The War Game

00:12:47,994 --> 00:12:51,555 <i>Thus it is possible for the Allies to be the first to press the button</i> 211 00:12:52,251 --> 00:12:53,616 <i>in a nuclear war.</i> 212 00:12:58,910 --> 00:13:01,504 - Did you know this? - No, I did not. 213 00:13:01,630 --> 00:13:03,097 I was vaguely aware of it. 214 00:13:03,135 --> 00:13:05,330 Yes, I did know and I think it's disgraceful. 215 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,067 No, I didn't know this at all. 216 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:08,758 No. I should think it'd be a good thing. 217 00:13:26,214 --> 00:13:28,114 <i>David Edward Thornley.</i> 218 00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:29,690 <i>Age 37.</i> 219 00:13:30,247 --> 00:13:32,613 <i>General practitioner in medicine,</i> 220 00:13:32,647 --> 00:13:36,674 <i>now on the staff of one of a series of emergency medical-aid units</i> 221 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:40,343 <i>being established in preparation for a nuclear strike.</i> 222 00:13:40,330 --> 00:13:42,924 Time 9: 1' 1' am. 223 00:13:42,923 --> 00:13:45,084 <i>September the 18th.</i> 224 00:13:45,227 --> 00:13:48,685 <i>Dr Thornley stops to make an emergency call.</i> 225 00:13:48,716 --> 00:13:51,207 <i>Berwick Street, Canterbury,</i> 226 00:13:51,374 --> 00:13:55,606 <i>12 miles from the airfield at Mansion on the Kent coast.</i> 227 00:14:02,672 --> 00:14:04,003 - Good morning, Doctor. - Morning! 228 00:14:04,081 --> 00:14:05,673 - Come in, please. - What's the trouble today? 229 00:14:05,714 --> 00:14:07,614 She's been running a temperature all night. 230 00:14:07,698 --> 00:14:11,862 <i>Of the 750 intermediate-range ballistic missiles</i> 231 00:14:11,859 --> 00:14:13,759 <i>at present held by the Russians</i> 232 00:14:13,812 --> 00:14:17,578 <i>and targeted on the European countries of the NATO alliance,</i> 233 00:14:17,557 --> 00:14:21,323 <i>it is believed that a considerable number are liquid-fuelled</i> 234 00:14:21,303 --> 00:14:23,897 <i>and are stored above ground.</i> 235 00:14:24,184 --> 00:14:28,985 <i>Such missiles are therefore themselves extremely vulnerable</i> 236 00:14:28,888 --> 00:14:33,154 <i>and, rather than risk losing them in a counter-bombardment,</i> 237 00:14:33,114 --> 00:14:36,481 <i>it is likely that the Russians would have no alternative</i> 238 00:14:36,474 --> 00:14:41,605 <i>but to fire all of them at a very early stage in such a crisis.</i> 239 00:14:43,292 --> 00:14:45,692 <i>Time 9:13 am.</i> 240 00:14:53,984 --> 00:14:56,646 Quick, let's get back! There's no time! 241 00:14:57,345 --> 00:15:00,212 Hurry up inside the house! Quickly! 242 00:15:00,225 --> 00:15:03,160 Move! Come on, come on! Quick, quick! 243 00:15:03,331 --> 00:15:07,062 <i>This family couldn't afford to build themselves a refuge.</i> 244 00:15:07,012 --> 00:15:11,642 <i>This could be the way the last two minutes of peace in Britain would look.</i> 245 00:15:11,557 --> 00:15:14,890 Stay away from the windows! Get all the children! 246 00:15:15,815 --> 00:15:18,010 Peter! Tony! Tony! 247 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,196 Where is he? Where is he? Think! Where is he? 248 00:15:22,728 --> 00:15:26,721 Nurse, quick. There's a boy outside. Go and fetch him as quickly as you can. 249 00:15:26,698 --> 00:15:28,325 <i>9:16 am.</i> 250 00:15:28,394 --> 00:15:32,626 <i>A single megaton nuclear missile overshoots Mansion airfield in Kent</i> 251 00:15:32,619 --> 00:15:35,952 <i>and airbursts 6 miles from this position.</i> 252 00:15:41,998 --> 00:15:43,295 <i>At this distance,</i> 253 00:15:43,375 --> 00:15:47,436 <i>the heatwave is sufficient to cause melting of the upturned eyeball,</i> 254 00:15:47,504 --> 00:15:50,735 <i>third-degree burning of the skin and ignition of furniture.</i> 255 00:15:57,075 --> 00:16:00,533 <i>12 seconds later, the shock from arrives.</i> 256 00:16:26,140 --> 00:16:29,803 <i>At 7/10ths of a millisecond after the explosion,</i> 257 00:16:29,788 --> 00:16:32,188 <i>and at a distance of 60 miles,</i> 258 00:16:32,221 --> 00:16:36,590 <i>the light from the fireball of a single megaton thermo-nuclear device</i> 259 00:16:36,543 --> 00:16:39,979 <i>is 30 times brighter than the midday sun.</i> 260 00:16:40,352 --> 00:16:43,753 <i>This little boy has received severe retinal burns</i> 261 00:16:43,777 --> 00:16:46,746 <i>from an explosion 27 miles away.</i> 262 00:16:46,754 --> 00:16:47,914 Give him to me! 263 00:16:48,835 --> 00:16:50,496 What's the matter? 264 00:16:53,187 --> 00:16:57,556 <i>This house lies 29 miles from Mansion airfield</i> 265 00:16:57,509 --> 00:17:01,502 <i>and 41 miles from Gatwick Airport in Sussex.</i> 266 00:17:07,464 --> 00:17:08,556 Under the table. 267 00:17:08,681 --> 00:17:10,581 Under the table! 268 00:17:13,226 --> 00:17:16,389 <i>The blast wave from a thermo-nuclear explosion</i> 269 00:17:16,395 --> 00:17:21,196 <i>ha...