War of the Worlds 1953 aftermath

[freivolk]

But I'd say it wasn't that they figured that Britain was 'strongest' but that it's an island.

Definitly the most heavy industrialized island, next to most industrialized continent. I just mean the Martians had a reason to chose Britain and not Japan or Australia.

Not sure you really 'need' flying machines if you have counter-gravity and what every they used to get the cylinders to Earth. (No explosions mentioned that I recall) If the CG is limited to 'leg' length then seas can be an issue but I have my doubts as a "habitable" Mars and inferred in the dialogue was a slowly dying/drying planet so they had to have some historical experience with "seas" even shallow ones.

No explosion on Mars just means that they use no large planetary gun a´la Jules Verne. Still, I assume even the book_martians must have some anti-grav or I can´t see how they could survive traffeling 65000000 Km in 14 days and then crashland on Earth. But at least the Movie-Martians seems to make just limited use of their antigrav. They still have to crashland, they can´t randomly float their cylinders around and their warmachines just can glide.
If ocean existet on Mars, they would have to dry up millineas ago.

Actually you can as it is obviously an 'important' place in the same manner. They would easily identify national 'capitals' or "important places" (tm) in the run up and Washington would be as obvious as Moscow on that scale.

No, it isn´t. What´s Washington? A goverment district, some suburbs for the goverment employees and lot of slums. No industry, no major traffic center. In 1953 definitly overshadowed by other urban centers like Philadelphia.

I'd go with the "stay away from coasts" but they landed in-land and around LA which is a port city in and of itself. (Ignore the real fact they could use "local" scenery to save costs on the movie ) I'd say they tried to hit Washington and New York but probably had to land in-land and move towards them which wouldn't necessarily be as easy as it sounds.

Yes, they landed in the backyard of LA ...and didn´t attacked it. Even after they overrun half the planet, they didn´t attacked. In the end they just attack it at a time they all are aleready sick and dying. So I say, they still hesitated to attack the coast, but wanted to surround the nuke test areas in the southwest USA.

What he said mostly and who says they didn't? Just because it's not mentioned doesn't mean it didn't happen.

1953 you already couldn´t keep a nuke explosion secret. If the Soviets had used a nuke and failed, the Americans would know it and wouldn´t put as much hope in their own nuke. Its obvious from the movie, that this is the first time a nuke is used against the Martians.

 

[Matt Wiser]

Look at the map if you have the movie on DVD: there's no Martian (or alien) concentration in New Mexico (where Los Alamos, Sandia Labs, and the Trinity Site are located).

 

[RanulfC]

Definitly the most heavy industrialized island, next to most industrialized continent. I just mean the Martians had a reason to chose Britain and not Japan or Australia.

I was agreeing but pointing out they couldn't KNOW, England was a "power-house" even with observation from space. That was simply Well's bias, just like American bias has them going up against us in the movie. It "works" on some levels but...

No explosion on Mars just means that they use no large planetary gun a´la Jules Verne. Still, I assume even the book_martians must have some anti-grav or I can´t see how they could survive traffeling 65000000 Km in 14 days and then crashland on Earth. But at least the Movie-Martians seems to make just limited use of their antigrav. They still have to crashland, they can´t randomly float their cylinders around and their warmachines just can glide.
If ocean existet on Mars, they would have to dry up millineas ago.

Considering they probably were monitoring radio, TV and the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum they would be well aware the Earth was in the middle of a "UFO" flap and therefore which is more likely to 'pass'? A meteor or a "flying cylinder airship/mothership from Venus"? Still I'd be surprised if they made major use of "flying" or floating on liquid due to the circumstances on Mars. I don't however think having and ocean between you and them would be a great barrier either.

No, it isn´t. What´s Washington? A goverment district, some suburbs for the goverment employees and lot of slums. No industry, no major traffic center. In 1953 definitly overshadowed by other urban centers like Philadelphia.

It's actually a large city,, port and has massive suburbs even then. Not much industry but given the population density, obvious defenses, and architecture it's a "special" city even if you assume they had no way of monitoring out communications. Any sort of 'listening' in on communications and it sticks out like beacon.

Yes, they landed in the backyard of LA ...and didn´t attacked it. Even after they overrun half the planet, they didn´t attacked. In the end they just attack it at a time they all are aleready sick and dying. So I say, they still hesitated to attack the coast, but wanted to surround the nuke test areas in the southwest USA.

No, they were quite clear they were moving steadily towards LA they didn't, (as noted) move towards out bomb design or production areas.

1953 you already couldn´t keep a nuke explosion secret. If the Soviets had used a nuke and failed, the Americans would know it and wouldn´t put as much hope in their own nuke. Its obvious from the movie, that this is the first time a nuke is used against the Martians.

Actually we would, if for no other reason than we were biased that way and would assume "ours" were better than theirs. But as I noted it's also likely the USSR couldn't deliver it since their aircraft weren't as good as ours and WE used the last example of a non-standard aircraft to do so. Which as I noted speaks volumes of what I think Northrop hinted to Pal

Randy

 

[Catsmate]

Definitly the most heavy industrialized island, next to most industrialized continent. I just mean the Martians had a reason to chose Britain and not Japan or Australia.

