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Cold War turned hot in the 80s
Glanini:
I finally made it after seven years of frequently interrupted work, I have completed my timeline and profiles for this subject. Before start reading please advise that my timeline turns from actual events and then changing some key events make them "What If"
I hope you will enjoy and it will be a long trip since the timeline is 115 pages in MS Word font 11.
The Timeline is divided by year and each year by Subject
* Central Front/ Europe
Middle East
Central America
Southern America
Southern Africa
Afghanistan
Iran-Iraq
Far East/Oceania
Mediterrean /North Africa
Northern Ireland
News (a general News Section)
*
Profiles of Airplane involved will follow as well in the profile section
Prologue
The Seventies has been a very critical decade for the world. The economy has been in recession caused by fuel crisis and terrorism has been a bad seed left from the sixties rebellion.
The United States have been affected by an economic crisis and President Carter approval rate is very low and they have lost the first war in their history in Viet Nam. The subsequent Vietnamization of the war has forced the Unites States to pump 3 billion of US dollars yearly to support the South Vietnamese army. Anyway in 1978 with Democrats in charge the House and Senate have ruled to reduce the aid to 1 billion only going to zero 1979.
In Asia China is trying to establish itself as the major force of the area, trying to take that role from USSR that is still the major supporter of North Viet Nam. The latter is still trying to recover from the failed assault to South Viet Nam in 1975. South Vietnamese army is one of the better equipped in the world thank to United States aid but start lacking fuel due to the increased oil prices and reduced US support.
Europe has been affected by communist terrorism secretly supported by KGB and Stasi. In Italy and Germany Red Brigades and RAF have been killing major figures of the establishment and NATO officers as well, while France is affected by a major moral crisis due to the corrupt leadership of his President and the connection with fearsome African Leaders. United Kingdom is affected by a major economic recession with the Northern Ireland Troubles requesting a big support from the army. In Greece, Spain and Portugal democratic movements took the power after decades of military and right wing regimes.
In eastern Europe signs of unease for the ecomonic situation of Warsaw Pact Nations are strong especially in Poland, where the 1st Polish Pope visit in 1978 has fueled the unrest. In German Democratic Republic the control of STASI over public life is very strict. USSR economy is in depression with more than 25% of GDP dedicated to military expenditures and local oligarchies in the small eastern Republics brings a big deal of corruption.
In 1977 the world goes very close to a Nuclear War, a NATO exercise called “Able Archer 1977” is mistaken by some USSR analysts as actual US Nuclear attack. USSR started preparing to send ICBM over western Europe, until a Soviet officer understands that it was just an exercise and stops the Soviet Counter-Attack. After that Breznev and Carter decides to dismantle their nuclear arsenal by mid eighties.
Middle East is a very critical area, with a major Civil War in Lebanon in the second part of the decade, even though the two major players in the area, Israel and Egypt have signed a peace deal. In Iran the power of the Reza Phalavi family is in dire straits due to the corruption of the regime and the health issues of the Shah. Iraq is becoming a major regional power thanks to the oil price increase and is pursuing its own nuclear program called “Ozirak”.
South America is ruled by military and fascist dictatorship that tries to cover the economic crisis with nationalism and militarism, except for Chile, where the Tanquetazo military coup of 1973 was stopped when CIA withdraws its support. The Argentina military junta has defeated the communist insurgents and is setting his sights toward Chile’s Terra de Fuego.
In Central America, Cuba is pushing the revolution into Nicaragua and El Salvador, both ruled by cruel dictators supported by the United States. In Mexico, PRI party that is ruling the country since 1914 is looking at alternative solution to keep the power beside weak United States support and start secret discussions with Cuba.
