USAF Nuclear War Alert Simulation - 1958 Part 6 of 6

[intergrationdude]

And the nuclear winter killed everyone else.

[mutantandmazesrpgs]

"Brothers: There is STILL time...!" - Salvation Army placard, deserted Melbourne City Library steps, closing scene of post-nuke film 'On the Beach'

[mutantandmazesrpgs]

"Here come the Hercules, here come the submarines - sinking South Pacific dreams ..." - Midnight Oil

[Mikey300]

@6630mcdo There were three Forrestal-class, and three Midway-class carriers in commission in 1958, all of which would have been capable of operating the Douglas A3D Skywarrior. Each A3D should have been able to deliver one Mk28 bomb with a yield of about 1MT. The A3D could also operate from Essex-class carriers.

[hckyplyr90]

From roughly 1958-65, the US could have fought a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, utterly destroyed them, and potentially had zero targets hit in CONUS....if the US put on a first strike. Previous comment does not consider Tu-4 force as viable intercontinental bomber.

[hckyplyr90]

Given the level of casualties reported for the US (40 million KIA, ~20% of total population), it seems like NYC, LA, Chicago, would have had to have been totally, totally annhilated - virtually 100% KIA in those areas. The number of targets hit really weren't that bad, given the assumption of 2 waves of hundreds of Soviet bombers each, a force the Soviets never possessed. In reality, the Soviets never had more than 200 operational long range bombers at any one time.

[1962mikie]

@hckyplyr90 due to the fact that as it is written in Ezekiel that Russia,china and Iran will indeed Attack the U.S.-but not destroy the country -. they intend to PLUNDER the Uninted States and takes it over for thier use. But also make prisoners of the remnant of survivors. however, The Lord JEHOVAH will knock the bow and arrow from thier hands and in turn Destroy them with Fire,Thus making HIM the Victor to Know that the Lord God IS GOD!!!he does it for his name sake!!!so long communist block!

[themuffinman12345]

They think they've won. Hilarious.

[Prairielander]

@themuffinman12345 Well 40% casualties in a nuclear exchange would almost be a best case scenario. This was the reality at the time and the United States had to prepare itself for it. Its not like they ever wanted this that is why they never did attack the Soviet Union first nor did they. The world could carry on though. Americans could relocate to South America and Europeans to Africa. Perhaps that is why we should be nice to these people eventually we may need their help.

[Fredfredbug4]

The US was guaranteed to win a nuclear exchange during the 50s and early 60s due to their superior airforce. In fact the Soviet air-defense was so bad that a teenager from west germany was able to land his unmarked aircraft IN FREAKING RED SQUARE.

The US would take a heavy first hit but would completely anhilate the soviets as shown in the video.

However with ICBM and computers both sides can nuke each other even when all is destroyed. Though the Airborne Laser program may stop this.

[joltmeoff]

Wtf?! why was this ever Classified.? who thought this needed classified from the public, they hired all those hunky studs for no reason then

[deadkennedys555]

They still have their fingers on the button - NO WAR NO MORE ...

[Tralivali89]

Peace is our profession

[MoonBoston]

Four days sitting at that table, and he still can't make that pencil balance on end...

[1Nekit1]

so who won? aliens?

[luridplanet]

@ChaosDynamics Nope - I said it was NEVER intended. But it was declassified years ago

[musicmanfelipe]

The targets in Dallas and Ft Worth would've probably been Carswell AFB, the Convair/General Dynamics plant next door, Vought Aircraft, and maybe some local infrastructure targets.

[skoookum]

60 million dead, no big.

[devildoc225]

@skoookum At that time, that was 1/3 of the population.

[landlord39douglas]

This film is like a time-capsule, It's hard to explain to the younger set just what the cold war was really like. Material like this helps to show the mindset of that era.Thanks LPlanet for posting this .

