Helion & Company Tsar Bomba (9781913336318) Live Testing of Soviet Nuclear Bombs 1949-62

[Mike]

Tsar Bomba (9781913336318)

Live Testing of Soviet Nuclear Bombs, 1949-62

Helion & Co via Casemate UK

 

 

After WWII, Soviet Russia was desperate to catch-up to their former Allies in the field of nuclear weapons, as Stalin’s paranoia and projection led him to believe that the US, UK or the newly formed NATO alliance were planning on using their newest and most devastating weapon upon their communist enemies, as that’s what he would have done given half a chance, after all.  Using espionage to obtain any information that they could, they did their best to get on a par with the Allies, by any means necessary.  They started small, mimicking the first Fatman sized bombs for proof of concept, and as they progressed their yields grew larger and the bombs became more compact and transportable.  During the period between 1949 and 62, they detonated 214 warheads of increasing size, with the Tsar Bomba just one of the many tests, all of which were carried out in the open air, and many were part of a larger exercise that involved the ingress of unprotected soldiers and vehicles into contaminated areas soon after detonation, with horrendous consequences for some of them.

 

 

This book is number 10 in the series Europe @ War from Helion, and details the period briefly described above, although it doesn’t concentrate solely on the Tsar Bomba as you might have otherwise thought.  It goes through the whole process, beginning with the look-alike bombs and their reverse engineered Tu-4 carriage, which was little more than a carbon copy of three Boeing B-29 Superfortresses that landed intact in Soviet territory during WWII.  Without the relatively advanced design of their copy, carrying their bombs aloft would have been a much more difficult affair, although these were eventually replaced by more advanced indigenous designs using jet or turboprop engines, such as the Tu-95 Bear.

 

 

The book follows the timeline and mingles the bombs in with the bombers, in order to discuss their interoperation and success or failure in their assigned task.  It is broken down as follows:

 

• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Dropping the Big One
• Playing Nuclear War
• The Messenger of Death
• The Monster Bomb
• Storm Before the Calm
• Moscow’s Mace

 

• Afterword – We Are Still Here

 

• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Notes
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author

 

 

The chapter about the “big one” is the most intriguing of course, detailing the process of choosing and adapting the Tu-95V for the task, and the trimming of both the size and weight of the bomb itself in order to make it a viable weapon.  It was designed to yield a terrifying 100 megatons, but was fitted with lead tampers that reduced the yield to a little less scary 50 megatons that still blew a huge hole in the sky with a shockwave that almost shook the Bear and its chase plane out of the sky, devastating the surrounding area in the process.  It is said that the detonation of that bomb “adjusted” the tilt of the earth’s axis 0.2^o, which is a mind-boggling thought in itself and must have had consequences for us all, ignoring the amount of radiation and other pollutants that were tossed into the upper atmosphere.

 

 

This is apparently the first English language book on the subject, which is written by Krzysztof Dabrowski and is perfect bound in a card cover, extending to 56 pages with plenty of photos and text to keep you busy.  Some of the photos are unlikely to have been seen by many, as they have been lifted from documentaries and official films, but due to the nature of Soviet secrecy at the time, occasionally the photo quality isn’t up there with the best.  That’s to be expected though, as is the amount of black & white photography thanks to the era in question.  There are some good quality profiles of the various aircraft discussed in the book, plus profiles of the bombs themselves, and the typical dress of the bomber crews and the poor unfortunates that spent time in the radiation zones as part of the exercises.

 

 

Conclusion

A very interesting read that shows just how unconcerned with the welfare of their people and planet the super powers were/are.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Currently showing as out of stock due to popularity at Casemate UK, but it's bound to be back soon.

 

Review sample courtesy of