The Black Effect (Cold War)

by Black, Harvey

  After the war, the East German Army, the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) came into existence when, in 1955, the Federal Republic of Germany formed its own army to contribute to its own defence in support of NATO forces. The Deutschland Democratic Republic, DDR, authorised by their Soviet masters, responded quickly and, by 1962, conscription was enforced. The NVA grew to the 108,000 strong army it was now. Along with Soviet divisions, the 5th German Army had struck at Lubeck, quickly crossing the Elbe-Lubeck Canal, supported by the Soviet 336th Naval Infantry Brigade landing west of Gromitz. With T-55 tanks, BTR-60s and BTR-70s, wheeled armoured infantry combat vehicles, and in the region of 4,000 naval infantry, they quickly overpowered the local defence force, threatening the left flank of the Bundeswehr forces defending Lubeck who were in danger of having Soviet troops behind them. They were forced to make a steady withdrawal. The Naval Brigade, as well as threatening the eastern and northern sector of Lubeck, also struck out for Pansdorf, to cut off the Travemunde Peninsular.

  Over time, the Bundeswehr were slowly pushed back, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Soviet and Nationale Volksarmee forces arrayed against them. Schleswig-Holstein-Command had already decided to abandon their headquarters in Neumunster and would need time to get organised at their new location: the town of Schleswig. Their latest defensive position was a line that ran across from Brunsbuttal in the west, through Schafstedt, Rendsburg to the north of Kiel. Landwehr and Jaeger units were still fighting the Soviets in the city of Kiel, the Russian leaders reluctant to commit too many forces to a street by street, house by house battle.

  The Bundeswehr’s 6th Panzer Division had been fighting for nearly three days and the men were exhausted. Their machines were holding up well, Leopard 1s in the main, but due to heavy interdiction from the Soviet air force, fuel and ammunition was in short supply. The three brigades, one Panzer and two Panzer grenadier, along with a mixture of Jaeger and Landwehr units, had a front of 100 kilometres to hold. They were now dug in behind the Nord-Ostee-Kanal, their mission to hold until the arrival of much needed reinforcements from the Allied Command Europe (ACE) Mobile Force, a multinational force that would not only demonstrate the solidarity of the NATO alliance but could also pack a punch in its own right.

  The platoon commander pulled his head down as some stray shots zipped overhead. He needed some heavier firepower and called forward his two remaining BMP-1s, the two others lost to a shell from a Bundeswehr Leopard-1. The two BMPs soon got into the firefight, their 73mm guns and PKT coaxial machine guns putting extra fire down onto the enemy. He only allowed five of the 73mm rounds to be fired from each gun. Ammunition was starting to run low, and he wasn’t sure when they would be resupplied. He heard large explosions coming from deeper into the village as the rest of the battalion of the 8th Motorschutz Division got to grips with the enemy within. Every time that word ‘enemy’ went through his mind, it felt uncomfortable. These were Germans, like him. Were they truly the enemy? he thought.

  The previous day, he had spoken to some wounded Bundeswehr soldiers, and one of them asked him why they were attacking them. What had they done wrong? He found he couldn’t answer. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t actually know the true reason himself. The radio crackled, and his radio operator confirmed that the enemy were pulling back. They were to wait ten minutes, then advance. Once secured, the bridging units and additional forces could be brought forward ready to force a crossing the next day.

  Behind them, the 9th Panzer Division was ready to exploit the crossing once a bridgehead had been formed. A fast crossing, fanning out west and east, attempting to cut off the retreating Bundeswehr forces, and they would be one step closer to entering Denmark.

  1800 7 JULY 1984. 12 MECHANISED DIVISION, 1ST POLISH ARMEE. NORTH OF TOSTEDT, WEST GERMANY.

  THE BLACK EFFECT −10 HOURS.

