Did Allies Have Regrets Because They Did Not Bomb USSR with Nukes Until 1949?

The question of whether the Allies had regrets about not bombing the USSR with nuclear weapons until 1949 can be analyzed by examining the historical context and the plans developed by the US and UK during the early Cold War period.

After World War II, the United States and Great Britain considered launching a nuclear attack against the Soviet Union. In fact, then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered the British Armed Forces' Joint Planning Staff to develop a strategy targeting the USSR in May 1945, just before the end of World War II.[1] This plan, known as Operation Unthinkable, aimed "to impose upon Russia the will of the United States and the British Empire."[1]

Between 1945 and 1949, the US developed at least nine nuclear war plans targeting Soviet Russia, including Bushwhacker, Broiler, Sizzle, Shakedown, Offtackle, Dropshot, Trojan, Pincher, and Frolic.[2] These plans were designed to destroy the USSR without causing significant damage to the United States.

The 1949 Dropshot plan envisioned dropping at least 300 nuclear bombs and 20,000 tons of conventional bombs on 200 targets in 100 urban areas, including Moscow and Leningrad.[2] However, the US did not have enough atomic bombs or planes to carry them out until later.

The Soviet Union's successful detonation of its first nuclear bomb in August 1949 undermined the US plans for a nuclear strike.[2] [3] This event marked a significant shift in the balance of power between the two superpowers.

Some historians argue that the US decision not to launch a nuclear attack on the USSR was not due to a lack of planning or willingness, but rather because of the devastating consequences of such an action. The development of nuclear weapons by both sides led to a doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD), which made a nuclear war between the two superpowers unlikely.[4]

The Allies likely had mixed feelings about not bombing the USSR with nukes until 1949; some policymakers and military leaders may have regretted not taking advantage of their nuclear monopoly to launch a preemptive strike.

However, others recognized that using nuclear weapons would have had catastrophic consequences and that the development of nuclear capabilities by both sides ultimately led to a fragile peace.

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