As Soviet propagandists said:

“In 1949, the Dropshot plan was born. His main strategic goal was “to destroy the Soviet will and ability to resist through a strategic offensive, in cooperation with our allies.”

The plan included starting a war against the USSR with massive strikes strategic aviation in the administrative, political and industrial centers of our country, as well as in areas where troops are concentrated. At the first stage, it was planned to drop 300 atomic and 200 thousand tons of conventional bombs on the USSR within 30 days. The authors of the plan hoped in this way to break the will and ability of the Soviet people to resist, to force Soviet Union to surrender."

First of all, this is not a plan for a US attack on the USSR, but a plan of action for the US after the USSR attack on the countries of the Western world.

Basic assumption of the plan (BASICASSUMPTION) – “on or about January 1, 1957, the United States will be involved in a war against the USSR due to an act of aggression by the USSR and its satellites”.

The plan was based on a report from the US National Security Council dated November 23, 1948, which stated:

“The desire and ability of the leadership of the USSR to pursue policies that threaten the security of the United States creates the greatest danger for the United States in the foreseeable future.

Communist ideology and Soviet behavior clearly demonstrate the ultimate goal of the USSR leadership - to dominate the entire world. The Soviet leadership decided that the CPSU (b) was the militant vanguard of the world proletariat, leading it to political power, and that the USSR, based on the world communist movement, would not be safe until non-communist countries were reduced in strength and numbers so that communist influence has become dominant throughout the world. The immediate and main goal of the USSR after World War II was the political conquest of Western Europe. The resistance of the United States is regarded by the leadership of the USSR as the main obstacle to achieving these goals.”

In 1948, the US National Security Council assessed the capabilities of the USSR as follows:

“The USSR, not having the strength to strike directly at US territory, is capable of using significant submarine forces and a number of bombers (one-way missions).

According to the latest intelligence estimates, the Soviet Army is capable of capturing the entire continental Europe and the Middle East up to Cairo in 6 months, and at the same time occupying the main continental part of the Far East. At the same time, the UK could become the target of heavy bombing and missile strikes.

The capture of these regions will greatly strengthen the military potential of the USSR, will give them the opportunity to concentrate their forces there, which will create an unacceptable threat to the security of the United States.

The US National Security Council in 1948 believed that

“Not later than 1955, the USSR will be able to launch air strikes on the United States using atomic, biological and chemical weapons, as well as conduct active submarine operations (including launches of short-range guided missiles), and airborne operations to capture forward bases.

Further in the report, the National Security Council strongly recommends, in the process of waiting for aggression from the USSR, to increase the economic potential of the United States, fight against communist spies, saboteurs and subversive elements, and also help the countries of the Western world.

In the next section of the plan (SPECIALASSUMPTIONS– other guesses)talks about probable allies, probable neutrals and probable adversaries in the forthcoming war.

Allies - NATO countries (USA, Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Portugal), non-communist China, the countries of the British Commonwealth (except India and Pakistan), the Philippines.

Neutrals - Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, Arab League countries (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen), Israel, Iran, India, Pakistan.It was assumed that in the event of an attack by the USSR or in the event of a serious threat from the USSR, they could become allies. However, further in the same section of the plan it is assumed that these countries, in the event of their occupation by any of the parties, deal with it and will fight. Germany, Austria and Japan are considered as already occupied countries that will not fight, but their territories will be used for military purposes.

Opponents - in addition to the USSR, its satellites: Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, communist China. It was assumed that Yugoslavia would try to be neutral and even possibly resist the invasion of the USSR or its satellites.

Section 5 of the plan – “Highest strategic task” (OVERALLSTRATEGICCONCEPT). Contents in full:

“Together with our allies, achieve the results of the war - eliminate the USSR’s ability to conduct military operations by conducting a strategic offensive in Western Europe and strategically defending in the Far East.

Original: Protect the Western Hemisphere. Start airstrikes. Limit the armed forces of the USSR within: North Pole – Greenland Sea – Norwegian Sea – North Sea – Rhine River – Alps – Piave River – Adriatic Sea – Crete – Southeast Turkey – Tigris River Valley – Persian Gulf – Himalayas – Southeast Asia – South China Sea – East -China Sea – Sea of ​​Japan – Tsugaru Strait – Bering Sea – Bering Strait – North Pole. Protect and control important strategic areas, bases, lines of communication. Conduct psychological, economic and underground war. Constantly put pressure on the Soviet citadel, using all methods to maximize the expenditure of the USSR's resources.

Then: Launch coordinated offensive operations against the USSR by all means necessary.”

In the 6th section of the plan - “Main activities” (BASICUNDERTAKINGS). Contents in full:

"Together with our allies:

a. Protect the Western Hemisphere.

b. Conduct air strikes on Soviet forces.

c. Defend Britain.

d. Defend as much territory as possible Western Europe.

e. Conduct offensive operations to destroy enemy military naval forces, naval bases and other shipping.

f. To protect the sea and air lines of communication necessary for the fulfillment of the highest strategic task in the future.

g. Defend foreign bases necessary for the fulfillment of the highest strategic task in the future.

h. To increase the total strength of the armed forces to carry out subsequent offensive operations against the Soviet troops.

i. To provide the necessary assistance to our allies to support their contribution to the fulfillment of the highest strategic goal.

In the next section of the plan (PHASEDCONCEPTOFOPERATIONS) describes the stage-by-stage course of the war, consisting of four phases:

"Phase I . From the beginning of the war until it stopped ( stabilization ) initial attack Soviet army, including the start of Allied air strikes.

Phase II .From stopping the initial offensive of the Soviet Army to the start of the main offensive operations of the Allies by all branches of the military.

Phase III . From the start of the main offensive operations to the announcement of the surrender of the USSR.

Phase IV . Establishing control and accepting the terms of delivery.”