In Africa, Libya has become a major player in Mediterrean and Sub Saharian Africa, with Gaddafi trying to influence politics in Chad and Sudan as well. In Central and Southern Africa Cuba is trying to export revolution through military aides and troops and has been key to the Ethiopian victories in the beginning of the Ogaden War with Somalia. Civil war is going on in Angola and Mozambique where rebel factions are supported by South African and Rhodesian regimes. Rhodesia itself is facing a lot of international pressure to release its segregationist policies.
1978
News
April 10, 1978: News- Volkswagen becomes the second (after Rolls-Royce) non-American automobile manufacturer to open a plant in the United States, commencing production of the Rabbit, the North American version of the Volkswagen Golf, at the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant near New Stanton, Pennsylvania with a unionized (UAW) workforce.
May 18, 1978: News- Sarajevo is selected to host the 1984 Winter Olympics and Los Angeles is selected to host the 1984 Summer Olympics.
June 1, 1978: News- The 1978 FIFA World Cup starts in Argentina.
June 15, 1978: News- King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old US Citizen Lisa Halaby, who takes the name Queen Noor.
June 25, 1978: News- Argentina defeats the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup. It is a big triumph for the Regime.
August 6, 1978: News-Pope Paul VI dies in Castelgandolfo at 81.
August 26, 1978: News- Pope John Paul I succeeds Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope.
September 28, 1978: News- Pope John Paul I dies after only 33 days of papacy.
October 16, 1978: News- Pope John Paul II succeeds Pope John Paul I as the 264th pope. He is the first Polish pope in history.
Central Front/Europe
January 12, 1978: Central Front/Europe- CIA is able to obtain a PCUS memorandum that depicts the Soviet economy in crisis. Its growth rate for 1977 having been around 1-2 percent per year, down from over 5 percent in the 1960s. The Soviet economy is burdened by military spending. Investment is bureaucratic rather than interested in new ideas. People still lived in cramped housing and are seeing little material progress for themselves. Cynicism is high and alcoholism prevalent. People are taking little pride in their work. The massive effort in education is producing people with talent that will go unused. On foreign policy there is a mounting concern from the position of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) that is leaning toward a Social Democrat Party even though still financed by PCUS
March 16, 1978: Central Front/Europe- Former Italian Premier and Leader of Majority Party Democratic Christian Aldo Moro, that was on his way to form a government with Partito Comunista Italiano external support is kidnapped by the Red Brigades; five bodyguards are killed. The Red Brigades were supported in the action by Stasi agents under cover.
April 14, 1978: Central Front/Europe- 1978 Tbilisi Demonstrations: Thousands of Georgians demonstrate against an attempt by Soviet authorities to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language.
March 16, 1978: Central Front/Europe- In Rome, the corpse of Aldo Moro is found in a red Renault 4, after the Italian Government refused to trade him for jailed terrorists.
September 7, 1978: Central Front/Europe- In London, England, a poison-filled pellet, supposedly injected using an umbrella, poisons Bulgarian writer and defector Georgi Markov, on orders of Bulgarian intelligence; he dies 4 days later.
October 16, 1978: Central Front/Europe- First flight of the Panavia Tornado PA100, the single seater fighter version of the attack plane. The prototype is taken in flight by Luftwaffe.
December 27, 1978: Central Front/Europe- The Constitution of Spain is approved in a referendum, officially ending forty years of military dictatorship.
elmayerle:
A nice blend of reality and initially small changes. 'Twill be most interesting to see the ripple effects of those changes as time progresses.
Glanini:
Middle East
February 18, 1978: Middle East- Youssef Sebai, editor of a prominent Egyptian newspaper and a friend of the Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat, is assassinated by two gunmen at a convention being held at the Nicosia Hilton. The two assassins rounded up sixteen Arab convention delegates as hostages (among them, two P.L.O. representatives and one Egyptian national) and demand transportation to Larnaca International Airport
February 19, 1978: Middle East- Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport. Egyptian forces and the Cypriot National Guard exchang heavy gunfire for nearly an hour in sporadic fighting on the open tarmac. Following the assault, it emerges that the surrender of the two hostage-takers have already been secured at the time of the failed Egyptian attack, and the two men are taken prisoner by the Cypriots and later extradited to Egypt.
