My first POD here and hoping it isn't too bad.
This has the pod of the Soviets removing the Chinese threat from their border somewhat through diplomatic negotiations and with a more agressive Gromyko holding on to power.
15 July 1986 2:11 AM Andrei Gromyko awakens to a phone call with disturbing news of early warning signals about the movement of NATO forces along the East German border. Gromyko remains calm and a bit skeptical due to similar false alarms in the past. He orders the Soviet Airforce to gather more intel about NATO movements in West Germany and American military installations in western Europe.
Soviet reconaissance planes are sent to investigate fitted with radar pods to give them better intel on the situation on the ground . Soviet listening posts also intercept a spike in traffic, though not unheard of, this is not the usual time its happening.
Near the East German border General Wolfgang Altenburg arrives in preparation for the US president's arrival to review a secret test of the new stealth aircraft recently developed. Altenburg is briefed by his command staff on their progress. Bad weather is predicted in the forecast and unfortunately they have to keep their schedule moving earlier than planned. This also means that they will not be able to keep their movement a secret.
Altenburg figures that since the exercise only involves a small number of land forces and relatively few aircrafts, the Soviets won't mind it much. His American colleague Dean C Strother however isn't crazy about conducting NATO excercises so close to the East German border, but the President has ordered him to confirm if this new stealth tech works as the Airforce had been bragging about. Eight F16s have been dipatched as escorts.
Moscow Local time 9:35 AM:
Intel has nothing on this NATO movement, but Gromyko, not wishing to act on a set of bad intel and appearing weak, dismisses the idea that it is a NATO bluff. Even if it is a NATO excercise, the Soviets can conduct one in turn. MIGs are dispatched along with three armored and four infantry divisions to East Germany to conduct "an excersice of our own," Gromyko states.
NATO early warning stations near the border spot the Soviet movement. But because of confusion and the haste with which the Soviets are put on alert causes them to mass straight before a much weaker NATO force comrpised of two US Army cavalry regiments, 1 Marine Brigade, 2 West German regiments, with no other air support available in the immediate area with the exception of a squadron of cobras now prepping for take off within 15 minutes.
Word of the soviet movement reaches NATO command as soviet forces are massing at the border. Calling their bluff, orders are issued from the head of the local US Army commander for the Germans to send two more armored cavalry brigades while the US Army provides 3 infantry divisions with the French and British providing an additional four armored cavalry regiments.
11:00 AM orders from the soviet command are to increase reinforcements to the recent increase of NATO forces in West Germany. All Soviet military units are put on stand by alert,
11:25 AM After this a call is placed to the President of the United States Ronald Reagan now serving his second term. Gromyko is demanding to know why NATO is massing troops close to the East German border. Reagan replies that he believes NATO is responding to a soviet buildup. Regan demands that Gromyko stand down. Not willing to give Regan a propaganda victory, as Kruschev gave Kennedy his in 1962, Gromyko simply hangs up and waits to see how things develop and who blinks first.....
well let's see how this goes