I'm just going to have fun with this one. Don't worry about the POD too much- anything would have been possible. The idea is that the Soviet Union launches a full-scale military assault on the West (and Iran, to seize its oil and attack fundamentalist Islam). Nuclear weapons will not be used- sort of the same manner that chemical weapons were not used in WWII.
And if you feel like pointing out that the non-use of nuclear weapons is ASB, please don't. You may or may not be right, but this is just for fun, so bear with me.
Anyway, here goes.
March, 1984
Central European Front
Warsaw Pact forces cross the border all along the line of the East German and Czechoslovak borders. They immediately encounter fierce oppositions from NATO forces.
Soviet attacks are preceded by raids by spetsnaz units and air attacks on forward NATO positions. The spetsnaz raids meet with mixed success, while the air attacks suffer heavy losses from NATO air defenses and fighters.
NATO air attacks are focused on providing close air support to the embattled front-line units, while also attacking Warsaw Pact follow-up troops an supply depots behind the lines, attempting to weaken Warsaw Pact reinforcements before they are able to enter the lines.
Soviet efforts to pierce NATO lines with armored spearheads are frustrated by effective NATO anti-tank tactics. However, through sheer force of numbers, the Warsaw Pact elements are able to gain ground. Losses and ordnance expenditures are far above pre-war estimates.
By the end of the month, Warsaw Pact forces have advanced roughly seventy-five miles, with bigger gains in the southern sector. The focus of the drive seems to be Hamburg, the intention being to cut off the Jutland Peninsula and position themselves for a decisive attack into the Ruhr Valley.
Norwegian Front
Soviet forces drive into northern Norway, their objective being the capture of Narvik and supporting operations for the Soviet Navy. Norwegian forces fall back, concentrating on evacuating civilians to the south and delaying the Soviet advance long enough to allow British, Canadian and American reinforcements to arrive.
While the numbers of troops engaged, and hence the casualties, are miniscule compared to the slaughter in Central Europe, the fighting is just as fierce. By the end of the month, Soviet forces have advanced a few hundred miles down the Norwegian coast.
Balkan Front
Bulgarian and Romanian forces, reinforced with a few Soviet divisions, launch a two-pronged offensive, one thrust against the Greeks and the other against the Turks. The first thrust, made up mostly of Bulgarian troops, drives south towards Salonica, attempting to drive a wedge between the Greeks and Turks to prevent them from aiding one another. The second drive, made up of Romanians and Soviets, heads straight for Istanbul.
The Greeks and Turks, distrustful of one another anyway, make little effort to coordinate their operations. The Turks fall back immediately, establishing their flanks on the sea and forcing the Warsaw Pact forces to engage in frontal assaults. The Greeks, finding their left flank unprotected, are forced to fall back to the west.
By the end of the month, Bulgarian troops have reached the Aegean Sea, with Salonica under heavy attack. The Turks are giving up ground mile by mile, fighting stubbornly but gradually being pushed back towards Istanbul. Civilians are being evacuated into Anatolia and the city prepared for a street-by-street defense if necessary.
Middle Eastern Front
Soviet mobile forces advance into Iran from both sides of the Caspian Sea. With most of its forces deployed against Iraq, the Iranians have little to throw against the Soviet offensive. Furthermore, Soviet air raids on key command and control facilities wrecks havoc with Iranian operations.
The Iraqi Army serves as a blocking force against which the Soviets break the bulk of the Iranian army. By the end of the month, Tehran is in Soviet hands, and Iranian forces are fleeing in disarray to the southeast.
Syria immediately disowns its alliance with Iran and proclaims itself “sympathetic” to the Soviet cause. It puts its military on high alert, immediately prompting Israel to do the same.
Caucasus Mountain Front
Soviet forces launch a series of limited offensives against the Turks along their respective border. They do not particularly care about this front, seeking only to gain a strategically-advantageous position and prevent the Turks from shifting forces to the Istanbul Front.
The Turks fight back hard, and little progress is made by either side. The Turks are unable to shift forces westward, but American aircraft operating from Turkish bases are able to attack Soviet oil facilities along the Caspian Sea, inflicting significant damage as well as drawing away Soviet air defenses from the main battle front in Central Europe.