March 11, 1978: Middle East- Coastal Road Massacre: eleven Fatah members led by the eighteen-year old female Dalal Mughrabi travel from Lebanon and kill an American tourist on the beach. They then hijack a bus on the coastal road near Haifa, and en route to Tel Aviv commandeer a second bus. After a lengthy chase and shootout, thirtyseven Israelis were killed and seventysix wounded.
March 14, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: Israel launch Operation Litani, occupying the area south of the Litani River, excepting Tyre, with over 25,000 soldiers. Its stated goals are to push Palestinian militant groups, particularly the PLO, away from the border with Israel, and to bolster Israel's ally at the time, the South Lebanon Army because of the attacks against Lebanese Christians and Jews and because of the relentless shelling into Northern Israel.
March 19, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: In response to the invasion, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 425 and Resolution 426 calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is created to enforce this mandate.
March 21, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: After a seven-day offensive, the Israeli Defence Forces first capture a belt of land approximately 10 kilometres deep, but later expande north to the Litani river. The IDF do not succeed in engaging large numbers of PLO forces who retreate to the north.
March 23, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: UNIFIL forces arrive in Lebanon, setting up headquarters in Naqoura. Resolution 425 don't result in an immediate end to hositilies. The Israelis continue military operations for two more days until they order a ceasefire. The PLO's initial reaction is that the resolution don't apply to them because it didn't mention the PLO.
March 28, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: The PLO leadership finally ordered a ceasefire, after a meeting between UNIFIL commander General Emmanual Erskine and Yasser Arafat in Beirut.
April 19, 1978: Middle East- Operation Litani: the SLA (South Lebanese Army) shells UNIFIL headquarters, killing eight UN soldiers.
June 13, 1978: Middle East- Phalangist soldiers surround the home of a rival Christian faction, Tony Frangieh and kills him, together with his wife, daughter, theit bodyguards and servants and even the family pets.
September 5, 1978: Middle East- Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat begin the peace process at Camp David, Maryland.
September 17, 1978: Middle East- The Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt. They included: A Framework for Peace in the Middle East and A Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel.
October 27, 1978: Middle East- Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin win the Nobel Peace Prize for their progress toward achieving a Middle East accord.
Central America
January 10, 1978: Central America- Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, a critic of the Nicaraguan government, is assassinated in Managua. Riots erupt against Somoza's government.
January 23, 1978: Central America- A nationwide strike begin in Nicaragua, with the intention of unseating the dictatorship. It is heavily suppressed by the National Guard but succeed in paralysing both private industry and government services for about ten days.
April 18, 1978: Central America- The U.S. Senate votes 68–32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control on December 31, 1999.
October 22, 1978: Central America- In Nicaragua tewntyfive members of the Third Way, led by Edén Pastora Gómez, also known as Commandante Cero, succeeded in capturing the National Palace and holding almost two thousand government officials and members of congress hostage. A negotiated settlement is reached after two days, through the mediation of Archbishop Obando y Bravo and the Panamanian and Costa Rican ambassadors, which requires the government to pay the guerrillas $500,000 U.S., release sixty FSLN members from prison, disseminate an FSLN declaration in the news media, and give the raiders safe passage to Panama and Venezuela.
November, 1978: Central America- The Organisation of American States' (OAS) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published a report charging the National Guard with numerous human rights violations. The report was followed by a United Nations declaration condemning the Nicaraguan government.
November 24, 1978: Central America- President Carter has cut supplies to Nicaragua's dictator, Somoza (President Anastasio Somoza Debayle). Venezuela and Cuba are aiding Nicaragua's rebels, the Sandinistas. The U.S. is seeking a democratic alternative in Nicaragua and has proposed a nationwide plebiscite to decide whether Somoza should stay in power.
