World War III (Ursa Major)

E-CYCLOPEDIA COPYRIGHT E-CYCLOPEDIA TECHNOLOGIES WELCOME, USER81192401 WHICH ARTICLE TO YOU WISH TO VIEW TODAY? page-name = world_war_iii LOADING...

The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.

—Revelation 18

World War III
File:World War III Collage (Ursa Major).png
Date October 25-26, 1962 Location Global Result Inconclusive Largest loss of life in recorded history, mainly among civilian populations Catastrophic environmental damage Dissolution of multiple states Major changes to government and boundaries of many countries End of the Cold War
Belligerents
Western Bloc	Eastern Bloc
Casualties and losses
~80 million1	~55 million1
1. Not including aftermath.

World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, was a global conflict that lasted from October 25 to 26, 1962. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Western and Eastern Blocs, both of which were comprised of smaller alliances and organizations. World War III caused the greatest loss of human life in recorded history, causing approximately 135 million deaths, with estimates ranging from as low as 100 million and as high as 200 million, with approximately 500 million dying in the aftermath. Nuclear weaponry played a major role in the conflict, causing the majority of deaths in the conflict.

The causes for World War III vary among sources, with the first agreed upon major incident being a false alarm that caused multiple U.S. bombers and missile interceptors to launch from Volks Air Field, WI.

Conflict

Hour 0

During a false alarm reportedly caused by a faulty alarm system, multiple nuclear-armed planes, varying between B-52s, Nuclear Interceptors, and SAC B-47s would launch from Volks Air Field, WI, targeting various military bases and infrastructure centers across the Warsaw Pact. Eventually, the planes were shot down and destroyed by anti-air guns after entering East Germany, resulting in the largest international incident since the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Presuming that the United States had attempted a first strike attack, the Soviet Union would launch multiple 10 - 1000 kiloton nuclear missiles from Cuban missile sites, targeted towards military and civilian centers alike across North America and Western Europe. Air Force One was reportedly boarded around this time, the United States government beginning a Continuity of Operations plan and dispersing to various bunkers across the United States.

The Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom reported approximately 500 nuclear missiles entering NATO airspace during their operational state, with the number reportedly 'increasing rapidly' before radar communications were destroyed. A counter-attack by the United States government would launch an unknown amount of nuclear weapons towards various nuclear weapon centers in the Eastern Bloc, along with population centers, thus concluding major nuclear exchange.

Hour 1

Minutes after the first nuclear strikes were reported, multiple American cruisers and destroyers were reported to be en-route to Cuba to seize major cities and military centers, with most of them reported to arrive in Cuban waters at around thirty minutes to an hour into the conflict.

Hour 2

Cuba would evacuate Havana, Matanzas, and Varadero as by 2:30 local time American ships were visible. Refugees would begin prepare to pour into neutral countries. Citizens of those countries like Switzerland, Chile, and South Africa would brace for impact as the living prices would explode in no time.

Aftermath

Most sources report the aftermath of World War III to be the most destructive part of the conflict, with the majority of deaths that were directly and indirectly caused by environmental and urban destruction taking place after the war. No exact figure on the amount of casualties in the aftermath has been estimated, with studies to estimate the casualties being practically impossible.

AltHistory Port