US Troops Carried 'Backpack Nukes' for 25 Years
Elite units were trained to use these weapons on battlefields
By Neal Colgrass,
Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2014 8:35 PM CST
(Newser)
–
The
US kept quite an arsenal of nuclear bombs and missiles during the Cold
War, but not everyone knows about its plans to use "backpack nukes,"
reports the Smithsonian via Foreign Policy.
Elite troops learned to use the bombs—called B54 Special Atomic
Demolition Munitions (SADMs)—in case Communists attacked US-friendly
countries like former West Germany. Although heavy, SADMs could fit in a
backpack and be transported by parachute-drop, scuba mission, or even
on skis. The trick was setting the timer (which was unreliable) and
getting far enough away before they went off (although some commanders
wanted men to stay behind and protect them).
Luckily they were never used, and units trained in SADMs kept a grim
sense of humor about it. "Those who were to conduct the mission were
sure that whomever thought this up was using bad hemp," said an SADM
team commander. But backpack nukes served a strategic need: to destroy
bridges, roads, and mountain passes in case Russian forces invaded
countries where they could easily overwhelm US troops. The only
downside: utter devastation. As Cold War tensions faded, the US recalled
SADMs from storage depots around the world and eventually retired the
project in 1989. "The idea that the world came this close to the use of
nuclear weapons on battlefields across the world is entirely unreal,"
says Business Insider. "At least we can all be thankful that cooler heads prevailed."http://www.newser.com/story/182071/us-troops-carried-backpack-nukes-for-25-years.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=inbox&utm_campaign=newser
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