  Colonel Bajek, his black tanker’s uniform and badge showing him to be with the Polish army, steadied himself as he rocked backwards and forwards in the turret of his T-55 tank, attempting to steady the map as they raced along Route 76. He needed to be sure when to come off the road, to pick the right time to bear north, passing around the northern outskirts of Tostedt. His orders were clear: don’t get bogged down fighting for towns, or even villages; bypass them. Push west and hard. His objective was Rotenburg, less than twenty kilometres from the town of Achim and the River Werdesee. His division had been ordered to secure the east bank of the river by nightfall. An Air Assault Brigade would be assaulting the western bank the following morning. A crossing had to be forced, a bridgehead made, enabling 20th Tank Division, with its more modern T-72 tanks, to break out. He hoped to command one of the T-72 tank battalions one day, if not a full regiment. His own T-55AD2 command tank was old, built in 1976. His battalion had been plagued with breakdowns and, out of his battalion of forty tanks, five had been left behind for repairs.

  At the same time he heard the rumble of an explosion up ahead, his radio crackled in his headphones beneath his black-ribbed, padded helmet. “Zero-Jeden. Shontaktuj.”

  “Damn, another contact!” He groaned loudly above the sound of the tank’s engine and the rattle of tracks.

  He ordered his driver to pull over. He ran his finger across the map. His lead company was about 200 metres up ahead, the other two companies behind.

  “What is it?”

  “One of those missile panzers again, sir.”

  “Have you destroyed it?”

  “No, sir, it fired its missile then disappeared.”

  “Hit and run, hit and run,” he mumbled to himself. The Bundeswehr Racketenjagdpanzers, particularly the Jaguar 1s, had been hitting his battalion for the last twenty-four hours. They would simply hide, hit the first tank in the column, then race off at sixty kilometres an hour to set up another ambush. Four tanks lost to date. He cursed his senior officers for pushing his unit so fast, diverting the division’s reconnaissance for other flanking tasks.

  “Lysek, move north. Leave a platoon on the road to cover, then head north.”

  “Understood, sir, north.”

  He looked at his map again. “Watch out for the village to your north, Dohren. I’ll call in some air support. See if we can’t give them a taste of their own medicine.”

  “When will you release my platoon, sir?”

  “Once the battalion is clear of Dohren, they can join up with you. Moroz can take the lead then. Out.”

  He spoke into his intercom, ordering his driver forward. He turned, hearing his second tank company approaching from behind. Time to move north soon, skirt the town ahead, and press on.

  Chapter 22

  1930 7 JULY 1984. THE KREMLIN.

  THE BLACK EFFECT −8.5 HOURS.

  Baskov, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union, slammed his fist down on the table. The cups, some still full of coffee, jumped. Splotches of liquid leapt upwards, then rained down on the documents in front of the two generals, leaving dark stains as they were soaked into the paper. Baskov pushed his seat back again, for the third time during this session, his patience running as thin as the strength of his temper was increasing. With absolute frustration, he stormed around the room yet again, fiddling with his signet ring, a memento of a 300 day battle he had been in during WW2. No retreat!

  On the right of the extended table sat Yuri Aleksandrov, Chairman of the dreaded KGB, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or the Committee for State Security. In overall power terms, he was probably only second to Baskov, the most powerful man in the Soviet Union. On the opposite side was Marshal Obraztsov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Teatr Voyennykh Deystviy, Commander of the Western TVD. His battlefront covered an area extending from Southern Norway, through Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Federal Republic of Germany, Northern France, and even including Great Britain. Nearest the General Secretary was General Zavarin. The General Secretary’s rage was such that he had bypassed the Stavka Ver
khovnogo Glavnokomaidovaiya, STAVKA, the full Soviet military command, responsible for commanding all of the Soviet forces involved in times of war. Instead, he had called in his Chairman of the KGB and the Marshall responsible for the Western TVD. With the Polish, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian, and the Groups of Soviet Forces under his command, this man had the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the attack on the West was successful. The second officer was Army General Zavarin, Commander of the Group of Soviet Forces Germany (GSFG). His command had the most powerful conventional force in the Soviet Union’s armoury and was conducting the bulk of the assault on NATO’s Northern Army Group.

