The Malden Islands Crisis (1985) was a two month-long flashpoint that was fought on the Malden islands chain. It was waged between U.S.-led NATO forces and rogue Soviet troops under the command of General Aleksei Vasilii Guba.
Background[]
On April 4th, 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the position as General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Amongst some of his first decisions as leader of a crumbling Soviet empire was the announcement of glasnost and perestroika reforms, which are welcomed by the West.
However, hardliners from within the Soviet Politburo and its armed forces alike are strongly opposed to news of the impending reforms, which they see as nothing more than an act of weakness in the face of "NATO imperialism".
The hardliners, comprising of high-ranking politicians and intelligence officials from the Committee for State Security (KGB), covertly form a plot to halt Gorbachev's measures.
They succeeded in convincing one of the Soviet military's most influential Generals - a man by the name of Aleksei Vasilii Guba, commander of the 3rd Army garrison on Kolgujev, to join their cause.
While the KGB hardliners arranged for two nuclear-tipped SCUD ballistic missiles to be "diverted" to Guba's garrison, Gen. Guba prepared his own forces for a full-scale invasion of the Malden islands chain.
One month later, more than half of Guba's 3rd Army garrison boarded their transports and departed from Kolgujev, heading directly for the shores of the Everon Socialist Republic. On the morning of May 5th, 1985, the first Soviet troops stepped foot onto the mainland island of Everon.
Early battles[]
The NATO training camp was amongst one of the first targets to be struck by the 3rd Army. Caught completely by surprise, the camp was completely annihilated in a matter of minutes.
Other strategically viable locations on the island such as the only airfield in the island's north and the largest towns of Montignac and Saint Pierre, also fell within hours of the invasion.
By midnight, the entirety of Everon was under Soviet control. Guba's forces set up their headquarters on the south-eastern corner of the island in Saint Pierre, while other troops began constructing coastal defences around the western and northern sectors of the island.
NATO response[]
U.S. troops are assembled by COL Blake
Unable to contact their counterparts on Everon, the commander of the NATO garrison on Malden, Colonel Caper Blake, dispatches two helicopters in the early hours of the morning three days later on May 8th to scout ahead. When they fail to report in, COL Blake authorises the deployment of another scouting force, this time consisting of several mechanised infantry platoons.
In the early hours of the morning, the NATO response force flies in via helicopters towards the town of Morton on the island's central coast. U.S. troops come under fire almost immediately upon landing and are forced to retaliate against the Soviet defenders in the town. They succeed in liberating Morton after a brief bout of fighting, and the force proceeds to split up into two elements. One half was directed north-west to retake Le Moule while the other half attacked the town of Regina located to the south-east.
In response to the attacks, the Soviet garrison dispatched a company of heavy tanks to repel the Americans. The U.S. attack force was able to retake the town for a few minutes but were forced to retreat when the tanks arrived to reinforce its defenders. Fortunately, Le Moule was secured successfully, and the attack force sent to Regina retreated back to Le Moule to establish a forward observation base.
First Battle for Montignac and U.S. withdrawal[]
U.S./Soviet lines remained steady for two more days until May 10th. A small group of Americans were ambushed by Soviet recon troops along the stretch of road between Le Moule and Morton, but were eliminated by a NATO quick reaction force.
Three days later on May 13th, NATO forces at Morton assembled their troops for another attack against the city of Montignac located in the island's central region. Supported by air cavalry, the mechanised company was able to seize Montignac for a few minutes, but the order to retreat was issued after the Soviets dispatched a massive wave of helicopters and tanks to retake the city.
The NATO assault force attempted to fall back but was completely overrun by the Soviet reinforcements. Less than a third of U.S. troops on Everon were able to flee back to Malden, and Soviet forces were able to retake the entirety of Everon.
At this point in time, local resistance fighters banded together to fight against the Soviet occupation. They were largely unsuccessful however, and incurred many losses in their failed attempts.
Soviet invasion of Malden[]
On June 1st, twenty days after the failed retaking of Everon, the 3rd Army launched a full-scale invasion of Malden. Under the cover of darkness, Soviet Spetsnaz teams struck numerous NATO anti-aircraft batteries and other military installations scattered around the southern sector of the island. Only one attack was foiled successfully by U.S. troops.
