Fallout: The Hot War (by Harry Turtledove)

Alex1guy

How on earth are the Soviets managing to launch any sort of destructive strikes on the US? They had like three bombs in 51' and no delivery systems :/
 

CT23

Alex1guy said:
How on earth are the Soviets managing to launch any sort of destructive strikes on the US? They had like three bombs in 51' and no delivery systems :/
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True, where did they get all the bombs from? Also, I can maybe understand the B-29 trick the Soviets used working once, but the US should have picked up on it earlier. I can understand the Soviets doing some damage to the US, but they shouldn't have been able to strike so far inland.
 
Emperor Norton I

Emperor Norton I

Since you've made the thread for it, I have had the theory that the publisher forced Turtledove to add "Fallout" in front of Hot War because of the Fallout IP and driving sales. I'm pretty sure Turtledove just wanted to call it "The Hot War". The font is even Fallout-ish. And Hot War is barely visible, as if to say "Alright, Harry, we'll keep it in somewhere...".
 

TR1

Alex1guy said:
How on earth are the Soviets managing to launch any sort of destructive strikes on the US? They had like three bombs in 51' and no delivery systems :/
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According to this, they had a few more than three in 1951. http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datab19.asp

Given the pattern of Soviet bombing in the first volume (huge atomic bombing raids early in the war, sparing use as the war continued), I think its reasonable to say that their stockpile is dwindled substantially, and they probably aren't building at a fast clip.

If the B-29 could carry the bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then it seems reasonable that the Tu-4 could, too. Now whether they could get so far into the interior of the U.S., I'm not so clear on.
 

TR1

Emperor Norton I said:
Since you've made the thread for it, I have had the theory that the publisher forced Turtledove to add "Fallout" in front of Hot War because of the Fallout IP and driving sales. I'm pretty sure Turtledove just wanted to call it "The Hot War". The font is even Fallout-ish. And Hot War is barely visible, as if to say "Alright, Harry, we'll keep it in somewhere...".
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"The Hot War" isn't terribly visible on the cover of ''Bombs Away'', either. That doesn't rule out anything else you've suggested, I'm just pointing out the size of the series title has been dinky so far.
 
B-29_Bomber

B-29_Bomber

Banned
TR1 said:
According to this, they had a few more than three in 1951. http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datab19.asp

Given the pattern of Soviet bombing in the first volume (huge atomic bombing raids early in the war, sparing use as the war continued), I think its reasonable to say that their stockpile is dwindled substantially, and they probably aren't building at a fast clip.

If the B-29 could carry the bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then it seems reasonable that the Tu-4 could, too. Now whether they could get so far into the interior of the U.S., I'm not so clear on.
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They had to modify the B-29s didn't they? And even then, it was only just barely viable.
 

VidaLaVida

Eh. I tried to read the first book since I was intrigued by the premise, but I couldn't make it through the beginning, with all the expositioning and uninteresting characters. Turtledove's Turtledoveness was strong in it. Unless the pacing and events somehow get more interesting, I'm not tripping over myself to catch the next outing.
 

TR1

B-29_Bomber said:
They had to modify the B-29s didn't they? And even then, it was only just barely viable.
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Indeed. The Soviets, having the same set of problem-solving skills possessed by the great minds of the U.S., had the Tu-4A very early on, which was designed to carry the bomb.
 

sdrucker

Banned
Pangur said:
I most likely will read it. Bombs Away was a bit disappointing, way too many nukes being chucked around.
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At the rate he's going, he'll be in Alas, Babylon territory by the time the third book comes out, with the surviving population in odd pockets of rural land and small towns.
 

Alex1guy

TR1 said:
Indeed. The Soviets, having the same set of problem-solving skills possessed by the great minds of the U.S., had the Tu-4A very early on, which was designed to carry the bomb.
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Still doesn't explain how on earth they managed to hit as far as Utah and freaking Panama... And that was a secondary strike, the USSR should have been crippled in the retaliatory strike if not wiped out...
 
Pangur

Pangur

Donor
Alex1guy said:
Still doesn't explain how on earth they managed to hit as far as Utah and freaking Panama... And that was a secondary strike, the USSR should have been crippled in the retaliatory strike if not wiped out...
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I think Panama got taken out by a nuke on a ship
 

TR1

Alex1guy said:
Still doesn't explain how on earth they managed to hit as far as Utah and freaking Panama... And that was a secondary strike, the USSR should have been crippled in the retaliatory strike if not wiped out...
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I'm not clear enough on the capabilities of the Tu-4 to know HT handwaved that or not. The USSR seems to have also understood that any bombing raid would be a one-way trip.

The Panama Canal was destroyed by a bomb in a boat, not an air attack.

You do realize there are no ICBMs, yes? That US bombers are subject to interception, yes? That Truman doesn't want to commit genocide, yes?

Therefore, retaliatory attacks need not have wiped out the USSR, but they are certainly getting clobbered. turtledove.wikia.com/wiki/Atomic_bomb#Atomic_Bomb_in_The_Hot_War
 

TR1

sdrucker said:
At the rate he's going, he'll be in Alas, Babylon territory by the time the third book comes out, with the surviving population in odd pockets of rural land and small towns.
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I doubt it will get that bad. I think the USSR stockpile has dwindled to single digits. There was that initial flurry of atom bombing, but in the second half of the book, they saved their bombs for bigger, more essential targets, like the two Canals, Bordeaux, and Paris. In the meantime, they attacked British airfields with conventional ordinance.
 

Alex1guy

TR1 said:
I'm not clear enough on the capabilities of the Tu-4 to know HT handwaved that or not. The USSR seems to have also understood that any bombing raid would be a one-way trip.

The Panama Canal was destroyed by a bomb in a boat, not an air attack.

You do realize there are no ICBMs, yes? That US bombers are subject to interception, yes? That Truman doesn't want to commit genocide, yes?

Therefore, retaliatory attacks need not have wiped out the USSR, but they are certainly getting clobbered. turtledove.wikia.com/wiki/Atomic_bomb#Atomic_Bomb_in_The_Hot_War
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Genocide? The US at this point would be flattening the USSR so they could stop further attacks (which was their real world policy). The US just got hit with a surprise round of A-Bombs, Truman is going to go loud hard and fast. Also SAC is WAAAY bigger than what the Soviets had. They also had plans to immolate around 70 Soviet cities (in 49) and by God are they going to do it or give it the old college try, even without ICMB's. If the USSR is able to put a bomb on Salt Lake City, you can guarantee every Soviet city is going to get a visit from SAC.
 
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TR1

Alex1guy said:
Genocide? The US at this point would be flattening the USSR so they could stop further attacks (which was their real world policy). The US just got hit with a surprise round of A-Bombs, Truman is going to go loud hard and fast. Also SAC is WAAAY bigger than what the Soviets had. They also had plans to immolate around 70 Soviet cities (in 49) and by God are they going to do it or give it the old college try, even without ICMB's. If the USSR is able to put a bomb on Salt Lake City, you can guarantee every Soviet city is going to get a visit from SAC.
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As the list I linked shows, several Soviet positions have been in fact flattened.
 
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