  “Momentum! That’s what we agreed was key to destroying their first echelon quickly. You both sat here and agreed with me. Momentum, momentum, momentum.” Baskov dropped back down into his chair, then leant forward on his elbows and locked eyes with his Western TVD commander. “Destroy the enemies covering force, then their first line of defence, before pushing them back to the Rhine. That’s what you told me would happen. In this very room, you sat there and told me it would take only a matter of days to have them reeling.” His voice got louder and louder. “Did they not, Comrade Yuri?” He said looking at the head of the KGB. The chair was pushed back again and the General Secretary was up on his feet.

  Aleksandrov nodded in reply, not wanting to add any more to the discomfort of the two generals sitting opposite him. The two generals also remained quiet, waiting for some of their leader’s wrath to dissipate.

  “General Zavarin. Third Shock Army would fight on a narrower front, enabling them...what were the words you used?” The General Secretary looked at the transcript of a recording of the meeting when the plans had been discussed. “…to slice through the Northern Army Group’s meagre defences. So, tell me. Why is the knife so blunt?” It was a rhetorical question. Baskov had not finished his latest rant just yet. “Why haven’t our airborne forces been used yet? I thought our T-80s were a match for any Western main battle tank. Why...haven’t...we...smashed them?” Each word was punctuated by a thump on the table as he leant close to the two officers on the receiving end of his wrath. But this time he wanted to hear an answer, this time he wanted a reply, so sat back down so he could look directly into their faces as they responded.

  “Comrade General Secretary, we are making good progress,” responded Obraztsov. He looked tired, his face almost gaunt, but not as tired as Zavarin who hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours, keeping constant control over his advancing armies. “The Northern Group of Forces, led by Comrade General Zhiglov, along with the 5th German Army and the 1st Polish Army, have Hamburg surrounded and are already moving into Denmark and towards Bremen. 20 Guards Army, part of our 2nd Strategic Echelon, are already on the move to reinforce our army and continue the momentum. Your idea to persuade the West to save Berlin and its population from imminent death and destruction, giving them your word that we would not assault or enter the city, but on the condition that they withdraw their forces back to barracks, has released an entire army. It is safe to leave the encirclement of Berlin to the Volksarmee. 2 Guards Tank Army is also advancing on Bremen. To the south, the 3rd German Army are pushing towards the south of Kassel, and 1 Guards Tank Army are hitting the Americans hard at the Fulda Gap.”

  “Is it time you switched to the southern axis and made that your main thrust?” asked the KGB Chairman, speaking for the first time.

  “The north should remain our main strategic drive, Comrade Aleksandrov. Although there is a delay in crossing the River Leine, it is still NATO’s weakest front.”

  “And their reinforcements?”

  “The British reinforcements, their 2nd Division, and those reserves that have been called up, are getting closer to their deployment positions, having now crossed the English Channel. But they are taking a beating from our air force.”

  “The Americans?”

  “The American reinforcements allocated for NORTHAG, a full Army Corps, will be sometime before they can be in a position to make a difference. They will not be in time to delay our crossing of the Leine.”

  “But, now the French have decided to come onboard with NATO, that will surely allow the Americans to release forces in the south to support the north?”

  “Not yet, Comrade Aleksandrov. The French have not yet moved into position, and the two Czech armies are already across the Danube. Some forces will have to be diverted to support the Austrians. We expect that to be the French. Our Central Group of Forces will add more weight to that sector.”

  There was a moment of silence. The KGB Chairman had finished with his questions for the moment, and Baskov was clearly mulling something over.

  “But we haven’t solved the Hanover problem yet,” stated Baskov, almost in a whisper.

  Zavarin spoke, for only the second time during the meeting. Up until now he had allowed his commander to take the brunt of the heat from their General Secretary. “Within twenty-four hours, Comrade General Secretary, we will be marching on Minden. The Weser will not be able to contain our advance.”

  “You say that with confidence, General,” suggested Aleksandrov.

  “Now we have the release of our special weapons approved and with one airborne division behind them, with a second to follow, they won’t be able to stop us. Our numbers, firepower and tactical position will be a guarantee of success.”