Soviet tanks roll north towards La Pessange and La Rivière
On June 2nd, Soviet amphibious forces struck the harbour town of Le Port on Malden's south-east. U.S. troops scrambled to defend the shore, but were forced to retreat further north when the entire defensive line along Chapoi and La Rivière collapses.
Over the course of two more days, NATO forces continued to trade territory for time, hoping to hold out long enough for reinforcements from a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group to arrive.
Battle for Houdan[]
Soviet forces continued their advance north and on June 5th, all available U.S. forces - including those still in training, were ordered to defend the city of Houdan at all costs.
A company of U.S. tanks supported by infantry were able to repel the attackers after several hours of fierce fighting. However, they were not able to break through the so-called "border zone" valley near the village of Lolisse, which had been too heavily fortified by the Soviets.
Lolisse breakout[]
NATO troops stage a breakout along the eastern coast
In the early hours on June 6th, a team of U.S. special forces sabotaged the Soviet tank depot at Lolisse, helping to pave the way for the NATO garrison's first attempted breakout later that day.
They succeeded in liberating Lolisse while also preventing a Soviet response force from retaking it. The counteroffensive continued on, and American ground forces were eventually able to retake La Pessagne as well.
Battle for Chapoi[]
The victories at La Pessagne and Lolisse marked the first time NATO forces were able to retake lost ground from the Soviets. Regrouping their ground forces, U.S. troops were poised to strike the city of Chapoi further south. Infantry squads scouted ahead and neutralised the AA defences in the city, before attack helicopters arrived to clear the defending Soviet armour.
U.S. troops proceeded to liberate the city after its remaining defenders were wiped out by their air support. A platoon of American tanks later arrived to help repel another attempted counterattack by Soviet forces.
Later stages[]
Although the central and southern regions of Malden were now firmly under NATO control (Le Port was liberated a few days after the victory at Chapoi), the same could not be said for the island's western coast, where large pockets of Soviet resistance remained.
Along the stretch of terrain spanning from La Pessange to the village of Goisse in the north-west, sporadic attacks were still being reported on NATO supply lines running along the stretch of road.
Liberation of Malden[]
On June 13th, a major assault on Goisse was detected by American recon units, which originated out of a hidden Soviet base located north of the village.
Fortunately, the Carrier Strike Group had finally arrived to reinforce the garrison and several U.S. rifle platoons could be dispatched to aid in its defence. After repelling the attack, U.S. forces staged a diversionary raid on retreating Soviet forces in order to trace them back to their camp.
NATO scouts managed to track their movements directly back to their base, and were able to raze it into the ground the next day. With its destruction, the bulk of the Soviet resistance left on Malden was finally broken on June 14th. However, not all Soviet forces would be eliminated until June 18th; four days after the success at Goisse.
NATO invasion of Everon[]
In preparation for the upcoming counterinvasion of Everon, U.S. special forces launched nightly raids against Soviet installations with the assistance of the local resistance fighters.
On June 16th, they were able to sabotage multiple tank repair depots and a munitions dump on the island's east near the villages of Levie and Laruns.
The liberation of Everon begins
Four days later, NATO forces conducted a full-scale counterinvasion of Everon. Landing on the island's north near the main airport, U.S. infantry destroyed the AA batteries surrounding the coast before attack helicopters moved in to wipe out the Soviet armoured units rushing to its defence.
U.S. special forces simultaneously discovered and sabotaged another Soviet outpost in the area, this time disabling a helicopter base and preventing their pilots from reinforcing the Soviet ground counteroffensive aimed at retaking the airport.
Second Battle for Montignac[]
On June 21st, a company of U.S. tanks spearheaded the main ground offensive to clear the island's central region.
Their primary target was the city of Montignac but they had to seize the village of Tyrone to its north first. The leading tank platoon later linked up with their reinforcements and struck the city from two directions, clearing its Soviet defenders in a blitzkrieg and allowing a mechanised infantry platoon to secure it afterwards.
Battle for Le Moule[]
Despite the lack of trained aircrews, U.S. air support finally arrives to reinforce the front line
Despite the success at Montignac, the NATO push into the southern half of the island was met with stiff resistance from the Soviets.
Control of the front line between the towns of Le Moule and Morton exchanged hands multiple times, though the tides shifted decisively in favour of NATO when U.S. heavy attack helicopters reinforced the NATO front. They were able to destroy a convoy of Soviet reinforcements along with several tank platoons protecting both towns.
