the intro.
I like What If books
Whilst reading it I was wondering where it was going :)
Whilst reading it I was wondering where it was going :)
Yep, fully in English, every word. Zaloga's family went to the US where he worked for the DOD, then at Jane's, always specialising in Soviet military
There is also a book written by Viktor (forget his second name) entitled Spetznatz - the former russian elite special forces, it's not worth buying because, unlike this one, it's all made up, even the facts.
Anyway, I'm glad someone found this of interest, even if no one else does then it's still worth the typing :)
There is also a book written by Viktor (forget his second name) entitled Spetznatz - the former russian elite special forces, it's not worth buying because, unlike this one, it's all made up, even the facts.
Anyway, I'm glad someone found this of interest, even if no one else does then it's still worth the typing :)
I'll have a look out for it. In English? Just making sure, my foreign languages aren't up to scratch anymore.
It is good, I originally read it from my local library, then I imported one from the US using Amazon Marketplace last week after saving the money for it - cost £20 including 3 day shipping. The whole account is based on what was known of the Soviets at the time, and the book continues to cover the air, land, mechanised, chemical, special forces and so on, each charting the progress of the fictional war and NATO's response, and each chapter has an accompanyin analysis of the fictional part which essentially backs up the authors fiction with fact.
One thing that surprised me was that in nearly every NATO plan, the idea was to trade West Germany for time - they'd all but abandon any forces in that region and instead concentrate on containing the Soviets within that area later in the campaign.
Well worth the money if you can find it and are into this kind of thing.
One thing that surprised me was that in nearly every NATO plan, the idea was to trade West Germany for time - they'd all but abandon any forces in that region and instead concentrate on containing the Soviets within that area later in the campaign.
Well worth the money if you can find it and are into this kind of thing.
Sounds very interesting. Might have a look for it.
Seems a bit like Beyond The Day by Michael Cronin.
"It is 1940. The Nazis have invaded, and Britain is now part of the Third Reich. All over the country German military authorities are taking control, led by the brutal Gestapo.
But slowly, sure, a resistance is building throughout the land. A secret network of people are plotting to overthrow the Nazis and win back their freedom, at any cost..."
Part of the blurb. Was intended as a kids book, but I know a fair few adults who have read it too.
Seems a bit like Beyond The Day by Michael Cronin.
"It is 1940. The Nazis have invaded, and Britain is now part of the Third Reich. All over the country German military authorities are taking control, led by the brutal Gestapo.
But slowly, sure, a resistance is building throughout the land. A secret network of people are plotting to overthrow the Nazis and win back their freedom, at any cost..."
Part of the blurb. Was intended as a kids book, but I know a fair few adults who have read it too.
Early Spring, 1993, East Germany. A large fire started at the Saale rail yard, the storage area for Group Of Soviet Forces - Germany (GSFG). The local commander insisted there was no need for a civilian evacuation of the surrounding area. By the afternoon the fire reached the missile and ammunition storage area, causing a gigantic explosion and spreading a cloud of noxious gas across the area. By the end of the day 405 people had died and over 1500 injured.
Instead of suppressing the story, and realising that the underground press and West German television stations would have the story anyway, the German Communist Party decided to allow reports of the story in the press to give them credibility. The explosion could be seen for miles around and there was no way of denying it. The German Communist Party braced itself for minor civlian protests. The first protest happened that weekend, in Saale. Shots rang out at Ukranian troops watching at the periphery of the protest, the Ukranians returned fire into the crowd, killin 20 East Germans.
The situation escalated faster than predicted, East German has long been thought of as placated and tolerant, if not happy, with Soviet rule. Two days later large scale protests erupted in every town and city of East Germany and they continued with rising violence.
In June, a bomb exploded at a cafe in Dresden, killing the Soviet area commander and his staff. By the end of June, two ammo dumps in Fuerstenberg had been destroyed by sabotage, and the 2nd Guards Tank Regiment commander was ambushed and killed along with his bodyguards and chaufeur.
Martial Law was declared across East Germany, ostensibly to contain "acts of Capitalist sabotage", but this was another mistake. The troops deployed to enforce this were mainly the East German troops and militia, who found the idea of fighting their own population unbsavoury. Over half the force mutinied, and stole weapons, equipment and ammunition.
By the end of July, in Leipzig, the largest march of protest was organised and the Soviets deployed a mix of Ukranian and Slav troops, fearful of the East Germans they still had remaining loyal to them whom had been confined to base. Again, shots hit the Soviet forces, who returned fire. At the East German troops bases on the edge of Leipzig the East German commanders intercepted radio communiques of the fighting and broke out of their bases and headed for the centre of Leipzig. Two days of street fighting ensued with a massive death toll on both sides.
A Soviet report blamed West German infiltrators for the problems and the Soviet High Command restricted travel to West Berlin. In response, and unpredicted by the Soviets, West German forces went onto high alert and deployed along the Berlin Wall border areas.
