Picatinny Arsenal

The United States government estimates were that the USSR would not develop an atomic bomb until 1954. As the “Iron Curtain” of the Soviets descended on Eastern Europe after World War II, western European countries were under the constant threat of Soviet expansionism. The Soviets believed, as they do today that there cannot be any threats on their borders.

In response to our European Allies concerns, the NATO Alliance was formed with the US proclaiming any attack on our Allies will be responded to as if it is an attack on the United States. NATO formed in April of 1949 and the Soviets exploded their first Atomic Bomb just 4 months later in August of 1949.

In less than a year, Stalin the Soviet leader decided to “flex” his muscle supporting the North Korean communist invasion of South Korea.
This Blitzkrieg of Soviet built tanks into South Korea was the first ground war since the end of World War II. It not only surprised the United States but also
Concerned our military leaders that it was a deception to get the US to deploy their military to Korea so the Soviets could move into Western Europe, specifically West Germany. The USSR wanted the post-war divided countries, both Korean and Germany, under communist rule.

The invasion of South Korea was met with little resistance and the US weapons the South Koreans had were relics of World War II and ineffective against the newer, stronger Soviet tanks. Within the first 10 days of the war the South Koreans were forced to the tip of the peninsula and facing annihilation as their 11 divisions were opposed by 14 Soviet divisions.

During this standoff at the southern tip of Korea – Picatinny Arsenal was summoned to emergently provide a larger Bazooka to combat the Soviet tanks.

The South Korean and US Army had been using the 2.36 inch Bazooka, or Anti-Tank Rocket. This was totally ineffective as infantry were found killed and crushed by the Soviet tanks with their bazooka rifles in hand.

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.

Tag: Picatinny Arsenal

Cold War Crisis – Korean Conflict – June 1950

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