NationStates Jolt Archive

And yet... it's so BEAUTIFUL.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

It's a thrice-damned ATOMIC BAZOOKA. Not even a kiloton, the smallest nuclear warhead deployed by the US military, mounted on a recoilless rifle on the back of a jeep or on a tripod.

Now come on! Without a doubt, this is the gun nuts ultimate dream!

except for, ya know, you kill yourself along with your target . . . .

You are aware that the blast radius for a Davy Crockett is wider than the weapon's range, right? It's not so much for the insecure as the foolish or suicidal.

It's not like it has many uses.

"Hey, lets shoot it over there"
"OK !!!"
*dead*

You are aware that the blast radius for a Davy Crockett is wider than the weapon's range, right? It's not so much for the insecure as the foolish or suicidal.

Did you actually read the article? It specifically states that the popular myth (or even Myrth) you espouse is actually false. Come on, do you honestly believe that someone would be stupid enough to develop a weapon that shite?

Did you actually read the article? It specifically states that the popular myth (or even Myrth) you espouse is actually false. Come on, do you honestly believe that someone would be stupid enough to develop a weapon that shite?

You could still only shoot it once, and then you'd have nothing but the guns you brought with you since you switched the machine gun out for a D.C.

Did you actually read the article? It specifically states that the popular myth (or even Myrth) you espouse is actually false. Come on, do you honestly believe that someone would be stupid enough to develop a weapon that shite?
Since it was
1) developed during the Cold War
2) by the Americans
3) to be used in a nuclear war

my answer would be "YES!"

BTW: "Both recoilless rifles proved to have poor accuracy in testing..." So much for good shooting!

You could still only shoot it once, and then you'd have nothing but the guns you brought with you since you switched the machine gun out for a D.C.

Yeah, but then you wouldn't have an awful lot to worry about would you, since you've jsut irradiated everyone in the area, and made said area impassable for the next 48 hours, by which time reinforcements, with lots of guns will have arrived.

Well, technically if you used the maximum range 'heavy' version with the minimum yield warhead you only get sterilised.

Of course the weapon is stupid! What kills me is that 2,100 of these things were actually deployed in Europe, despite the fact that if the Soviets had attacked the devastation these weapons would have wrought would have made any actual invasion or defence irrelevant.

What worries me is that this would be the ultimate terrorist weapon. The fact that such a small warhead was available and could be projected over a distance that would make a security cordon irrelevant is somewhat troubling. It was a simple fission implosion warhead using the most absolute minimum of nuclear material and the most advanced technology that the late 1950's had to offer. Despite the lack of actual impact, the psychological effect of crossing the nuclear threshold was always the advantage of tactical nuclear weapons - I cannot see any western democracy maintaining any degree of testicular fortitude after even a single attack by one of these things.

If this weapon or an equivalent could be acquired by any terrorist faction, we're quite frankly buggered.

Since it was
1) developed during the Cold War
2) by the Americans
3) to be used in a nuclear war

my answer would be "YES!"

Ah. Touche :D I'll admit, I had sorta seen that one coming, but I thought it'd be more fun not to head it off.

Did you actually read the article? It specifically states that the popular myth (or even Myrth) you espouse is actually false. Come on, do you honestly believe that someone would be stupid enough to develop a weapon that shite?Yes.

Yes.

Well, I guess in that case we can safely conclude that me = pwned.

MGS 3:SE anyone? :D

Frankly, it has its uses. Consider this:

Joe Johnson, private first class, West Berlin atomic reserve detachment. 1960~.

The reds are advancing (I'm a commie). 100'000 pissed off russians are coming to take down the capitalism in Europe, starting with the other half of Germany. The web of spies in the USSR has alerted Brussels, who have told your 1500 man troop to resist until the NATO forces can counter-strike in Poland and send reinforcements to you. Estimated Time of Arrival: 2 days.

Joe Johnson has two choices:
A) Follow orders, resist punily until the inevitable conclusion happens and they win because of the most elementary law of tactics: Throw enough cannon fodder at something, and it will fall eventually. Your only hope is to kill a whoooole fucking lot of them (outnumbered a bit less than 100:1). Very small hope of survival until the reinforcements get there. If Berlin falls before they get here, Joe will be either dead or being tortured for information not long after.

B) Follow orders, doing everything possible to stop the advancing red guards. Sacrifice yourself, one man. Take down, if not the entire 100'000 guys, a sizeable chunk of them (say 2/3). Render their battle plan useless (they can't cross through the fallout) and save Berlin until the Marines get there. Be a hero for the next century or two.

Now, which would you rather die from, a shot in the face, electrocutation of the testicles, or a nuke with which you took down more of your hated enemies than any other soldier in history?

Yeah, but then you wouldn't have an awful lot to worry about would you, since you've jsut irradiated everyone in the area, and made said area impassable for the next 48 hours, by which time reinforcements, with lots of guns will have arrived.


Not if your surrounded. The bad guys that you shot at are dead, but the other attackers were farther away from the detonation then you were. They are all armed, and you just lost your greatest defense.