V-Force Deterrent Targets
 

I have found reference to the National Plan that identified 98 cities with populations of more than 100,000 as potential deterrent targets - this was a CND site.

I have seen sites citing the SAC 1956 Plan.

And I think I have seen a better UK reference to 38 city targets but blowed if I can find that one on Google or in PPrune. Can anyone point me to that source?

Thanks.

Not before you confirm that you have no live nukes, misfired nukes or empty nuke cases in your possession, Sah!

Well I have no WE177 dust caps. Does that count?

Have you tried reading Silent Deep by Peter Henessey - good discussion there on deterrence criteria and the desired effect. It covers the evolution of the so-called 'Moscow Criteria'.

Are they talking about UK targets? If so CND are making an excellent case for Trident. Keep it up!

JimLad, I am looking only for a particular online source that I think I saw. This was specific to the number of cities that were targeted in the National Plan. I don't think that source has been printed in book form. Having read up on the Moscow Criteria that is an entirely different proposition and relates to deterrence from the much later years.

TTN, they mentioned both but that is not quite the definitive source I seek. Mine will be National Archives.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-targets-1970s


http://static.guim.co.uk/ni/14019813...WEB_060614.pdf

ORAC, thanks, but the first is expected Russian targets in UK, not RAF targets in Russia.

The second is the SAC list and the Bomber Command targets are included in this list. I am looking for the UK plan which I think was just 38 targets. Considering force size at the time and at least 5 targeting Leningrad and at least the same on !Moscow, there would still have been enough left for at least 2 per city.

Apparently there was a small town in West Sussex that was targeted with a 3 Megaton nuke, again and again a Russian planner insisted it should be included because it was significant. After research it appears there was a Tea shop where proprietoress was obnoxious and had been so to some visiting Russians in the 1930's.
They figured revenge is best served 3 megaton hot.

PN,

You might like to look at The book Project Emily, the account of the Thor in RAF service. This is a rather oblique approach to your question but the book does give an insight into target selection vs. system range. If one accepts that the class of target for Thor would share many characteristics with National Plan targets then applying range capabilities for the bombers and pre-allocating obvious targets would probably give a fair indication of the remainder.

YS

I can't believe Wolverhampton was one of their targets. They'd be doing us a favour.

YS, as I said, I know where, it is the political source I seek.

Jeez - they were even going to whack Valley by the looks of that map.
I `spose there's the odd Tonka and other assets stationed there from time to time...

I found it fascinating to read of some of the tactical targets FJs were to take out. I believe I read on this site years ago of pilot visiting the bridge he was to nuke if the baloon went up.

I have a suspicion that this is the 1958 Bomber Command Emergency War Plan; there were 44 targets in 40 cities (more than one target in Moscow and Leningrad, IIRC); the figure of 38 is applicable as this was the estimate of Soviet casualties in millions.

This was referenced in Richard Moore's Nuclear Illusion, Nuclear Reality.

Edit - clearly the source for some of the info Nuclear Weapons: An Accident Waiting to Happen - Guardian (about half way down page, but do a find in page search for '44' and it'll get you there.

PN

Googling SIOP and going from there may get you where you want.

Archimedes, thank you, that is certainly points to confirmation of what I know. I can't check all my sources but in 1958 we were looking really at the 4 Victor Sqns, the Valiant (2-3?), and Vulcan Mk 1/1a, perhaps 11 Sqns?

BB, I am not looking at SIOP and already have the SAC references.

PN
Watchfield

..........and I can't believe Bradford wasn't........maybe they didn't want to do us any favours?

Reminds me of the old Cornish joke

"There's been a huge explosion in Redruth. Did several million pounds worth of improvements".

As an aside, any 90 or 543 crews of the period o n here?