Alaskan Front
Teams of Spetsnaz soldiers are inserted by covert airdrop and helicopter in central Alaska. Their main goal is to attack the Alaska pipeline and generally raise havoc. The Soviets are able to gain an immense propaganda coup by undertaking operations within the territory of the United States. The total number of Spetsnaz troops committed to the fighting numbers around 2,500, but two divisions of airborne and airmobile troops remain in reserve to exploit any unexpected opportunities.
At the same time, Soviet air forces attempt to attack targets in Alaska, but are mostly unsuccessful and suffer higher losses than they inflict on their opponents.
American troops are diverted to Alaska, and armed locals form spontaneous militia units to protect their communities and hunt down the Russian commandos.
Far Eastern Front
Two days after the beginning of the war, North Korea launches a massive offensive across the DMZ into South Korean territory. Preceded by one of the heaviest artillery barrages in military history, North Korean armor seeks to pierce through American and South Korean lines, while the massive force of North Korean commandos launch raids behind the lines.
Although the North Korean Air Force launches a preemptive strike to coincide with the offensive, it is largely unsuccessful. South Korean and American air power gains the upper hand in the skies.
With superior numbers on their side, the North Koreans drive forward, stiffened by two elite Soviet divisions who act as shock troops. The South Koreans dig in at Seoul and clearly intend to fight to the last man.
Soviet submarines hunt Allied ships bringing supplies and reinforcements to South Korea, but Soviet surface warships remain holed up in Vladivostok, remaining a fleet-in-being. There is considerable air activity above the Sea of Japan, and a few Soviet air strikes on northern Japan.
Far to the south, there is some air activity in the South China Sea, between Soviet aircraft based in Vietnam and American aircraft based in the Philippines, but nothing serious.
Caribbean Front
Within hours of the opening of the Soviet offensive, Cuban troops overrun the American base at Guantanamo Bay. The Marines holding the base fight to the last man, inflicting twice as many losses as they receive until they are finally overrun three days later. The few survivors surrender only when they run out of ammunition.
Within days, American air attacks on Cuban military installations and command and control centers are hammering the island from one end to the other.
Sub-Continental Front
Released from diplomatic qualms by the outbreak of the war, Soviet aircraft attack Pakistani bases across the border with Afghanistan, seeking to deny the Afghan rebels their means of resupply and reinforcement. More disturbingly for Pakistan, the Indian military goes on full alert.
Southern African Front
With the West and the Soviet bloc now openly at war, South Africa decides to substantially increase the tempo of its military operations against its Communist-inspired enemies in the so-called “Border War.” Air strikes against rebel bases inside Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique are increased and South African military units engaged in hot pursuits across the border are given more leeway than had previously been the case.
Publicly, South Africa announces that these operations are part of the global war against Communism. Western governments, in greater need of South African mineral resources now that war has broken out, downplay their rhetoric on the subject of apartheid.
War At Sea
Contrary to expectations, the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet does not attempt to break out into the North Atlantic. Instead, its surface units remain near its bases, occasionally making a sortie in support of Soviet forces in northern Norway, but instead concentrating on remaining a fleet-in-being and tying down NATO naval forces in the Norwegian Sea.
Soviet submarines, however, streak into the North Atlantic to attack American convoys bringing reinforcements and supplies from North America. NATO forces have a very difficult time defending against them, and their efforts are further hindered by long-range bomber raids by Soviet aircraft using long-range missiles.
Soviet surface units in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean are hunted down and sunk, although Soviet submarines lurk in many places throughout the world. In the Caribbean, they have bases in Cuba. In the Mediterranean, Libya throws open its ports. There is considerable concern among American commanders that India will permit Soviet submarines to use its bases for attacks on American ships.
Diplomacy
Israel obtains an assurance from Egypt that it will not participate in any attack on Israel. Through back channels, a similar assurance is obtained from Jordan.
At the urging of the United States and the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand announce that they will be sending military forces to assist South Korea.
Putting pragmatism before ideology, the Iranian government requests the immediate assistance of the Western powers. Almost immediately, American carrier-borne aircraft begin to attack Soviet forces inside Iran.
At the same time, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia request military assistance in the event of a Soviet/Iraqi effort to occupy their territory. This offer is accepted, and British and American troops are ordered to forward deploy to Oman, ready to respond to any eventuality in the region.
China offers to serve as a mediator between the two sides, while putting its forces on a higher state of alert.