Red Storm Rising

Red Storm Rising is a war thriller by bestselling American author Tom Clancy, co-authored by Larry Boyd, first published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 1986. A sprawling epic set in the 1980s, it imagines a Third World War between NATO forces and the Soviet nations of the Warsaw Pact. From the oil refineries of the Soviet Union to the battlefields of Germany, from the laboratories of California to remote airbases in Iceland, Red Storm Rising travels the globe in its all-encompassing narrative of a world on the brink of destruction.

It is 1988, and radical Muslim terrorists from Azerbaijan kill three Soviet oil refinery workers and then set the plant on fire. This event triggers what could be a potentially cataclysmic collapse of the Soviet Union's economy. At a satellite control laboratory in Sunnyvale, California, workers monitor the fire as it rages out of control and burns for days on end.

The Soviets recognize that the inferno will leave them with a major lack of oil, which will result in energy shortages. Therefore, the Politburo decides to dispatch the military to take control of the Persian Gulf in hopes of gaining access to the region's rich oil supplies. At the same time, the Soviets understand that doing so will invite retaliation from the United States, which will defend the oil-rich nations of the Gulf. The Soviet's first step, then, must be to dismantle NATO before sending their first troops to the Middle East.



The Soviets also understand there will be a massive public outcry if they were to attack the Gulf region without provocation. To get around this, they stage a phony attack on the Kremlin that kills several innocent Soviets, which in turn gives the Politburo the cover they need to blame West Germany for the attack. They feel that distracting American troops with a fake battle in Germany would essentially leave the Gulf undefended and that the U.S. would prefer to defend Germany and get its oil supplies from western reserves rather than go to war in the Gulf. The deaths of their countrymen stir the patriotism of the Soviet people, and they support their leaders' call for war. Meanwhile, the United States and its NATO allies join forces with Germany to combat the mounting threat from the Soviet Union.

After a thwarted attack on a NATO building in Germany, the Soviets advance their troops into the European nation. NATO forces trounce them on the first night of fighting by taking down their aircraft and bombing crucial bridges and roads the Soviets rely on for their ground strategy.

The Soviets are not without victories, however. They wrest back the upper hand by occupying Iceland and a NATO airbase established there. They also attack North American supply convoys; engage in air warfare over Norway, taking over a rocket launch site there; and slowly advance on nearby Scotland, where the Allies headquarter their key strategizing.



Meanwhile, General-Colonel Pavel Alekseyev of the Soviet Army plows ahead, crossing with his troops into West Germany. NATO forces are weaker in this region, and Alekseyev's campaign is a decisive breakthrough in the fighting.

Mike Edwards, an American lieutenant in the Air Force, flees the attack on the Icelandic airbase and remains there, working under the code name "Beagle" as a watchdog for Allied forces in Scotland. By reporting the information he gathers, Mike helps the Allies reclaim the airbase and close the entire region off from the Soviets. The Allies again have dominance.

Back in Moscow, the Politburo grows closer to employing their nuclear arsenal so as not to face certain defeat. This news does not sit well with Alekseyev, who also knows his government will execute him for his failure to conquer West Germany. To end the fighting and save his own life, he eventually decides to become part of a coup designed by the KGB. Together, they oust the Soviet leaders who led them into this minefield of a war and work out a ceasefire with NATO, bringing the Third World War to an end.



In addition to Mike Edwards and Pavel Alekseyev, dozens of other characters weave their way in and out of the various story arcs in Red Storm Rising. There is Edward Morris and Daniel McCafferty, both commanders in the United States Navy; NSA analyst Robert A. Toland, III; and Amelia "Buns" Nakamura, the first American female fighter ace. On the Soviet side, there is Energy minister Mikhail Eduardovich Sergetov; Alekseyev's aide-de-camp Ivan Mikhailovich Sergetov; and the KGB's Boris Georgiyevich Kosov. Vigdis Agustdottir is an Icelandic woman Mike saves from Russian rapists. Journalists William Calloway and Patrick Flynn enter the conflict with their own agendas. Gerhardt Falken is the reported West German agent/scapegoat who bombed the Kremlin, which started the war in the first place.

Red Storm Rising debuted at the top spot on The New York Times Bestseller List. In 1988, a video game company produced a Red Storm Rising computer game. The following year saw the release of a Red Storm Rising board game.