Why cold war warsaw pact tactics work in wargaming. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact by russell. While much has been published on the armed forces of the ussr during the 1980s, surprisingly little is available on the forces supplied by the other member nations of the warsaw pact. The nato warsaw pact military competition at the heart of the cold war was also the incubator of a revolution in military affairs rma in europe in the 1970s and 1980s, which predates the betterknown american concept of rmaof the 1990s. The natowarsaw pact military competition at the heart of the cold war. The warsaw treaty organization wto, officially the treaty of friendship, cooperation and. The best books on military strategy, as recommended by antulio echevarria, editor of the us army war college quarterly and formerly director of research at. The best books on military strategy five books expert. With the help of the open archives of the former warsaw pact countries, such as poland and czechoslovakia, historians could roughly establish how the soviet army would have acted in the event of a conflict. Elsewhere, in the former member states, the warsaw treaty is known as. The members of these states were emotionalized by the previous empires in their attempt for conquest. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact. Regardless, nuclear weapons were a central part of the soviet unions strategy to conquer all of western europe.
Previous attempts by warsaw pact nations to depart from communism had resulted in forceful soviet military intervention. It explores both sides starting positions, forces and military hardware. The warsaw pact was established as a balance of power or counterweight to nato. There are tabulations of dimensions and performance characteristics for. In 1949, the united states, canada, and ten european nations formed this military mutualdefense pact. At the conclusion of world war 2, the soviet union was. The author illustrates this point with case studies of british logistics during the burma campaign in the world war ii, american logistical innovations during the pacific war, communist supply methods during the american phase of the vietnam war and the competing logistical systems of both nato and warsaw pact conventional forces during the cold war.
Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact ebook by. A collection of sensitive soviet and warsaw pact military journals from 1961 to 1984 providing a view into warsaw pact military strategy. In 1955, the soviet union countered nato with the formation of the warsaw pact, a military alliance among those nations within its own sphere of influence. The ability to advance rapidly over sometimes difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pact s strategy. Chapter 4 the sovietwarsaw pact ground forces threat to. Informed by material from recently opened archives, this collection investigates the perceptions and actions. Recent scholarship on nato and the warsaw pact has gone a long way in unearthing. The contribution of clandestine source, col oleg penkovskiy 195564. The main nonnuclear threat comes from the continental forces of the warsaw pact, concentrated in central. How well does the military strategy of decapitation. Book 2 of weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. The soviet union hoped the warsaw pact would help it contain west germany and allow it to negotiate with nato on a level playing field of power. Warsaw pact military forces warsaw pact military alliance showing the flags of member states.
The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance. Warsaw pact perceptions of the correlation of forces. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here. Soviet and warsaw pact military journals cia foia foia. Weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact 4 book series. The book provides comprehensive descriptions of the various combat engineering equipment items used by the warsaw pact countries. Both nato and the warsaw pact led to the expansion of military forces and their integration into the respective blocs. One of the biggest what ifs of history was a war between the warsaw pact and nato. Warsaw pact equipment identification guide abebooks. The warsaw pact military alliance was, without incertitude, dominated by their desire to prevent, at all costs, any further recurrence of a large scale invasion of its territories from the western powers nato and the paris pacts of 1954. It includes sensitive soviet and warsaw pact military journals from 1961 to 1984, recently uncovered in newly opened archives across former warsaw pact nations, providing a view into warsaw pact military strategy. Pact forces in soviet military planning, the rand corporation, sep tember 1988. The specific military plans of the soviet union, as well as the plans of the united states, remain secret.
The warsaw pact and military security in central europe. But what exactly would natos troops have faced if the cold war had suddenly turned hot. The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance wanted to be able to move quickly and effectively so they didnt give their enemies an advantage. With the help of the open archives of the former warsaw pact. Both nato and the warsaw pact led to the expansion of military forces and their integration.
Rivalling the size of the united states army, the combined ground forces of the six nonsoviet warsaw pact countries totalled over 775,000 active troops, with almost two million ground forces reserves. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact ebook written by russell phillips. In seven days to the rhine, soviet nuclear forces would. The warsaw pact alliance of the east european socialist states was the. The military strategy of decapitation strikes involves killing or removing the military command and control structure of an opposing country with the aim of inhibiting its ability to respond to an attack. Cold war deepens as communist states sign warsaw pact. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact is a fascinating reference book looking at the wide variety of combat vehicles which were poised and ready for action.
