WW3 (1983-1989)

The third world war was fought between NATO, the Warsaw pact and their allies from 1983-1985. The war ended inconclusive. With over 87 Million deaths, it is the deadliest war ever fought. The peace treaty was signed in 1989. Todays Europe is completely diffrent from Europe we know today.

Prehistory

The world in 1983. Although the world situation begins to soften, the cold war is still in full swing. China allied with the USSR again and France rejoins NATO. New nuclear weapons are deployed in Europe. The Afghanistan war ends. No one thinks of a war that leads Europe into Chaos. The NATO-leaders announced that in November the able archer exercise will take place. It simulates an Warsaw pact invasion and a nuclear war. The soviet chairman Yuri Andropov fears a surprise western nuclear attack. Andropov asks to cancel the exercise. But NATO-leaders refuse. Andropov fears are confirmed. American and british nuclear weapons are deployed very close to their border. And almost all NATO nuclear missiles are being prepared for the launch. The Warsaw Pact leaders come together in the Kremlin. They decide to invade. Sergej Akhromeyev general in chief of the soviet armed forces has the order to invade Europe. November 7th 1983. Able Archer exercise starts. The soviets plan to attack is two days later. The western leaders will be brought to secret shelters. On 8th November 1983 Warsaw pact tanks, artillery, troops and planes are brought to the border. On 9th November 1983, at 2 am, 3500 Artillery shells are launched against NATO-defenses in West-Berlin, the inner german border Northern norway, and european Turkey.

The third world war begins

9th November 1983 5 am. About three hours after the Artillery attack, soviet Spetsnatz units, disguised as tourists, sabotage german communication. Warsaw pact bombers bombed NATO-bases in West Germany. Every german airport is damaged. And then, the attack. The army of the Warsaw pact moves into West Germany and advances quickly. The NATO defenses are destroyed and the soviet army quickly takes Brunswick, Frankfurt and West-Berlin. Lubeck falls also. US-President Reagan mobilizes the US-Army. Fresh reinforcements from USA and Canada are on the way. But this will take it's time. At 10 AM, Warsaw pact bombers start the second bomber wave, this time the big cities of NATO are their targets. Hamburg, Cologne, Bonn, Munich, Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Brussels. The industry of this cities get heavy damaged. NATO troops try to hold the Fulda gap. The big defense line in Germany. The soviet 45th Lithuanian front and the polish 1st corps have the task to break the Fulda gap. After a bloody battle, the units that held the Fulda gap are retreating and the troops of the Warsaw pact now cross into the rest of Germany. The soviet 56th kazakh front, the ddr 5th tank division and the czechoslovak 5th and 7th infantry division of the 89th army cross into the hardly defended bavaria. and take Munich. Meanwhile the hungarian 55th Airborne division landed near the river Elbe and took the strategic bridge of Dömitz. November 10th 1983. Second day of war. The attack shocked the world. The two biggest military alliances of the world are at war. Their allies promise to join the war. The fire that set Europe on flames, soon spreads all over the world.

Declarations of war

11th November 1983, North Korea attacked South Korea. The North korean 8th tank division came dangerous near to Seoul. But the offensive is stopped. The front in Korea freezes. Although China helped North Korea. Vietnam also joined the war. On 21st October, Syria attacked Israel. The Israeli 5th infantry division stopped the syrian 1st infantry division heading to Tel Aviv. The front here also freezes. Cuba also joins the war. But they are too weak against USA

The situation in Europe

On 21st October soviet and polish troops encircle Bremen. About 750.000 NATO-Troops surrendered in the city. Meanwhile Denmark falls, with the polish 567th motorised division entering Copenhagen. Meanwhile the Bulgarians invade european Turkey. the bulgarian 1st corps occupies Edirne. And then heads to Istanbul. On 5 PM the same day, The romanian 5th heavy bomber squadron launched another bombing raid on West Germany. But this time NATO anti aircraft batteries shot down four planes. Reaction of NATO was weak on all fronts. The troops were outnumbered. The soviet 45th Ukrainian front occupies Hanover. And from the south the czechoslovak people's army and the east german Volksarmee are also attacking towards the Rhine. At the norwegian front the soviet 987th Army took Narvik. From there the soviet 50th bomber squadron guided by the 67th fighter squadron started a bombing campaign over the british isles. Big british cities get bombed, even London. The tower bridge gets almost destroyed after a soviet fighter crashes into it. The strike was succesful but with heavy casualties. US-President Reagan and british prime minister Thatcher forbid the use of nuclear weapons for now. NATO-troops have only one possibility to stop the Warsaw pact army. To blow up all bridges over the Rhine, before the Troops of the Warsaw pact arrive. The Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne and every other bridge over the Rhine is blown up within five days. On 27th October 1983, The DDR Volksarmee takes Cologne. The advance of the Warsaw Pact is stopped along the Rhine. NATO troops have now enough time to prepare a counter strike.

