The turning point of the Third World War .
Opening moves[]
The Soviet 1st Guards tank Army and units from the 1st East German Army also sat poised outside of Amsterdam, facing them were the remnants of the Dutch Army and the US 4th infantry Division. However, with internal strife increasing in the East, the Soviets held up their advance to try to deal with this giving NATO the opportunity to reinforce the front line. NATO flew in or delivered the US 26th infantry Division, 4th Armored division, 24th Mechanized, 5th Armored and the 2nd Cavalry Division (Air Mobile). The British brought in the 9th Armored Division and the Royal Irish Guards Regiment, the Canadians brought in a Single Armored Division while the German 1st Corp and Belgian 2nd Corp made up the balance. The battle commenced with the Soviet 9th Motor Rifle Division supported by the 40th Armored Division attacking the Dutch and American defender holding the suburb of Amsterdam the Armored Brigade outfitted with the new T-80 MBTs and the older but still durable T-72 MBTs behind the 40th was the 1st East German Armored Brigade made up of mostly old T-55s and T-62s upgraded, however possible, by their users. Facing them was the 24th Mechanized Division and the Dutch 3rd Armored Brigade. While the Americans were outfitted with the new M1A1 Abrams the Dutch had German Leopard 2s combined with the Bradley AFVs attached to the division
a line of T-72 Main Battle tanks on the attack near Amsterdam
it was more than enough to soak up the depleted Soviets. When they rushed forwards the Soviets found themselves at the wrong end of a strong defense unlike the weak and demoralized men they had been fighting the weeks prior. The Soviets lead units were chewed up as the Dutch and American tankers picked them apart with accurate tank fire, attempts to call in artillery on the advanced prove fruitless as NATO air strikes had bombed the BM-21 rocket trucks and Artillery batteries. Heavy fighting continued as the East Germans attempted to break the deadlock, but after several hours of combat the Soviet units were broken and scattered, as the remaining tankers tried to rally in friendly lines. As for the East Germans they were almost completely wiped out by the combat with the Americans. The Motorized infantry sent in with the tanks were similarly defeated resulting in two whole battalions being completely wiped out. The Next day in the South the British 9th Armoured Division had moved into position replacing the tired and shattered US 4th Infantry Division. The Soviet 11th Armored Division and 10th Motor Rifle Division attacked its position the British equipped with the advanced and deadly Challenger broke up the attack but the fighting was heavy and the British were outnumbered and just when it seemed they would need to leave with the Soviets pressing even harder the German 7th Panzer Division attacked the Soviets on their exposed southern flanks cutting off half of the Soviet 11th Armored and 10th Motor Rifle Division from the other half. This was the final act of both these divisions as the remnants fell back and the encircled men tried to fight their way out of an ever shrinking pocket eventually surrendering to the NATO forces. Meanwhile on the haunches of the allied line, the Soviets sent the 1st, 2nd East German Armored divisions to outflank the NATO defense by striking at Zeeland and the Scheldt area, the Soviet Navy deployed a division of Naval Infantry to the region. The NATO troops in the area were for the most part tired Belgian troops exhausted from holding the Soviet advance, they held their impromptu positions well but were eventually forced to fall back as the Soviet forces called in naval bombardment from the ships offshore. Rotterdam now in danger the Belgians threw every available unit into the fray, A Belgian Armored battalion made a determined counter attack, armed with Leopard 2s they inflicted heavy losses on the Soviets advancing on
One of the many Challengers that fought in the defense of Amsterdam
a narrow front from the sea in a single column but the Battalion going up against a whole division of Soviet marines reinforced by an Armored Brigade overwhelmed the Belgians destroying the entire battalion. The Belgians managed to inflict losses of 34 tanks put permanently out of commission and killing 250 infantrymen. But before the Soviets were able to reinforce the beachhead it was under attack from the British Irish Guards the Soviets had to divert troops to hold the line in the rear while resistance to their front continued to harden as the Belgians pulled units from all over even putting cooks, clerks, truck drivers and other rear echelon forces into the fray trying to hold up the Soviets. Finally reinforced by the US 26th Infantry Division the advance was held up. Further North the Soviets tried again to outflank Amsterdam by attacking into Friesland this area was held by the 2nd British Armored Division, again the Challenger came into play here again with it being key in breaking up the Soviet attack with the older but still tough Chieftains destroying the rest. Yet another black eye on themselves the Soviets decided it best to mass their reinforcements and prepare a strong attack all the while bombarding the city with a mix of chemical and biological weapons. The civilian population of Amsterdam was for the most part evacuated while government officials minus the mayor, chief of police and city commissioner had left the city (All three of these men would be killed before the end of the battle). But during this time the Commander of the 1st East German Army, disillusioned with his government and their belief systems, decided to rebel ordering all commissars and known political informers killed he personally killed the Political officer assigned to the HQ. The scene was a bloody one with Soviet soldiers, NCOs, and officers hanging, executing, or shooting the Political officers spread about the 1st East German Army. The East German General Klinar declared the 1st East German Army the "German Army of Democratic Liberation" siding with the growing number of rebels rebelling against their oppressive governments. General Klinar aligned himself with NATO forces and immediately began attacking Soviet forces in the 1st Guards Tank Army, he was reinforced with units from the British 2nd Armored and Irish Guards. With these new allies the NATO forces were able to make determined counterattacks eventually driving back the 1st Guards tank Army from the gates of Amsterdam.
Aftermath[]
After its massive defeat the Red Army was never able to really recover from its loss. The 1st Guards Tank Army in particular was a shattered force and as its comrades defected, rebelled and turned on their Communist leadership General Lebechev of the 40th Armored attempted a coup d'etat on the army leadership.Instead he and hos men were defeated and executed while the armies political leadership took over killing all deserters and anyone who wasn't a "Loyal Communist". The army retreated to a pocket along the coast and fought NATO troops until it finally defeated in August of 1990.