"When and Why Does Your Cold War Go Hot?" Topic

Purely for curiosity's sake, if you play or have played CWGH games,
1) When is your war?
2) Why did you pick the year you did? and
3) If there's a reason or triggering incident given as a start, I'd be curious to know what it was.

(Bill, for poll purposes, I think only the year of conflict is worth pursuing.)

One of my friends has his games begin in the 70s-early 80s when he was a US Army officer in the Fulda Gap.

For my money the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis. There are so many ways that could have gone bad.

Mid to late 1980s. USSR's leadership sense the coming collapse and try to avert it with a major conventional war. Allows US to bring out Abrams, Apaches etc

I do early 1950s. At the time Stalin was actually thinking about attacking the west. Then, Stalin died. So, in mine, Stalin lived a few years more and does attack the west.

I do mid 80s. The US was just bringing M1s and Bradley's into the inventory so plenty of options for equipment. Also happens to be when I was stationed in Berlin.
I play company level. At that level it doesn't matter how or why it starts. You get orders and move.
Great question.

Joe

Mid 60s, just because or 1986 when I was with 33 (UK) Army Bde,

Tally Ho!

Nick, we overlap! I was 2nd (US) Infantry Divison 1986-89. Memories coming back. I did wargame it with miniatures at least once, but the Army was paying me, so I'm not sure it counts. Painted Dunn-Kempf for an officer in the 3 shop. He said it was the tank company he never go to command when they sent him to the artillery.

1986, I was in the US Marine Corps, and fighting the Soviets was talked about constantly, that and the remaining Nam vets couldn't stop talking about the jungle.

I usually play mid 80's. As said above that is when the US gets new hardware.

Mid 80's. Coincides with my time in the 32D Inf Bde (SEP) and my REFORGER tour. Interesting times!

"the remaining Nam vets couldn't stop talking about the jungle."

Tell me about it! We had a sergeant major who was worried about the booby trap potential of our trash. We could only hope a Soviet Guards Tank Army would take time to gather it up.

1981 up to 1989. Serving in the Australian Regular Army. Usually the Musorians training enemy and sometimes Karmaria training enemy. Occasionally Soviet VDV Airborne gets a game against the Australians
Regards Allan

1981 so we can have Chieftan, M60, Leopard 1 and T64. I really dislike the late 80s when the uber tanks rock up.

War breaks out using the same background as Threads (Sov invasion of Iran), but the tactical nuclear exchange escalates to a Warpac standing start offensive, not a strategic exchange.

Ive been running it on and off for years using SPI boardgames for the operational context.

Having recently done up a GWGH kit, 1985 seemed the sweet spot with AFV selection, although I borrowed some elements from the late '70s Dunn-Kempf world.

TMP link

Harold Coyle's Team Yankee novel, also inspired by General Sir John Hackett's books, is noted taking place "mid-1980s" (for background 'history' then of WWIII).

Btw, we used to play Cold War a lot in our area in the 80's, when Micro-Armour Moderns were coming out – today, it's 'crickets' in these parts….

(fondly remember playing one of those big scenarios on the floor at Washington University in town)

Friend Bill Nardin went on to form an advisory company to help train US Army personnel, using some of his Micro Armour kit we had played with -

link

Robnert, hopefully we were not involved in any altercations, although my only visit down south, to the Red Star Company, passed without international incident!!

Tally Ho!

‘79-81
I want a balance, with NATO tanks slightly better, not in a completely different class.
Either the invasion of Afghanistan went completely to plan or doesn't happen, leaving the full might of the Soviet Armed forces ready to face the threat from the west.
I always see the reasoning being a FDR General goes rogue after riots in East Berlin are brutally put down, leading to a division heading east towards Berlin.
The Division is crushed and a Soviet counter attack heads for the Rhine..

1985. First and foremost, I was serving as a young Soldier in Germany, so I would have been there. Presuming we're talking about conventional wargaming battles, it's a difficult fight for NATO to win earlier and a difficult fight for the WP to win later once all the new NATO – especially US – equipment gets fielded.

pjm

For equipment I choose 1987 as it gives you a wide assortment of equipment and I was a Naval CTI then and would have been front and center.

From an interest standpoint, I feel like early 1960s is so fascinating because so much old and new equipment was mixed and many lessons were not yet learned – no 1967 war, no Vietnam, no 1973. I wonder how NATO and the Warsaw Pact would have coped.

I was in the First Cavalry Division in the late 1970s and the First Infantry Division in the 1980-81. Finally in The Seventh Corps HQ in 1982-83. In every case we trained for a Soviet attack. While the American ran Reforger deployment exercises, the Soviets conducted similar exercises with the Warsaw Pact.
The main premise at HQs was the Soviets would turn West during one of those actions.

Though I can see as a result of the Cuban Crisis as a plausible event.

Mid 80's as well. Fought a US vs Soviet invasion using Seven Days to the river Rhine in 1/72 scale. Printed much of the infantry and vehicles. I need to get my Brits and West Germans done. I also plan on doing it in 3mm and 6mm scale. I have a lot painted up for it in 3mm. Some in 6mm. Mainly need the infantry done. May use Tank Wreck or one of Ivan Sorenson's rule sets. Can't find my copy of Fistful of Tows 3.

Thanks.

John