First Clash/Counterstrike

[vonGarvin]

"First Clash" is solely about Canadians vs Soviets in the old West Germany.  It covers the deployment of the Brigade to a defensive area, the conduct of the main defensive battle and counter moves, and then covers the brigade's withdrawal.  Counterstroke (not counterstrike) is set in the same war, but has gone totally "fictional", in that the recce vehicles are now "Bobcats", the tanks are "Lions" and there are 120 mm mortars in the battalions (5 PPCLI I think?) and 120 mm "Chimera" Tank Destroyers in the AT battalions.  Not as good a read as First Clash, but entertaining nonetheless.

 

[3rd Herd]

From the Soviet perspective is Red thrust: Attack on the central front, Soviet tactics and capabilities in the 1990s by Steve Zaloga. A disciple of David Glantz, Zaloga describes the Soviet battle tactics using fictional scenarios. These begin with the rise of nationalistic ambitions of Warsaw pact countires specifically Germany and end with all out war with NATO. Each scenario depicts a certain aspect of the Soviet military. At the conclusion of said scenarios a analysis of the actual abilities is given. It is always interesting to see the other sides point of view. As George mentioned earlier Chieftan was an interesting read in giving the British perspective of a possible NATO/Warsaw Pack conflict. It was interesting to note in Chieftan the views of the regulars of the British professionals towards the other members of NATO as the book opens with a fight between the British "hero's" and the Dutch conscripts. It was also interesting to see the coverage nuclear weapons received from 'backpack/suitcase' nuclear weapons on the Soviet side to the proposed use of nuclear mines on the German side to destroy Soviet advances.

Edit:
Chieftan was written by Bob Forrest- Webb

 

[a_majoor]

Another view from the Soviet side was "Red Army", by Ralph Peters. While the CF isn't mentioned in there, we do see the Soviets, some Warsaw pact forces, West Germans, Dutch and, towards the end, US V Corps.

Peters also takes the story from the individual rifleman to an Soviet Army level commander, with sub plots involving all arms and services, so we see the battle unfold from many different levels. Well worth the read.

 

[vonGarvin]

I've read both of those (Red Thrust and Red Army).  Both are well worth the read.

 

[3rd Herd]

Hi Cdriskell,
could you perhaps be thinking about Ian Slater's series WW III. Some of his first books where pretty good but then as with several other writers I think in his case it became more of quantity than quality. Also Larry Bond's earlier works could be in this area but again his latter books seem to have digressed into more fiction then fact. Interestingly enough I came across a reference in Terry Copp's Fields of Fire: The Canadians In Normandy in which a "classified study dating from the 1950's, British operational researchers studied the consequences of using tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefields of 1944. They concluded that the use of weapons in the one kiloton range would have changed everything to such a degree that the historical events were of little interest. If you nuke Verrieres Ridge, your problem then becomes how to avoid it, not capture it."(pg. 7) All this in part of the military's reexamination of Second War battles in order to come up with ways of defeating a major Soviet Attack.

 

[Cdriskell]

Thanks to everyone who posted.  I finally found the book: it's titled The Ten Thousand, by Harold Coyle.  As usual, I had some facts mixed up.  It's a yarn about the US and USSR going against the Germans in a WWIII type scenario.  Thanks again: great board you have here!

 

[Shrek1985]

It's a hell of a reach-back, but I remembered this thread from when I was trying to find these books. They are now scanned, free online and part of the Canadian Army reading list.

First Clash

Counterstroke