If the UK had ever been nuked...
Discussion
Depends on which flavour warhead they used.
Surgical strikes for smaller targets, air fields fuel bunkers etc
Or the big ones air bursted to wipe cities off the face of the earth.
Whichever they used would probably have caused a nuclear winter.
Check out When the wind blows by Raymond Briggs, yes the same man who did the snowman, makes you think how lucky that they were never used in anger!
Surgical strikes for smaller targets, air fields fuel bunkers etc
Or the big ones air bursted to wipe cities off the face of the earth.
Whichever they used would probably have caused a nuclear winter.
Check out When the wind blows by Raymond Briggs, yes the same man who did the snowman, makes you think how lucky that they were never used in anger!
Not sure if you've ever seen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/
but certainly worth a look if you're thinking along those lines!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/
but certainly worth a look if you're thinking along those lines!
Depends what source you look at.
For example, a Scottish newspaper article in the 1970s claimed that the following were Soviet targets (looks to be based on a CND list of all military facilities in Scotland though):
One geniune plan declassified by Poland was a Warsaw Pact response to a NATO invasion of East Germany. It called for the use of nuclear weapons against West Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. But crucially not against France or the United Kingdom. Some speculate this was because both countries had their own strategic deterrents whereas the other targets only had access to US tactical nuclear weapons, which might've been used as part of the expected NATO first strike.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/p...
Another list of potential nuclear targets was created for the British Government by the Joint Intelligence Committee in 1967. They assumed that the Soviets would attack:
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/features/sfs/appendi...
It was around that point we more or less stopped bothering with Civil Defence and "life after..". A planned exercise in 1982 had to be abandoned because many Local Authorities refused to take part. The exercise assumed that an attack would also involve 60 hours of conventional attacks on around 75 major military targets.
For example, a Scottish newspaper article in the 1970s claimed that the following were Soviet targets (looks to be based on a CND list of all military facilities in Scotland though):
- Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick and Aberdeen airports
- Holy Loch, Faslane, Coulport, Glen Douglas
- Arrochar, Auchendennan, Loch Long , Rosneath
- Glen Fruin, Garelochead, Greenock
- Bishopton, Bothwell Hagh, Cambuslang (Dechmont)), East Kilbride (Calderglen)
- Hamilton (Cameronians), Helensburgh, Inchterf, Kirkintilloch
- Kirk O' Shotts, Lanark (Winston Barracks)
- Machrihanish, Dunoon, Toward
- Benbecula, Lewis, Dounreay , St Kilda, Kyle of Lochalsh
- Perth, Dundee, Edzell, Kinloss, Lossiemouth, Leuchars
- Mormond Hill, Pitreavie
- All TA and similar establishments
One geniune plan declassified by Poland was a Warsaw Pact response to a NATO invasion of East Germany. It called for the use of nuclear weapons against West Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. But crucially not against France or the United Kingdom. Some speculate this was because both countries had their own strategic deterrents whereas the other targets only had access to US tactical nuclear weapons, which might've been used as part of the expected NATO first strike.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/p...
Another list of potential nuclear targets was created for the British Government by the Joint Intelligence Committee in 1967. They assumed that the Soviets would attack:
- Central Government Control Centres (London and Cheltenham)
- The 12 Regional Seats of Government
- The main military command centres
- 32 RAF/USAF bomber bases
- Naval bases and communication centres
- 20 Major Cities
- The Air Defence infrastructure.
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/features/sfs/appendi...
It was around that point we more or less stopped bothering with Civil Defence and "life after..". A planned exercise in 1982 had to be abandoned because many Local Authorities refused to take part. The exercise assumed that an attack would also involve 60 hours of conventional attacks on around 75 major military targets.
eldar said:
Military...Bawtry?What the hell was there...?
Nearby RAF Finningley is mentioned separately.
Edit...
Scrub that..
No. 1 Group RAF Bomber Command HQ
Edited by mybrainhurts on Monday 9th January 19:12
It certainly was of interest to the Russians, as the UK was essentially a forward operating base for the Americans. First would be C&C targets, and anything capable of retaliatory strikes, so that's London, Faslane, etc gone. This would be followed by ground bursts at any airfield big enough to land a bomber, and water bursts on all our deepwater ports to deny ship repair capability. Certainly more than eight bombs. I remember reading a book as a kid by the IISS which listed various strike scenarios and there were many hundreds, if not thousands of warheads directed at the UK.
Oh, and another vote for Threads - a fascinating movie/documentry on this very subject based aound a microcosm of UK life.
Oh, and another vote for Threads - a fascinating movie/documentry on this very subject based aound a microcosm of UK life.
BertB said:
Not sure if you've ever seen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/
but certainly worth a look if you're thinking along those lines!
Probably one of the scariest films, mainly because you can easily see how it would turn out like that. All the preparation in the world would not prepare you. No-one is equipped to get by in that situation, except for a few folks who already live off the land. Scary stuff. 'When the Wind Blows' was as good, in my opinion, but hid it with a cartoon, (on a slightly related side note, Mills and whats-her-name did that voiceover in one take)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090163/
but certainly worth a look if you're thinking along those lines!
I'm sure the Soviets had target lists and plans drawn up for many different scenarios. I can remember seeing somewhere reading they'd use their megaton class single warhead ICBMs against countervalue targets- ie cities, industrial centres etc, then use bombers and circa 500kt class weapons against tactical targets. If this was an escalation of general war in which the Russians looked to deprive us our warfighting capability I'm sure large parts of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Scotland would have ceased to exist.
On top of this I'm sure they would have looked at all manner of circumstances; for example (again can't remember where it was read) in the 60s they looked into using SLBMs to launch depressed trajectory missiles as a decapitation strike against Washington DC as a precurser to a first strike, or the use of Typhoon class subs sitting under hte arctic ice to employ their weapons months after the first exchange has taken place.
On top of this I'm sure they would have looked at all manner of circumstances; for example (again can't remember where it was read) in the 60s they looked into using SLBMs to launch depressed trajectory missiles as a decapitation strike against Washington DC as a precurser to a first strike, or the use of Typhoon class subs sitting under hte arctic ice to employ their weapons months after the first exchange has taken place.
Crossflow Kid said:
Also read somewhere of a plan to detonate a weapon in the Severn Estuary and send a tidal wave up the course of the Severn. Probably b
ks.
Nope, not bks.ks. Most major rivers would have a waterburst warhead designed to cause maximum damage to potential repair facilities along the river. 
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