"leadfoot" wrote in message
news

You're making an assumption that might not be true. The sortie in
question
might not come back to that base. A Post-Strike Recovery Base might not
be home but a place that might have some chance of still being in
existence such as a bare bones strip somewhere.

Would the speed of the aircraft be a factor? Harder to turn around a mach
2 B-58 isn't it?

In the early 70's I heard the assumption was that every runway that could
support a B-52 in the US would be hit with a nuke.


Tex Houston


Actually it was assumed that every runway that could support loaded and
dispersed B-52's would be hit by a nuke. Most if not all would probably
receive additional nukes at varying distances/altitudes from these runways
in attempts to destroy any B-52' that had managed to take off.

It is late at night and I can't sleep so here are a few thoughts I recall
from discussions at the time. As an example this is how the war would have
probably been fought in the 1980's.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preliminary attacks would be made against military satellites by ground
based laser and "Killer" satellites. (This may or may not have been
perceived as leading to nuclear war).

Most likely the Soviets would have launched a co-ordnated attack by all
their forces starting with a preemptive strike of over 1,000 missiles
carrying 5,000+ warheads.

First strikes (1st wave) from SLBM (+5/15 min) off our coast, were assumed
to target Command/Control with multiple upper atmosphere explosions (EMP)
and any missile fields (Arkansas) or bomber runways within their range, and
patterns around these runways to destroy any bombers already in the air. Sub
launched cruise missiles (+15 min) would have been targeted at near coastal
military facilities, and infrastructure, such as harbors, bridges, and
transportation facilities.

First strikes (2d wave) from land based ICBM's (+20min) were assumed to
target all missile fields, and all runways to include hitting with ground
burst to maximize the destruction and prevent farther use.

Follow on strikes (3d wave) from the remaining ICBM's (+20/40min) were
assumed to target and destroy any remaining military infrastructure,
air/ground burst attacking cities and any other remaining targets.

By this time it can be assumed that all of the Soviet and US, ICBM's and
bombers have been launched. The US is now launching most of its remaining
significant SLBM's, and the Soviets are launching the remaining ICBM's and
any reloaded missiles they have.

At +60min the strategic portion of the nuclear war is over. The use of
tactical weapons at sea and wherever there are land battles will continue
until the combatants either run out of tactical nukes or targets.

It should be assumed that every country that had a deliverable nuke weapon
used them against someone rather than loose them.