what's the deal yo! you telling me that the nuke didn't even make the top 10? I am new to the site so if the nuke is excluded, I apologize but what the hell. What's everyone afraid of??? It's the nuke. why are we up in arms when a new country (North Korea, Pakistan, India...etc.) achieves nuclear power status? Nuke = Dead...you can't run you can't hide...there's no escape. If the initial blast doesn't kill you the radiation fall out will. the total destruction is so certain that just the mere thought affects the actions of nations. PLEASE give me the reason why the nuke is not on the list.
I believe the list was weapons since WW2. The atomic weapon was during it. Now, if you meant the hydrogen bomb, I'd agree with you, since it was developed after the war. If you noticed though, a nuclear delivery system made the list.
YESSSS! EXACTLY! how can they leave the nuclear bomb out of the list!? if they can put a nuclear carrier as #1, then why the freaking hell would they leave out the actual NUCLEAR BOMB out!? I'm also new to this but correct me if i'm wrong, but c'mon! The nuclear bomb is THE most destuctive weapon on Earth! What was the biggest scare dring the Cold War? The production of the nuclear bomb. What ENDED WW11? The nuclear bomb! What weapon, to this day, could possibly be the destructive enough to completly wipe out the human race and leave the Earth in complete ruin? THE NUCLEAR BOMB. PLEASE if you have an anwer, CORRECT ME.
Originally posted by DeitySukhoi: It ended WW2....
So? Bob's point still stands. Nothing we do tactically or operationally is really affected or centered around nuclear weapons or the threat of their use.
Some historians have even doubted if the Bomb even ended WWII. The fire bombing of Tokyo killed more Japanese and caused more destruction than at Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
But in August, 1945 the Soviets declared war and overran northern Korea.
Yes and some others have said that they wanted to surrender unconditionally after the first bomb dropped. But they were using the Russians as a proxy to talk to us, and they switched up the message by telling us that Japan would surrender conditionally.
More food for thought. We have known about the Japanese Army's A-bomb ;roject, and it was pretty anemic. But it seems the Navy had their own project in Korea that was much more advanced. They may actually had a "Trinity" test shot on an island off Haiphong.
If true, I think the Japanese might be willing to trade a couple of cities for a 20 KT bomb in the middle of the Sixth Fleet.
All good points are being made regarding an nuclear weapon (air or rocket launched) being the primary change the world weapon, but in keeping with the shows #1 selection.......how do you put an aircraft carrier ahead of a Trident submarine. As a retired submariner it seems logical that sense any surface vessel has a life expectancy of mere minutes in an environment controlled by todays submarines, coupled with 24 Trident missiles with multiple, independent nuclear weapons each could even make the list. Lets understand what real sea, and air and land power is.....hundreds of mushroom clouds and no way to defend against them.....thats true deterrance, and that is what ended the cold war! MM1(SS)-Ret.
Bob......final comment, you indicated that Nuclear weapons had zero impact on how wars are fought and I agree they had less impact than the nuclear powered submarine, but please consider a more basic argument; Nuclear weapons had a HUGE impact on IF wars were fought!
SSBN 726 OHIO CLASS BEATS EVERYTHING 24 tridents and a dozen Tomahalks to spice things up. No B52 or flat top can deliver a 24 MRV's into a 7000 mile radius without anyone knowing it's coming. That's number one; REO
Originally posted by Bob Lyle: The nuclear bomb has had ZERO influence on how wars are fought.
It has changed WHICH wars are fought, but the program was not about national policy.
Then explain how the Russian R-7 made the list, it has never been used in combat either...
I agree with this thread, how can the hydrogen bomb,or any nuclear device for that matter not make the list? The appache has been more influential than the hydrogen bomb, wtf?
why are you guys so obsessed with the trident sub? and Bob what are you talking about the Nuke ended WW2 and started the cold war, which changed our military completely through advances. I can see why the H bomb didnt make it because it hasnt been as influencial. And roboneill why would you need 24? We only needed 2 to end the biggest war ever. And you can have almost anything carry a nuke
There was little support for surrender among the very militant Japanese government, remember that American air attacks had already destroyed nearly all the Japanese cities. More were killed in the Tokyo firebombing than in either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. But in August, about the same time as the Bombing, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and swept into Korea. At the time we gave the credit to our A-bombs, but historians are not so sure anymore
And nuclear weapons have had no influence on tactics or operations.
but remember it is weapons that have changed the world not weapons that changed military tactics. Ok so lets play it from your point of view. The A bomb didnt end the war... It still started the cold war which is where we got alot of our modern day weapon system ideas, it also led to nuclear reactors which hey are the ones that run the Nimitz class.
