Blog – Page 4 – Cold War Giants

April 28, 2022May 17, 2022

BERLIN AIRLIFT 1948-1949

The USSR-USA Cold War began after the USSR failed to live up to Stalin’s agreements during the waning months of WWII. It took President Truman and our political and military leaders some time to decide that the USSR was a post War enemy, despite being allied during the war. While no hard date can be assigned to the start of the Cold War, in September, 1946 it became apparent to President Truman and our government. The USSR initiated hostilities against the US, France and England by sealing off our sectors in June of 1948. Considered a provocation and “act of war”, Russia blockaded all land and water access to Berlin sectors under the Western Allies control. Declining the USSR’s challenge, President Truman and the United States teamed with European Allies and initiated the Berlin Air Lift so West Berlin could get essential supplies of food and fuel. American and British Air Forces flew over Berlin 250,000 times during the 15 month airlift, dropping food and fuel into the Western Controlled sectors. The USSR, embarrassed by it’s miscalculation, that the airlift was impossible, lifted its blockade in mid 1949.

Truman raises the flag of liberation over Berlin in 1946. Flanked by Generals Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton on his right and Omar Bradley and Lucius Clay on his left.

Pic of crowd of 200,000 Berliners protesting USSR blockade on Berlin in September of 1948.

Throwing candy to the waiting children in Berlin and celebrating the airlift victory over the USSR in 1949.

April 21, 2022May 17, 2022

Picatinny Arsenal

Picatinny Arsenal –This Arsenal in Northern New Jersey influenced the outcome of EVERY major United States war from the Revolution in 1774 through the “end”the Cold War in 1991.

While this site details the transformation of strategic nuclear to tactical nuclear weapons of the early Cold War era, the term Cold War Giants refers to workers at Picatinny Arsenal where this nuclear transformation took place.

Many assume that all nuclear innovation took place at Los Alamos in New Mexico. After all this was the secret headquarters of the Manhattan Project and where the initial testing of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan were tested. But the idea of shrinking the atomic bomb into an artillery shell was rejected by the atomic scientists at Los Alamos and the miliary scientists at the Pentagon. Only perseverance by one Pentagon Colonel resulted in a young man at Picatinny Arsenal believing he could do it. Both of these men are now in the US Army Hall of Fame at the new US Army Museum in Ft. Lee VA. Picatinny Arsenal scientist Robert M. Schwartz accepted the “mission impossible” challenge of Pentagon Colonel Angelo R Del Campo Jr. Schwartz did the initial design of the shell then assembled a group of 8 “Cold War Giants” to make the changes and review the revisions that Los Alamos recommended to his initial design.

Color pictures were rare in 1954, but I believe this was considered ground breaking work at Picatinny and below is a Picatinny photo of these eight men. Next I will post a brief, one-page history of the role that Picatinny played in the major wars of the United States.

March 11, 2022May 17, 2022

More Artillery, You Betcha

Artillery encompasses weapons that can be used on the battlefield by opposing troops and fall into four categories:

Long barrel guns (cannons)
Howitzers
Mortars
Rockets

During the early development of missiles (guided rockets), these were initially short range weapons and were a 5th category of artillery, but with the technological advances and development of long range Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, these are no longer considered artillery.

The development of guided rockets was fraught with difficulty and failure even among the scientists that ultimately succeeded at Redstone Arsenal.

An interesting tidbit from the Cold War years, scientists at Bell Labs in Homdel NJ were key scientists in the development of the first guided artillery shell. The PROXIMITY FUSE based on Doppler principle would detonate the artillery shell when the shell sensed it was close to its target. These were produced in late 1944 and increased the strike accuracy of the artillery from 10-15% to 85-90%.

An actual Proximity Fuse was passed by the Rosenbergs to the Soviets and ultimately led to their conviction for treason in 1951 and in 1953.

The major nuclear artillery developed after WWII includes the following:

Atomic Cannon – W9 warhead 1953

Honest John Rocket – W7 warhead – 1954

In April of 1954 the US Army requested research into smaller, low power but enhanced radiation yield weapons to provide closer nuclear support and also hit deep battlefield targets. By 1956 this idea was considered technically feasible and the efforts to produce a 9 inch atomic warhead was scrapped in preference of production of 8 inch (W33) and 6 inch (W48)shells.

Corporal Missile – W7 warhead – 1955

Mark 7 Gun – W23 warhead for Naval Ships – 1956

110 & 115 Howitzers – W33 warhead -1957

Davy Crockett Atomic Rifle – W54 – 1959

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