  Baskov searched the man’s eyes and face, seeing total confidence and belief in what he had just said. “Very well, General Zavarin, I will hold you to that statement.”

  Obraztsov interrupted. “The Baltic, Byelorussian and the Carpathian Military Districts are already moving their troops to the front, Comrade General Secretary. Once airborne and ground forces have secured the crossing of the river and a divisional OMG exploits the breakthrough, these additional forces will be able to maintain the forward momentum.”

  This time it was the KGB Chairman who got up out of his seat and stretched his legs. “What response have you had from the Volksarmee as to the use of the special weapons, Marshall Obraztsov?”

  The Marshall’s response was slightly hesitant, but he was soon in full flow. “They are soldiers like the rest of us, Comrade Aleksandrov, and they take orders.”

  “Did they agree willingly to those orders?”

  “They...ah...had some reservations, Comrade Aleksandrov, but...understood the necessity of their use.”

  Baskov and Aleksandrov made eye contact, and no more needed to be said.

  “Thank you, Marshall Obraztsov, General Zavarin. You are released to continue leading the war against our enemies.”

  The two officers stood, placed their military caps on their heads, and saluted before heading towards the door.

  Just as Zavarin was about to follow his commander out, Baskov called out to him. “General Zavarin.”

  “Yes, Comrade General Secretary?”

  “If the crossing fails, I want the senior officers responsible for that failure shot. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Comrade General Secretary. I will personally carry out the order.”

  The two Politburo members were now on their own, and Baskov summoned his secretary to provide fresh drinks and some of his favourite biscuits.

  “Well, Yuri? The Germans?”

  “There have been grumblings, Comrade Secretary. The use of special weapons on German and NATO positions, where civilians may well be in close proximity, will be an issue. Some of them are bound to be affected, and this is causing them some concern.”

  “It will save lives in the long run. The sooner we can beat NATO into submission, the sooner we can claim victory and end this war. You need to keep an eye on them, Yuri.”

  “I have loyal insiders who are reporting back to me.”

  “What about the Poles?”

  “They don’t care. They are happy to see Germans killed whichever side they’re on. There is no love lost betwee
n those two nations. The last war saw to that.”

  Baskov reflected on what he had just heard. “We need to have some of our forces on standby, just in case.”

  “I anticipated your request, Comrade Secretary. I am meeting with MVD and NKVD commanders in the morning.”

  “Good, good, Yuri. I knew I could depend on you. Why don’t we forget about this coffee. I have something much better in my cabinet.”

  Chapter 23

  1945 7 JULY 1984. COMBAT TEAM BRAVO (+). GRONAU, WEST GERMANY.

  THE BLACK EFFECT −8 HOURS.

  “Two-Two-Alpha, this is Bravo-Zero. Over.”

  “Two-Two-Alpha, go ahead. Over.”

  “You have friendlies moving your location. Over.”

  “Roger that, Bravo-Zero. Call signs and type. Over.”

  “Alpha, Charlie, with Three-Three-Delta, and Delta troop moving to south-west of your location. Suggest you recall Two-Two-Charlie. Roger so far? Over.”

  “Roger that.”

  “One Jaeger platoon, call sign Foxtrot-One and one tank destroyer Foxtrot-Two. Roger so far? Over.”

  “Roger.”

  “Foxtrot-One will move north of your location. Foxtrot-Two, south.Two-Two-Echo are being withdrawn, but stay on your side. Alpha and Delta will cover your west exit. Golf-One and Golf-Two also in position. Over.”

  “What about Two-Two-Delta? Over.”

  “Medical support is following Three-Three-Delta in.”

  “Roger that, sir.” Thank god there will be some relief for Two-two-Delta, he thought. What’s the situation to our west? Over.”

  “All call signs under heavy pressure but holding. A Landwehr unit is being reinforced by Alpha, and Delta is holding. Charlie will be joining you to your south. But be ready to get out of there quickly, Alex. When we can see how it pans out, you may need to shift.”