In the early 1960s Germany was the centre of the Cold War and a nuclear clash of the superpowers on German soil was a realistic yet in the same way horrific scenario. The exercises Winter Shield I and Winter Shield II were conducted in February 1960 and 1961 and showed how a real nuclear winter-war would have been fought. Each exercise saw the participation of some 60,000 troops and about 15,000 vehicles. The use of nuclear weapons was given a decisive role in Winter Shield I, they were aimed at deterrence as the military forces in the East were getting stronger and stronger. Both exercises were conducted under the motto: "Train as you fight". Commanding officers were veterans of recently fought wars - US officers had seen action during the Korean War, many German commanders had gained their experience on the Eastern Front during World War Two. This publication describes the events and illustrates the motor pool of the US Army, ranging from World War 2 veterans to then most modern equipment such as the M103 Heavy Tank.

Quantity Photos and Illustrations:
Illustrated with 6 colour photographs and 104 b&w photographs
Text - Language:
English text
Number of Pages:
64