August 7th saw a massive protest in Berlin, in theory to show solidarity with Leipzig, but all was not as it seemed. The night before, East German troops seized a section of the Berlin Wall on the East German side and set siege engineers to clearing the wall and obstacles, at the same time East German special forces made it to West Germany and informed the authorities of what was about to happen. The East German army would breach the wall, and hold it for as long as possible to allow citizens to escape to freedom in the West. As the protestors arrived early on the 7th they realised what a chance they had, and most made for the opening in the wall. Soviet forces in Berlin soon learned of this, and made for the area, but with the remnant of the East German army holding a cordon of 9 city blocks they were held back. The Soviet command ordered Migs to attack from the air, but West German fighters intercepted them, AA fire from West German air bases took a tool, leading to the local Communist Party leadership authorising the use of Bombers to take out the site.
The Bear bombers hit their target...except they had mistaken an American base for the West German one.
American forces in Europe went to high alert. Air battles between West German and Russian fighters continued throughout August with no further escalation. America distanced itself from the West Germans, urging them to impose a ceasefire, but the Soviets mistook this approach to mean American passivity to further Russian action. By September 9th peace talks had begun and the situation was returning to normal. NATO troops, mobilised at the start of August, were stood down and began withdrawals from forward positions, West German units returned to barracks.
At midnight, on September 10th, 48 russian fronts, equivalent to 3 NATO armies each, smashed through West German defences, and into Western Europe all across the divide. Over 1 million men, backed by APCs, artillery, air support, bombers and the chemical weapons, drove forward heading for the East German border with Western Europe...
****************
I've taken this account form the book Red Thrust by Steven J Zaloga. It's a what if book written in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell and posed the question of just how the Cold War could have become so much different, he had no way of knowing that just one month after publication, the wall would come down. Hence the book is quite rare, and very detailed, it makes for sober reading and serves as a reminder that the future is always in balance with the present.
Instead of suppressing the story, and realising that the underground press and West German television stations would have the story anyway, the German Communist Party decided to allow reports of the story in the press to give them credibility. The explosion could be seen for miles around and there was no way of denying it. The German Communist Party braced itself for minor civlian protests. The first protest happened that weekend, in Saale. Shots rang out at Ukranian troops watching at the periphery of the protest, the Ukranians returned fire into the crowd, killin 20 East Germans.
The situation escalated faster than predicted, East German has long been thought of as placated and tolerant, if not happy, with Soviet rule. Two days later large scale protests erupted in every town and city of East Germany and they continued with rising violence.
In June, a bomb exploded at a cafe in Dresden, killing the Soviet area commander and his staff. By the end of June, two ammo dumps in Fuerstenberg had been destroyed by sabotage, and the 2nd Guards Tank Regiment commander was ambushed and killed along with his bodyguards and chaufeur.
Martial Law was declared across East Germany, ostensibly to contain "acts of Capitalist sabotage", but this was another mistake. The troops deployed to enforce this were mainly the East German troops and militia, who found the idea of fighting their own population unbsavoury. Over half the force mutinied, and stole weapons, equipment and ammunition.
By the end of July, in Leipzig, the largest march of protest was organised and the Soviets deployed a mix of Ukranian and Slav troops, fearful of the East Germans they still had remaining loyal to them whom had been confined to base. Again, shots hit the Soviet forces, who returned fire. At the East German troops bases on the edge of Leipzig the East German commanders intercepted radio communiques of the fighting and broke out of their bases and headed for the centre of Leipzig. Two days of street fighting ensued with a massive death toll on both sides.
A Soviet report blamed West German infiltrators for the problems and the Soviet High Command restricted travel to West Berlin. In response, and unpredicted by the Soviets, West German forces went onto high alert and deployed along the Berlin Wall border areas.
August 7th saw a massive protest in Berlin, in theory to show solidarity with Leipzig, but all was not as it seemed. The night before, East German troops seized a section of the Berlin Wall on the East German side and set siege engineers to clearing the wall and obstacles, at the same time East German special forces made it to West Germany and informed the authorities of what was about to happen. The East German army would breach the wall, and hold it for as long as possible to allow citizens to escape to freedom in the West. As the protestors arrived early on the 7th they realised what a chance they had, and most made for the opening in the wall. Soviet forces in Berlin soon learned of this, and made for the area, but with the remnant of the East German army holding a cordon of 9 city blocks they were held back. The Soviet command ordered Migs to attack from the air, but West German fighters intercepted them, AA fire from West German air bases took a tool, leading to the local Communist Party leadership authorising the use of Bombers to take out the site.
The Bear bombers hit their target...except they had mistaken an American base for the West German one.
American forces in Europe went to high alert. Air battles between West German and Russian fighters continued throughout August with no further escalation. America distanced itself from the West Germans, urging them to impose a ceasefire, but the Soviets mistook this approach to mean American passivity to further Russian action. By September 9th peace talks had begun and the situation was returning to normal. NATO troops, mobilised at the start of August, were stood down and began withdrawals from forward positions, West German units returned to barracks.
At midnight, on September 10th, 48 russian fronts, equivalent to 3 NATO armies each, smashed through West German defences, and into Western Europe all across the divide. Over 1 million men, backed by APCs, artillery, air support, bombers and the chemical weapons, drove forward heading for the East German border with Western Europe...
****************
I've taken this account form the book Red Thrust by Steven J Zaloga. It's a what if book written in 1989 before the Berlin Wall fell and posed the question of just how the Cold War could have become so much different, he had no way of knowing that just one month after publication, the wall would come down. Hence the book is quite rare, and very detailed, it makes for sober reading and serves as a reminder that the future is always in balance with the present.