Protect and Survive: A Timeline
- Thread starter Macragge1
- Start date
If I remember correctly, there were two peat burning stations in Ireland at the time, one gas station powered from the Kinsale fields (which came on line in 1979) and some hydro-electric based around the Shannon. Without Dublin, this will probably be enough to power the RoI. I'm not sure of the details of the Irish Transmission grid in the 80's, but I imagine it doesn't all go through Dublin.
Great timeline, btw, it's inspired me to register.
Would he not be very, very drunk?
It's got to be Clint Eastwood, gone fruit loopy.
Would he not be very, very drunk?
Well, the alcohol may explain the behaviour a little lol, and until we hear otherwise, you're theory is as good as mine.
Thank you for the answers
I admit, in a TL where the children would be officially sentenced to death by starvation and nurses are shot for a handful of morphine, it is easy to take a certain inclination to pessimism; talking about Switzerland, I had forgotten that, even if only for the whim of the case, not necessarily every Soviet launch has been a "success" (That's something I forgot to tell you about Italy: I have outlined a worst-case scenario, but it would not be ASB (for example) if some of those submarines were sunk before them have launched their part of the attack and so their targets were left unscathed by the Exchange.
Anyway, this is your TL and you call the shots, I'm just puttin' in my 2 cents
Orville_third
Banned
Out of all the countries of Europe, the Swiss would likely be the best protected. They're well trained, have lots of shelters, and most of the males are in the armed forces reserve.
Good update, as always.
And as always a bit of question time (not only for Macragge1, I am interested in the views of all)
On the one hand it seems hard to believe that Switzerland has not been affected by the Soviet attack (I imagine that in a situation such as that of the Exchange both parties have tried to settle outstanding accounts up to Ancient Egypt) on the other side if the Swiss were able to dodge the war even this time, why risk people and resources through a France devastated by the missiles of the Warsaw Pact? Other ideas?
Between the pilot and the Commando is definitely going up the tension: it is "only" the grueling stress, or both have a hidden agenda?
The American is a joker or is crazy like a horse? Why he does not have a radiation protection suit in an environment where the roentgen meter was a buzzer drive?
What happened to the U.S. President?
Ancient Egypt.............LOL.
Actually, an awful lot of bombs wont go off where they are expected to.
Estimates at the time were that about 50% of Russian missiles would (a) work, (b) land somewhere near the target, and (c) go off properly.
(It was alleged that this estimate was on the high side!). Not such a problem on important targets, they'd get 2 shots (and hopefully no fratricide); cities tend to get a bit overkilled.
But what this means in practice is that some targets are overkilled, while some are missed completely, especially secondary targets.
(Read The Threat from this period, its an interesting analysis by a Russian of the state of the Russian forces - a bit theatrical, but still interesting).
Indeed, its thought one of the main props to MAD was the fact that noone on either side really knew how many weapons wpuld work or hit - thus makinga preeptive strike rather more chancy than is comfortable
Estimates at the time were that about 50% of Russian missiles would (a) work, (b) land somewhere near the target, and (c) go off properly.
(It was alleged that this estimate was on the high side!). Not such a problem on important targets, they'd get 2 shots (and hopefully no fratricide); cities tend to get a bit overkilled.
But what this means in practice is that some targets are overkilled, while some are missed completely, especially secondary targets.
(Read The Threat from this period, its an interesting analysis by a Russian of the state of the Russian forces - a bit theatrical, but still interesting).
Indeed, its thought one of the main props to MAD was the fact that noone on either side really knew how many weapons wpuld work or hit - thus makinga preeptive strike rather more chancy than is comfortable
According to the ever reliable wiki the Texan we're wondering about was CEO of an oil company. As far as I can tell he and his family were living in Texas.
An interesting matter to consider is the possibility that the USAF would recall him and other former reservists to the Air Force Reserve during the pre-war crisis.
An interesting matter to consider is the possibility that the USAF would recall him and other former reservists to the Air Force Reserve during the pre-war crisis.
Or just a bad joke.
Or the Under Secretary of the Interior if they are the highest surviving official or at least the highest survivor in that particular area.
GW Bush is the man.
Oh, LOL, I figured it might just be him, but I guess we'll have to wait until Macragge posts a new update for us to find out for sure...........
Well since GW Bush was basically just the impression I got from the guy, it means very little. Macaragge1 did say he liked the theory though.
Macragge1
Banned
Well yeah - the Caesar of NY thing's a joke on the American's part, whilst, much as I love the idea of GWB turning up, the chances of it actually happening are perishingly slim.
James Dunnigan in his first edition of "How to Make War" also states this (book is a must read on nuclear war in the 1980s, although now out of print. The 3rd Edition devotes far less time to the subject)
One of the interesting facts of the Cold War era pre-GPS is that all of the ICBMs had internal guidance systems that may very well have been seriously affected by proximity to the north magnetic pole. No one ever found out because obviously a missile test fired over the north magnetic pole was out of the question.