It has long been a rumour – but now we know that the Soviets planned to make Poland a nuclear playing field.
Two daily newspapers on Friday front page documents (still marked ‘Top Secret' as late as 1990) showing that the Soviet Union had nuclear missiles placed in three sites in northwest Poland from 1970 till sometime towards the end of the 1980s.
Each fortress containing the weapons - which were under Soviet control, although to be used by the Polish army - was camouflaged by trees, giving them the appearance of small forests to any satellite photography.
Built between 1967 and 1970 at a cost to Poland of 180 million zlotys, the missiles were pointed at targets in western Europe.
In the event of a war between the West and the Soviet Union the documents, revealed by Dziennik and Gazeta Wyborcza, show that 178 missiles would be fired at Nato countries in Europe, 14 of which had the strength of 500 kilotons (the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 had the strength of only 15 kilotons).
Nuclear wasteland
The newspapers also write that the Soviet Union was seriously considering invading western Europe in the mid-1960s.
Poland would be used as the site of nuclear confrontation, leaving the country a radioactive wasteland.
General William Odom, Chief of US Military Intelligence under the Reagan administration, is quoted in Dziennik as saying:
“[Poland] became a nuclear target of Nato’s. At the moment of a Soviet invasion, Nato nuclear missiles would be aimed at central and western Poland, in an attempt to stop the march of Soviet troops."
25 comments:
Quite scary to be honest. What's more scary is that those weapons are still somewhere in Russia, deep into Russia. Of course, that's if Russia didn't sell those to other countries.
Good point. Just when Poland got rid of these things I cannot work out, from the articles. And where di they go? Huge bombs which could take out cities. Most of them seem to have a quite short range - so we are looking at west germany.
Shocking news! Nuclear superpowers stocking weapons near the expected combact theatre!
Film at 11.
(Seriously, this stuff has been known for years. Go read the Parallel History Project website for example).
Take out a European city, with what in mind?
And now Poland will be a missile base for the US.
Opamp
Certainly the evening TV news didn’t think it was worth covering. But I don’t think you should be so dismissive…the ‘news’ I think is the documents – which appear to be declassified some time late last year.
It shows clearly that Poland (and Poles) were seen as expendable in Soviet eyes. The country was seen by Moscow as a bit of land between it and NATO. There were no Soviet troops in 1967 in Czechoslovakia….so the missiles were the forward defense (offense).
But thanks for the Parallel History Project site….very interesting.
Beatroot,
I still won't take the blame for Yalta; but the irony of the British maybe having to nuke the country we joined WWII to defend is incredible, don't you think?
Yes, it is ....well...an irony? Paradox?
And I don't think we can blame Scotland for Yalta!
It shows clearly that Poland (and Poles) were seen as expendable in Soviet eyes.
In their eyes, even their own people are expendable, so this is nothing new.
As a side note: did you know that NATO had a first use policy, because it was expected that NATO forces would be quickly defeated by conventional means only?
And the real irony here is we have always liked the British more than the Russians.
I guess Bush, et. al, now see the Poles as expendible, too, with the missile bases being planned on Polish soil.
The newspapers also write that the Soviet Union was seriously considering invading western Europe in the mid-1960s.
Indeed, they write that, although their source is US admiral Ralph Reed, and not a Soviet general.
I think Reed is wrong. Soviet plans were always about taking over parts of Western Europe by winning democratic elections by Communist parties (primarily in Italy and France), and only then invading the rest of Western Europe. But the growing economic prosperity in Western Europe threw a money wrench into their plans, and so by the 1960's, they turned their attention towards formenting revolutions in the Third World.
In fact, the Soviet were far more afraid that the West would invade THEM. Their entire military strategy was defensive, rather than offensive. They were convinced that Communism would take over the West, but that US might strike at Moscow in desperation at the last moment, as US workers were marching on the Whitwe House and the Capitol Hill...
But I could be wrong. When all Soviet archives will be open, maybe we will find that Moscow really was SERIOUSLY planning an attack (as opposed to drawing plans, just in case). But it would be a big surprise to me.
Sonia
You say that the source was from an American, and I think that is indeed a weakness in the reports. I want to see more concrete Soviet evidence. But then you say:
But the growing economic prosperity in Western Europe threw a money wrench into their plans
It would be more accurate to say that growing prosperity PLUS the ‘welfare consensus’ that the European countries came to after the war – on both left and right - which diminished support for communism. Another factor of course was that the communist parties in Europe were all Stalinist (certainly up until 1956) which didn’t hep them any, either.
