Date/Time: 20 October, 1975 / 01:00:00 Zulu
Location: Kola Peninsula
Duration: 6 hours

 


Introduction
 
The line has been crossed: Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missiles have detonated in the heart of New York and downtown Boston Mass, incinerating over 40,000 residents in just 15 seconds. More than 50 percent of the population living within a 1-mile radius of the explosions is either dead or gravely injured. 
 
NATO officials were horrified. But they were also confused: Once the launched missiles were detected, an all-out Soviet nuclear strike was expected. Instead, only 6 SLBMs were launched and no other launches were detected. What is going on?
 
Premier Leonid Brezhnev has been on the hot line to Air Force One and the US President, the Soviet Premier pleading it was a rogue SSBN which had disobeyed orders and the launch was not authorised.
 
The whole world is on a knife edge. Is the Cold War suddenly going to get a whole lot warmer?