WARSAW PACT WAR PLAN (Czechoslovak People's Army Portion)

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In the first massive nuclear strike by the troops of the Missile Forces of the Czechoslovak Front, the front aviation and long-range aviation added to the front must destroy the main group of troops of the first operations echelon of the 7th US Army, its means of nuclear attack, and the centers of command and control of the aviation.

During the development of the operation, the troops of the Missile Forces and aviation must destroy the approaching deep operative reserves, the newly discovered means of nuclear attack, and the enemy aviation.

Altogether the operation will require the use of 131 nuclear missiles and nuclear bombs; specifically 96 missiles and 35 nuclear bombs. The first nuclear strike will use 41 missiles and nuclear bombs. The immediate task will require using 29 missiles and nuclear bombs. The subsequent task could use 49 missiles and nuclear bombs. 12 missiles and nuclear bombs should remain in the reserve of the Front.

http://www.php.isn.ethz.ch/collections/ ... info=25996

All in all, a very interesting document to read for anyone interested in the Warsaw Pact Forces.

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To be ready to start advancing toward Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich with part of forces immediately after the nuclear strike. Nuclear strike against the troops of the enemy should be targeted to the depth up to the line Würzburg, Erlangen, Regensburg, Landshut.

Hell yeah! I would get to be liberated instead of bombed. ^_^

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Hell yeah! I would get to be liberated instead of bombed. ^_^

Problem is fallout my good man. It would be interesting to see War Plans from the 70s and 80s to see if the use of nuclear weapons became much more limited as both sides became more aware of the after effects of the weapons.

I read through a NATO War Plan Scenario once from the early 80s. Basically the scenario entailed a deterioration in relations between East and West with the Soviets threatening to blockade West Berlin. To show force, the US and Britain and France would increase the Berlin Brigade forces in West Berlin by 10,000. As a result the Soviet Forces would blockade the city to prevent further NATO deployments. Eventually negotiations would become dead locked and the NATO forces would attempt to breach the Inner German Border with conventional forces. It was estimated that NATO forces could reach West Belin within a week's time do to the fact that Soviet Forces would have to cope with a large NATO force of several tens of thousands of troops in West Berlin and a massive NATO force breaching the Inner German Border. Upon reaching West Berlin the scenario actually stressed that NATO forces halt their advance inorder to not provoke the Soviets into using nuclear weapons.

From here the scenario split into two possibilites, the first being a NATO called ceasefire followed by a return to negotiations, that was the best case scenario. The worst case scenario envisioned by NATO planners was a surgical strike by Warsaw Pact Nuclear Forces on NATO command and control centers in Western Europe, such as NATO HQ in Brussels. At this point the NATO War Plan called for a retalitory strike against Warsaw Pact Command and Control Centers. Finally, the plan stated that if such a scenario unfolded it was more then likely that the Warsaw Pact would release its full nuclear arsenal and the NATO would release its full nuclear arsenal in a retaliatory strike.

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Estimates are a funny thing. Some Soviet estimates talked about reaching the Atlantic Ocean in a week. Also, it's important to note when reading these documents that Soviet strategy for the use of tactical nuclear weapons evolved over time. To my understanding the West was even more open about its willingness to use nuclear weapons, due to its politically based, militarily suicidal strategy of frontal defence.

I think part of the reason the Cold War never went hot can be contributed to the fact that both sides realized that estimates meant little and that a conventional war could quickly spiral into a full blown nuclear war. The West's defensive strategy required the use of nuclear weapons, Warsaw Pact forces were superior in numbers and by the 70s had technology and training that was at the same level as the west. The Warsaw Pact Forces would've incurred heavy losses, but in a conventional war could have likely overwhelmed NATO troops and made it to the Rhine. Whether or not they would've made it farther then the Rhine is dependent on whether NATO was able to reinforce its defenses like what was practiced in Operation Reforger. The outcome of the battle in the Atlantic between NATO and Warsaw Pact Navies would've been what determined the Soviets ability to cross the Rhine. If US Convoys and aircraft had been able to bring troops to France and West Germany, the Soviets could've been in trouble quickly. Its also likely the the Swiss would've joined in with NATO if the Soviets made it to the Rhine, Swiss war plans from the 60s call for the Swiss military to fight a war outside its own borders. Getting back to the point though, most NATO warplans I have seen have called for the use of tactical nuclear weapons if the Warsaw Pact Forces crossed the Rhine, NATO would not have allowed Warsaw Pact Forces to get past the Rhine under any circumstances. Likely usuage would've been air bursting the weapons over the Warsaw Pact advance in the Fulda Gap.