If the Cold War got hot.

[Guest Cop]

I found this a very interesting read. USA based due to its author but very interesting.

Cold War defence strategy

Nige.

[Nev]

A bit long, think I'll print this out at work and have a read later.

[model_madness]

Interesting read, makes one ponder, what-if?

[palacefan]

Very interesting, if not long.

My dad was based at RAF Bruggen from 1984 to 1987 and we were forever being woken up by excersise.

the cold war seemed very real then, but now it is as if it never happened.

i looked at Bruggen on google earth and it is all overgrown and half the buildings have gone.

I know its better but it somehow im still a bit sad, wierd.

Im still not convinced by this article, how good would the ground to air missile really have been?

Wayne

[Gary West]

My dad was based at RAF Bruggen from 1984 to 1987 and we were forever being woken up by excersise.

I used to love the minivals but the Tacivals were by far the best! Them were the days......

[Greg B]

Interesting read, seems to carry out the plot from 'Red Storm Rising' pretty well.

Mind you if the Warsaw Pact had ever invented a weapon that destroys Black Masking Tape and Issue Green String we would have been well and truly fecked!!

[seanrgb]

Funny thing about this cold war was the so called USSR Allies

My Step dad (Ex Military) said that If the USSR Attacked

Would the Forces Of Hungary , Poland , Chzecoslovakia ,and come to think of it even the then East Germany

Actually joined in ..He said he thought not

He thought that the So called Allies would in fact turn against their USSR Masters ,

Thus giving Nato the Advantage ,

We all Know the average Joe on the Streets Hated the USSR Occupation

But then IF that would have happened would the USSR then turn to its only asset The Nukes

[palacefan]

i agree, the nukes would have definately been used.

the question would have been when and by who

Wayne

[Jens]

Nukes would probably be used in the first strike, at least if it was initiate by the WaPa. I know there were plans to use 5 (I think) nukes against key areas in Denmark, including airbases and harbours.

My father was an officer in the RDAF during the cold war. From my childhood I remember foreigners (from Communist countries) ringing on the door bell trying to sell postcards, paintings etc. Recently I read that they were actually gathering information about military personnel. Go figure.

Regards,

[Col.]

One night my dad and I split a bottle of whisky and started swapping stories, at one point I can remember his saying that if the Warsaw Pact forces ever came rolling over the Central Front he was going to shoot the first bugger he spotted with an AK-47 and nick his gun.

The Soviet's made some very rugged hardware that could survive a lot more use than some of the over-complicated Western equivalents but this is a factor that never seems to be mentioned in any articles of this type I've come across.

Good point about the buffer states Sean, glad we'll never have to find out.

[Nev]

Interesting read, if a little gung-ho on NATO's chances.

I like the way they mention the pilots fears of being attacked by their own SAM's. I don't like the way they big up NATO's (puny) SAM defences, and completely ignore the WPs (numerous and highly capable) mobile SAMs.

NATO's armies maintained a thin crust just inside the East/West border, most of their barracks would have been run over before they even knew war had started. W Germany would not have permitted their mobilisation and field deployment lest it "provoke" the Russians. Same goes for a pre-emptive strike a la Red Storm Rising. Even if we were mobilised and in the field, the Russians would only have to break through at one point and it would all be over bar the shouting.

Sadly I think NATO European nations would still be bickering over whether to keep negotiating whilst T-72s were rolling down the Champs Elysees.....

For a much better novel on an East/West war than RSR, I thoroughly recommend Red Army by former US intell officer Ralph Peters. Told totally from a Russian pov it coldly presents each sides strenghts and weaknesses in the conflict (NATO, AF strong, politically weak etc) without the TC Team America ending.