The invasion of Austria

On 1st November 1983. The situation is clear. If the Rhine can't be crossed, the Warsaw pact must advance on other fronts. Like Italy. But Austria is on the way. So the soviet army decides to invade Austria. The small austrian army has no chance. After three days Vienna falls. Austria is turned into a puppet state. And now the invasion of Italy starts. The romanian 5th tank division, the soviet 5th belorussian front and the east german 6th, 7th and 8th motorised division of the 9th and 10th army. Occupy Venice and Milan. But the italian army counter attacks along Florence. But the Warsaw pact army is stronger on 8th december they take Rome. Italy falls. But this small campaign costed 50.000 casualities.

New offensive

On 15th November 1983, Soviet engineers completed a new bridge over the Rhine. But NATO-forces attacked. Under heavy casaulties the soviet 45th tank army and the 50th infantry division of the polish people's army crossed the Rhine and occupied Arnhem in the Netherlands. They fortified their position there.

Stalemate.

As the Warsaw pact forces fortify their positions at Arnhem, the war quickly turned into trench warfare. Trenches were built on both sides. Like in the first world war, again a wolrd war is stuck in a stalemate. Battles on the whole front began costing thousands of casaulties, wounded and prisoners of war. But not every front is stuck in a stalemate. On the scandinavian front where the USSR invaded Finland and Sweden. Without any problems. The governments are already planning how to break the stalemate. On third february 1984, the NATO-leaders are discussing about the use of nuclear weapons. They won't use nukes for now. And also a communist revolution breaks out in Austria. They officialy joined the war on soviet side. The swedish Army still defends Stockholm. Throughout the next months nothing changes at the front. The war is just stuck in a very big stalemate.

Nukes getting used

The NATO-leaders come together again and discuss about nukes. Almost everyone knows, that this would mean thousands of deaths. But they somehow want to break the stalemate. So they decided to launch a nuclear missile. On 31st July 1984 the first nuke is fired. The target: Leipzig. As the missile hit Leipzig the USSR begins to respond. Soviet nukes will hit Cologne, Munich, Bonn, Amsterdam, the hague and Antwerp in the following days. American missiles will hit Rostock, Smolensk, Kaluga, Budapest and Brno. Within a few days, western Europe turned into a nuclear battlefield. Soldiers on both sides are desperated. They want to get back home to their wife and children. Many deserted. Already twelve nukes had been used.

The armistice

in June 1985, a soviet nuclear missile hit Naples causing the volcano vesuv to break out. Another dangerous catastrophe. American general William R. Richardson is the first that realises: This has gotta stop: He called Reagan and said: We can't use more nukes. We'll have to make an armistice. Reagan realises, this is the only posibility to end the war. Protests in the streets of Washington D.C broke out. Reagan resigns. Because Vice president George H.W. Bush already had resigned, Walter Mondale became president. He called soviet marshall Sergey Akhromoyev to make an armistice. On 11st June it's official. The war has ended. Soldiers celebrate and return home.

After the war

The third world war was the deadliest war ever fought. In total more than 87 million people died. About 15 million from nukes. 60 million soldiers on the battlefield. USA would have the most losses with about 36 million. After that the USSR with about 20 million and then Great Britain with about 14 million. Then there are still 10 million dead civilians due to massacres. What about territorial changes? Sweden and Finland gain their land back. Austria remains communist and an independet state. They joined the Warsaw pact in September 1985. Yugoslavia didn't break up. Only Slovenia gains independence. Germany isn't reunified. But Korea is reunified. East Germany unites Berlin, and the berlin wall is taken down. Because Bonn got nuked, Frankfurt will become the capital of West Germany. The USSR and the Warsaw pact will never split up. Only the Baltic states will become independent. The use of nuclear weapons leads tp a global cooling about -20 degrees. The nuclear winter became reality. Rebulding the nuked cities is going good. In 1999 there is a blizzard that freezes Europe. The ice melted in 2007. Everyone, that it was over. But they were wrong. In January 2019 there was another blizzard that covered Europe under a thick layer of ice. Soviet scientists call it a new ice age. Europe became an arctic-like landscape. The USSR has the most powerful military in the world, with about 20 million soldiers. Dimitriy Medvedev is the Chairman of the USSR. In USA, Joe biden became president in 2016. Great Britain is still a monarchy. China remains communist. But the tensions are rising again. Will there be a fourth world war?