Warsaw Pact & Nuclear Weapons

[Zipper730]

Generally, as I understand it, the presumption NATO operated on was that, the USSR/Warsaw pact would pour across Europe in a conflict that was conventional, and would rapidly escalate to at least one side or the other using tactical nuclear weapons. This would result in the other side using theirs until you'd have ICBM's and bombers flying.

I remember reading something a few days ago which stated that, after the Cold War, it was revealed that the Warsaw Pact had plans to begin their invasion of Europe with nuclear weapons off the bat: Was this correct?

Dimlee , fubar57 , G Glider , Graeme , nuuumannn , P pbehn , S Shortround6 , swampyankee , T tyrodtom , X XBe02Drvr

 

[Chris H]

A few years ago, I was at a conference held just outside Prague, which was held in the former Czechoslovak national CBRN reporting command post.
Our hosts told us that they always considered that NATO would use nukes first!

 

[GTX]

There has been some written on this - see below for example:

Cold War Doomsday: Inside Russia's World War III Nuclear War Plans

The end of humanity?

nationalinterest.org

 

[Zipper730]

GTX ,

This is quite fascinating.

 

[nuuumannn]

One thing that isn't mentioned in that interesting account is that the Soviet Union had a policy of No First Strike, so nukes would not be used unless the West used its first. To what extent this extended during a tactical scenario is not known, as the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces was a separate branch of the armed forces, as it still is within the Russian Defence Force, and covers both your ICBMs and TEL launched nuclear capable cruise missiles. Tactical free-fall nukes dropped by Frontal Aviation might not have been encompassed by the No First Use policy however...

Interesting to note that in 1993 the Russians rescinded the No First Use policy and Russian nuclear doctrine (which you can download from the internet - of course!) does state that any attack against the Russian Federation could result in the retaliatory use of nuclear weapons. In 2020 an official document was released that stated that the Russian Federation will, "utilize nuclear weapons in response to the utilization of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and (or) its allies, and also in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation involving the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is under threat." It doesn't state whether this also means if Russian forces in a foreign country are being attacked then nukes will be used...

 

[pbehn]

A few years ago, I was at a conference held just outside Prague, which was held in the former Czechoslovak national CBRN reporting command post.
Our hosts told us that they always considered that NATO would use nukes first!

When I worked in Germany many of my colleagues were ex British Army who had stayed there. They said the same, the basic strategy was to hold any Russian attack until the Americans arrived and stopped it or it went nuclear, they were in the army in the 1970s early 80s.

 

[StackedWings]

Although I was not a "Pershing Soldier", often during the Cold War I heard that our Pershing 1a Missiles, soon to be Pershing 2's, helped bankrupt the bad guys. I took these photos at Wiley Barracks, Neu Ulm, West Germany in 1969-70. Nearby units were detailed to pull constant Guard Duty, in this case with the 1/81st Arty. These must be their Pershings prepping to convoy out somewhere. I definitely remember guarding live and empty ammo bunkers (read Nuclear warheads). We "guarded" more empty bunkers than those with live warheads to fool any locals who might have Commie leanings. At least that was the scuttlebutt, again, I was not in a Pershing Unit. The more we fooled them with our inventory and locations, the quicker we bankrupted them. You're Welcome!

 

[RCAFson]

Apparently, the Soviets had tactical nukes on FROG missiles in Cuba from ~1961/2 and the commanding general planned to use them against any US invasion beach heads.