Warsaw pact book annotation united states army cold war military history armed forces troops this book music. The warsaw pact and military security in central europe during the cold war article in the journal of slavic military studies 172. The soviet unions insane plan to crush nato in battle. Nswp nations are excluded from peacetime regional strategic operational. Read combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact by russell phillips available from rakuten kobo. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact by russell. The formation of the warsaw pact was in some ways a response to the creation of nato, although it did. Cold war warsaw pact order of battle pprune forums.
But what were the real capabilities and intentions of the soviet union. The warsaw pact was the military complement to the council for mutual. Military logistics and strategic performance strategy and. May, 2005 the sovietled warsaw pact had a longstanding strategy to attack western europe that included being the first to use nuclear weapons, according to a new book of previously secret warsaw pact documents published tomorrow. This series of books aims to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the equipment used in the military operations of the warsaw pact during this time of unease between the east and west. Warsaw pact preparations for associated military operations 195861 intelligence sources and analysis 14 chapter iii. Similar in concept to john hacketts the third world war, another reagan favorite, it offered a fictional, but realistic, view of what war between nato and the warsaw pact would look like. These individual studies and the book as a whole represent the most current and thorough examination of nato warsaw pact capabilities available today. This hypothetical war has been the subject of much analysis, debate and simulation. Not surprisingly, the majority of the equipment is from the former ussr. Niche internet marketing strategy many eggs in many baskets check this useful article by going to the link at the image. Lewis and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This third and final video in the series focuses on the ground war. Russia and seven communist allies responded to west germanys membership of nato by signing a treaty of mutual military cooperation which.
Warsaw pact clashes with nato pact on worldwide fronts. The warsaw treaty organization 1 wto, officially the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, 2 commonly known as the warsaw pact, was a collective defense treaty signed in warsaw, poland between the soviet union and seven other eastern bloc socialist republics of central and eastern europe in may 1955, during the cold war. My view, from the change in strategy in the 80s of the sovs to start with initial nukes again, and effectively to only attack if they thought they. Instead, the conflict was fought on an ideological basis and in proxy wars. Why cold war warsaw pact tactics work in wargaming by john curry i have played more cold war warsaw pact games versus nato than most.
The natowarsaw pact competition in the 1970s and 1980s. Imagine huge numbers of soviet combat divisions streaming across germany. Military aviation a forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Military logistics and strategic performance strategy and history 1st edition. The warsaw pact command structure in peace and war rand. The ability to advance rapidly over difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pact s strategy. Although the aim was apparently to preempt nato aggression, the soviets clearly expected that nuclear war was likely and planned.
Weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact russell phillips. Such early would confer the pact an enormous strategic advantage over nato. With obstacles including rivers and minefields to negotiate, combat units could have faced costly delays if it hadnt been for the diligent work of the warsaw pact. This book is a factual reference of the equipment which was used throughout the cold war period and the important roles each piece played. The warsaw pact, otherwise known as the warsaw treaty organization, was supposed to be an alliance which created a centralized military command in eastern europe during the cold war, but, in practice, it was dominated by the ussr, and did mostly what the ussr told it. My operational plan for the warsaw pact on the central front takes peters basic premise but relies on the soviets deploying 4 fronts in the first echelon based on 1st polish front, 1st and 2nd german fronts and 1st czecheslovakian front, the 2nd echelon would be provided by fronts from the western military districts of the soviet union. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact weapons. In the western bloc, the warsaw treaty organization of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance is often called the warsaw pact military alliance. The warsaw treaty organization, officially the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, commonly known as the warsaw pact, was a collective defense treaty signed in warsaw, poland between the soviet union and seven other eastern bloc socialist republics of central and eastern europe in may 1955, during the cold war. Artillery, rockets, and missiles by defense interlligence agency and a great selection of related books. The vital tools which helped the warsaw pact overcome the challenges it faced included a whole range of combat engineering equipment. Review books, armies of natos central front the armies of natos central front was written in 1985 and is probably the definative work of this nature on natos armies covering a wealth of detail particularly on organisation that is other wise rather more difficult to come by than data on the warsaw pact and the soviet union. Warsaw pact ground forces equipment identification guide. Military aviation cold war warsaw pact order of battle there is a chap on the flypast forums compiling details as the information is released, i.
1135 758 1069 1424 1088 475 208 1335 123 766 469 1161 1248 420 1323 420 833 697 564 970 716 1311 752 1239 724 42 967 1404 1507 597 845 431 1201 485 1371 442 737 1062 742 702 477 980 394 901 1320 295 1133 952 851