"What is your favorite year for "Cold War Gone Hot!" battles?" Topic

What year historically fits the bill best for you for a Soviet invasion?

1984.

1984 as well. I (mis)remember it as being rather tense. HS graduation year, too – many of my classmates were concerned about vanishing in a cloud of nuclear fire before they could make it to summer break.

BWS, that's because it was a US election year and the opposition was playing up the "Reagan will kill the planet" meme trying to get a Democrat elected. I was a Senior in HS that year.

I prefer 1976-1979 because those were the years the Soviet Union was last in expansion mode (Up to the invasion of Afghanistan). We had a weak US administration in power and they made only token attempts to present a united front against the Warsaw Pact. Always seemed the most likely time for the Sovs to make a bum rush for the Fulda Gap.

1976.
KGB agent Rt Hon Harold Wilson MP disparate to hold on to power gets onto his chum Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, who promptly orders the invasion of Western Europe.
Unlikely but it could be done to a Glam Rock soundtrack
YouTube link

1986. In a last bid effort to stay relevant the Soviets carry out some daring attack somewhere on their border.

1980 to 1986. for me at least

1980 or 85. 1980 because that was when I was there, 1985 as I'd have been back if "the balloon went up"

1980 – M60's and M113 vs T-72 and BMPs

1985 – M1's and Bradleys

1985:
Team Yankee by Harold Coyle
The Third World War by Gen. Sir John Hackett

1982 to take advantage of brits committed to another theatre.The soviet union would have had a lot of vets from Afghanistan available around then aswell.

2012 the chicom's need more oil and invade west into India heading for the middle east.

1980's up to about '91. tension between the West and Warsaw Pact with a lot of trouble between the US and Iran, Lybia, and terrorist groups in Lebanon. Also strife in Latin America with the US and Soviet/Cuban backed opponents.

It's pretty amazing how much of an impact Desert Storm really had as far as the global picture when you think about it

'86. I'd explain why, but then I'd have to kill you.

;)

-Shawn.

Yea, late 1970's, when the US leadership was very weak.

1979 – 1980 would probably be best, since the Soviet Union was peaking in their military power at about the same time.

1961. Berlin Crisis goes hot.

NATO would have had a much harder fight on their hands.

Thinking about it, going straight on to Patton's dream/nightmare and fighting it out in 1944 would also be interesting. Don't think I'd bet on the West winning that one, though – and there'd never really be a Cold War to go hot, then.

1989--Desperation move as it's all coming apart.

Naval, I think that the 1980's were the best bet for the Soviets with the 1970's second best.

Army, reverse those two decades.

The Soviet Air Force vote? Maybe the 1960's?

Edit: WW2 falling out between allies? Interesting, there was no guarantee that the Atomic Bomb would have been used in Europe (Churchill's left list, Soviet air defense – unlike Japanese – not neutralized, and the fact that the "best" achievable targets would have been on non-Soviet slavic soil) so the match up would have drained the forces for Operation Olympic to a level that a half million casualties would have left the Imperialist Japanese an opening for a negotiated surrender (a bon fide really, really bad idea from Truman.

Alternatively, we "hold" in Europe and nuke the Japanese as a warning/bluff to the Soviets (DANGER DANGER POLITICAL STATEMENT FOLLOWS – deal with it – given the level of infiltration in the DOS at that time a bluff that would have been called since they would have a pretty good idea that we didn't have a lot, if any, more of those available.)

Gracias,

Glenn

1981, or Nov. 1983, if you see this timeline:

link

1991 for me…Alpha (Spetznaz) follow their orders and kill Yeltsin & Gorbachev. The hardline commies take over, but the Ukraine, Poland and East Germany have all tasted freedom and refuse to return to the Red Empire. The USSR fights to retain its Cold War Empire!

Mid to late '70s for me. M-60s/Leopards/Chieftains vs T-62 with the occasional T-64 to add in a little panic.

Damon.

1986

M1s, M60A3s, M113s, Brads, vs T64As, Bs, BVs, along with the few remaining T62s…(They were withdrawn that year)… T55s, Leo 1s and 2s…

What is not to like?

Joe Collins

Sir John Hackett's book "The Third World War: August 1985" is a great read.

1968, using the invasion of Czechoslavakia as a trigger. Except for the first manned moon orbit, it was probably the worst year of the decade.

1983, many things happened that many never knew about or cared. Very tense time in Europe, both east and west.

1956 Hungary.

Radio Free Europe actively encouraged the Hungarians to revolt, and then the US and NATO did nothing to help them when the Soviet tanks actually rolled in. Many people died pointlessly at our instigation and the end result only served to strengthen the Soviet empire. If ever it went hot, that would have been the moral time to do it.

Almost forgot, the Cuban Missile Crisis seems a real possibility for things to flare up quickly.

1985 based on the World at War series of games.

link

Considering I was a young Soldier serving in Germany '84-'86, those make good years to game for me. And, as others have mentioned, NATO was fielding a new generation of weapon systems, so there's a lot of variety for equipment to game.

The WP were also getting some nice equipment then as well, just to make it interesting.

1982 would be interesting, while the British Navy is otherwise heavily engaged, and distracted in the South Atlantic, far from home.

1983 was probably when we got closest outside of 62 and the Cuban Missile Crisis…

Followed by 1991 and the whole Gorby coup..

Orrrr the 1996 Norwegien rocket test that got mistaken for a strike…We would have all died in our beds without knowing why!!

Inari, Ive been eying that game for a while. I might end up getting it for my brother who was a huge Squad Leader fan growing up.

Heres one I played growing up. It scared the poop out of me:
link

1984, specifically the invasion of Calumet, Colorado.