In the first phase - protection of the Western Hemisphere; conducting air operations against the USSR; operations against Soviet naval forces; defense of Britain; holding the front along the Rhine - Alps - Piave River line; holding the front along the line southeast of Turkey - the Tigris River valley - the Persian Gulf; retention of maximum possible territories in the Middle East and South-East Asia; retention of Japan (except for the island of Hokkaido);protection of communications; waging psychological warfare.

Each of the points of this phase is described in more detail. For example, in the defense of the Western Hemisphere, among other things, there is the defense of oil refineries on the islands of Aruba, Curacao, and Trinidad. Among the operations against the Soviet naval forces are mining in the Baltic, Barents, White, Black, Adriatic seas and in the Turkish straits.

The first of the four subparagraphs of the paragraph on air operations in the first phase of the war mentions the use of nuclear weapons:

“Start, as soon as possible after the start of the war, strategic air strikes, using atomic and conventional bombs, on Soviet facilities where weapons of mass destruction are produced; along lines of communication, supply bases, places of concentration of troops in the USSR, its satellites and in the regions captured by them, in order to slow down the offensive actions of the Soviet Army; as well as on fuel, energy and metallurgical facilities in the USSR.Attacks from bases in the United States, Alaska, Okinawa, Britain and from the Cairo-Suez-Aden region, as well as, if possible, from aircraft carriers.

It is easy to see that the plan does not mention the duration of the phases of the war, and also does not give the number of atomic bombs (unlike the Soviet propagandists, who confidently broadcast about “300 American atomic bombs within 30 days”). Actually, the whole essence of the American plan is to be ready for aggression from the USSR, around January 1, 1957, in three strategic directions at once: the invasion of the Soviet Army into Western Europe (from Norway to Greece), the Middle East (from Turkey and Iran to Egypt ), as well as in Asia (instant capture of the Japanese island of Hokkaido and South Korea).

It is curious that the American plan assumed that immediately after the start of the war, the Soviet Army would apparently occupy Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, West Germany, Austria, Greece, Turkey, Iran, as well as South Korea and the island of Hokkaido without any problems. The American plan does not even say a word about trying to hold on to these countries and territories.

The second volume of the Dropshot plan covers military power USSR and its satellites.

"Ground troops

i.It is estimated that in 1957 the Soviet Armed Forces would number about 3.8 million Human. The Soviet ground forces will probably have 2.2 million fighters. An extensive program of reorganization and rearmament is underway to bring a large number of divisions to Western standards, and in particular to increase the strength of the armored forces and convert most units from horse-drawn to motorized.

ii.According to this assessment, in 1957 the strike forces of the Soviet Army will consist of 12 rifle divisions, 60 motorized rifle divisions, 30 mechanized divisions, 24 tank divisions, 9 cavalry divisions, and 20 artillery and air defense divisions. In total - 155 divisions.

iii.Presumably, by 1957, the armies of Soviet European satellites will total 115 divisions. Of these, about 40% can be used in combat. In addition, in the Far East, Mongolian troops will number 80 thousand, and communist Chinese troops approximately 1.45 million fighters.

iv.On the day the war began in 1957, the disposition of Soviet divisions could be as follows:

West of the USSR - 70 divisions

Occupied part of Western Europe - 15 divisions

South of the USSR (Caucasus) – 15 divisions

Center of the USSR (from the Urals to Baikal) - 10 divisions

South Center of the USSR (Tashkent) – 5 divisions

Far East of the USSR (east of Lake Baikal) - 20 divisions"

(For comparison: in May 1945, the Armed Forces of the USSR had 517 rifle and motorized rifle divisions, 47 mechanized brigades, 147 tank brigades, 26 cavalry divisions, 117 artillery and air defense divisions, and 9 airborne divisions.)

However, American planners believed that the USSR, having started an offensive war in three strategic directions at once (Western Europe, the Middle East, the Far East) with only 155 divisions, would increase their number to 248 within 30 days, and a year after the start of the war - up to more than 500.

General American assessment of the forces of the USSR and its European satellites (in divisions,D-Day– beginning of the war):

The number of Soviet divisions does not include divisions of internal troops and air defense divisions. Regarding Yugoslavia, American planners assumed that it might try to remain neutral or even resist the troops of the USSR and its satellites.

The plan further evaluates the Soviet naval forces in detail. American planners believed that by 1957 the USSR would especially strengthen its submarine fleet. In 1949, the number of Soviet submarines was estimated at 300-350 ocean-type units and 200-300 coastal-type units. It was pointed out that the USSR had absolutely no battleships and aircraft carriers, and that they were unlikely to appear by 1957.

The strength of the USSR air force in 1949 was estimated at 17 thousand aircraft: tactical aviation (bombers, attack aircraft, transport aircraft) - 10 thousand units, long-range aviation (bombers and transport aircraft) - 1.8 thousand, fighters - 2.1 thousand, naval aviation (all types) – 3.1 thousand.American planners assumed that by 1957 the size and composition of the Soviet Air Force was unlikely to change significantly.

The nuclear potential of the USSR in the plan assumes no more than 250 atomic bombs by 1957.

The plan states that it is not certain that the USSR could use biological weapons, but it assumes that there is a theoretical basis for this, and it should be feared.

Regarding the chemical weapons of the USSR, the plan says more specifically:“in addition to the already existing reserves of poisonous gases, the USSR will be able to produce in larger quantities and more lethal ones, as well as the means of using them”.

The plan also envisages the use of missile weapons by the USSR armed forces. In air defense - anti-aircraft missiles created on the basis of German missileswasserfall, Schmetterling, Rheintochter. Surface-to-surface missiles - based on the German V-1 and V-2 missiles (range 1100 km and 750 km). V-1 missiles can also be launched from Soviet submarines. Air-to-ground missiles, based on German missiles Hs-293 . Air-to-air missiles - based on German missiles Hs-117-H, Hs-298 . Nothing is assumed about the likelihood of the creation of the USSR by 1957 of missiles with a range significantly greater than those of the V-1 and V-2.

