Reading an interesting book at the moment: US Strategic Attack Theory in the 1960s and its translation into SAC's targeting list under the Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) for strategic targeting and nuclear warfighting.
One of the little treasures I found was in relation to estimated damage from nuclear strikes to Moscow, as a key command and control node, industrial target and political target. With a few broad assumptions, mainly strategic surprise which would negate significant population relocation, the following casualty estimates were made for airburst detonations with a ground zero directly over the Kremlin in central Moscow:
One of the little treasures I found was in relation to estimated damage from nuclear strikes to Moscow, as a key command and control node, industrial target and political target. With a few broad assumptions, mainly strategic surprise which would negate significant population relocation, the following casualty estimates were made for airburst detonations with a ground zero directly over the Kremlin in central Moscow:
Yield | Dead | Wounded |
1MT | 373k (4.4%) | 708k (8.4%) |
10MT | 1.58M (18.8%) | 3M (35.7%) |
25MT | 3.5M (41.6%) | 4.9M (58.4%) |
So when selecting your B-52 payloads to fight nu'klr war toe to toe with them Rooskies, and your boys have drawn the dreaded red route into Moscow, make sure its worth it - take a 50 megatonner and make it worth your while! There wont be much left at any rate...
From: Strategic Nuclear War: What the Superpowers Target and Why, William C. Martel and Paul L. Savage, Greenwood Press, 1986, ISBN 0-313024192-9
The stats for 25mt were horrifying, you're right about 50mt though, go for broke.
ReplyDelete