At a time when the US are planning building military bases in Poland and you post some re-hashed half baked piece on what may or may not have happened in 1960. Open your eyes and see that there's another arms race being hatcheted up now in Poland's own back yard.
Aon: don't be so fucking ignorant.
In the first place, there is nothing ‘half baked’ about the above story at all. It’s based on now unclassified documents which show that Poland was nothing more than a buffer to the West for the Soviets and one that they could afford to make into a nuclear desert! Just think of the millions of lives that would have affected here.
Secondly, if you are referring to the anti-missile system that the US is planning for Poland and Czech then I was covering that story as far back as NOVEMBER 2005
http://beatroot.blogspot.com/2005/11/still-hard-sell.html
....14 months ago!!!!!
Now don’t be sooo childish and go and play on someone else’s blog.
Most all fascists think that all socialists, liberals, and anybody to the left of Franco are Stalinists.
[Soviet] entire military strategy was defensive, rather than offensive
http://www.php.isn.ethz.ch/collections/colltopic.cfm?lng=en&id=16239&navinfo=15365
Description: This war plan provides describes the operations of the Czechoslovak People's Army in wartime. Under the scenario, the NATO countries launch surprise nuclear strikes against the main political and economic centers of Czechoslovakia. It also assumes that the combat actions of both NATO and Warsaw Pact troops in the initial period of war will have the character of forward contact battles. It offers conclusions as to the anticipated opposing NATO units and enemy war aims. The document lists the specific tasks and lines of advance for major elements of the Czechoslovak People's Army, with the main axis of attack concentrated in the direction of Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Strasbourg, and Epinal, and with the aim of holding the areas of Langres, Besançon, and Epinal one week after the outbreak of war.
Nestor Makhno,
Most all fascists think that all socialists, liberals, and anybody to the left of Franco are Stalinists
I would say it differently:
Soviet gulags were full of people to the left of Franco who weren't Stalinists...
the communist parties in Europe were all Stalinist... which didn’t help them any...
You're very funny, Beatroot...
It's a bit like saying 'Green parties are concerned about environment', or 'Catholic parties are religious', or 'feminist parties care about women's rights'...
Stalinism is the ESSENCE of Communism, Beatroot. Somebody who claims to be AGAINST Stalin, but FOR Communism, doesn't really know anything about either. And ends up with an ax inside his skull, like Trotsky, or dead in a Siberian gulag, like Trotsky's supporters.
Opamp,
Under the scenario, the NATO countries launch surprise nuclear strikes
Thanks for proving my point. But the essence of my argument wasn't that the Soviet Union was peace-loving, but that their PRIMARY strategy was about taking over the capitalist countries from the inside, and not through military invasions. When they deviated from that strategy (Poland in 1920, Finland in 1939, Afghanistan in 1979), it was always a huge disaster for them.
Thanks for proving my point.
Except that the plan is written this way that NATO strike is not a prerequisite; it is an offensive plan, disguised as a counterattack plan. Since when a defensive action would require the Czech army to conquer and hold Besancon and Lyon?
I think that the main significance of this report is to give the lie to the ridiculous Russian propaganda that it didn't dominate the countries of Eastern Europe or hold them as slave states but only had "relations" with them through the USSR and Warsaw Pact. America can't stick ICMBs in France under the aegis of NATO without the French people knowing about it and approving it, but Russia could do so in Poland because Poland was, in fact, a conquered slave state.
Yet, to this day Russians can't figure out why Poles distrust and dislike them. Hence, Russia goes it alone in the world, following a road that leads to its demise.
ya
i understand that u all smart and stuff. and u know everything, hmm
and i agree with anyone who says that soviet leader were, well, stupid.
BUT. sayin that how horrible it is that they gona kill millions in poland coz they dont care coz its only polish ppl will die?!?! :)
Those leades, general, whatever, werent THAT stupid. it wasnt bout poland, they knew that if they start firing ... everyone will die! who give a crap about polan or london or give me the name and that city-country too.
We all would DIE. daaamn....
as someone said there : the news was about documents not poles or whoever else
Fuck the US!!!
Hi! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you
knew where I could locate a captcha plugin for my comment form?
I'm using the same blog platform as yours and I'm having problems
finding one? Thanks a lot!
my web-site bankruptcy in florida
vous pouvez vérifier ici YSL Dolabuy sites Dolabuy Bottega Veneta plus de conseils ici www.dolabuy.ru
click o0w46j5m83 7a replica bags wholesale replica bags wholesale mumbai a0p33s1n44 replica bags manila see here u9m99f3e00 replica bags bangkok replica bags chicago fake hermes t6o74q8e25 7a replica bags philippines
Post a Comment