[bi3joe]

Americans and their bullshit since 1945-46!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D A brainwashed nation!!!! :D :D :D :D

[rangeclerk]

"We are not just going to bomb them back to rubble but to dust." Gen LeMay when questioned by Pres Ike member of his 'Blue Ribbon Panel' concerning the US ability to fight a nuclear war with Russia, China and their allies in the 50s--WAR & PEACE IN THE NUCLEAR AGE

[Petemonster62]

A.T.&T. engineers were probably developing touch-tone telephone technology in the lab in 1958. They didn't show the last B-36s that were deployed until 1959, but most of those were probably the spy plane version. And Navy fighters would be attacking any Soviet planes they encountered.

[Petemonster62]

A.T.&T. engineers were probably developing touch-tone telephone technology in the lab in 1958. They didn't show the last B-36s that were deployed until 1959, but most of those were probably the recon version.

[Mikey300]

If you grew up in the Pittsburgh area in the 1950s and 1960s, as I did, you didn't have to worry about "The Day After" because there wasn't going to be one for you.

If school was in session and if you lived within 30 minutes walking distance of your school building, they would send you home in the event of an attack warning so you could die there.

[bobdefalco]

@Mikey300 Holy crap - really? That's a pretty stark thing for a kid to realize. I'd head to Primanti for a last meal.

[Mikey300]

@bobdefalco The industrial targets in the Pittsburgh area were: (1) Westinghouse East Pittsburgh (steam turbines/generators), (2) United States Steel (Edgar Thomson, Rankin/Carrie, Homestead, Duquesne, National Tube, Irvin, Clairton), (3) Jones and Laughlin Steel (Pittsburgh and Aliquippa Works), (4) Allegheny Ludlum Steel (stainless and silicon steels), and Alcoa New Kensington (aluminum).

We used to joke about it walking home on "air raid drill" day.

[bobdefalco]

@Mikey300 Truly incredible - thank you for sharing this.

[beaverpitt]

@Mikey300 also (5) II-IV in Saxonburg, the nuclear research/laser facility. (6) The ceramic tile factory that worked with the military

[MCADJim]

Thank everything you hold holy--or whatever you please if you hold nothing holy--that this never had to happen. Pray that it never does.

[rangeclerk]

So what is the US NAVY doing all this time?

[luridplanet]

@rangeclerk I'm sure they were nuke-bombing every soviet ship in sight, with aviation and launch-on-surface missiles

[rangeclerk]

@luridplanet Using both conventional and tatical nuke wpns but with those would be used against fleets and during the 50's the russians had NO means of delievering any nuke payloads on US Mainland---see War & Peace In The Nuclear Age PBS series late 1980s and text with same name.

Have Text and head of Soviet Strag. Rocket Forces stated such.

[jmitterii2]

@rangeclerk They were working hard in a big long hard metal thing with a bunch of seaman. Lubricating the ocean with their swab deckin'. Because after nuke would have destroyed both N America and Russia/ Europe/Asia. They were to re-populate.

[STIsd25]

@rangeclerk chillin in and under water waiting hahaha!!!!!!

[ExploreDestination]

 That General dude is hardcore.

[gydoo1]

60 Mio death ... What an anti-war movie ... :/

[Rickyrab]

Interesting idea of how they would've done nuclear war some 50 years ago, bulletin boards and large maps and rotary telephones and even primitive videoconferencing. Hmm.

[luridplanet]

@Rickyrab Amazing that we could blow up the world already but didn't have push-button phones!

[Cybrludite]

@Rickyrab And most of the combat side of this was obsolete before the 1960s were done by widespread ICBM deployment. The 2.5 hours to get your planes off the ground from earlier in this film was reduced to less than 20 minutes.

[TomBarrister]

@Rickyrab It was state of the art then.

The simulated reference of 60 million casualties are from a 1958 population of about 175 million, meaning over a third of all U.S. residents were killed or wounded by the simulated Soviet first strike.

[lmlove80]

thanks for the upload

[Jerome112]

This was great thanks for posting, was this only declassified a few weeks ago?

[luridplanet]

@Jerome112 It's probably been declassified for years, but is just surfacing online

[splifmonster]

great vid...... anymore??

[luridplanet]

@splifmonster I've found some others, but are already on youtube. This was just released a few weeks ago

[splifmonster]

ti looks like a movie...... was this real propaganda tat they showed to pilots?