"New York in Flames" Topic

"Silbervogel ("silver bird"), was a rocket-powered suborbital bomber aircraft slated to launch from Germany, bomb New York, then land in Japanese-held islands in the Pacific. Ahead of its time, the design was not favored, but later influenced designs such as the space shuttle.

Hitler's dream of New York aflame intensified at the same time that the fortunes of war lessened his ability to make it happen. With no staging and demarcation point, like we had in the UK, and lagging behind the Allies and even Japan in deployment of long-range troop carriers, Germany had no realistic plans to launch a land invasion on American shores. But there were noteworthy and specific plans afoot, backed by fast-track funding and weapons development, aimed at targeting our governmental, financial and industrial centers from afar with long-range missiles and strategic bombers—New York City in flames was always Hitler's fondest maniacal fantasy…"
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Amicalement
Armand

The Japanese used the much more practical balloon bombs, some of which actually did reach the lower 48 states, although they didn't, so far as I have read, cause any damage.

We're lucky they didn't collaborate with the Japanese on sub-launched aircraft/missiles, or things could have been very bad indeed for US coastal cities.

Just after WWII, the USA used V-1s and other similar rocket-propelled glide bombs to come up with our SSBNs and SSGNs.

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The Japanese used the much more practical balloon bombs … although they didn't, so far as I have read, cause any damage.

Unless you consider killing children to be damage.

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With no staging and demarcation point … and lagging behind the Allies and even Japan in deployment of long-range troop carriers, Germany had no realistic plans to launch a land invasion on American shores.

Well, the Japanese had no realistic plans either. In truth, the only threat to the continental US was nuisance attacks and sabotage.

Not that a little bit of either, in a well conceived economy-of-force strategy, couldn't tie down a lot of resources. But then when did either the Germans or the Japanese show any penchant for well conceived strategies…

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

Thank you for the link. I had never heard of the Gearheart Mountain explosion and deaths.

Sadly yes those balloons from Japan did kill some US civilians … But as we know unfortunately a lot of that happened in WWII. It was total war …

The scary part of those balloon bombs is that there are still unexploded 'presents' lurking in the mountains today.

I read a book once in which Silbervogel was actually built and launched.
It still didn't achieve anything, because the Allies got wind of it and constructed their own space vehicle, resulting in victory and a permanent settlement on Mars in time for the turn of the millenium. Which supplies outposts on the outer planets.

It still didn't achieve anything, because the Allies got wind of it and constructed their own space vehicle, resulting in victory and a permanent settlement on Mars…

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)