Myths and Realities: A Geographical Analysis of Military Plans for Denmark During the Cold War

The project investigates, based on site-specific information in operational plans from both NATO and the Warsaw Pact, operational objectives and assumptions for Danish territory during the Cold War from 1960 until 1989, grounded in the following research questions:

How do geographical information in NATO and Warsaw Pact operational plans constitute operational objectives and assumptions, and what insights does this provide into the realism and implications of the plans for Denmark?

This is specifically elaborated in the following sub-questions:

1. What information regarding operational objectives and assumptions can be found in the cartographic representations in the operational plans of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and how are spatial relationships between the cartographic representation and the accompanying text constituted?

2. To what extent did the operational objectives and assumptions change for NATO and the Warsaw Pact throughout the period, can these changes be traced in the parties' exercise practices over time, and what role did exercises play in relation to the operational plans?

3. What perspective do the geographical information in the plans provide in relation to an analysis of the plans' realism and possible consequences for Danish society?

Expected Results:
1. Exploration of Operational Planning: The project will analyse the military operational plans from both NATO and the Warsaw Pact from a geographical perspective, which will provide a deeper understanding of how the plans would have affected Denmark during the Cold War, thereby illuminating a previously unexplored area in Cold War research in both Danish and international contexts.

2. Geographical Contextualisation: By examining the cartographic representations and their spatial relationships, the project will create a new approach to understanding the operational objectives and strategic considerations that characterised military planning, and how these related to the specific geography.

3. Development of Military Plans: The project will uncover how the operational objectives and assumptions have changed over time, contributing to the understanding of military transformations during the Cold War and their relation to strategic planning.

4. Method Development: By combining methods from Spatial Humanities, cartographic history, and traditional historical research, the project will develop new analytical tools that can be applied in future Cold War research.

The Cold War was a pivotal period for Denmark, during which the potential military confrontation between East and West shaped society. The narrative of the Cold War is marked by the severe consequences that a strategic nuclear war would entail for society. However, our knowledge of the specific military plans for Danish territory is limited and influenced by myths. This project will, for the first time, analyse the operational objectives and intentions in military plans from both NATO and the Warsaw Pact from a geographical perspective based on planning archives in Denmark, Germany, and Poland. The aim is to investigate which areas the two sides focused on and how these plans could have affected society had they been implemented. The project will thus contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexity of the plans and their significance in the cultural history of the Cold War, an area that has been underexplored but is relevant for understanding contemporary conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and Denmark's rearmament.