Soviets Invade Iceland

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>>32932329

For a possible answer, let’s consult The Northwestern TVD in Soviet Operational-Strategic Planning, a 2014 report by Phillip Petersen—an expert on the Soviet and now Russian militaries for the Potomac Foundation.

In December, the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment made the report public and available on its website.

Petersen’s analysis is a revealing blueprint for how to defend Scandinavia from a Russian attack. Much of the report is comprised of military-oriented descriptions of remote rivers and sparsely-inhabited valleys—pictures included—which the word “obscure” can barely describe. Obscure, except in case of World War III.

“Faced with a predominantly sea-oriented NATO coalition dependent on control of the [sea lines of communication], there can be no question but that the Soviets would have liked to capture or at least neutralize Iceland,” Petersen wrote.

“Soviet operations against Iceland could have theoretically covered a wide spectrum of means, ranging from air and missile attacks to troop assaults.”

Supporting the theory that the USSR could have pulled off a Clancy-style surprise attack, the Soviet Union possessed the exact equipment in Red Storm Rising—reflecting Clancy’s attention to all-things hardware—suitable for landing troops in Iceland without the need for a major port.

In fact, the Soviets trained to use such repurposed “roll-on/roll-off” vessels like Yulius Fuchik for precisely those kinds of missions. Meanwhile, NATO kept its military presence in Iceland minimal because of the country’s heated political divisions over its participation in the alliance.

Iceland has not had a military since 1869.

cont.

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>>32932338

Thus, in the event of a war breaking out, NATO would have to rush troops to the island and shore up its defenses to raise the costs of, and hopefully deter, a Soviet attack.

Iceland’s remote location and ruggedness—and the Soviet Navy’s comparative weakness—meant that a surprise attack by a small and relatively light force before the Western alliance could respond was Moscow’s only feasible strategy.

The Soviet military had experience with similar operations in World War II, including deploying small teams to Norway to spy on German troops. In 2014, Russia carried out an almost-bloodless surprise attack on Crimea which occurred too quickly for Ukraine to respond.

Iceland would’ve been a far more difficult target. For one, there was the problem of distance. The country is also windy and rough, making an airborne drop an exceedingly hazardous proposition. Paratroopers might have been swept away by winds and dashed into rocks, or broken their legs upon landing.

And any Soviet operation would have faced challenges at sea. The Kremlin would have to bet on basically perfect weather and skilled navigators to make it through Iceland’s narrow fjords and around its numerous reefs.

cont.

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>>32932343

However, “even if the Soviets had attempted a lower-risk effort such as inserting a naval infantry company by submarine,” Petersen wrote, “such a force might have been sufficient to attack the Kevlavik airbase, while special-purpose (spetsnaz) forces, in teams of five to twelve men each, attacked outlying facilities like that at Hofn.”

Hofn was the site of a Cold War-era NATO radar station which tracked Soviet bombers heading south.

So the Soviets could’ve taken Iceland. Or at least caused a lot of chaos and disruption if the United States did not bolster the defenses beforehand.

But that would just be the beginning. A Soviet occupation force would probably face a NATO counter-attack, likely supported by at least one U.S. carrier battle group, without having Soviet warplanes backing them in comparable numbers—and little cover from NATO aircraft flying overhead.

Which is pretty much what happened in the fictional battle for Iceland in Red Storm Rising. NATO won.

FIN

>>32932347
So invasion no, pretty brutal mass raid, yes?

COULD the Soviets invade Iceland? Obviously, the island is lightly populated and defenseless

Invading a NATO member would have resulted in a nuclear war though.

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>>32932329
there's a monument in Iceland with my name on it, so I'd be obligated to take it back even though I have never been there.

>>32932372
Invasion? Possible. Would they hold the ground forever? Absolutely not. They need to nullify Iceland for as long as possible. The best way to do that is to put boots on the ground and make a fight of it.

The RAF and Roaly Navy would of had to have been sleeping. Not to mention the U.S. battle group intervening before Soviet landing ships could make it to Iceland. In a conventional war the Red Banner fleet would of had to have stayed within bomber range of Murmansk until they could have taken Narvik, Norway.

