Red Storm Rising

Lore & Background

The world of Red Storm Rising is one of razor-thin margins. The Soviet Union's economy is threatened when Muslim militants from Soviet Azerbaijan destroy an oil production refinery in Nizhnevartovsk. After much deliberation, the Soviet Politburo decides to seize the Persian Gulf by military force to recoup the country's oil losses. Knowing the United States had pledged to defend the oil-producing countries in the Persian Gulf, the Soviets decide that neutralizing NATO is a necessary first step. The Politburo embarks upon an elaborate maskirovka to disguise both their predicament and their intentions, publicly declaring an arms reduction proposal to scrap their obsolete nuclear missile submarines. The KGB then carries out a false flag operation involving a bomb being detonated in a Kremlin building, framing a KGB sleeper agent as a West German intelligence spy. The war is fought exclusively with conventional weapons, with no escalation to nuclear warfare. The Soviet Navy achieves a decisive early victory by launching a bold amphibious landing on Iceland, taking control of the NATO airbase in Keflavík. A substantial air attack against a combined American-French carrier battle group results in serious losses to NATO's navies: the French Navy's Foch is sunk, the landing ship USS Saipan explodes taking over 2,000 sailors and Marines, and the USS Nimitz is forced to drydock in Britain for lengthy repairs. The Soviets are left in control of the strategically important GIUK gap. NATO and Soviet air and ground forces continue to battle ferociously in Germany, with both sides taking heavy losses. General-Colonel Pavel Alekseyev scores a breakthrough in a tank battle at Alfeld, opening the possibility of a Soviet advance beyond the Weser River. A naval attack on Soviet bomber bases with cruise missiles launched by US Navy submarines opens a window for an amphibious counter-assault on Iceland, retaking the island and effectively closing the Atlantic to Soviet forces. A Soviet prisoner captured during the retaking of Iceland reveals the true cause of the war, and a NATO air offensive swiftly destroys much of the Soviet military's available fuel supplies. With Iceland retaken, the United States is able to resupply the rest of NATO via the reopened sea lanes. The Soviet leadership begins to realize they face the possibility of outright defeat. The General Secretary considers using nuclear weapons to force a favorable end to the war, infuriating Alekseyev. The KGB chief organizes a coup along with Alekseyev and other members of the Politburo. The new Soviet government then negotiates for a ceasefire with NATO and a return to status quo ante bellum, ending the war.

In Their Own Story

The war begins with a destroyed oil refinery in Nizhnevartovsk. Muslim militants from Soviet Azerbaijan have crippled the Soviet Union's economy due to oil shortages. The Politburo decides to seize the Persian Gulf by military force, knowing that neutralizing NATO is a necessary first step. The Soviets launch an elaborate maskirovka: they publicly declare an arms reduction proposal to scrap their obsolete nuclear missile submarines, while the KGB carries out a false flag operation involving a bomb detonated in a Kremlin building, framing a KGB sleeper agent as a West German intelligence spy. The Politburo publicly denounces the West German government and calls for retaliation. The Soviet Army pushes through with their advance operations in Germany, though a planned attack on a NATO communications facility in Lammersdorf was compromised when a Spetsnaz officer was arrested. NATO stealth and fighter-bomber aircraft achieve air superiority over Central Europe by eliminating Soviet fighter and AEW&C aircraft, and destroying key bridges that much of the Soviet Army has yet to cross. Soviet-bloc tank divisions find an early advantage in their authoritarian command structure: all Warsaw Pact forces have been trained to speak Russian, while NATO tank crews find themselves confused at crucial moments as to who is in charge and how to speak to one another. NATO armies are repeatedly forced to give ground, though they resist bitterly. Out in the Atlantic, the Soviet Navy achieves a decisive early victory by launching a bold amphibious landing on Iceland, taking control of the NATO airbase in Keflavík. This is followed up by a substantial air attack against a combined American-French carrier battle group. The ensuing battle results in serious losses to NATO's navies: the French Navy's Foch is sunk, the landing ship USS Saipan explodes taking over 2,000 sailors and Marines with her, and the USS Nimitz is forced to drydock in Britain to undergo lengthy repairs. The Soviets are left in control of the strategically important GIUK gap. NATO and Soviet air and ground forces continue to battle ferociously in Germany, with both sides taking heavy losses. General-Colonel Pavel Alekseyev scores a breakthrough in a tank battle at Alfeld, opening the possibility of a Soviet advance beyond the Weser River with far less opposition from NATO forces. A naval attack on Soviet bomber bases with cruise missiles launched by US Navy submarines opens a window for an amphibious counter-assault on Iceland, retaking the island and effectively closing the Atlantic to Soviet forces. A Soviet prisoner captured during the retaking of Iceland reveals the true cause of the war, and a NATO air offensive swiftly destroys much of the Soviet military's available fuel supplies. With Iceland retaken, the United States is able to resupply the rest of NATO via the reopened sea lanes. By this point, Soviet tank and strategic bomber formations have taken punishing losses, forcing them to further cede the initiative as NATO prepares to mount a decisive counteroffensive. Mobilizing older tanks like the T-55 only adds to Warsaw Pact casualties, leaving the Warsaw Pact completely on the defensive. The Soviet leadership begins to realize that they face the possibility of outright defeat—either through a NATO military breakthrough or a war of attrition which, given their desperate shortage of oil supplies, would amount to the same result. The General Secretary considers using nuclear weapons to force a favorable end to the war. This infuriates Alekseyev, who had been mobilizing for a final counterattack on Germany but faces execution by the Soviet government for its slow timetable. The KGB chief organizes a coup along with Alekseyev and other members of the Politburo. The new Soviet government then negotiates for a ceasefire with NATO and a return to status quo ante bellum, ending the war.

