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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

gisterme - 10:41pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5050 of 5069)

alty53 wrote: ".........after Hiroshima and Nagasaki the US was unable to build another fission weapon until 1947 because it had run out of U and Pu..."

You think. That's manufactured stuff though. Americans are unmatched in their ability to make what they need quickly. Even a BMD!

"...second, the armys of the USSR numbered more than 250 divisions in eastern Europe as opposed to about 80 divisions in western Europe..."

That might be so, atly, but their supply lines were VERY long and virtually unprotected. There wasn't enough Luftwaffe left in the last couple of years of the war to exploit that weakness. Most of that was buisy trying to protect Germany. And of course, the massive supply convoys that unloaded at Murmansk would have ceased.

"...third, the USSR had 4 years of battle experience against the best of the Nazi forces as opposed to the US and British 1 year in France fighting against 16 year old German kids in stripped down divisions and a 2 year stalemate in Italy ..."

And the Soviet armies got smashed and captured en masse for the first couple of years. Don't forget that the Soviets were fighting stripped down German divions of 16 year olds too in the last year or so. Do you suppose the fact that the US and British air forces had bombed the heart of Germany to rubble along with most of its industrial capacity (not to mention destroying the creme of the Luftwaffe) had nothing to do with the quick Soviet advance after their great victory at Kursk? Germany was a near empty shell by then.

The Brits and Americans had most of the air war experience (Brits MORE than four years, Americans four years in TWO theaters). Plus the British and Americans had classes of aircraft and numbers of quality pilots that the Soviets would not have been able to match any more than the Germans did. Having Soviet factories located east of the Urals would not have saved them from allied bombers because they had enough range to get there. The Soviets had no equivalent strategic bombing force. T-55s were awsome tanks but they had to be built somewhere. And they were no less vulnerable to air attack than the German Leopards and Panthers were. Those were slaughtered in the west by aircraft.

"...fourth, if Truman let Patton go up against Zukov, Zukov would have been on the English Channel in two weeks..."

Not without air superiority. The air superiority that the Soviets enjoyed over the tattered remains of the Luftwaffe during the last couple of years of the war would have vanished instantly. Of course there was nothing much to stop the Allies from invading the USSR from the East once Japan was crushed. I'm not sure how many American divisions were available in the Pacific, but I suspect that plenty were in reserve for the planned invasion of Japan.

I mean to take nothing away from the heroic work done by Marshal Zhukov and the Red Army. It's just that your assumptions seem based on oversimplification, atly. With or without nukes.

I'm glad that fight didn't happen. But if it had, things would have been settled back then and there wouldn't have been a cold war.

possumdag - 11:41pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5051 of 5069)
Possumdag@excite.com

Doormat: Queen Victoria bred her way through Europe!

----

An Australian women in Europe at the beginning of the War (1939) noted that Jews were being tied to wheels ... aghast! .. she determined to do whatever she could to fight the Nazi.

In fact she became the Nazis most wanted woman, under the code name 'white mouse' - she set up routes for fallen pilots to exit France. She hates the concept of Nazi-ism ... the arrogance of people believing they are a 'superior race' didn't go down well with an Aussie - reared on the concept of 'a fair go' for all people.

Nancy is quite happy to demonstrate her technique of breaking Nazi necks - impromtu!

THE WHITE MOUSE.
WAKE, NANCY.
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Macmillan, Melbourne
1985 HardCover 206 pp, black and white plates, fine copy in like d/j.

TrueColours/WWII-film

possumdag - 11:44pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5052 of 5069)
Possumdag@excite.com

There's a concept that MD is a stocktake of armaments ... whereas it's actually a stocktake of minds ... the concept of a peaceful world is mindblowing !

almarst-2001 - 11:46pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5053 of 5069)

gisterme,

I think its useless to argue about why the USSR and the US did not collided in fight right at the end of the WWII. All would be just speculations.

What I dispise is the Dirac's notion on how "generows" it was for US to spare the Russia from nuclear attack. Right at the moment of the great victory as alias. I consider this kind of logic ultimatly AMMORAL and EVIL.

As for the question on "Why the Cold War happend", I still didn't get a clear answer. One thing I am sure about - It was NOT a fight of US to promote the democracy. The Cold War history have show the great tolerance of US to bloody totalitarian dictatorships (politely;). And still does. Nor was it out of the fear in US of attack from Russia (Europe may be a different story).

The reasons may be more then one, including the desire by US to control the Europe.

What you and dirac may not realise, the "romantic" image of "free and democratic" America populated by a simple and stright talking and acting hard-working folks is past. The last piece of this picture was shuttered in Serbia two years ago.

I sincerelly believe, just like the USSR after the ivasion of Chechoslovakia, that was a crucial event in modern US history. And possibly with the same cosequences.

At least I hope so.

almarst-2001 - 11:48pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5054 of 5069)

Here is the first sign:

BERLIN (AP) -- The German government said Wednesday it will cut defense spending next year, despite pressure from the United States and NATO to step up spending for better military training and equipment. - http://www.newsday.com/ap/text/international/ap734.htm

possumdag - 11:48pm Jun 13, 2001 EST (#5055 of 5069)
Possumdag@excite.com

Film:TrueColours:Synopsis :A World War II thriller of a beautiful woman's battle against the German occupation forces in France. This is the true story of Nancy Wake, who received the Croix De Guerre and the American Medal of Freedom with Bronze Palm for her fantastic exploits during the war.

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