So the west attacks Syria in the end....

[MyUserName]

The use of those weapons did not constitute a step change to nuclear war, the weapons were treated as very powerful weapons in their own right. Nuclear war as a concept didn't exist at the time, the bombs were just another secret weapon in the US arsenal.

I am not sure how secret they were. Stalin, at least, knew about them and when he saw their power Operation Unthinkable was not required as he did not realise we had used them all and changed his plans. Although EO knows a fair bit more than I do about WW2 so you might have more joy pumping him than me.

Aren't nuclear weapons still are treated as very powerful weapons in their own right - surely that is why we have the name 'nuclear war' as opposed to normal/conventional war. Or are you referring to whether nuclear weapon are used in a strategic or tactical manner?

[GlenW]

'Call me Dave' needs some dead squaddies before next year's election. He'll send the RAF in now and around February/March time next year he'll say ground forces are needed. That way he can call on the last refuge of a scoundrel, patriotism, to garner some extra votes.

[Churchill]

I am not sure how secret they were. Stalin, at least, knew about them and when he saw their power Operation Unthinkable was not required as he did not realise we had used them all and changed his plans. Although EO knows a fair bit more than I do about WW2 so you might have more joy pumping him than me.

Aren't nuclear weapons still are treated as very powerful weapons in their own right - surely that is why we have the name 'nuclear war' as opposed to normal/conventional war. Or are you referring to whether nuclear weapon are used in a strategic or tactical manner?

Read up on the U.S Single Integrated Operational Plan.

[minestrone]

They are a bunch of fruitcakes who need sorted out.

Bomb the feckers I say.

[Churchill]

They are a bunch of fruitcakes who need sorted out.

Bomb the feckers I say.

But 55% of you voted to stay in the Union.

[TykeMerc]

That's true, but Churchill isn't into facts he prefers his own bulltulip.

That's rich pot-kettle etc. You NEVER ignore facts that get in the way of your argument do you?

As to the region, quite frankly it's so full of maniacs using religion as an excuse to be downright murderous to anyone that doesn't act in exactly their special way towards the imaginary sky fairy that it's beyond hope.
Maybe since NWP2C is so attached to the region, it's people and charming ways he could go over and sort the whole mess out and save us all a lot of hassle and expense (losing his bullcrap posts would just be a welcome side effect).

Quite frankly given the choice I'd use the Kenny Everett approach involving putting the entire population of the region in a field and ..... ,but I suspect that plan won't ever be implemented as it may be called a tad radical or extreme.

[MyUserName]

Read up on the U.S Single Integrated Operational Plan.

Why? It was instigated after WW2 and was rescinded over a decade ago. Besides it just formalises the use of the most powerful weapons they had available, not sure what that brings to the conversation. Can you clarify, please?

[Churchill]

Why? It was instigated after WW2 and was rescinded over a decade ago. Besides it just formalises the use of the most powerful weapons they had available, not sure what that brings to the conversation. Can you clarify, please?

The SIOP was put in place to ensure that the Soviet Union would be laid to waste whatever happened to the United States. It didn't allow for escalation, it was an all or nothing plan.

Escalation to Nuclear War is beyond the appetite of all world leaders as its primary role would be to wipe out civilians.

[CheeseSlice]

Didn't WW2 escalate into a nuclear war from conventional? Also, isn't that the only time they were used in war?

The depressing thing is that they weren't actually needed to win the war. Truman sold the bombings as 'shortening' the war, so fewer people died as a result.

This is not far from the logic Tony Blair uses for the numbers killed in his long Iraq war. As Saddam was already letting so many of his people die under his rule, he reckoned fewer would die each year in the aftermath.

[TykeMerc]

The depressing thing is that they weren't actually needed to win the war. Truman sold the bombings as 'shortening' the war, so fewer people died as a result.

This is not far from the logic Tony Blair uses for the numbers killed in his long Iraq war. As Saddam was already letting so many of his people die under his rule, he reckoned fewer would die each year in the aftermath.

To be fair invading mainland Japan to end the Pacific war would have been far from trivial as the Japanese had proven that fighting to the last man was standard operating procedure.
The casualties involved (when added up from both sides) and the time to eventual success could have been monumental, however we will never know the truth on that front.