The next section of the American plan is about the capabilities of the USSR (SOVIETCAPABILITIES). It assumed:

“In the case of the defense of Western Europe only by the own forces of the European countries, without the help American army and without American airstrikes, the USSR would probably be able to occupy all of continental Europe (except Spain and Portugal) in 2.5-3.5 months. Invading the Near and Middle East, the Soviet Army will seize oil production areas in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran within 3 months. The capture of Turkey by the Soviet Army will be completed within 6 months. The Suez Canal would be captured by the USSR within a year of the start of the war. It will take the Soviet Army less than a month to occupy South Korea and the Japanese island of Hokkaido.”

Regarding the actions of the USSR against Britain, the plan assumed:

"An attack on the British Isles, probably at the same time as common beginning USSR aggression will consist of air strikes Soviet aviation long-range, possibly with the use of weapons of mass destruction. British ports and sea communications will also be attacked through aircraft and submarines. Massive acts of sabotage should be expected. After the completion of the capture of Northern and Western Europe by the Soviet Army, the beginning of the Soviet invasion is likely landing forces to the British Isles."

About the actions of the USSR against Canada and the USA:

“It is likely that in 1957 the USSR will launch attacks on Canada and the United States, simultaneously with the main operations of the Soviet Army in Europe, the Near and Middle East, and the Far East.

a. It is assumed that air strikes will be carried out on Canada and the United States, possibly using atomic bombs and chemical and biological weapons. Initial surprise attacks could be launched from eastern Siberia, as well as from bases in the northern USSR and Europe.

b. The use of biological and chemical weapons on US territory by Soviet sabotage groups is very possible. It is also possible to use Soviet cargo ships to transport nuclear warheads.

c. Simultaneously with these actions against Canada and the USA, the USSR could seize bases on the islands in the Atlantic and Alaska as bridgeheads.

d. It is unlikely that the USSR will be able to carry out large-scale sea and air assaults on US territory, before preliminary air and submarine strikes on the landing areas. However, numerous landings of sabotage groups to conduct special operations are possible.

e. The Soviet apparatus of espionage and sabotage poses a great threat to the United States. USSR will continue to strengthen this apparatus.

f. Sabotage is one of the most important and effective weapons in the communist arsenal, and it will be used by the USSR even before hostilities begin. It is assumed that the USSR is capable of seriously harming military production in the United States. In this regard, it should be noted that decentralized industry in the United States is highly vulnerable to sabotage if left unprotected.”

This section of the plan also contains the following sub-item:

"6. Caribbean region

a. The main goals of the USSR in the Caribbean region will be the Panama Canal and the most important sea communications for the United States, through which strategic materials are delivered, as well as disruption of oil supplies from Venezuela.

b. The USSR could arrange sabotage by pro-Soviet or Soviet agents in the Panama Canal, as well as in oil production areas in Venezuela and at oil refineries on the Dutch islands of Aruba and Curacao. Perhaps a nuclear charge brought on a Soviet cargo ship will be detonated there. Soviet submarines could seriously interfere with American shipping in that region."

The third volume of the plan talks in more detail about the atomic bombing of targets in the USSR. The categories of targets are again listed - enterprises for the production of weapons of mass destruction, key command and control facilities, main industrial areas, communications nodes, supply bases, areas of troop concentration. There is no specific list of targets (cities or geographic areas) in the plan.

The number of atomic bombs and the duration of the bombings are not specified in the plan. Only the required number of aviation forces for this task is given: 5 groups of heavy bombers and 21 groups of medium bombers (of which 7 groups are British). Each group has 30 aircraft, for a total of 780 bombers.

Results of the review of the “Dropshot” plan:

It is completely clear why the text of this plan, declassified in 1977, was not published in the USSR. Just after reading it, it is clearly clear that this was not a plan for an insidious attack by American imperialism on the peaceful USSR (as Soviet propagandists broadcast), but just a plan of action for the United States after military aggression from the Soviet Union.

The last stage of the Second World War and the prologue of the long Cold War bring our memory back to the following words - Potsdam, Hiroshima, “Dropshot”. The Potsdam Conference of the leaders of the three allied countries, Stalin, Churchill and Truman, took place from July 17 to August 2, 1945. The day before the start of this conference, the Americans tested an experimental nuclear warhead on their territory for the first time in history. And after the meeting, on August 6 and 9, they used similar atomic bombs to turn the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki into ashes. Even then, one was struck by the obvious desire to time the first tests of a new type to the beginning of the “Big Three” meeting, and by the end of the meeting to demonstrate the terrible capabilities of atomic weapons.

All this demonstrated that the Second World War could become the prologue to a war even more terrible and destructive. Thus, only the American plan “Troyan” provided for a massive air strike against the USSR. The bombs were supposed to fall on 20 Soviet cities, on which the aggressor planned to drop 300 nuclear and 20 thousand conventional bombs. If this actually happened, it would become a new, much more terrible “Hiroshima”, the victims of which would be difficult to imagine.

Fast forward to the now distant past for us. There was still a year left before the end of World War II, but experts from the United States were already eager to look into the future. On May 16, 1944, the US Committee of Chiefs of Staff informed the government that after the end of the war the Soviet Union would become powerful country. After this, a clash of economic interests of the USA, Great Britain and the USSR will become quite real. Just before the Yalta Conference in February 1945, the Committee of Chiefs of Staff provided the country's leadership with a more detailed analysis of possible developments. Experts on the other side of the Atlantic believed that after the war, the Soviet Union would be forced to reduce its armed forces to 3 million people in order to free up the labor needed to rebuild the war-torn economy. It was believed that this period would last until 1952 and would be the most opportune time for a possible attack on the USSR.

