And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. - Luke 21:25-26
Just as the seeds of the Second World War were planted at the conclusion of the first, so were the seeds of the Third World War planted at the end of the second. The start of the succession of events that directly led to the start of World War III can be traced to 4 November 1980, with the election of Ronald Wilson Reagan as President of the United States. The Soviet Union viewed the election of a right-wing conservative as an end to the period of "detente" enjoyed by the superpowers during the 1970's.
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (1981-1984)
It was not long before the fears of the leaders in the Kremlin were realized. In February 1981, the United States Navy began a series of clandestine naval operations in the Barents, Norwegian, Black, and Baltic Seas, as well as the North Atlantic. U.S. Air Force aircraft began to fly to the outer limits of Soviet airspace on a regular basis to test Soviet response. These "psychological operations" continued through 1983. These operations got their desired effect. In May 1981, Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov became convinced that the United States was planning to attack, and ordered the start of the largest peacetime intelligence-gathering operation in Soviet history.
Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev (left) and his successor Yuri Andropov (right)
Soviet fears were not helped in any way when President Reagan stated that "freedom and democracy will leave Leninism and Marxism on the ash heap of history" in an address to the British Parliament. On 10 November 1982, Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev died, and was replaced with Yuri Andropov. As the head of the KGB, the selection of Andropov caused apprehension in the West. As the world entered its last full year of general peace before World War III, President Reagan announced plans for the Strategic Defence Initiative, protrayed by the United States as a safety net against nuclear war. The Soviet Union viewed SDI as a tip of the balance of power to America's favor.
President Ronald Reagan addresses the British House of Lords, London, England, 2 July 1982
War Games
In 1983, both the United States and Soviet Union conducted war game exercises that added fuel to the fire. The first was FleetEx '83, one of the largest fleet exercises held by the United States Navy in the Pacific. During the course of the exercise, a U.S. Navy plane overflew the Soviet island of Zeleny. In response, Soviet aircraft flew over the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, as well as the lodging of a formal diplomatic protest.
FleetEX '83, held in April 1983, was followed up by the Soviet Union in October 1983 with exercises along the border of East and West Germany. NATO forces in Berlin were placed on DEFCON 3 until the end of the exercises. On 2 November 1983, the United States and its NATO allies began a comprehensive and detailed war game known as Able Archer 83. The exercise tested the procedures followed in progressing through all DEFCON alert levels and included the participation of President Ronald Reagan, Vice-President George Bush, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The Soviet Union placed their forces on their highest state of alert during Able Archer 83.
American armor participates in the Able Archer 83 exercises in West Germany, November 1983
Military Incidents
Several military incidents occurred between 1982 and 1984 that aggravated the tensions felt in the months before World War III. From April-June 1982, the United Kingdom flexed its muscles and waged war with Argentina over the possession of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands. The month of October 1983 saw a flurry of activity. On 10 October, NATO began sending reinforcements into West Germany and West Berlin. On 23 October, a truck bomb killed 241 U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, which led to U.S. airstrikes against the terrorists who claimed responsibility. On 25 October, the United States landed troops on the island nation of Grenada to fight off Cuban forces building bases there and to evacuate American medical students. The invasion was protested by both Cuba and the Soviet Union, and criticised by the United Kingdom.
U.S. Army Rangers during the invasion of Grenada, 25 October 1983
On 29 December 1983, the U.S. Air Force intercepted a Soviet bomber, escorted by two Cuban fighter planes, ten miles off of the coast of Key West, Florida. The Cubans engaged the American F-16's and were shot down. The Soviet bomber was damaged but returned to Cuba. On 3 January 1984, Cuban fighters were spotted off of the coast of Miami, Florida, but were able to make it back to international airspace before interception.
Protests and Riots
On 27 October 1983, about 100 youths gathered outside the headquarters of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SDI) in East Berlin to protest the posture of both the Soviet and American armies in Germany. The number of protesters increased as they moved on to the West German Embassy, and then to the Berlin Wall. Once at the wall, members of the East German Nationale Voksarmee (NVA) attacked the protesters, causing a panic. Protesters began running towards the checkpoints into West Berlin.
At the border, NVA troops fired on the fleeing protesters, killing several. Also killed was a West Berlin police officer and a West Berlin civilian. Another NVA soldier fired a rocket-propelled grenade which missed its target and sailed over the wall into West Berlin. It struck a shop, killing one and injuring six. French and Soviet troops blindly exchanged fire across the border for half an hour. The firing ended when more American and British troops arrived at the scene. On 31 October 1983, NATO and Soviet troops began a mutual draw-down in Berlin, slightly easing tensions in the divided city for the moment.
East German security forces prepare to fire on protesters attempting to enter West Berlin, 27 October 1983
Another and larger wave of student protests erupted across East Germany on 26 December 1983. Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov accused the United States and West Germany of "encouraging anti-socialist sentiment." At the request of East German Chancellor Erick Honecker, Soviet troops attempted to quell student protests in East Berlin, Potsdam, and Leipzig. On 13 January 1984, in response to the crackdown of protests in East Germany, riots broke out in Warsaw and Gdansk in Poland. Polish security forces responded, killing an estimated 50 protesters and arresting over 600 more.
As the possibility of war drew closer, anti-war demonstrations began around the world. On 21 January 1984, demonstrations in Hamburg, West Germany became chaotic as peace marchers clashed with anti-Soviet marchers, resulting in 7 dead, 62 injured, and over 100 arrested. After the British Parliament passed emergency war measure that greatly expanded police powers, riots broke out in the Brixton area of London on 28 January 1984. On 14 February 1984, just four days before the start of World War III, millions around the world took to the streets advocating peace in one last, great effort to avoid war.
Peace demonstrators in Bonn, West Germany, 14 February 1984
The Airliners
On 1 September 1983, the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Lines flight 007 (KAL 007) after it strayed into Soviet airspace over the Sea of Japan. All 269 passengers aboard were killed, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald of Georgia. On 29 January 1984, the Bulgarian Air Force shot down Royal Dutch Airlines flight 146 (KLM 146) near the Bulgarian/Greek border, killing all passengers. The Soviet Union claimed that the aircraft was a "U.S. spy plane." The incident prompted the United Kingdom to place their armed forces on its highest states of alert. After addressing the nation, U.S. President Ronald Reagan activated the Selective Service system "in order to enhance national readiness." Now, all able-bodied American males at least 20 years of age were now liable for military service.
A Korean Air Lines Boeing 747-2B5B, similar to KAL 007
Failure of Diplomacy
The fear and paranoia that had set itself into the minds of the leaders of the Soviet Union and United States made effective diplomacy nearly impossible in late 1983 and early 1984. On 4 October 1983, U.S. and Soviet negotiators met in Vienna, Austria. The Soviets decried American plans to place intermediate range missiles in Europe. The United States demanded the facts on the shoot-down of KAL 007. The talks achieved nothing.
On 19 January 1984, U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz met with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks began on a sour note, however, when Gromyko blamed the United States for rising anti-Soviet sentiment in Eastern Europe. On 21 January 1984 both sides presented proposals to end the European crisis. The United States proposed a mutual withdrawal of forces to pre-August 1983 limits in Berlin. The Soviets proposed a draw-down of U.S. forces in Berlin, followed by a Soviet withdrawal only after order was restored in East Germany. Both proposals were rejected.
Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko (left) and U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz (right) meet in Geneva, Switzerland, 19 January 1984
Diplomacy at all levels failed all of the way up until the moment when World War III became nuclear.