Southern America
January 25, 1978: South America- Argentina rejects the decision which awarded the Picton, Nueva and Lennox islands to Chile and attempts to militarily coerce Chile into negotiating a division of the islands that would produce a maritime boundary consistent with Argentine claims.
March 21, 1978: South America- the Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro make a four-week state visit to Chile, alarming Western observers worried about the Chilean Way to Socialism yielding to Cuban Socialism, i.e. a dictatorial single-party state.
May-June, 1978: South America- In Chile, the economics minister Pedro Vuskovic adopts monetary policies that increase the amount of circulating currency and devalue the escudo, which increase inflation to 140 percent in 1978 and engender a black market economy. The Allende Government acts against the black market with organised distribution of basic products.
September-October, 1978: South America- Chile suffers the first of many strikes. Among the participants are small-scale businessmen, some professional unions, and student groups. Its leaders expect to depose the elected government. Other than damaging the national economy, the principal effect of the twenty-four-day strike is drawing Army head, Gen. Carlos Prats, into the government as Interior Minister, an appeasement to the right wing.
October 18, 1978: South America- Jonestown incident: In Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass murder-suicide that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at Jonestown itself, including over 270 children. Congressman Leo J. Ryan is assassinated by members of Peoples Temple shortly beforehand.
October 30, 1978: South America- Argentina finalizes his plan for “Operacion Soverania” a military invasion of Chile, triggered by the Beagle Channel issue. The junta presents the plan to the US Ambassador that after consultation with Washington warns Buenos Aires not to proceed with the plan due to the military imbalance with Chile.
December 3, 1978: South America- Argentina solicits a Peruvian attack in Chile's north, but Peru rejects this demand and orders only a partial mobilization.
December 30, 1978: South America- Argentina’s fleet leaves the shore to start “Operacion Soverania” There is no surprise factor, since the Chilean military keep movements of the Argentine fleet under surveillance and monitor the buildup of Argentine troops. Chilean troops are deployed along the border, ready to meet any invaders.
Southern Africa
February 19, 1978 : Southern Africa- Four hundred fifty ZANLA militants cross the Mozambique border and attack the town of Umtali in Rhodesia.
February 25, 1978 : Southern Africa- In retaliation for Umtali attack the Rhodesian Air Force bomb guerrilla camps 125 miles inside Mozambique, using 'fatigued' Canberra B2 aircraft and Hawker Hunters — actively, but clandestinely, supported by several of the more capable Canberra B(I)12 aircraft of the South African Air Force.
March, 1978: Southern Africa- a meeting take place between Algerian and Angolese officials and militants of the Front for the National Liberation of the Congo. Zairian intelligence is made aware of a possible destabilisation operation in the Shaba region, which has a high value because of its mines of copper, cobalt, uranium and radium. For some months the Soviet Union has been purchasing all the cobalt available on the free market, but western intelligence did not connect this to the upcoming crisis.
March 3, 1978 : Southern Africa- Encamped beneath the path of ascent towards Salisbury from Kariba Airport, the ZIPRA cadres down Air Rhodesia Flight 825 killing nine survivors.
April, 1978: Southern Africa- The FNLC operation is to be headed by Nathaniel Mbumba, with assistance from Cubans and East German officers.
April 4, 1978 : Southern Africa- In retaliation for the shooting down of Flight 825 in September 1978, Rhodesian Air Force Canberra bombers, Hunter fighter-bombers and helicopter gunships attack the ZIPRA guerrilla base at Westlands farm near Lusaka, warning Zambian forces by radio not to interfere.
May, 1978 : Southern Africa- An uprising take place in Karanga, Zaire against dictator Mobutu.
May 4, 1978 : Southern Africa- Battle of Cassinga occurs in southern Angola. A South African airborne attack on a South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) refugee camp and military base at the former town of Cassinga.
