This is coolbert: The neutron bomb. This was a hysteria from the 1980's that was very misunderstood. The average man in the street heard that there was this nuclear bomb that had been developed that had an interesting characteristic. It would kill people but not destroy property. So the story goes.

Well, what is the truth behind this? Yes, a enhanced radiation weapon was developed in the 1980's. Was a nuclear weapon, but without the tremendous blast effect of the conventional nuclear weapon. This nuke would emit an intense dose of radiation to persons nearby where the detonation occurred. These people would become sick and die within a couple days. Many would become instantaneously incapacitated from radiation sickness. Too much overload of radiation to their body. And there would be damage from blast and heat of the initial detonation, but not as great as with a conventional nuclear detonation. So it seems there is credence to the belief that such a weapon existed, kills people, but does not destroy property.

How was this weapon to be used? And why was it even developed in the first place? Didn't we already have sufficient nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal so that no need for more nuke firepower existed?

The intention for the neutron bomb was to use it against massed formations of Soviet tanks.

The U.S. greatly feared a massive invasion of western Europe from the Soviet forces to the east of the Iron Curtain. A favorite Soviet tactic would be to mass enormous numbers of tanks and overwhelm a defensive sector of the NATO forces and create a breakthrough. Exploitation forces again of massed tanks would follow up into the breakthrough area, creating a gap that would endanger the entire NATO defense.

One counter [among many] the U.S. and NATO could have used was the neutron bomb. This bomb, fired from conventional artillery pieces, could be aimed at these massed tank formations and destroy the tanks or incapacitate the crews so that no exploitation would be possible.

The neutron bomb should be thought of as just one of many options and weapons available to NATO forces if they had come into a do or die struggle against the Soviets. The neutron bomb was not a doomsday weapon just to kill people and leave property intact. Hyperbole and misconceptions.

coolbert.