By June 24th, the entirety of Everon's central region finally fell under the control of NATO forces.
Battle for Levie[]
NATO heavy tanks break through Soviet lines at Levie
NATO's capture of the central areas paved the way forward for the second phase of the invasion to begin.
Regrouping along the south-eastern border, U.S. tanks spearheaded the attack on the village of Levie, blasting a hole in their defensive lines and clearing the way for a platoon of mechanised infantry to secure it.
The town of Levie and its surrounding bases were soon captured by NATO forces on June 27th. Only the garrison defending the headquarters at Saint Pierre remained, as the last of the Soviet helicopter squadrons were ordered to pull back to Kolgujev.
Liberation of Everon[]
Barely hours after the success at Levie, NATO forces regrouped for a final attack on the Soviet HQ at Saint Pierre. Supported by several mechanised infantry platoons, U.S. helicopter squadrons cut their way through the valley, clearing the remaining defenders at Durras and Vernon before proceeding to attack the Soviet HQ at Saint Pierre.
The last of the Soviet forces defending the town were mopped up by NATO troops by the evening of June 27th.
Invasion of Kolgujev[]
NATO attack jets launch airstrikes against Kolgujev
One day prior to the liberation of Everon, NATO prepared a counterattack against the 3rd Army's bases on Kolgujev. The island's installations were previously infiltrated by U.S. special forces on June 26th, who identified the AA batteries guarding the bases.
On July 2nd, U.S. special forces were cleared to sabotage their marked targets. Their success was immediately followed by a series of heavy airstrikes aimed at clearing the way for the main ground assault to commence.
With their defenders wiped out, the amphibious landings broke through Soviet lines on the island's southern edge. One of the NATO jets were shot down while returning to base, which temporarily placed a halt to the NATO push.
Flashpoint[]
Guba's forces were able to capture the NATO pilot and prepared to execute him on live broadcast. In a desperate attempt to halt the NATO invasion, he also threatened to launch a nuclear SCUD at the task force if they refused to pull back from Kolgujev, Everon and Malden.
U.S. special forces infiltrated the main base in an attempt to ascertain the location of the missile's launch site. They were able to discover its position in central Kolgujev and launched an all-out assault alongside other NATO units on July 7th, successfully destroying the SCUD missile moments before its launch.
However three days later, Guba had actually prepared a second SCUD for launch and was simultaneously preparing to flee from Kolgujev. He was soon intercepted by U.S. special forces and the location of the second SCUD (situated on the north-eastern corner of the island) was obtained.
On July 10th, all NATO forces proceeded to assault the SCUD site, which was defended by the last of the 3rd Army's Spetsnaz GRU units. They succeeded in breaking through the Spetsnaz defensive line, destroying both the launcher and the missile barely seconds to its launch. Guba himself was also captured by U.S. special forces and with his apprehension, the flashpoint came to a decisive end.
Aftermath[]
Both U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev bilaterally agreed to cover up the incident.
The loss of the Everon training garrison was not disclosed to the U.S. public, while supporters of Guba's illegal invasion from within the Soviet Politburo were rounded up by Gorbachev's faction. American casualties were subsequently blamed on a "disgraced former General of the Russian army"; Guba's involvement being deliberately hidden and the Kremlin expressing "regret" at the incident.
The truth behind the Malden Islands Crisis would not be revealed to the world for almost sixteen years. Documents detailing the flashpoint's true events were finally declassified on June 22nd, 2001, to the shock of the public, having discovered how close the world had come to a disastrous thermonuclear war.
See also[]
| Armaverse conflicts | |
|---|---|
| 1980s | Soviet occupation of Nogova (1982) • Malden Islands Crisis (1985) • Takistan Civil War (1988-1992) |
| 2000s | Sahrani Conflict (2006) • Chernarussian Civil War (2009) |
| 2010s | Operation Arrowhead (2012) • Operation Crimson Lance (2012) |
| 2020s | Altian Civil War (2026-2030) |
| 2030s | Altis Incident (2035) |
| NOTE: Conflicts fought in spin-off titles, non-canon expansions/DLCs, lone skirmishes between isolated groups or conflicts without significant details are deliberately excluded. | |