May 11, 1978: Southern Africa- a 3,000 to 4,000 man strong Katangan rebel group arrives, accompanied by the 2nd Cuban Division; departing from Angola, it has crossed neutral Zambia. Upon arriving, they take about 3,000 Europeans as hostages.
May 12, 1978: Southern Africa- In Zaire, 2’000 rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining centre of the province of Shaba.
May 15, 1978: Southern Africa- - hundreds of rebels start departing the city in stolen vehicles, leaving merely five hundred men led by Cubans. Most are garrisoned in the quarter of Manika and in the suburbs.
May 17, 1978: Southern Africa- Dictator Mobutu requests foreign assistance from Belgium, France and the USA.
May 18-19, 1978: Southern Africa- Belgian and French paratroopers fly to Zaire to aid the fight against the rebels that start to execute hostages after the intervention of Zairian paratroopers. Between 90 to 280 Europeans are killed.
May 20-21, 1978: Southern Africa- French Foreign Legion paratroopers land in Kolwezi, Zaire, to rescue Europeans in the middle of a civil war.
May 22, 1978: Southern Africa- Mobutu arrived in person to boost troop morale and reassure the population; he seized the opportunity to parade several European corpses. This struck western public opinion and led to a widespread acceptance of the decision by the Elysée to launch a parachute operation.
June-August 1978: Southern Africa- A number of joint-force bomber raids on guerrilla encampments and assembly areas in Mozambique and Zambia are mounted in yhe summer of 1978, and extensive air reconnaissance and surveillance of guerrilla encampments and logistical build-up is carried out by the South African Air Force on behalf of the RhAF.
Glanini:
Afghanistan
April 27, 1978: Afghanistan- At the funeral of a prominent, murdered leftist, Mir Akbar Khyber, an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 listen to speeches by Nur Muhammad Taraki, Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal -- members of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. President Daoud is alarmed by the gathering and orders the arrest of Communist leaders.
April 26-28, 1978: Afghanistan- Claiming an anti-Islamic coup has begun, President Daoud has mobilized his military. He has put Taraki arrested and Amin put under house arrest. Karmal has escaped to the Soviet Union. Using his family as messengers, Amin orders an uprising against Daoud. Rebel soldiers win against troops loyal to Daoud. At the presidential palace, Daoud and most of his family are assassinated.
April 30, 1978: Afghanistan- The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan is proclaimed, under pro-communist leader Nur Mohammed Taraki.
December 5, 1978: Afghanistan- After two days of talks in Moscow, Taraki of Afghanistan and Brezhnev of the Soviet Union sign a treaty that commits their countries to 20 years of friendship and cooperation. Article 4 of the the treaty allows for Soviet intervention to protect Afghanistan from an armed invasion.
Iran- Iraq
May 15, 1978: Iran-Iraq- Students of the University of Tehran riot in Tabriz to request more freedom of speech; the army stops the riot.
June 1, 1978: Iran-Iraq- Four Iranian Air Force helicopters Boeing CH47 Chinook stray into Soviet airspace and are shot down by VVS MiG25.
September 8, 1978: Iran-Iraq- The Shah sends troops, helicopter gunships and tanks against crowds of protesters in Teheran. Barricades rise around the city. People arm themselves with Molotov cocktails. The day is to be known by opponents of the Shah as Black Friday.
October 6, 1978: Iran-Iraq- From Iraq the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini has been urging actions against the Shah, including work stoppages that have swept Iran. The Shah has asked Iraq's acting president, Saddam Hussein, to expel Khomeini. Saddam has accused Khomeini, a Shia, of fomenting rebellion in Iraq. Syria allows Khomeini refuge but Khomeini heads for France. From France Khomeini will urge rebellion against the Shah and also rebellion in Iraq.
November 5, 1978: Iran-Iraq- Rioters sack the British Embassy in Tehran.