Relations between the allies slowly but steadily deteriorated. More and more angry articles appeared in the Soviet press, which contained cartoons by Kukryniksy and Boris Efimov, denouncing the “warmongers.” The American press responded with ideological attacks on the Soviet Union. At the same time, the matter was not limited to a furious verbal skirmish in the press. The top US leadership, just a few months after the end of World War II, turned to the military with instructions to develop plans for an attack on the Soviet Union, such treachery from former allies in anti-Hitler coalition.

On November 3, 1945 (that is, just two months after the surrender of Japan), Report No. 329 from the Joint Intelligence Committee was submitted to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff for consideration. The first paragraph of this document read: “Select approximately 20 targets suitable for strategic atomic bombing of the Soviet Union.” In the opinion of American military strategists, the moment was most opportune. The USSR paid for victory in World War II with more than 27 million lives (disputes about the figure continue to this day), while the United States lost less than half a million of its citizens in the war. At the same time, the industrial potential of the states not only did not suffer from the fighting, but also increased immeasurably, thanks to the huge number of military orders. At the end of World War II, the United States accounted for 2/3 of all world industrial production and half of all steel production.

Already on December 14, 1945, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff would issue a directive, which, among other things, noted: “The most effective weapon that the states can use to attack the Soviet Union are the atomic bombs available." The plans that were created at that point in time envisaged achieving decisive success primarily through the massive use of atomic bombs and bombing of the territory of the USSR, which was supposed to undermine the economic potential of the country and cause psychological shock among the army and the population. True, it was recognized that psychologically the bombing could, on the contrary, lead to the rallying of the population of the USSR around its government.

Since the end of 1945, one military plan for the war with the Soviet Union has invariably given way to another. Moreover, each of these plans promised the Americans unconditional victory in the war. There were enough arguments for optimism about a possible conflict, and the most important was that Washington at that time already had a ready-made atomic bomb, and Moscow terrible power I was just creating weapons. The debut American plan for war against the USSR, called “Pincher,” was ready on March 2, 1946. The Middle East was chosen as the likely region of hostilities against the Soviet Union, since it was in this region, according to American military analysts, that the Soviet Union would try to create a barrier to ensure the defense of its most industrially and agriculturally developed regions - Ukraine and the Caucasus. The plan called for a powerful nuclear strike that would lead the United States to victory.

In subsequent years, employees of the American headquarters managed to draw up a huge number of plans, putting their development almost on stream. One after another, the plans for “Bushwhacker”, “Crankshaft”, “Halfmoon”, “Cogville”, “Offtech” were released. In 1948, the Americans presented the Chariotir plan, which included dropping 200 atomic bombs on 70 Soviet cities. Thus, each new day could turn the Cold War into a real planetary conflict. After the formation of the NATO bloc, Washington gained more allies, which means the US military potential increased. At the same time, the plans of the American military became more cruel and cynical.

On December 19, 1949, the Committee of Chiefs of Staff approved one of the most famous plans for military aggression against the USSR, called “Dropshot” (a shortened stroke in tennis), in Lately You can also find translations of the name of this operation “short blow”, “instant blow”, “last shot”. The plan called for a strong bombing attack. It was planned to drop 300 atomic bombs and 250 thousand tons of ordinary bombs on the Soviet Union. At the same time, the territory of the defeated and ruined state had to be occupied. In total, the territory of the country was divided into 4 parts: the Western part of the USSR, Ukraine-Caucasus, the Urals - Western Siberia- Turkestan, Eastern Siberia- Transbaikalia - Primorye. All these zones were divided into 22 subzones of responsibility, in which the occupation divisions were to be located. In terms of the thoughtfulness of its actions, the plan was superior to Barbarossa.

The first day's bombing would have resulted in the Soviet Union losing 85% of its industrial capacity. The plan detailed actions against Soviet ground, air and sea forces, and the suppression of the air defense system. The second period followed the first nuclear strike and included a continuation of the air offensive with the deployment of 164 NATO divisions, including 69 American ones. It was planned to establish control over ocean and sea communications. The third stage of the campaign provided for 114 NATO divisions to go on the offensive in the west, and another 50 divisions were to land from the south (on the northwestern coast of the Black Sea). These formations were supposed to destroy the armed forces of the USSR in Central Europe. These actions, combined with the ongoing massive bombing of peaceful Soviet cities, were supposed to force Moscow and its allies to capitulate. In total, it was planned to involve 250 divisions - 6.25 million people - in the war against the Soviet Union. At the same time, it was planned to deploy about 8 million more people in aviation, navy, air defense and reinforcement units. And in total To implement the Dropshot plan in practice, it was planned to use armed forces with a total strength of 20 million people.

At the same time, members of the US Chiefs of Staff decided, when conducting war games, to check how great the chances are of disabling 9 strategic regions of the Soviet Union: Moscow, Leningrad, Arkhangelsk, Ural, Caucasus, objects Black Sea coast, Tashkent - Alma-Ata, Baikal, Vladivostok. In theory, everything went smoothly, but analysts came to not the most comforting conclusions. The probability of a successful attack was estimated at 70%, but aviation losses were estimated at 55% of the total number of bombers involved in the attack. The figure was very impressive. In order to more clearly assess this percentage of losses, we can take a case from the history of World War II. The heaviest damage was suffered in March 1944 by a group of 97 Allied bombers targeting Nuremberg. At that time, 20 aircraft did not return from the mission, which accounted for 20.6% of all aircraft involved in the strike.

But most of all, the Americans and their allies were frightened by the danger of a retaliatory strike from the USSR. Including the start of a large-scale ground offensive. For this reason, the Americans never tried to implement their plans. At the same time, Major General S. Anderson, Chief of Operations of the US Air Force Headquarters, reported to Secretary of State of the Air Force S. Symington that the American air Force will not be able to carry out all planned operations against the USSR, as well as provide air defense for the territory of Alaska and the United States.

At that moment, the Kremlin maintained a truly icy calm. One of the arguments in the dispute with the United States was the creation of its own nuclear bomb, as announced by Deputy Council of Ministers Kliment Voroshilov. However, even this did not lead to the extinction of work on creating plans for war with the USSR. In 1952, American President Harry Truman said: “We will wipe out any cities and ports that must be destroyed to achieve our goals.”

