Can World War 3 be fought WITHOUT nuclear weapons? (health care, gasoline, death)

[PullMyFinger]

Originally Posted by irish_bob

who was it said , WW4 will be fought with sticks

Was that Einstein?

[irish_bob]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Was that Einstein?

bingo

[MetalLord]

I was a kid during the Reagan years, in Los Angeles County, which would have been vaporized in the event of a nuclear first strike because of all the defense/aerospace, port facilities, etc. I used to room with a Russian guy my same age. We got to discussing the matter one night.

"If we would have invaded Western Europe, you would have won. If you would have invaded Russia, we would have won. And if it went nuclear, nobody would have won." That just about sums it up.

Interesting side note. As a kid in the 80s me and the other boys often played "Americans vs. Russians." My roommate said that he and his buddies always played "Russians vs. Germans." First, the Germans actually killed millions upon millions of Russians during WW2 on their own Russian soil, whereas we Americans never directly squared off against the Russians. Secondly, kids his age thought Americans were cool, if only because of all the bootleg rock'n'roll records they were eating up. It wasn't until the Breakup of Yugoslavia that his generation of Russians started seeing the USA in a more critical/negative light (very long story, no need to get into it here).

[BruSan]

Originally Posted by Little-Acorn

Can World War 3 be fought WITHOUT nuclear weapons?


So far it has been. The weapons of choice have been roadside bombs, airliners into buildings, conventional fighters and bombers, Scud missiles, Special Forces teams, the StuxNet worm, a few select assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, and conventional cruise missiles. Plus a shiiteload of tanks in Desert Storm I.

You're not seriously comparing that fracas in the dust with anything like a plausible WWIII are you?

An opinion only here but if and when a dispute involves Russia or China in something like support for the "other side" of some nonsense that happens at the 38th Parallel of Korea or a flexing of muscle in the Mid east between Iran and Isreal; then you can hypothesize about WWIII.

In the most recent "little" broohaha's supprt of opposing sides has come in the form of weapons supplies and diplomatic protests etc.. Were the gloves to ever come off and either of these two countries actually mobilize for combat THEN you'd have the makings of an honest to goodness WORLD WAR.

All these other things have simply been the military complex performing in-field testing.

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by Chango

Anyway, my REAL question... Would it be humanly possible to experience another war on the scale of the last world war without anyone using nuclear weapons?

The question is moot, and the answer you seek is here:

....war on the scale of the last world war...

You are in debt. How can you possibly pay money to finance your war? And you're going to put 6 Million men under arms? Really? Including the fat-bodies, the weak and the psychos?

You do understand that the first thing that happens is your health care system goes into a total meltdown, right?

Whether oil is embargoed or not is irrelevant, because the price will go sky high and most of your oil tankers will end up getting sunk.

Without foreign light low sulfur oil your pharmaceutical industry goes belly up with massive lay-offs, because you don't have the petro-chemicals that you need which come exclusively from light oil.

And then the die-off starts, because you cannot make the medications that keep people alive, and then your food industry collapses because it doesn't have the low sulfur imported light oil to make all of the artificial colorings and artificial flavorings and preservatives.

So government is not collecting tax revenues, but then is engaged in massive welfare spending, and your hospitals are in crisis with people who cannot get their medication because you cannot manufacture it, because you don't have the right kind of oil. Heavy oil and intermediate oils are worthless for those purposes.

And this ain't 1940 with Joe Urban. Joe Urban could roll out of bed and walk to work. Jack Suburban cannot do that, and without gasoline, he's got no way to get from Suburbia to work.

And you have no manufacturing capacity. You have no Capital to start up manufacturing, and you have no laborers trained in manufacturing.

Understand? I'm talking about big ass Milacron and Mazak machines, that are turning parts, lathing, boring, grinding etc etc etc. You ain't got enough machines, you got no money to buy them, no way to ship them to the US, and no place to put them when they get here, and if they got here, then Jack Suburban has no way to get to work, and he'd be clueluess and wouldn't know how to operate the machines.

And don't forget the rationing for everything -- including food and medical supplies. Clothing. Electricity. You'll be just like Romania was, where the electricity came on at 6:00 AM and shut off at 7:00 AM, except for the factories, and then it came on again at 6:00 PM and went off at 8:00 pm. You could watch Black & White movies of Ceausescu hunting bear or something silly -- and no I'm not joking -- (no color TV broadcasts -- cost too much).

But that's a moot point.

A nuclear war would last about 12 minutes, just long enough for a Russian sub to launch a MIRV with four 750 kt warheads that detonate about 40 Miles above the Earth's surface. It's unlikely you'd ever see or hear them, but what you would see right after the massive EMP burst sends you back into the Stone Age is total chaos.

I wouldn't be surprised if the French and British didn't help the Russians.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Tactically...

Mircea

Originally Posted by irish_bob

who was it said , WW4 will be fought with sticks

The Stick Man, because he has cornered the Market in sticks and will make a fortune.



Citing...

Mircea

[cruxan]

Originally Posted by Chango

Maybe I'm wrong (although I know I have lots of company) but I feel like WW3 is nearly upon us (if not already here in the early stages), based on our unusually clever and quiet tactical conquering of the Middle East to the detriment of competing powers like Russia and China, as well as the timing of it all.

God I hope I'm wrong!

Anyway, my REAL question... Would it be humanly possible to experience another war on the scale of the last world war without anyone using nuclear weapons?

Or is it hoping for the proverbial "pie in the sky"?

hate to say it!!!! but i see a big azz pie falling right on top of you that does mean a big fat no!!! when the chit hits the fans the nukes will fly

[Captain Obvious]

Family guy world war 5 - YouTube

[rbohm]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

World War 2 was fought with out poison gas (amazingly) so anything is possible.

not true. while poison gas and other area denial chemical weapons were not used the european theater, japan DID use them against china, and the italians alsop used them against assyria. read this;

Chemical and Biological Weapons of World War II

as for other chemical weapons, napalm was used in world war two as well as phosphorous based weapons, mostly by the allies, specifically the US. read this;

Chemical Warfare and World War Two

Originally Posted by irish_bob

who was it said , WW4 will be fought with sticks

einstein once said, "i dont know what weapons world war three will be fought with, but world war four will be fought with sticks and stones."

if a world war were to break out today, chances are very good that someone will pop a nuke, and then its on as everyone that has nukes will use them.

[Marc Allen 242]

Whether it can be, it shouldn't.

[alphamale]

Absolutely not.