[MRCA] Operation Able Archer 83 Special event station W3A

[Walter Skavinsky]

Where were you 36 years ago today?   In the early morning hours of November 6, 1983, he Soviet Union launched a large scale chemical weapons attack in support of possible tank and infantry movements into the Fulda Gap.  Why don't you remember this???  because it only happened on paper!!!  The fictional attack was part of the  NATO (the North American treaty Organization) command post exercise Able Archer.  The exercise was a dress rehearsal for a large scale nuclear exchange with the soviet union.  In 1983 the US and the Soviet Union had over 2000 nuclear weapons at their disposal.  By most estimates,  that is enough to wipe out nearly all life on earth.
Just and exercise?  To NATO this was just an exercise.  But to the soviet Union this was a pretense for a surprise attack designed to decapitate the Soviet Leadership and destroy the Soviet Union.   It couldn't have came at a worse time. A year of declining US - Soviet Relations didn't help.   Experts agree that this was the closest we came to Nuclear Armageddon since the Cuban Missile crisis, and the majority of the world never knew how close.
Operation Able Archer '83  Special Event station call sign W3A will go on the air Saturday November 9th at around 1300 UTC till Sunday November 10 at 1500 hrs.   Listen for us on 20, 40, 80, 6, and 2 meters.  Contacts will be made using period correct military radios and mostly military antennas.   Operation location is the former Nike Missile site W-25, which defended Washington, Dc from missile attack during the cold war.  This site is now the home of the Anne Arundle Amateur Radio Club.
We will spot the station when on air and also post updates to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/AblerArcher83/

webpage https://sites.google.com/site/ablearcher1983w3a/
Any questions contact Walt Skavinsky (KB3SBC)  kb3sbc at comcast.net
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