But all this remained just harsh rhetoric. The Third World War did not start, but only for the reason that the USSR became more and more nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles appeared. In addition, in the Soviet Union, work was in full swing to create a system air defense cities and important industrial and strategic facilities, bearing the code “Berkut”. Within of this project a weapon that was fundamentally new at that time was created - anti-aircraft guided missiles. In 1955, the system, designated S-25, entered service with the army. The characteristics of the system were quite satisfactory to the military; this air defense system could seriously rebuff the air threat from probable enemy.

American plans for nuclear strikes on the USSR in the 1940s and 50s were not fantasies or fiction. They were really studied and analyzed. For a country that lost more than 25 million of its citizens in the last war and worked day and night to restore what was destroyed, literally living in dugouts, this would be a severe blow. The paradox of democracy is that Washington not only developed these monstrous plans of aggression against a former ally in the war, but also made them public in the 1970s. The Americans themselves declassified their programs. Perhaps in 20-30 years we will again be able to find out the details of the operations planned by the Americans against our country, but now during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, because even now in the 21st century the world can still hardly be called stable. We are still sitting on a powder keg, even though it is balanced modern systems nuclear deterrence and a layered air defense system.

"Dropshot" - a plan for an attack on the USSR. Cold War After Nazi Germany was defeated, the United States was so frightened by the strength of the Soviet Army that it was forced to develop a special strategy - "Dropshot". The plan to attack the USSR and allies was to stop their subsequent invasion of Western Europe, the Middle East and Japan. Reasons for creation The basic strategy has been developed by the Pentagon since the beginning of 1945. It was at that time that the so-called threat of the subsequent “communization” of all of Eastern Europe appeared, as well as the extravagant version of Stalin’s intention to invade the territory of Western states under the pretext of clearing them of the remaining German occupiers.

The prerequisites were several previous American projects. The code name of the plan to attack the USSR changed several times, and its main directives changed just as many times. The Pentagon developed the likely actions of the communists and designed its methods of counteraction. New strategies replaced each other, replacing one another. Operation Dropshot: background It is now known for certain that there were several specific plans that ordinary Americans were not even aware of. These are operations: “Totality” - was developed by D. Eisenhower during the Second World War; “Charoitir” - an updated version, came into force in the summer of 1948; Fleetwood - was ready for the third anniversary of the end of World War II; “Troyan” - the plan was developed in anticipation of the start of the bombing of the Union on January 1, 1957; "Dropshot" assumed that surprise bombing should begin on 01/01/1957. As can be seen from declassified documentation, the States really planned to start a third world war, which would turn into a nuclear war. Americans have atomic weapons The US “Dropshot” plan was first announced in the White House after the Potsdam Conference, which was attended by the leaders of the victorious states: the USA, Great Britain and the USSR. Truman arrived at the meeting in high spirits: the day before, test launches of atomic warheads had been carried out. He became the head of a nuclear state. Let us analyze the historical reports of a specific period of time in order to then draw appropriate conclusions. The meeting was held from July 17 to August 2, 1945. The test launch was carried out on July 16, 1945 - the day before the meeting. On August 6 and 9, 1945, two such shells completely burned Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The conclusion suggests itself: the Pentagon tried to bring the first nuclear test to the beginning of the conference, and the atomic bombing of Japan to the end. Thus, the United States tried to establish itself as the only state in the world that owns atomic weapons

The plan in detail The first mentions available to the world community appeared in 1978. American specialist A. Brown, working on the secrets of World War II, published a number of documents confirming that the United States was indeed developing the Dropshot strategy - a plan to attack the USSR. The action plan of the American “liberation” army should have looked like this. As stated above, fighting were to begin on January 1, 1957.

In a short time, it was planned to drop 300 nuclear weapons and 250,000 tons of conventional bombs and shells onto the territory of the Soviet Union. As a result of the bombing, it was planned to destroy at least 85% of the country's industry, up to 96% of the industry of countries friendly to the Union and 6.7 million of the state's population. The next step is disembarkation ground forces NATO. It was planned to involve 250 divisions in the attack, of which the Allied troops numbered 38 units. The occupation actions were to be supported by aviation, in the amount of 5 armies (7400 aircraft). At the same time, all sea and ocean communications must be captured by the NATO Navy. The third step of Operation Dropshot is a plan to destroy the USSR and erase it from the political map of the world. This meant the use of all known types of weapons: atomic, small arms, chemical, radiological and biological. The final stage is the division of the occupied territory into 4 zones and the deployment of NATO troops in largest cities. As the documents stated: “Pay special attention to the physical destruction of communists.”

Shattered Dreams The Americans were unable to implement their “Dropshot” strategy; the plan to attack the USSR was not carried out thanks to one event. On September 3, 1949, the pilot of an American bomber flying over Pacific Ocean, using instruments recorded in top layer the atmosphere has sharply increased radioactivity. Having processed the data, the Pentagon was extremely disappointed: Stalin was testing atomic bombs. There was no reaction from Truman to the message, he was so discouraged. Only after some time did information about this appear in the press. The government was afraid of an inadequate reaction in the form of panic among the ordinary population. Pentagon scientists found a way out of the situation by offering the president the development of a new, more destructive bomb - a hydrogen bomb. It must be in service with the States to pacify the Soviets. Despite the difficult financial and economic situation, in the creation atomic bomb The Soviet Union was only 4 years behind the Americans!

