Operation Dropshot
Operation Dropshot was the code name of a contingency plan in the United States Department of Defense of a possible nuclear and conventional war against the Soviet Union and its allies. The plan was drawn up in 1949, early in the Cold War, and its secrecy status was lifted in 1977. Although the scenario included the use of nuclear weapons, it was not believed that they would play a crucial role.
At the time, the US nuclear arsenal was limited in size, mainly based in the United States, and required bombers to be dropped in the target area. Dropshot contained mission profiles that 300 atomic bombs and 29,000 high-explosive bombs would be dropped on 200 targets in 100 cities to destroy 85% of the Soviet Union's industrial capacity in a single blow. Between 75 and 100 of the 300 nuclear weapons would be used to destroy Soviet warplanes on the ground.
The scenario dates back to before ICBMs were developed and even included a note that the entire plan would be void if missiles became an inexpensive and effective means of targeting nuclear weapons. These documents were later released and published under the name Dropshot: The American Plan for World War III Against Russia in 1957 ( ISBN 0-8037-2148-X ).
See also
swell
- Steven T. Ross: American War Plans, 1945-1950: Strategies for Defeating the Soviet Union . Frank Cass, 1996.
Web links
- John J. Reilly, "World War III in 1957" , 1996
- George Hulett, "Cold War Warrior" , Air Classics , August 21, 2004
- "Dropshot" - American Plan for War with the Soviet Union, 1957