After reading the book Red Storm Rising, I have become interested in the scenario of an at least paritally conventional war scenario between the USSR plus the Warsaw Pact vs. the United States plus NATO.
So what if, in the late 1970's or early 1980's the USSR invaded West Germany. There was a plan for this, know as Seven Days to the Rhine. Now, this did involve the use of nuclear weapons, but on a tactical level, as in striking at strategic locations in Western Europe, not in France or Britian, which might invoke full retaliation.
There could be numerous casus belli for this war in this period, such as the one used in Red Storm Rising, in which the USSR wanted to sieze the Persian Gulf, and needed to get rid of NATO first. Then again, a minor border dispute could escalate into a full war.
Also, assuming that the USSR is successful and pushes to the Rhine, what does the post-war world look like?
1) Would there be any other possible fronts for this war, or just Europe? Maybe the Persian Gulf, if the USSR needs oil?
2) Who would China, India, and some of the Middle Eastern nations(Iraq, Iran, Pakistan) side with?
3) Would other wars break out? Maybe:
-The US using the war as an excuse to take out other less friendly governments in Central America, like Nicaragua or Cuba?
-South Africa/Isreal asserting dominacne over surrounding nations while major powers are looking away(this happened in another WWIII thread I saw)
4) What would relations between the USSR and the US look like afterwards? Would the USA try and keep the war going against the USSR, via a Naval war, bombings, or a blockade?
5) Could NATO win, without nukes?
I would like to say lastly that I don't think it would balloon into a nuclear doomsday(read the strategic thread in the Future Hist. forum for my reasoning). The USA isn't going to lose Chicago for Munich. Sorry about that!
So what if, in the late 1970's or early 1980's the USSR invaded West Germany. There was a plan for this, know as Seven Days to the Rhine. Now, this did involve the use of nuclear weapons, but on a tactical level, as in striking at strategic locations in Western Europe, not in France or Britian, which might invoke full retaliation.
There could be numerous casus belli for this war in this period, such as the one used in Red Storm Rising, in which the USSR wanted to sieze the Persian Gulf, and needed to get rid of NATO first. Then again, a minor border dispute could escalate into a full war.
Also, assuming that the USSR is successful and pushes to the Rhine, what does the post-war world look like?
1) Would there be any other possible fronts for this war, or just Europe? Maybe the Persian Gulf, if the USSR needs oil?
2) Who would China, India, and some of the Middle Eastern nations(Iraq, Iran, Pakistan) side with?
3) Would other wars break out? Maybe:
-The US using the war as an excuse to take out other less friendly governments in Central America, like Nicaragua or Cuba?
-South Africa/Isreal asserting dominacne over surrounding nations while major powers are looking away(this happened in another WWIII thread I saw)
4) What would relations between the USSR and the US look like afterwards? Would the USA try and keep the war going against the USSR, via a Naval war, bombings, or a blockade?
5) Could NATO win, without nukes?
I would like to say lastly that I don't think it would balloon into a nuclear doomsday(read the strategic thread in the Future Hist. forum for my reasoning). The USA isn't going to lose Chicago for Munich. Sorry about that!