A tingle OT but in my EDC re-write of Doctor Who I used the premise that Britain was a popular subject of alien conquest attempts because it was reasonably isolated and hence useful as a springboard and base for the conquest of the rest of the planet. Take over and use the resources (if they survive) or subvert the existing power structures. Plus (in the EDC) the British Republic was faction ridden and divided and it's European neighbours were used to occasional convulsions of political violence.

 

[Catsmate]

I was agreeing but pointing out they couldn't KNOW, England was a "power-house" even with observation from space. That was simply Well's bias, just like American bias has them going up against us in the movie. It "works" on some levels but...

It would depend on where they were observing from ans using what tools. There'd be the large cities (visible from orbital probes), the road and rail network, the evidence of industrial activity (e.g. coal smoke), artificial lighting et cetera.

 

[freivolk]

It would depend on where they were observing from ans using what tools. There'd be the large cities (visible from orbital probes), the road and rail network, the evidence of industrial activity (e.g. coal smoke), artificial lighting et cetera.

That exactly what I´m talking about. You can see from space how developed a country is. You can see from space how large and connected a city like London and Moscow is.

 

[RanulfC]

A tingle OT but in my EDC re-write of Doctor Who I used the premise that Britain was a popular subject of alien conquest attempts because it was reasonably isolated and hence useful as a springboard and base for the conquest of the rest of the planet. Take over and use the resources (if they survive) or subvert the existing power structures. Plus (in the EDC) the British Republic was faction ridden and divided and it's European neighbours were used to occasional convulsions of political violence.

"Honestly" while the premise makes all kinds of sense I've heard it argued, (and used as a plot point for stories*, and some other media) that Australia would be a better idea as it's isolation and low population would make a better 'planet-head' than anyplace else. Granted that concept has less basis with the advent of word-spanning, low time weapons delivery but...

It would depend on where they were observing from and using what tools. There'd be the large cities (visible from orbital probes), the road and rail network, the evidence of industrial activity (e.g. coal smoke), artificial lighting et cetera.

That exactly what I´m talking about. You can see from space how developed a country is. You can see from space how large and connected a city like London and Moscow is.

And Washington, San Francisco, Paris, Berlin the list is quite long in fact the 'decision' becomes one of what you "assume" rather than what you know and we'd have to assume with the movie that they actually DO have technology ahead of ours and therefore the ability to "distinguish" targets. That actually works out LESS for Well's Martians as even if THEY have radio or advanced communications WE do not and what we do have is very, very hard to 'tap' unlike the Earth of 1953 which is 'spewing' electronic signals of all kinds from which to tap and/or target. (Quite apparently the "Martians" have sophisticated EMP generators given how they killed communications in any area they were attacking. That's NOT easy considering how much was still tube and wire based which is harder to effect with standard EMP)

Randy
*Seriously. From one article I recall which quite logically discussed how Australian wildlife is 'proof' of a prior alien attempt at terraforming Earth to one story I can't recall the title of that had Platypus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus) as the remnants of an alien invasion that failed because unlike most of the rest of the universe Earth life wasn't on the proper 'wavelength' to be mentally dominated by them

 

[Matt Wiser]

That they did: whatever they were using knocked out all radio communications within a certain radius of their landing sites and, "Once they begin to move? No more news comes out of that area." (General Mann in the command bunker prior to the first battle)

 

[RanulfC]

That they did: whatever they were using knocked out all radio communications within a certain radius of their landing sites and, "Once they begin to move? No more news comes out of that area." (General Mann in the command bunker prior to the first battle)

You knew it before that due to the lights, hearing aid, and magnetization of objects the first time the heat ray was used. I don't see how that's not going to screw up communications as well and frankly the guy with the MAGNETIC TAPES is probably SOL with recording them for 'future history' (if any ) records.

Randy

 

[arrowiv]

How would manned space flight be jump-started following the 1953 invasion and what would it be like? A honest to goodness UN space force? Brings me memories of the early fifties films like Destination Moon and Conquest of Space.

 

[RanulfC]

How would manned space flight be jump-started following the 1953 invasion and what would it be like? A honest to goodness UN space force? Brings me memories of the early fifties films like Destination Moon and Conquest of Space.

"Honest to goodness" UN Space Force might be pushing it We can hope that having a known external enemy would push the world together but I suspect it would be something closer to the actual UN OTL, (security council and veto's and all) than an actual "united" world force. Having said that I've wondered if this could lead to something like the "ConDominium" type set up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoDominium

Specifically as at the point of 1953 the political dynamics haven't shaken out as much as they do later in the 50s

Randy

 

[Deleted member 2186]

How would manned space flight be jump-started following the 1953 invasion and what would it be like? A honest to goodness UN space force? Brings me memories of the early fifties films like Destination Moon and Conquest of Space.

The UN would be visiting Mars as humans would become the invaders of outer space.