Thus Iceland wouldn't have been a possible suprise attack avenue for the USSR in 1986 and Clancy was a shit analyst, but a damn good fiction writer.

>>32932642
The Soviets could have taken Iceland with a few cargo ships. Iceland has no military to speak of. Only a police force and coast guard. Without AIS or similiar systems it'd have already been too late when they realised what's happening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5Vmf3u0D1A

>>32932664
iceland was a strategic hardpoint for the US navy and hosted several air squadrons at keflavik during the 1980s. there was also a US heavy infantry battalion.

if the soviet cargo ships launched their assault boats somehow unbeknowst by the NATO forces who routinly patrolled the GIUK they'd better bring a little more than naval infantry battalions if they wanted to even cause a disturbance at iceland

>>32932730
>there was also a US heavy infantry battalion.

Cite?

>>32932782
heavy as in battalion + not armored or anything

>Army Forces Iceland (ARICE), a US Army headquarters element, was established in the United States in the early 1980s as the Army component of the Iceland Defense Force for the coordination of deployed forces assigned the ground defense mission. Between 1980 and 1993, the brunt of this mission was borne by the 187th Infantry Brigade (Separate) and supported by the 167th Support Group, both from the US Army Reserve.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dod/idf.htm

point being that the soviets would of had to of relied on some crazy plan like in red storm rising (disguising their ship as a US littoral and docking near the airbase) if they wanted to get a jump on the IDF. otherwise they would have been bombarded to hell.

>>32932816
>the soviets would of had to of relied on some crazy plan like in red storm rising

It's been years since I read the book but didn't the Soviets launch hovercraft carrying naval infantry from a civilian cargo ship?

>>32932329
>https://warisboring.com/so-was-tom-clancy-right-that-the-soviets-couldve-invaded-iceland-7fc6be41c128#.wnvj4cn1x
>warisboring

SAGE

>>32932329

Red Storm Rising is my favorite Clancy book

>>32932816
>Between 1980 and 1993, the brunt of this mission was borne by the 187th Infantry Brigade

"Cold War plans called for the brigade to deploy to Iceland as part of the Iceland Defense Force if a confrontation between NATO and the Soviet Union occurred.[3]

The brigade's headquarters was relocated on 25 October 1971 to Wollaston, Massachusetts and on 13 July 1976 to Fort Devens, Massachusetts.[1]"

Sounds to me like the unit was based in the U.S. (since it was a Reserve unit) and would only deploy to Iceland if global political events warranted it, so the Soviets could have gotten the jump on the U.S. in Iceland.

>>32932664
Now i want to play WiC again, i really enjoyed the cutscenes.

Dont forget that the soviets in RSR used hovercraft to get a bigger surprise factor against the forces on Iceland

>>32932983
one source i've found and lost stated that battalions were rotated to iceland during the mid-80s. can't find any verification of it so yeah probably a red herring.
kind of hard to believe thousands of navy/airmen were without a land support besides MPs though.

>>32933122
If the soviets wanted Iceland they would've landed clandestine troops by fishing boat to mortar the radar, flightline and generators while il-76s land on Icelandic roads around reykjavik. Airborne troops would've marched the 4 miles and roll the base up.

>>32933203
Im not entirely sure about this but i dont think any Icelandic road is anywhere near long och wide enough to land a transport plane on.

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>>32932478

>>32932329
>warisboring

>>32932478
EVE Online best Online

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>>32933141
> one source i've found and lost stated that battalions were rotated to iceland during the mid-80s.

Sure, I could see them going to Iceland for their annual “summer camp” but I can’t see Reserve / NatGuard units shipped overseas for a whole year, unless there is some kinda pending danger.

>>32933203
> Im not entirely sure about this but i dont think any Icelandic road is anywhere near long och wide enough to land a transport plane on.

I’m sure there are plenty of long and straight roads but seeing as Iceland is pretty hilly, I wonder if they’re flat enough?

But Soviet airborne divisions regularly practiced air assaults in the midst of Siberian winters, so Iceland in the summer shouldn’t be a problem for them and with the Spetnatz and Naval Infantry taking out the fighter aircraft and radar units, the transports can fly in unmolested.