Arms Race Considering further development events, “Dropshot” - a plan to attack the USSR, was doomed to failure. The following scientific and high-tech developments of the Country of Soviets were to blame: 08/20/1953 - the Soviet press officially announced that tests had been carried out hydrogen bomb. On October 4, 1957, the first satellite belonging to the Soviet Union was launched into Earth orbit. This became a guarantee that intercontinental-range missiles had been created, as a result of which America ceased to be “out of reach.” It is worth thanking the scientists who, in post-war conditions, developed the Soviet response to American “encroachments.” It was their heroic work that allowed subsequent generations not to learn from their own experience what “Dropshot” was - a plan to destroy the USSR, “Troyan” or “Fleetwood” - similar operations. Their developments made it possible to achieve nuclear parity and bring world leaders to the next negotiating table related to reducing the number of nuclear weapons.

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January 1, 1957. It was on this day, according to the once secret American plan"Dropshot", the third world war could begin between the USSR and the USA with the massive use of nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons.

From allies to antagonists: two blocs on the brink of war

The US Joint Chiefs of Staff approved the Dropshot plan on December 19, 1949, just four years after the victory of the USSR and its allies over the Third Reich. At the end of World War II, the two largest powers, the USA and the USSR, gradually plunged into another war - the Cold War.

The point of no return on the path to transforming yesterday's allies into irreconcilable enemies was the famous speech of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, delivered at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The former head of the British government said that English-speaking countries should have complete military superiority over the USSR.

Just nine days after Churchill’s speech, on March 15, Joseph Stalin, in an interview with Pravda, compared the former prime minister with Adolf Hitler. Thus, the mutual distrust of two ideologically and politically polar blocs grew into open confrontation, which left its mark on the world history of the second half of the 20th century.

Chasing the Apocalypse: The Nuclear Race

The most important characteristic feature The Cold War became a nuclear arms race. Scientists from Nazi Germany, the United States of America, Great Britain, and the USSR worked on the development of the most powerful bomb. Thanks to the Manhattan Project, launched in the United States in 1943, under the leadership of physicist Robert Oppenheimer, two years later American state New Mexico conducted its first nuclear explosive test.

Just a month after the test, in August 1945, two American Boeing B-29 bombers dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The destructive power of "Baby" and "Fat Man" and the destruction of about a quarter of a million people in two combat missions on August 6 and 9 forced Japan to sign a humiliating instrument of surrender aboard the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

For a short period, from 1945 to 1949, the United States became the only country in the world with nuclear weapons. And in many ways, it was the fact of this superiority that became the starting point in the development of a series of global plans providing for the delivery of multiple strikes, both conventional and non-conventional, against the main geopolitical enemy of the West - the USSR.

Predecessors of "Dropshot"

Among the most famous and declassified plans for waging a total war against the USSR today, in addition to Dropshot, Operation Unthinkable and the Totality plan are known. Both plans were created in 1945, with Operation Unthinkable being developed on the orders of the author of the Fulton Speech, Winston Churchill. "Totality" appeared as a result of the work of the headquarters of American General Dwight Eisenhower.

Operation Unthinkable involved two plans of action: offensive and defensive. Being a British development, it did not involve the use of nuclear weapons (the United Kingdom acquired them only in 1952), but did imply total war. July 1, 1945 was chosen as the date for the start of hostilities.

The objective of the offensive plan was to oust Soviet troops from the territory of Poland, which was occupied during the liberation of Eastern Europe from German occupation. The objective of the defensive plan was to protect British territory in the event of a breakthrough by Soviet troops in Western Europe.

The British did not provide both plans to the American command for review. Although Operation Unthinkable assumed that, apart from the United States and the United Kingdom, "one cannot rely on any assistance from the armies of other Western powers."

The plan was not approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which calculated that quick success in such a war was impossible due to the USSR's superiority in manpower and military equipment by 2.6 times, and in aviation - by 1.5 times.

Totality Plan was developed by the United States in August 1945, when the first atomic bombs began to enter US service. Their number and production capabilities were severely limited, as were their delivery vehicles (exclusively bombers). It was conceived by President Harry Truman to mislead the USSR about the real nuclear capabilities of the United States in the post-war years.

Totality was the first military plan in history to bomb several major cities the supposed enemy with nuclear bombs. The list included Moscow, Gorky ( Nizhny Novgorod), Kuibyshev (Samara), Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg), Novosibirsk, Omsk, Saratov, Kazan, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Baku, Tashkent, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Molotov (Perm), Tbilisi, Stalinsk (Novokuznetsk), Grozny, Irkutsk and Yaroslavl - only 20 cities.

Of course, the US did not have 20 atomic bombs in August 1945. The only two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But by 1950, American nuclear stockpiles were close to 300.

But the USSR had only five atomic bombs that same year. Such superiority may have given the American military command the idea of ​​​​developing an even more ambitious plan than Totality.

"Dropshot": basic assumptions

The Dropshot Plan was developed in 1949, when Harry Truman was re-elected to a second term as President. And it was declassified only in 1978, under Jimmy Carter. The plan for a total war with the USSR, unlike Totality, did not put nuclear bombing in the first place, but the number of nuclear bombs that were planned to be dropped on Soviet settlements and military facilities could destroy most of the population and 85% of the country's industrial potential .

The basic assumptions of the plan are a set of conditions and time frames for waging war between the United States and its allies against the USSR.

The first basic assumption is the start date of the war - January 1, 1957. The reason is an alleged act of aggression, an attack by the USSR and/or its allies.

The US allies in the conflict are NATO members (at that time - Canada, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Portugal), as well as parts of China (where communist rule was not established), the Philippines and all British Commonwealth countries except India and Pakistan.

Side by side with the Soviet Union are Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea and communist China. “Dropshot” also suggested that Yugoslavia could have sided with the USSR, but would have stayed closer to neutrality.

Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Transjordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Iran, India and Pakistan declare neutrality, but join the United States in the event of a serious threat from the USSR.

There were also additional assumptions regarding both the pace of development and armament of the Soviet troops, as well as the pace of mobilization of NATO and USSR troops, as well as the economic situation in the United States and the availability of Middle Eastern energy resources for the needs of the allies. The most important and dangerous additional assumption of the general war plan was point number 14.

