"For one thing, given the difference in levels of force strength ("order of battle") between NATO and the Warsaw Pact--or even just between the US and the USSR in 1981--there is not much the US could have really done to prevent an invasion if the Soviets were hell-bent on it"
There's quite a bit they could have done from the air. Any invasion would require armor and troops. Both were vulnerable from the air. Mass formations are not possible without air superiority and the Soviets didn't have it.
"Soviets didn't have it."
Say what? The Soviet Union BORDERED Poland. Logistically it would have been simple for the Soviets to maintain armored columns advancing out of their own country! And the Sovs had plenty of airbases with plenty of Mig fighters in western Russia and western Ukraine to run interference with any US fighter/bombers intent on attacking Soviet columns--and this is not counting the substantial Soviet frontal aviation in East Germany on Polands western border. Think of the hard time Russia would have had stopping a hypothetical US invastion of Baja California and you get some idea of the headaches involved.
Unfortunately, Walkure is right. They had unbelievable numbers of planes in the area, and the then-new MiG-29s and Su-27s were being introduced as well, which didn't bode well for an easy air fight against the soviets.
Reagan supported Poland anyways. If Britain and France had half the courage and half the honor of Reagan back in WWII, this discussion would not be neccessary, a huge number of people would have lived their lives happily, and died free, rather than die under the pall of communism(either of old age, or by execution), and millions upon millions wouldn't have been killed, since WWII would have ended really quickly.
God bless the righteous, Reagan and the Pope among them.
True, but we'd have to cut our way through the world's densest SAM belt and a few hundred Soviet all-weather fighters in Wast Germany to get there.
Might have been possible, but it would have been costly.
Actually it would have been very much in doubt who got air superiority or supremeacy. Probably neither side. We had better stuff, but they had lots more.