99_31: AFNORTH - PREPARED - MC 04 North German Plain '85

I have never been a big believer in the 'bolt from the blue' Soviet surprise attack theory; the west had too many spies in key eastern bloc government positions, too many satellites looking behind the iron curtain and too much knowledge of what precursors to look for if the Soviets were to mobilize to not know an attack was coming; in fact, NATO planners believed they would have at a minimum 4 days advance notice before any true WARPAC invasion. We will never really know how NATO would have reacted, had the Soviets initiated a full mobilization. My speculation is NATO would not have just sat idly by and awaited the avalanche. This then is the backdrop for the "AFNORTH Prepared" scenario. ------------ West Germany, June 10th 1985: As tensions around the world increase, the obvious buildup of Soviet power behind the iron curtain was closely monitored. While NATO governments desperately tried to calm the east-west tension, NATO armies prepared for war. WARPAC plans were to secure Schleswig-Holstein & Denmark, known as the Baltic Approaches (BALTAP), with a thrust through Luebeck and up the peninsula by the 5th DDR Army. This attack would be supported by an assortment of Naval and Airborne forces. Two goals would be achieved in capturing the BALTAP; the Soviet Baltic Fleet could sortie into the North Sea, and it would provide forward bases for WARPAC air raids on the UK and North Atlantic. Defending this area would be AFNORTH, a small collection of Bundeswehr, Territorial Army and Danish Army units. NATO relied heavily on reinforcement for this sector. With enough time, this sector might be made defensible. [Size: medium] Designer notes: Exit points are for DDR units only. Explicit Supply is possible. "Volcano Man's" NGP85 pictures pack download required to play. Thanks to M Breed, S Galbraith & E Williams for all their help and a special thanks to G Saunders for making this scenario possible.