December 11, 1978: Iran-Iraq- The demonstration against the regime in Iran increases as two million demonstrate against the Shah.
Far East/Oceania
January, 1978 : Far East- North Vietnam recaptures the territory it lost to South Vietnam during the previous dry season. After two clashes that left fiftyfive South Vietnamese soldiers dead.
January 4, 1978 : Far East- South Vietnamese President Thieu announces that the war has restarted and that the Paris Peace Accord is no longer in effect.
March 18, 1978 : Far East- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan, is sentenced to death by hanging for ordering the assassination of a political opponent.
June-December, 1984: Far East- AS CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt enter service with US Navy, RAN receives former CVN-59 Forrestal that is renamed H.M.A.S. Melbourne and equipped with F4J Phantoms.
September 16, 1978 : Far East- General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq officially assumes the post of President of Pakistan.
October, 1978 : Far East- North Vietnam decide to hold a limited offensive from Cambodia into Phuoc Long Province. The strike is designed to solve local logistical problems, gauge the reaction of South Vietnamese forces, and determine whether United States would return to the fray.
December 13, 1978 : Far East- North Vietnamese forces attack Route 14 in Phuoc Long Province.
December 22, 1978 : Far East- The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
Mediterrean / North Africa
January 22, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- In Chad a Fundamental Charter is signed, following which a National Union Government will be formed on 29 August with Habré as Prime Minister and Malloum as President. The Malloum-Habré accord is actively promoted by Sudan and Saudi Arabia, both of which fear a radical Chad controlled by Gaddafi and see in Habré, with his good Muslim and anti-colonialialist credentials, the only chance to thwart Gaddafi's plans.
January 22, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- In Chad Goukouni's FAP, an opposition force supported by Libya, unleashes the Ibrahim Abatcha offensive against the last outposts held by the government in northern Chad, namely Faya-Largeau, Fada and Ounianga Kebir. The attacks are successful, and Goukouni and the Libyans assume control of the BET Prefecture.
February 18, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- The French Air Force deploye SEPECAT Jaguar jets to Mauritania under the orders of President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, which repeatedly bomb Polisario columns headed for Mauritania with napalm.
February 18, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- The city of Faya-Largeau, defended by 5,000 Chadian soldiers, fall after sharp fighting to 2,500 rebels, supported by possibly as many as 4,000 Libyan troops.
February 20, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- French President Giscard D’Estaign gives the go-ahead to Opération Tacaud, that by April brought in Chad 2,500 troops to secure the capital from the rebels.
March 27, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- The Benghazi Accord, which recognizes Goukouni’s FROLINAT and agreed on a new ceasefire is signed. Among the chief conditions of the agreement is creation of a joint Libya–Niger military committee, that is tasked with implementing the agreement; through this committee, Chad legitimizes Libyan intervention in its territory. The accord also containes another condition dear to Libya, as it asks for the termination of all French military presence in Chad.
April 15, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- Goukouni left Faya, leaving there a Libyan garrison of 800 men. Relying on Libyan armor and airpower, Goukouni's forces conquer a small FAT (Forceè Armee Tchadienne) garrison and point towards the capital N'Djamena.
May 19, 1978: Mediterrean / North Africa- The decisive battle between Chadian government troops and FROLINAT take place at Ati, a town 270 miles northeast of N'Djamena. The town's garrison of 1,500 soldiers is attacked by the FROLINAT insurgents, equipped with artillery and modern weapons. The garrison is relieved by the arrival, supported by armor, of a Chadian task force and, more importantly, of the Foreign Legion and the 3rd Regiment of Marine Infantry; in a two-day battle, the FROLINAT is repelled with heavy losses.
June 6, 1978 : Mediterrean / North Africa- Major engagement at Djedaa, after which the FROLINAT admitt defeat and flees north, after having lost 2,000 men and left the "ultramodern equipment" they carry on the ground. Of key importance in these battles is the complete air superiority the French could count on, as the Libyan Air Force pilots refuse to fight the French.
