Documents on military cooperation and shared exercises among the warsaw pact states. Their ground support and helicopters were heavily armored as to provide close in support while under fire, and the motorized infantry was generally there to support the advance of tank formations as well as occupy any dangerous builtup or urban areas that might hide atgms. Dc isby warpaint, colours and markings of british army vehicles 1903. Jun 16, 20 i have played more cold war warsaw pact games versus nato than most, at least in terms of the number of different rule sets i have used. See also the general warsaw pact collection and the related collections in the nuclear proliferation international history project. The author identifies logistical capabilities as an arbiter of opportunity, which plays a critical role in determining which side will hold the strategic iniative in war. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact book 2 of weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact. Artillery of the warsaw pact provides a compelling and detailed account of the artillery used by warsaw pact countries and the important role it played during this period of suspicion, tension and unease. 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. Review book, confrontation, the strategic geography of.
Chapter 4 the sovietwarsaw pact ground forces threat to. The growth of soviet military divisions between 1968 and 1980. The formation of the warsaw pact was in some ways a response to the creation of nato, although it did. The publication divides the world into geographical regions and major political alliances then analysis by country the armed forces this includes strategic nuclear assets, army, navy airforce and any paramilitary organisation at the level of numbers of major units, numbers of major. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact ebook written by russell phillips. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact the ability to advance rapidly over sometimes difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pacts strategy. The specific military plans of the soviet union, as well as the plans of the united states, remain secret. Both nato and the warsaw pact led to the expansion of military forces and their integration into the respective blocs. When east and west survived on a knifeedge between peace and war, both sides were busy preparing themselves for military action. And the importance they placed on this type of weaponry saw them use.
The history of the warsaw pact, recounted and documented in this book, bears on. That the soviet military would ever seriously consider such action by the west is found in specific instructions to the commanderinchief of the warsaw pact s joint armed forces, which specified his initial wartime operational goals to be the liberation of both the gor and the czech peoples republic. But what exactly would natos troops have faced if the cold war had suddenly turned hot. 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 throughout the long years of military standoff. This has included the many civilian wargame rules such as wrg modern warfare rules and tim gows nato brigade commander, but i have also played professional military games such as contact. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact by russell. This compendium edition brings together the contents of the first three books of the weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact series.
That the soviet military would ever seriously consider such action by the west is found in specific instructions to the commanderinchief of the warsaw pacts joint armed forces, which specified his initial wartime operational goals to be the liberation of both the gor and the czech peoples republic. The vital tools which helped the warsaw pact overcome the challenges it faced included a whole range of combat engineering equipment. It was established at the soviet unions initiative and realized on 14 may 1955, in warsaw in the communist bloc, the treaty was the military analogue of the. Soviet and warsaw pact military strategy from stalin to breshnev. It is the first to attempt an analysis of pact campaign plans for the european theaters of military operations and the first to integrate naval forces into these campaigns. 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. The us and its nato allies were caught largely unprepared by the rapid collapse of the warsaw pact, the sudden demise of the soviet union and the reunification of germany events that redrew the map of east central europe and shifted us security concerns eastward in eurasia. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact, combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact, and artillery of the warsaw pact. Nswp nations are excluded from peacetime regional strategic operational. This nie is the first comprehensive estimate of warsaw pact forces opposite nato since 1971.
The thesis of this study is that the internal soviet debate on the nature of awar in europe has had a significant effect on the development of the missions and force structure of the east european armies. Artillery, rockets, and missiles by defense interlligence agency and a great selection of related books. Why cold war warsaw pact tactics work in wargaming wargames. Canadian wargame rules, 1980, dunn kemp 1978, american. Weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact russell phillips. The military balance has been published by the international institute for strategic studies since 1959. The french forces employed a nuclear strategy known as dissuasion du faible au fort weak tostrong.
The soviet union formed this alliance as a counterbalance to the north atlantic treaty organization nato, a collective security alliance concluded between the. Natos own comparison with warsaw pact strength puts east. 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. At its 20th anniversary in 1975, the warsaw pact remains on guard for peace and socialism. Arms, doctrine and strategy, wj lewis, 1982 war in a distant country, afganistan invasion and resistance. Warsaw pact equipment identification guide abebooks. The powerful weapons created at this time had the potential to destroy significant enemy resources, posing a very real threat to nato forces. On the night of 2021 august 1968, the soviet union and its main allies in the warsaw pact bulgaria, hungary, east germany, and poland invaded the czechoslovak socialist republic in order to halt alexander dubceks prague spring political liberalisation reforms. Book 2 of 4 in weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact 4 book series. The warsaw pact was established as a balance of power or counterweight 14 to nato. With the help of the open archives of the former warsaw pact. 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.
Briefing books are onestop resources covering a full range of topics in u. The first military conflict to use ironclad gunboats, metallic cartridges, and. From building bridges and clearing safe lanes through minefields to repairing and recovering broken down vehicles and creating field fortifications, the work of these engineers played an essential part in the warsaw pact s military strategy. Review book, confrontation, the strategic geography of nato. Natos own comparison with warsaw pact strength puts east ahead. Red storm rising is a war novel, written by tom clancy and cowritten with larry bond, and released on august 7, 1986. The eight member countries of the warsaw pact pledged the mutual defense of any member who would be attacked. The treaty of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance, more commonly referred to as the warsaw pact, was a mutual defense treaty between 8 communist states of central and eastern europe in existence during the cold war. The soviet union formed this alliance as a counterbalance to the north atlantic treaty organization nato, a collective security alliance concluded. The warsaw pact command structure in peace and war rand. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact weapons and. 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. Although the marshall plan created a trading alliance, nato was a military alliance with the specific aim of defending the west against communism the formation of the warsaw pact of course the ussr had to reply, what was the warsaw pact.
