How Long Could a Conventional 1980s WW3 Actually Last?

As I recall USNG was not expected to field competent divisions with out 6 months of retraining. I think that was borne out by GW1991. Little or no new weapons would be added for months because it would take that long to retool factories for old weapons. I could see whole-sale upgrading of old equipment and most emphasis on munitions production provisions and fuel stocks. New weapons would require retraining and restocking parts & building up ammo stock piles.

Lots of ATGM [TOW/HOT/MILAN] deployed on all kinds of APC & ICV, while sales of Stinger missile should sky rocket. But the WARPAC can be expected to take similar steps.

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/111xx/doc11144/79doc644.pdf


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War_tank_formations

The Warsaw Pact already had a war economy. Their military couldn't get much bigger. It was pretty much maxed out.
 
It depends a lot on when the war happened and under what circumstances. A conflict in 1980 over Afghanistan or something would be very different from one in 1989.

Around 1980 the Warsaw Pact's strength was estimated to be around:

16 DDR divisions

24 Polish divisions

12 Czech divisions

10 Hungarian divisions

20 Romanian divisions

8 Bulgarian divisions

Totaling some 800, 000 men.

The Soviets had 46 divisions in Germany alone, and around 2-3 million in Eastern Europe and the western USSR.

Estimated by whom, what is your source for this? East Germany had 6 active divisions (2 Tank + 4 Motor Rifle) plus some internal security/paramilitary forces tasked against West Berlin. Soviet Forces in East Germany were some 19 divisions. While no doubt the WP satellite states had some mobilisation only forces & there were additional Soviet equipment stockpiles in East Germany your numbers are far in excess of anything I've seen before.
 
They fought like crap too. Nobody is impressed by the Italian Military's fighting record in WWII. Half hearted fighting doesn't win you wars.
Absolutely, but it doesn't mean they'll defect in mass. At war, none should count with the enemy cooperating with one's battleplans.
 
How many of these would actually be worth anything? I doubt any of these troops were eager to die for Mother Russia. My guess is that most likely most of these troops would fight half-hearted at best. With luck they might be worth as much as Italian troops in WWII and it goes down from there.



How fast can you go if (Which seems likely considering how the Soviets did things) a lot of the vehicles are broke down due to sloppy manufacture, poor maintenance and lack of spare parts?

Absolutely, but it doesn't mean they'll defect in mass. At war, none should count with the enemy cooperating with one's battleplans.

I didn't say they would all defect, just that they would be nearly worthless. I also think the information from those armies will leak like a sieve.
 
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