Семь дней до Рейна: Секретный советский план ядерной войны.

Soviet military simulation exercise

Seven Days to the River Rhine («Семь дней до реки Рейн») was a top secret military simulation exercise developed at least since 1964 by the Warsaw Pact. It depicted the Soviet Bloc's vision of a seven day nuclear war between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces.

This possible World War III scenario was released by Polish Defense Minister Radosław Sikorski following the Law and Justice Party's victories in the 2005 Polish elections along with thousands of Warsaw Pact documents, in order to "draw a line under [the original Polish verb odciąć could also be translated as 'make a break from'] the country's Communist past", and "educate the Polish public about the old regime." and Hungary had declassified related documents in the 1990s. The Polish government declassified some material in this period.

The scenario for the war was NATO launching a nuclear attack on Polish and Czechoslovak cities in the Vistula river valley area in a first strike scenario, which would prevent Warsaw Pact commanders from sending reinforcements to East Germany to forestall a possible NATO invasion of that country. The 1st French Army, with its headquarters at Strasbourg, on the Franco German border, was the main field headquarters controlling operations in support of NATO in West Germany, as well as defending France. Although France was not officially part of NATO's command structure, there was an understanding, formalised by regular joint exercises in West Germany, that France would go to the aid of NATO, should the Warsaw Pact attack. To that end, the Headquarters and two divisions of II (Fr) Corps were permanently stationed in West Germany, with the wartime mission of supporting NATO's US led Central Army Group (CENTAG). There are many high value targets in Britain (like RAF Fylingdales, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Lakenheath) that would then have to be struck in a conventional manner in this plan, though a nuclear strike would be far more effective (and, as the plans show, a preferable option for the Soviet leadership as shown by their strikes in Western Europe). The plan also indicates that USAF fighter bombers, primarily the long ranged F 111 Aardvark, would be employed in nuclear strikes, and that they would launch from those British bases.

The Soviet Union planned to have reached Lyon by day nine and to press on to a final position at the Pyrenees. Czechoslovakia thought it to be too optimistic at the time, and some present day Western planners believe that such a goal was unrealistic or even unattainable.

In Jack Ryan, the Seven Days to the River Rhine is featured prominently in the third season.