Dropshot plan. Chapter 1, Section 4, Clause 14

In 1953 Joseph Stalin passes away, and Dwight Eisenhower, under whose leadership Totality was developed, becomes President of the United States.

In 1955 Eisenhower meets with Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Nikolai Bulganin and First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev, as well as with the leaders of Great Britain and France at the summit in Geneva. The summit became an important milestone in the desire of the USSR and Western countries for peace and strengthening international security.

In 1956 Khrushchev speaks at the XX Congress of the CPSU with the famous report “On the cult of personality and its consequences.” The process of de-Stalinization of the USSR begins.

Over the same eight years, four equally important events took place in the nuclear field.

In 1951 in the United States, the Rosenberg spouses, who handed over valuable data and drawings related to the American nuclear program. The event played a role in strengthening Soviet nuclear capabilities.

In 1954 USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine, is launched.

In 1956 For the first time, a Soviet bomber flies at a range corresponding to the distance to the United States and back with refueling, thereby hypothetically guaranteeing the survival of the Soviet pilot.

In 1957 The USSR conducts successful tests of the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The Soviet R-7 missile was capable of delivering one 3-megaton nuclear warhead over a distance of 8,800 km. Moreover, the distance from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Los Angeles is 6600 km, from Moscow to Washington - 7850 km.

Thus, in just two years, the USSR demonstrated its ability to launch nuclear strikes on US territory in the event of a global conflict. And the script is free nuclear bombing The USSR is a thing of the past.

Berlin had not yet fallen and the surrender of Germany had not been signed when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill set the Joint Command Planning Staff (Great Britain, USA) the task of creating a plan for an offensive operation against the USSR, the name of which, “The Unthinkable,” spoke for itself. The operation was developed, but the Joint Chiefs of Staff were critical of it. However, the Americans were developing Totality, which would later replace the Dropshot plan, approved by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on 12/19/1949.

Churchill's proposal

What happened and why, without finishing one war, are they planning another against their allies? And the reasons were more than compelling. This is the eternal struggle for divisions of spheres of influence in the world. The victory of the USSR over Germany and the liberation of half of Europe. The notorious Polish question. It became clear that the USSR would not give up its influence on the liberated countries and would reach Berlin, and maybe even further. This is what caused the Prime Minister to become hysterical.

This frightened both Great Britain and the United States. If Churchill’s headache was the fate of post-war Europe, where at that time they had great sympathy for the USSR, then for the Americans Japan was also added to this. There were also common interests in the East - in Iran and Turkey. All this led to the development of the Dropshot plan.

But at the end of the war, when the fate of Europe was not entirely clear, half of which lay in ruins, the USSR army was the most powerful in the world, and there was no nuclear bomb yet, it was unsafe to start a new massacre. Churchill's proposal did not find proper understanding among the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the two powers.

Atom bomb blackmail

The nuclear weapons created by the Americans before the Dropshot plan were the bludgeon that was supposed to frighten Moscow and make it agree to all the conditions and demands of the United States and Great Britain. But Stalin was aware of everything that was happening in the United States in the development of the atomic bomb since 1942, when Soviet agents were infiltrated into the Manhattan Project.

After Truman, on July 24, 1945, at the Potsdam Conference, informed Stalin about the creation of a new weapon capable of causing colossal destruction, Stalin only smiled and did not ask a single question. He was in a very good mood. To this, Churchill replied to the perplexed Truman that he simply did not understand what he was talking about.

Stalin understood everything perfectly; he knew about the American test of the bomb back on July 16, 1945, that is, from the day of its test explosion. On the 12th day after the assembly of the nuclear bomb in the USA, its full description, with all the documents, was already in Moscow. Soviet scientists worked with them. Therefore, a baton made from a nuclear bomb did not work. Although for another three years the USSR hung over “ sword of Damocles"in the form of US nuclear weapons.

Plan Prerequisites

The situation in the post-war world was very difficult. Having signed the surrender of Germany, the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition split into two camps, which firmly defended their positions in the international arena. In addition to the eternal influential powers of Europe: England, France and Russia (USSR), a new state appeared that had nuclear weapon and dreamed of ruling the world at his own discretion and only in his own interests.

It was the USA - the most powerful and developed state. They assessed the situation in the world from the point of view of power and believed that their opinion should be shared by everyone. Having England as its allies, a still strong country with numerous colonies, from time immemorial weaving cunning intrigues, being the secret instigator of more than one war in Europe, the United States posed a certain danger. This was shown by the explosions of two atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This was also shown by the development of the “Dropshot” plan to destroy the USSR.

Worsening relations

Seeing in the Soviet Union a strong rival with enormous international authority, as a country that had defeated the most dangerous enemy and had a powerful, battle-hardened army, England and America took all measures to curb it. IN largest countries Europe - France and Italy - the role of communists has sharply increased.

The Soviet Union did not hide its connections with the communist parties of these countries and made certain calculations on them. The former allies were seriously afraid of the armed support of these parties from the USSR. In addition, during this period serious disagreements arose on three very important issues, leading to the start of the Cold War and the creation of the Dropshot plan. We will briefly discuss their reasons below.

Iranian oil

The first aggravation between the British-Americans and the USSR occurred at the end of 1945 due to the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Northern Iran. In 1941, troops from Britain, the USSR and the USA were brought into Iran to protect oil fields. On the territory controlled by the Soviet Union, at the time of the conflict, there were two unrecognized republics - Mekhabad (Kurdish) and South Azerbaijan.

The confrontation between three countries - Iran, Great Britain, the USA on the one hand and the USSR on the other was quite serious. The Soviet Union made concessions and withdrew its troops. But this conflict became one of the reasons for the start of the Cold War.

Turkish relations

The second reason can be called relations between the USSR and Turkey. At the beginning of 1946, Stalin announced territorial claims to this country. They were to return territories belonging to Russia and transferred to Turkey in 1921. But the main reason was the Black Sea straits. Negotiations took place between the two countries, which greatly alarmed the governments of the former allies.

