If, in 1962, the United States launched airstrikes and/or an invasion of Cuba during the missile crisis, would it cause war to break out in other parts of the world like Germany?
If the Cuban Missile Crisis went hot, would there be fighting elsewhere?
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marathag
Banned
If the USSR does nothing in response, WWIII doesnt happen, like it didn't in 1956 when NATO did nothing about Hungary
raharris1973
Gone Fishin'
General Soviet assault on NATO and all flanks (from Norway to Turkey). At a minimum air and missile targeting on known US bases in the southern flank (Iran and Pakistan). Same against US bases in Pacific Rim Japan - esp Hokkaido (with or without a ground component), stand-off on other Japanese bases, South Korea, Okinawa, Subic and Clark. Soviet nuclear strike on reachable parts of US. This is all what's attempted. What gets through is a different story. US does responding/near-simultaneous strikes on Cuba and all USSR and Warsaw Pact, North Korea and China. If there's enough of a Russian naval fixed facility or airfield to be of interest in placed like Tartus Syria, or Alexandria, Egypt, they get hit too.
Fuzzy Dunlop
Banned
If it kicks off in '62 I could see these conflicts going hot without the 'stopper in the bottle' (USA) not being there due to having their hands full.
China goes for Taiwan while North Korea moves South
North Vietnam goes on the rampage invading the South and entering Cambodia & Laos
India & Pakistan start slogging it out.
The Arab League try and erase Israel off the map especially as Israel have lost their US backing
Might Argentina go for the Falklands thinking the UK will either be glassed or have its hands full?
Does ussr have the necessary offensive forces ( IRBM , strike aircraft, bombers etc) ?
There was a Sino-Indian War in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, so, expect fighting in India and China along the Himalayas during the crisis as well.
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Interesting analysis of the nuclear forces. What is interesting is that it misses almost entirely the intra-Communist conflict that occurred between Castro and the fUSSR over the IL28 light bombers that belonged to Cuba. Castro was most annoyed and threatened to use the tactical nuclear warheads against the USA.
marathag
Banned
Fidel was high on his own supply. Nikita,OTOH, knew his gambit/bluff had gone terribly wrong, and didn't have a death wish to start WWIII, that the USSR would be annihilated in a near biblical Sevenfold Vengeance under USAF Atomic Fire.
Was Subic and Clark in range of Soviet missiles? Or would it come from the subs? The Huks in the Philippines were already defeated by then but that did not mean communism was gone. The NPA were only established in 1969 but a similar movement could come earlier if Manila was gone or placed into disarray from the strikes in Subic, Clark, Wallace Air Station, Mactan AB, and Baguio City.
Other places would be a Second Korean War, Sino-Indian War (which was ongoing), the Vietnam War being fought primarily by the North and South since there were only American advisors at this period.
China did not have a navy to take over Taiwan in 1962.
The Vietnam War probably becomes a stalemate as both suppliers of both sides are gone.
India was already fighting China in the Himalayas but it could use the confusion to seize parts of Pakistani-controlled areas of Kashmir.
The second Arab-Israeli War would also be a stalemate, even bloodier than the Yom Kippur War and the Six-Day War of OTL.
I think Argentina can take the Falklands or use other methods such as handing out aid and supplies to the local residents who have no choice but to accept since London is already gone.
Once the War started and first nuke hit the USA , the SAC will nuclear attack East Europe (except Hungary), USSR, China, North Korea and Cuba !
Europe will be battle field between NATO and Warsaw Pact troops. similar fighting will be between North and South Korea.
Canada could be involve in War do Target of Soviet Bomber, who lose there way to target, believing there over USA...
Why except Hungary ? they revolted against USSR in 1950s, so the Nation was remove from Targets list at SAC
World War III could be exploited by some nations to settle there border dispute, like Iraq invade Kuwait.
Europe will be battle field between NATO and Warsaw Pact troops. similar fighting will be between North and South Korea.
Canada could be involve in War do Target of Soviet Bomber, who lose there way to target, believing there over USA...
Why except Hungary ? they revolted against USSR in 1950s, so the Nation was remove from Targets list at SAC
World War III could be exploited by some nations to settle there border dispute, like Iraq invade Kuwait.
I think in Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia and Romania will also be spared. The former denounced the USSR and formed its own communist bloc and had cordial relations with the West. Even if Romania was part of the Warsaw Pact, it also had cordial relations with the West.
The plan to attack the USSR and China can be summed up by SIOP.
U.S. Nuclear War Plan Option Sought Destruction of China and Soviet Union as “Viable” Societies | National Security Archive
U.S. nuclear war plans during the Johnson administration included the option of a retaliatory strike against nuclear, conventional military, and urban-industrial targets with the purpose of removing the Soviet Union “from the category of a major industrial power” and destroying it as a “viable”...
nsarchive.gwu.edu
Albania would only be pro-China in 1968 so it was definitely going to be targeted in 1962.
Yugoslavia, I can see. But the same SIOP you are citing heavily targeted Eastern Europe and Romania. Toss in the employment of theater and tactical nukes, plus the conventional forces fightiing, those regions are getting scorched over.