Help me on a 1960s timeline...

I have decided to try my first timeline. I have mostly a bare bones outline I this point, and I will gladly give contribution credits to anyone whose' ideas advice I use. My scenario is:

  • In 1964 (before Khruschev's fall) the US and USSR begin fighting, shortly thereafter the whole of Western Europe is irradiated, as wells as the US East Coast. This causes the fight to move mostly to the Pacific (i.e. Aleutians, Alaska, SE Asia, Australia etc) and a aversion to further use of nuclear arms.
  • Fighting in the south Pacific is very much like the island hopping of WWII.
  • There is much reliance on allies by both sides, paticularly the Australians and Taiwanese for the Americans and the Vietnamese and North Koreans for the USSR
  • China will stay neutral due to the Sino Soviet split which has been brewing.
What I need help with is....

  • The effect of the loss of Europe on the Soviet military
  • A plausibile casus belli
  • A reason for the war to focus in on the Pacific rather than Africa or the Middle East
Any constructive criticism welcome!
  • The
 
The toughest thing would be to somehow cause a Pacific focus. In OTL, the Soviet Union had little interest in the Pacific beyond its coast and Cam Ranh Bay.
 
I was kind of thinking that maybe much of East Russia would be irradiated, which would leave the Pacific the best route to attack America, especially if the millitary was somewhat dishevled follwing the nuclear attack. Plausible?
 
I was kind of thinking that maybe much of East Russia would be irradiated, which would leave the Pacific the best route to attack America, especially if the millitary was somewhat dishevled follwing the nuclear attack. Plausible?

Why would they want to attack America? If you have a small-scale nuclear war that results in much of Europe destroyed and the big East Coast cities hit, the United States isn't going to be able to do much force deployment, and the Soviets aren't, either. In addition, I imagine that nuclear wars are tough things to stop, particularly at that stage in history...
 
Well, I guess I could do away with the whole nuclear war angle, and make it a good old fashioned fight. What I need is a reason for them to got to the Pacific, without making it a escalation of Vietnam.
 
Well, I guess I could do away with the whole nuclear war angle, and make it a good old fashioned fight. What I need is a reason for them to got to the Pacific, without making it a escalation of Vietnam.

One of the best ways that I could think of this happening would be some sort of proxy war going wrong. What about a new Korean War, or a face-off between China and Taiwan? Honestly, I think your best bet would be something Vietnam-related; that way you won't have to totally change history.
 
Thanks for your help guys but I've decided to go with an all out crazy ATL:


Soviets and America battling under the ocean.

Yes, I have been playing Bioshock:). At least this would give me room to flesh out my scenario. I'm thinking of having undersea drilling and minieral harvests being the begining of the war. Maybe there will be some experimental undersea colonies and military stations.....
 
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