Quite a long time ago I read an AH novel that dealt with the world after WWIII. To be honest, it wasn't the best book nor was it really the best POD, but I thought I'd float the general premise of the novel on here and see if people think it's ASB or not. If you do, feel free to tweak it.
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviets launch an attack on Western Europe and parts of Asia. The combat stays conventional, and after a month or so the West is able to stop the Soviets at a dear cost. On the eve of the peace treaty, however, the Soviets manage to assassinate much of the United States' leadership and Spetsnaz operatives disable the command & control of the US' nuclear weapons. Once this has occurred, the Russians launch a strategic nuclear strike on the US' silos and key command centers, such as NATO Supreme Headquarters. The USSR does not escape retaliation, but the damage inflicted upon it is much less than what the West suffers.
I understand that much of it sounds ASB, but I admittedly find it to be somewhat interesting. Do people think that it's too far out of left-field to be realistic AH, or is there a snowball's chance in hell this could happen?
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviets launch an attack on Western Europe and parts of Asia. The combat stays conventional, and after a month or so the West is able to stop the Soviets at a dear cost. On the eve of the peace treaty, however, the Soviets manage to assassinate much of the United States' leadership and Spetsnaz operatives disable the command & control of the US' nuclear weapons. Once this has occurred, the Russians launch a strategic nuclear strike on the US' silos and key command centers, such as NATO Supreme Headquarters. The USSR does not escape retaliation, but the damage inflicted upon it is much less than what the West suffers.
I understand that much of it sounds ASB, but I admittedly find it to be somewhat interesting. Do people think that it's too far out of left-field to be realistic AH, or is there a snowball's chance in hell this could happen?