RETURN
TO MURMANSK, JUNE 2003
Outlining
the maritime history of the North, Norwegian and
Barents Seas during World War's 1 and 2 during
this 2003 Cruise raised an interesting question.
What would have been the significance of these
same Seas had World War 3 broken out between the West
and the Soviet Union?
The importance of the Norwegian and Barents Seas,
and the
GIUK Line - Greenland-Iceland-UK, . . . .
(based in brief on General Sir John Hackett's "The
Third World War)
1.
Warsaw Pact forces attack NATO, taking Northern
Scandinavia and much of central Europe. NATO land
forces attempt to hold without resorting to nuclear
weapons
2. NATO has
to be reinforced from the USA. As the convoys are
fought through, the Soviet Union attempts to sink
both transports and escorts with submarines and
land-based bombers, mostly based in or flying from
Murmansk and the Kola region. Battling for control of
the Norwegian and Barents Seas, and holding the GIUK
line would have been vital to a NATO victory without
resorting to all-out nuclear war.
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