Atom
Bomb
Also pioneer infantry delivery and support missions using helicopters.
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| Developement of the Vertical Battlefield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 December 1941. Japanese launch a long-range three-dimensional naval task force against Pearl Harbor, including 6 Aircraft carriers and 30 submarines. Considered a tactical success, it was ultimatley deemed a strategic blunder. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Pearl Harbor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 December 1941. U.S. Navy submarine campaign begins against Japan. After a slow and dubious start, the submarine force ultimately shatters the Japanese economy. Submarines comprising barley 1.6 percent of the Navy sink 55 percent of all Japanese shipping sank in WWII. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Pacific Battle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Summer 1944. The Me262 "Swallow" or "Stormbird" was the worlds first operation Jet fighter, beginning the jet age. Developed in 1939 it was happily another weapons system badly managed by Adolf Hitler. When in operation it was 100 MPH faster than any other aircraft in the world. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jet Aircraft | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 June 1944. One week after D-Day, Germany launched the first of its V "Vengance" weapons. The V-1 flying bomb was effectively the first cruise missile. An estimated 9,250 were fired. They proved vulnerable to AAA, British Meteor Jets and barrage balloons. Still around 2,500 "buzz bombs" reached London, terrorizing the population. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cruise Missile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| September 1944. The V-2 was a rocket that arced through the stratosphere and closed iots target at Mach 5. France was being over run so the bases had to be abandoned. Over 1,000 of them with 2.000 pound warheads were showered on London from moble launchers with devastating effect. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ballistic Missile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1945. United States first to develope the Atomic Bomb, beating Japan, Germany and England. Drops it on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, causing the Japanese to surrender. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Atom Bomb |
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| 1947. United States successfully tests the first submarine launched cruise missile. The Loon Missile is a copy of the Nazi V-1 flying bomb. Loon is deployed on fleet subs and paves the way for the highly successful Regulus design. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Loon Missile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 August 1949. Soviets finally develope an atomic bomb after an espionage campaign that began in 1942. The test known as "First Lightening" culminated in the successful detonation of a fission type nuclear device. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Soviet Atomic Bomb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1950. The First widespread use of helicopters in combat. The United States proves there usefulness in Medevac and Rescue ops. Also pioneer infantry delivery and support missions using helicopters. |
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| The Korean War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 September 1954. USS NAUTILUS was commissioned. The worlds first nuclear powered submarine, it was a revolutionary and stable design. RADAR and vivual based aircraft patrol were now obsolete. ASW had to be completely redesigned. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| USS NAUTILUS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 August 1957. Soviets launch their first Nuclear submarine. Manages to traverse the North pole. A rushed design due to the underwater arms race, her career was sketchy and ended in a disastrous fire with 39 dead in 1967. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| K-3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1961 to 1975. United States developes a new airborne doctrine involving the helicopter, based on experience from the Korean War. Known as "vertical envelopement", the new "Airmobile" technique delivers light infantry direct to the battlefield. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Vietnam War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| From 1979 to 1989, the Soviet Union supports communist forces in Afghanistan against Muslim theocratic forces. USSR commits large number of air and ground forces. United States supplies cheap surface-to-air missiles to Muslim forces. The shouder fired weapons prove devastatingly effective. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Afghan-Soviet War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983. U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces the Strategic Defense Initiative. He planned to develope a spaceborne ICBM defense system that would knock-out ballistic missiles in flight. Opponents dubbed the system "Star Wars" and it was widely ridiculed by the left. After the disintegration of the USSR, Soviet Premier Gorbachev would describe SDI as the final straw causing the fall of western communism and ending the Cold War. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SDI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||