EAST EUROPEAN NAVIES

The non-Soviet Warsaw Pact navies, in the Baltic and Black Sea and on the Adriatic, have received little attention from the Western professional Press. All of these navies are small coastal forces, but they must, nevertheless, be taken into account in any estimation of the naval balance in their respective sea areas. By protecting the Warsaw Pact coast the navies of East Germany, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria would enhance Soviet capabilities in conducting naval operations beyond the confines of the Baltic and the Black Sea. While the communist countries bordering the Adriatic are formally nonaligned, it is not certain whether Yugoslavia or Albania would remain neutral and for how long in any protracted conflict in Europe. Although these two navies are small coastal forces, they may complicate the operations of NATO forces in the area, or equally those of Soviet ships and submarines if they operate inside the Adriatic in time of heightened international tension or an open conflict. The paper reviews the organisation, composition and deployment of the navies of Eastern Europe.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Naval Forces, 8 (1987), p. 144 (No. 11, Naval Balance '87, Special Issue) [8 pp., 1 fig., 4 phot.]
• Authors:
  • Vego, M
• Publication Date: 1987

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00692411
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 14 1995 12:00AM