1996
At dawn on May 9, Soviet tanks thunder into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in a broad offensive. Vladimir Kryuchkov holds a speech and says that the operation is necessary to protect the Russian minorities in these countries, and to restore the territorial integrity of the Soviet Union.
The US is taken by surprise, and its reaction is tepid. The leaders of the Baltic States beg for help, but Clinton hesitates. After just a week of military action, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are all again under Soviet rule, but guerrilla warfare continues. Soviet forces mobilize along the borders of Poland and Finland. The Soviet aggression is condemned by the UN, but being a permanent member of the Security Council, Moscow blocks all concrete UN action.
The Soviet attack occurs in the middle of the presidential primaries in the US. Harvey West, a former Lieutenant General of the US Marine Corps, unexpectedly defeats Bob Dole in the Republican primaries and challenges Bill Clinton in the November presidential election. West bases his campaign on blasting Clinton’s weakness against the Soviets and promises a stern hand against Moscow. Harvey West wins the hotly contested race by a narrow margin.
1997
Harvey West is installed as US President, and starts fulfilling his campaign promises right away. The US military presence in Germany is beefed up significantly, including tactical nuclear weapons. The newly commissioned USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier sails into the Baltic Sea, a bold move – called ill-advised by critics – meant to send a strong statement to the Kremlin.
Kryuchkov sees the US advance as an existential threat. He concludes that Poland will soon fall into the US sphere of influence, and be allowed into NATO. To safeguard the Soviet territorial buffer, Kryuchkov sets his plan in motion. The KGB stages violent pro-Soviet riots in Poland, and the Polish government responds with military force. Kryuchkov then acts to “protect the people of Poland from their oppressive and militaristic government” and orders an immediate invasion. Soviet air and ground forces cross the Polish border en masse.
In the US, President West reacts immediately. Unwilling to send ground forces into Poland, he orders a broad air bombing campaign against the advancing Soviet forces with stealth aircraft and cruise missiles. The Kremlin replies with air strikes against US military bases in the United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey, drawing NATO into the escalating conflict. Meanwhile, the advance into Poland continues and the Soviet forces close in on the Oder river, its border with the reunited Germany.
Pressure mounts for President West and his NATO allies, who agree to launch a multinational ground operation in Poland to break the Soviet advance. But West doesn’t stop there – the Soviet threat needs to be stopped all across Europe, he concludes, and draws a line from the Black Sea to the Arctic Ocean. US troops are also sent to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, who all happily receive them. The US military activates its reserve components, drawing on Army, Air Force, and Naval Reserves to provide the manpower required.
On June 6, US and Soviet ground forces engage in combat for the first time, west of Poznań in western Poland. Shortly after this clash, Soviet forces cross the borders of Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, and fighting erupts all along the new frontline through Eastern Europe.
The USS Harry S. Truman and its supporting squadrons spar with the Soviet Baltic Fleet out of Kaliningrad. The US asks Sweden to allow US troops and air defences on the strategically located island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic.
The US demand sparks a violent debate in Sweden. The government finally decides to reject the demand, referring to the Swedish official policy of neutrality. President West refuses to back down, and sends a naval force led by the USS San Jacinto cruiser to Gotland. The Swedish air force deploys its brand new JAS 39 “Gryphon” jet fighter, but after just a few days of air combat and a brief naval battle, Sweden agrees to a ceasefire. US troops soon land on Gotland, in Stockholm, and in Gothenburg on the west
coast of Sweden to secure their supply lines.
Sweden’s quick ceasefire sparks another furious debate in the country, where the political left accuses the government of making a secret deal with the US. In Moscow, the Kremlin draws the same conclusion, and now sees Sweden as a de facto NATO member and thus a hostile country.
Kryuchkov decides to strike before the US can consolidate its gains. Old battle plans are dusted off and put into action. Soviet air forces attack a wide array of US and Swedish targets. Tanks rumble into northern Finland and advance quickly toward the Swedish border in the far north. A large airborne force parachutes in north of Stockholm, and Arlanda airport quickly falls to Soviet control. Soviet naval ships enter the Stockholm archipelago, where they face both Swedish and American vessels in combat.
After a few weeks of heavy exchanges, the fighting subsides. American and Swedish forces hold the west coast of Sweden and an enclave in Stockholm, while Soviet troops have taken control over large swathes of the rest of the country. The USS Harry S. Truman is badly damaged by Soviet submarines and just barely manages to hobble into port in Stockholm, anchoring off the Old Town. The Baltic Sea is now largely under Soviet control.
The Soviet Northern fleet, based at Severomorsk, sails south to harass US supply lines and to prevent the UK from assisting the US in the Baltic. There are running skirmishes off the British coast as the Royal Navy is kept busy holding off the Soviets.
TBC...