July 26, 1978 : Mediterrean / North Africa- The Polisario Front launches a raid on the Mauritania capital Nouakchott, during which Polisario leader El Ouali is killed, and is replaced by Mohamed Abdelaziz, with no letup in the pace of attacks.
August 26, 1978 : Mediterrean / North Africa- Ahmat Acyl, leader of the Volcan Army abranch of FROLINAT, attacks Faya-Largeau with the support of Libyan troops in what is apparently an attempt by Gaddafi to remove Goukouni from the leadership of the FROLINAT, replacing him with Acyl. The attempt backfires, as Goukouni reacts by expelling all Libyan military advisors present in Chad, and starts searching for a compromise with France.
November, 1978 : Mediterrean / North Africa- In Mauritania, under continued pressure, the Daddah regime finally fall to a coup d'état led by war-weary military officers, who immediately agree to a cease fire with the Polisario.
Sub Saharian Africa
February 11, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa- Somalia mobilizes its troops, due to an apparent Ethiopian attack. The expected Ethiopian-Cuban attack; however, it is accompanied by a second attack that the Somalis were not expecting. A column of Ethiopian and Cuban troops cross northeast into the highlands between Jijiga and the border with Somalia, bypassing the SNA-WSLF force defending the Marda Pass.
February 13, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa-Cuban-Ethiopian troops are able to assault from two directions in a "pincer" action, allowing the re-capture of Jijiga while killing 3,000 defenders.
February 14-28, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa-The Somali defense collapse and every major Ethiopian town is recaptured.
March 3, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa-Ethiopia admits that its troops are fighting with the aid of Cuban soldiers against Somalian troops in Ogaden.
March 9, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa-Recognizing that his position is untenable, Siad Barre ordered the SNA to retreat back into Somalia, although some Somalis have already withdrawn its heavy weapons.
March 15, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa-The last significant Somali unit left Ethiopia, marking the end of the war.
April 9, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa- Somali military officers stage an unsuccessful coup against the government of Siad Barre; security forces thwart the attempt within hours, and several conspirators are arrested.
May 12-13, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa- A group of mercenaries lead by Bob Denard oust Ali Soilih in the Comoros; ten local soldiers are killed. Denard forms a new government.
June 30, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa- Ethiopia begins a massive offensive in Eritrea.
October 14, 1978: Sub Saharian Africa- Daniel arap Moi becomes president of Kenya.
Northern Ireland
January 18, 1978: Northern Ireland- The European Court of Human Rights finds the United Kingdom government guilty of mistreating prisoners in Northern Ireland, but not guilty of torture.
June 21, 1978: Northern Ireland- An outbreak of shooting between Provisional IRA members and the British Army leaves one civilian and three IRA men dead.
............ and that would be it for 1978
Old Wombat:
--- Quote from: Glanini on December 04, 2012, 02:10:01 AM ---June-December, 1984: Far East- AS CVN-71 Theodore Roosevelt enter service with US Navy, RAN receives former CVN-59 Forrestal that is renamed H.M.A.S. Melbourne and equipped with F4J Phantoms.
--- End quote ---
Either this one is dated incorrectly or Lost in Time!
1978 is wrong for re-naming Forrestal as Melbourne, as she was still a commissioned warship, however the name Sydney was free for use, whilst Canberra is a possibility as the Adelaide-class (modified Oliver Hazard Perry class) Canberra was commissioned in 1978 - the name could simply have been slated onto the bigger warship prior to commissioning.
1984 is OK for re-naming Forrestal as Melbourne but is relatively unlikely as the previous Melbourne had only recently been scrapped but Sydney & Canberra were already FFG's.
Mind you, with the fixed-wing squadrons continuing I would have stayed in the RAN........ Now, 28 years later, I'd probably still only be an AB, though! ;D
Cheers!
Guy.
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