Following the warsaw pacts formal resolution to transform itself from a military to a primarily political alliance, eastern europes emerging democracies are confronting how to restructure their alliances and defenses within the framework of a newly developing system of european security. To prevent and intervene should any members violate soviet principles. Aug 22, 2017 tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact ebook written by russell phillips. Poland revises defense strategy warsaw pact by ruth gruber.
Book 2 of weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact the ability to advance rapidly over difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pact s strategy. The warsaw treaty organization, 1955 the warsaw treaty organization also known as the warsaw pact was a political and military alliance established on may 14, 1955 between the soviet union and several eastern european countries. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact the ability to advance rapidly over sometimes difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pact s strategy. Weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact 4 book series.
While the organization stated that each nation would respect the sovereignty and political independence of the others, each country was in some way controlled by the soviet union. Soviet control over its satellites military forces. Seven days to the river rhine was a topsecret military simulation exercise developed in 1979 by the warsaw pact. It depicted the soviet blocs vision of a sevenday nuclear war between nato and warsaw pact forces. The formation of the warsaw pact was in some ways a response to the creation of nato, although it did not occur until six years after the western alliance. Weapons and equipment of the warsaw pact 4 book series kindle. Each country in the warsaw pact pledged to defend the others against any outside military threat. The ability to advance rapidly over difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pacts strategy. The cold wars most secret tank new vanguard book 223. The cold war nonfiction 295 books 66 voters cold war turns hot. Tanks and combat vehicles of the warsaw pact by russell.
The treaty provided for a unified military command and for the maintenance of soviet military units within other participating states. A compromise in soviet strategic thinking this working paper of the ddi research staff explores the development of warsaw pact military strategy. The treaty provided for a unified military command and for the maintenance of soviet. At this point all strategy went out of the window and i simply clicked all of my. I have played more cold war warsaw pact games versus nato than most, at least in terms of the number of different rule sets i have used. Cold war warsaw pact order of battle there is a chap on the flypast forums compiling details as the information is released, i thought you might find it interesting to see what actually was what. The evolution of the warsaw pact international institute for strategic studies, 1969 kramer, mark n. Elsewhere, in the former member states, the warsaw treaty is known as. The warsaw pact description following the final approval of the paris peace treaties that ended world war ii, the north atlantic treaty organization nato planned to incorporate the new state of west germany into their military alliance in the spring of 1955. The transition from the end of the cold war to a new world order is both promising and perilous.
The pact dissolved at the end of the cold war in 1991. Instead, the conflict was fought on an ideological basis and in proxy wars. In the operation, codenamed danube, approximately 500,000 troops attacked czechoslovakia. It is one of two clancy novels, including ssn 1996, that are not set in the. From building bridges and clearing safe lanes through minefields to repairing and recovering broken down vehicles and creating field fortifications, the work of these engineers played an essential part in the warsaw pacts military strategy. The joint staff was the only standing warsaw pact military body and the official executive organ of the cmd, commander in chief, and military council. The warsaw treaty organization also known as the warsaw pact was a political and military alliance established on may 14, 1955 between the soviet union and several eastern european countries. Warsaw pact ground forces equipment identification guide.
Dc isby warpaint, colours and markings of british army vehicles 1903 2003, vol 1, d taylor. Chapter 4 the sovietwarsaw pact ground forces threat to europe. Russias way of fighting back further effects significance to canada the warsaw pact after ww2 germany was split into. 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 were at direct risk of. The latter, offensive aspects of current pact strategy, however, owe more to competing interests within the soviet union than to intra pact developments. 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 was the military complement to the.
The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance. From the late 1940s to 1989, military planning was governed above all by the strategy of containment whereby the u. The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance wanted to be able to move quickly and effectively. Poland revises defense strategy warsaw pact by ruth. The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance wanted to be able to move quickly. Cold war warsaw pact order of battle pprune forums. Combat engineering equipment of the warsaw pact weapons. Following the warsaw pact s formal resolution to transform itself from a military to a primarily political alliance, eastern europes emerging democracies are confronting how to restructure their alliances and defenses within the framework of a newly developing system of european security. Sep 30, 2018 each country in the warsaw pact pledged to defend the others against any outside military threat. Steam community guide warsaw pact doctrine and tactics.
Warsaw pact invasion of czechoslovakia military wiki fandom. Set in the mid1980s, it features a third world war between the north atlantic treaty organization and warsaw pact forces. 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. To understand the military thinking of the warsaw pact, one has to go back and look at their primary motivators and influences. The ability to advance rapidly over sometimes difficult terrain was a key part of the warsaw pact s strategy. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read tanks and combat vehicles of the 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. The eastern european nations which formed this historic alliance wanted to be able to move quickly and effectively so they didnt give. The armies of the warsaw pact made artillery a cornerstone of their military strategies. 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. The warsaw treaty organization of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance 19551991, or more commonly referred to as the warsaw pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in eastern europe. Warsaw pact, treaty establishing a mutualdefense organization composed originally of the soviet union and albania, bulgaria, czechoslovakia, east germany, hungary, poland, and romania. The warsaw treaty organization wto, 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. Warsaw pact academic dictionaries and encyclopedias.
377 287 891 594 802 435 1008 1286 43 156 1051 209 951 545 1284 259 797 1135 725 304 1481 122 634 756 697 310 1287 1054 1381 1485 1463 1214 1205 335 652 1189 501 1122 665 561