The Union's claims were voiced back at the Potsdam Conference. Territorial issues remained without consideration. The decision on the straits was included in the minutes of the meeting, which indicated that the agreement on the Black Sea straits, signed in Montreux, does not correspond to the realities of the present time and requires revision.

Berlin

This is the “blockade of West Berlin” from June 1948 to May 1949. It was introduced in response to the ignoring by the allies, the USA and England, of the quadripartite agreement on Germany and Berlin, signed at the Yalta Conference. These countries began to resolve economic issues related to the restoration of Germany, in particular, to introduce new money secretly, without the participation of the Soviet Union.

Retaliatory measures were taken: the borders with the western zone of occupation were closed and a transport blockade of West Berlin was introduced. The USSR hoped that this would be followed by negotiations at which it would be possible to resolve this issue, but this did not happen. It is well known that Stalin did not intend to divide Germany. But for America, questions of profit have always come first. US allies fully shared his position.

The Americans saw that the Union was pursuing its clear policy according to the right of a victorious country, and had earned, with the blood of millions of its citizens, a respectful attitude, an honest partnership, and you couldn’t put pressure on it by waving it in front of it like a club, nuclear bomb. The Americans are developing to eliminate the obstinate ally Chariotir, the predecessor of the Dropshot - a plan to attack the USSR, which was approved by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1949. That is, he was taken into action.

The plan and its premises

• The Soviet Union seeks to establish its world domination and the spread of communism throughout the world.
• Western Europe, according to the authors, was the main target of the USSR attack.
• According to the authors, the capabilities of the USSR are limited so far. But if measures are not taken, then in 1955 the Union will have nuclear weapons. He will have the opportunity to attack the United States with the use of nuclear, chemical and bacteriological weapons.
• On this moment The USSR does not have this capability, but as its economic power increases, it may attack the US and Western Europe.

Basic moments

They determined the time of the Soviet Union's attack on the United States and Western Europe, and also named the allies of the USSR and NATO countries, neutral countries.

• According to the authors, by January 1, 1957, the USSR, USA, NATO countries will be in a state of war.
• The allies of the USSR included the countries of Eastern Europe, Balkan countries, excluding Yugoslavia, Korea, communist China and Finland.
• NATO countries were considered US allies, British Commonwealth excluding India and Pakistan, as well as the Philippines.
• Were classified as neutral European countries who remained neutral during the war, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India.
• Countries were also classified as neutral Latin America, but with the condition that some of them may join NATO. Those that remain neutral will have unimpeded access to their resources.
• It was also taken into account that the countries of Western Europe would be economically stable by 1957. Their military-industrial complex will operate at full capacity.

Additional points

In the plan for the war against the Soviet Union, additional points were specified that would have an impact on the course of hostilities, which gives NATO countries the right to attack first:

• Later receipt by intelligence agencies of NATO countries of information about mobilization in the USSR. The start of mobilization in these countries will be significantly delayed.
• Use of nuclear weapons by warring parties.
• Relations between the USSR and the USA at the time of development of the plan will be built in accordance with the prevailing circumstances.
• There will be no emergency rearmament programs in the Soviet Union until the time of the attack.

Strategy

The strategic requirements included in the plan consisted of the following items:

• Strengthening the border along the line of contact between the zones of influence of the USSR and NATO countries in Europe along the Piave-Alps-Rhine line. In Asia, the line of defense must pass through Turkey and Iran. The USSR landing on Japan must be prevented by air strikes on large settlements Union.
• Air strikes should be carried out on cities of the USSR. The “Dropshot” plan also included a list of cities, which included all the largest industrial centers of the country and the Commonwealth countries, onto which it was planned to drop 300 nuclear ammunition and 250 thousand tons of conventional ammunition. With their help, more than 85% of the industry of the USSR and almost all of the industry of countries friendly to the Union should be destroyed. Human losses were estimated at 7 million lives.
• Landing of 250 NATO divisions on the territory of the USSR and Commonwealth countries, supported by 7,500 aircraft.
• All ports and ships must be captured by the NATO Navy.
• The next stage should be the erasure of the USSR from the political map of the world with the help of all types of weapons - atomic, chemical, radiological, bacterial. Since by this point all the cities will be destroyed, it should be assumed that the “erasure” will affect the people and especially the communists, on whose destruction special emphasis was placed.
• Divide the entire country into four parts and station NATO troops on their territory.

THE USSR. Counter attack

The first atomic bomb test was carried out on September 1, 1949. The Americans learned about this after collecting and analyzing air samples taken from an American military aircraft. It was a shock. The American press was silent for several days. The Pentagon reassured the president that scientists are working on even more powerful weapon- a hydrogen bomb.

On August 20, 1953, the USSR officially announced the creation and testing of a hydrogen bomb. It was a low blow.

09/26/1956 performed an ultra-long flight with in-flight refueling.

On October 4, 1957, when, according to American plans, the USSR should not exist, the first Earth satellite was launched. Intercontinental range missiles were created. America realized that it was within reach.

Other plans

Before the advent of the Dropshot plan to destroy the USSR, such plans were developed for every important confrontation with US interests. After the Iranian crisis in late 1945, the Totality Plan was adopted. In response to the blockade of Berlin in mid-1948, the Chariotir plan was developed. Following this, the Fleetwood plan is adopted. All of them assumed the atomic bombing of the USSR, the destruction of millions of Soviet people. All of them have now been declassified and put on public display. For what purpose? Probably scare again.

Afterword

The United States realized long ago that Russia cannot be reached in military operations. The arms race will lead to the fact that there will be no one to fight and no one with whom. But there are proven weapons in the form of sanctions, economic blockades, bribery of corrupt officials, which work very well, destroying the economies of entire countries. The USA managed to hook the whole world on the dollar needle, forcing everyone to play by their rules. Moreover, it costs them nothing except paper costs.