Autumn Forge 83

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1983 NATO autumn maneuvers

Autumn Forge 83 (in German "Herbstschmiede" ) was part of the largest and most important NATO series of major maneuvers from 1975 to 1989, Autumn Forge. Autumn Forge 83 took place from August to November 1983 with the participation of 100,000 soldiers and comprised 173 REFORGER air transports of 19,000 soldiers and 1,500 tons of material from the USA to West Germany . This took place largely in secrecy and radio silence. Autumn Forge 83 was larger in scope than the NATO maneuvers of previous years. The greatest escalation of a possible planned nuclear war took place during the Able Archer 83 staff exercise . instead of.

assignment

The core mission of United States Army Europe (USAREUR) was to send combat-ready ground troops to a possible theater of war in Central Europe . The main features lay in interoperability , flexibility and the formation of reinforcements for the main focuses of multinational land and air warfare against Warsaw Pact troops .

scope

Autumn Forge 83 provided the framework for the following individual exercises:

  • Staff frame exercise Able Archer 83
  • Air Force Exercise Cold Fire 83
  • Crested Cap 83 August 24 - October 2, 1983
  • Display determination 83
  • Oksoboel 83 August 22nd - August 30th 1983
  • Exercise Reforger 83 August 25 - October 30, 1983 as the final phase

procedure

Except for Able Archer 83, the other five exercises simulated conventional warfare of a possible Third World War . Several high-level NATO staff positions were responsible for the planning and implementation of Autumn Forge 83. These included the COMALF (Commander Airlift Forces of the REFORGER troops), the Allied Command Europe (ACE) and others. Autumn Forge 83 included the aforementioned partial maneuvers. This included Atlantic Lion 83 with 24,000 soldiers, 850 tanks and 6,000 other vehicles of the Dutch armed forces , an FTX maneuver of the I. NL Corps and 11,000 US REFORGER soldiers. The largest exercise was Confident Enterprise 83 / Exercise Reforger 83, which Atlantic Lion only exceeded with its 7,000-strong troop strength.

Web links

Commons : Autumn Forge 83  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ NATO. Rigged up. The mirror. October 9, 1978
  2. ↑ Nuclear Close Calls: Able Archer 83 (en.)
  3. ↑ radio silence, in this sense the ban on telecommunications communication
  4. ^ The Doomsday Clock, the Iraq War and the War Scare of 1983. February 6, 2016
  5. ↑ combat ready
  6. ^ The war game that could have ended the world. BBC. November 9, 2018 (en.)
  7. ↑ Autumn Forge 83 - COMALF Briefing
  8. ^ Field Training Exercise