Did both sides have tons of strategic and tactical nukes by 1960? As I understand Russia only had a few hundred warheads, and few of them could reach the USA (hence the Cuban thing). If WW3 does break out in Europe, I could see the Soviet armies being wiped out and Russia would be effectively defeated.
Depending on how many nukes existed (and how they were used), the results of the war would vary. There is little doubt that NATO would use many tactical nukes on the battlefield (since Soviet armies were bigger), but whether or not they would use them in heavily populated areas or if the Soviet would (or could) raise the war to a strategic level is in question (wikipedia's not being friendly to me today). I would guess that Germany, East Europe, and maybe major bases around Europe would be nuked heavily, but did the USSR have the ability to strike American cities? And if they did, how many nukes would make it? Would the USA take the initiative to nuke Russia proper, would would they want leaders left alive to sign a treaty?
Here's how I think a war w/ Soviet defeat could go:
- Cuban missile crisis gets ugly, and Soviet and American vesseles start attacking each other.
- USA bombs Cuba-based missiles to make sure they aren't used. But some are, and now we have two options:
a) they are used tactically, against ships or bases
b) New York and other major East Coast cities go bye-bye.
- I'll go with a. The USA responds by nuking the rest of the Soviet naval presence.
- Soviets decide to make a grab for Europe, and start by rolling into Western Germany. (yeah I know the war could've been stopped in the Western Hemisphere but it's cooler this way and nukes make people mad and do wierd things)
- NATO knows they can not win a conventional war in Europe and the tactical bombing begins.
- Soviets make some gains but as their forces are depleted by nukes the smaller Western army begins to seem not so small. Plus everyone is affected by radiation and low morale and whatnot.
- Germany and some select areas in Europe are devastated. If option "b" was selected in the second stage, the list of destroyed places also includes major European and Soviet cities. this will be become important when NATO wins.
- Russia begins to run out of nukes. Despite their best efforts, they get pushed back by the Allies who keep nuking them. Western casualties are also high as troops are being forced to march and drive through radiated areas.
- At this point no one really wants to fight anymore. At Brest-Litovsk (or somewhere around there, maybe in Poland, who knows), NATO and what is left of WARPAC holds peace talks.
-Russia has no will to fight anymore, and their leaders have seen that if they keep fighting what is left is doomed. These guys aren't quite crazy like Hitler, so they won't fight to the death. All they want is for Russia not to get totally wiped out.
-NATO wants Russia to be pacified, as many civilian and army casualties have been suffered on the Western side. Depending on how many Western cities were nuked, the Allies will "whip" the Soviets accordingly.
What we have is a defeated, possiblly capitaless Russia, with all its allies gone and a very small army. It is just like Germany after WW1. As the Allies have suffered too, they will not be kind to the Russians in the least when there are peace talks. Then we can await WW4 and intense Russian hatred of the West.
Notes: Boy did I have fun writing this. I'm actually supposed to be writing an essay on universal love and a pantheistic view of God right now, but I don't think that listening to German military-themed heavy rock is a good idea to that end.
EDIT: After getting to the right place in wikipedia, i found that the USSR had 3000 nukes compared to the US having 27000. Oops. I thought that the arsenals were like 10 times smaller. My bad.
Okay, the world is screwed.