Reader's Guide

Red Storm Rising is a war novel written by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond, released on August 7, 1986. It is set in the mid-1980s and features a Third World War between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. The conflict is fought exclusively with conventional weapons, with no escalation to nuclear warfare. It is one of two Clancy novels, along with SSN (1996), that are not set in the Ryanverse. The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. It eventually lent its name to game development company Red Storm Entertainment, which Clancy co-founded in 1996. The plot begins with Muslim militants from Soviet Azerbaijan destroying an oil production refinery in Nizhnevartovsk, threatening to cripple the Soviet Union's economy due to oil shortages. After much deliberation, the Soviet Politburo decides to seize the Persian Gulf by military force to recoup the country's oil losses. Knowing that the United States had pledged to defend the oil-producing countries in the Persian Gulf, the Soviets decide that neutralizing NATO is a necessary first step. The Politburo embarks upon an elaborate maskirovka to disguise both their predicament and their intentions. The Soviets publicly declare their arms reduction proposal to scrap their obsolete nuclear missile submarines. The KGB then carries out a false flag operation involving a bomb being detonated in a Kremlin building, framing a KGB sleeper agent as a West German intelligence spy involved in the incident. The Politburo publicly denounces the West German government and calls for retaliation. The Soviet Army pushes through with their advance operations in Germany, though a planned attack on a NATO communications facility in Lammersdorf was compromised when a Spetsnaz officer was arrested. NATO stealth and fighter-bomber aircraft achieve air superiority over Central Europe by eliminating Soviet fighter and AEW&C aircraft, and destroying key bridges that much of the Soviet Army has yet to cross. Soviet-bloc tank divisions find an early advantage in their authoritarian command structure: all Warsaw Pact forces have been trained to speak Russian, while NATO tank crews find themselves confused at crucial moments as to who is in charge and how to speak to one another. NATO armies are repeatedly forced to give ground, though they resist bitterly. Out in the Atlantic, the Soviet Navy achieves a decisive early victory by launching a bold amphibious landing on Iceland, taking control of the NATO airbase in Keflavík. This is followed up by a substantial air attack against a combined American-French carrier battle group that was originally sent to reinforce Iceland with several landing ships full of US Marines. The ensuing battle results in serious losses to NATO's navies: the French Navy's Foch is sunk, the landing ship USS Saipan explodes taking over 2,000 sailors and Marines with her, and the USS Nimitz is forced to drydock in Britain to undergo lengthy repairs. While NATO's naval forces remain a significant threat, the Soviets are left in control of the strategically important GIUK gap. NATO and Soviet air and ground forces continue to battle ferociously in Germany, with both sides taking heavy losses. General-Colonel Pavel Alekseyev scores a breakthrough in a tank battle at Alfeld, opening the possibility of a Soviet advance beyond the Weser River with far less opposition from NATO forces. A naval attack on Soviet bomber bases with cruise missiles launched by US Navy submarines opens a window for an amphibious counter-assault on Iceland, retaking the island and effectively closing the Atlantic to Soviet forces. A Soviet prisoner captured during the retaking of Iceland reveals the true cause of the war, and a NATO air offensive swiftly destroys much of the Soviet military's available fuel supplies. With Iceland retaken, the United States is able to resupply the rest of NATO via the reopened sea lanes. By this point, Soviet tank and strategic bomber formations have taken punishing losses, forcing them to further cede the initiative as NATO prepares to mount a decisive counteroffensive. Mobilizing older tanks like the T-55 only adds to Warsaw Pact casualties, leaving the Warsaw Pact completely on the defensive. The Soviet leadership begins to realize that they face the possibility of outright defeat—either through a NATO military breakthrough or a war of attrition which, given their desperate shortage of oil supplies, would amount to the same result. The General Secretary considers using nuclear weapons to force a favorable end to the war. This infuriates Alekseyev, who had been mobilizing for a final counterattack on Germany but faces execution by the Soviet government for its slow timetable. The KGB chief organizes a coup along with Alekseyev and other members of the Politburo. The new Soviet government then negotiates for a ceasefire with NATO and a return to status quo ante bellum, ending the war.

Did You Know?

• Red Storm Rising was co-written by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond, and released on August 7, 1986.
• It is one of two Clancy novels, along with SSN (1996), that are not set in the Ryanverse.
• The book debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.
• It lent its name to game development company Red Storm Entertainment, which Clancy co-founded in 1996.
• The novel depicts the conflict as being fought exclusively with conventional weapons, rather than escalating to the use of weapons of mass destruction or nuclear warfare.