How many troops were in Europe during the peak of the cold war?

[Fusilier]

That's a lot of nukes - and it doesn't seem to cover the air dropped/free fall types or the artillery fired types.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

That's a lot of nukes - and it doesn't seem to cover the air dropped/free fall types or the artillery fired types.

there is not a lot of info on the WPs artillery fired weapons, I've seen everything from .5K to 2KT, available for the 130mm,152mm and 203mm guns and the 240mm mortar...although I wouldn't want to be within 9000m of a nuke of any size!

As for the air dropped bombs, there has never been any sort of reasonable count, they would range from 5KT to 15MT.

Perhaps one of the issues that I've always had about T2K was the whole idea of a limited nuclear exchange. Reading the RL non-classified material one gets the impression that both sides were more than willing to escalate (rapidly) once the first nuke was used.

[RN7]

Strategic nuclear weapons delivery systems (1985)
Land-based ICBM
US
450: Minuteman II (450 warheads)
250: Minuteman III (750 warheads)
300: Minuteman III (Mk. 12A) (900 warheads)
045: Titan II (45 warheads)
USSR
260: SS-11 (260 warheads)
260: SS-11 Mod 3 (780 warheads)
060: SS-13 (60 warheads)
030: SS-17 Mod 2 (30 warheads)
120: SS-17 Mod 3 (480 warheads)
308: SS-18 (2,208 warheads)
060: SS-19 Mod 2 (60 warheads)
300: SS-19 Mod 3 (1,800 warheads)

Sea-based SLBM
US
304: Poseidon C-3 (3,040 warheads)
264: Trident I C-4 (2,112 warheads)
USSR
048: SS-N-5 (48 warheads) (* Intermediate missile range)
628: SS-N-6 (628 warheads)
289: SS-N-8 (289 warheads)
012: SS-N-17 (12 warheads)
224: SS-N-18 (1,680 warheads)
020: SS-N-20 (200 warheads)
UK
064: Polaris A-3 (800 warheads)
France
012: M-4 (72 warheads)
080: M20 (80 warheads)

Strategic Bombers
US
272. B-52D/G/H (2,570 warheads including 200+ ALCM)
USSR
100: Tu-95 (200 warheads)
045: M-4 (90 warheads)

[RN7]

Intermediate nuclear weapons delivery systems (1985)
Land-based
US
108: Pershing II (108 warheads)
464: GLCM (464 warheads) (* by 1988)
USSR
223: SS-4 (223 warheads)
016: SS-5 (16 warheads)
360: SS-20 (1,080 warheads)
France
018: SSBS-S-3 (18 warheads)

Sea-based
US
900: SLCM (900 warheads) (* by 1987)
400: Poseidon/Trident warheads (* Declared to NATO)
USSR
030: SS-N-13 (30 warheads)

Bombers
US
056: FB-111A (336 warheads)
156: F-111E/F (936 warheads)
USSR
500: Tu-16
165: Tu-22
180: Tu-22M
** Unknown number of warhaeds but well over 1,000 warheads and air launched missiles)
France
033: Mirage IVA (33 warheads)

[RN7]

Tactical nuclear delivery systems
180: Pershing 1A missiles (72 German Air Force) (* US Pershing IA being replaced by Pershing II)
097: Lance missile (US, British, German, Italian, Dutch & Belgian armies)
090: Honest John missile (Greek & Turkish armies)
044: Pluton missile (French Army)

NATO Tactical nuclear stock pile in Europe
2,250: Artillery shells
1,850: Free-fall bombs
0,700: Nike Hercules SAM
0,300: Atomic mines
0,400: ASW weapons
** Excluding British owned warheads, all warheads in US custody

British Army
012: Lance Missiles (* over 60 Lance missiles held in stock)
116: SP Artillery weapons

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Fusilier

That's a lot of nukes - and it doesn't seem to cover the air dropped/free fall types or the artillery fired types.

Or the "backpack" nukes the ADM guys had. (Is there still an ADM MOS anymore?)