How Soviets mapped out Leicester for nuclear war
A Soviet map of military and industrial buildings in Leicester during the Cold War has been revealed.
The map, dated 1974, highlights all the city's significant structures, such as colleges, a Territorial Army base and numerous factories.
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1: Factories 2: Bus depot and gas works 3: Charles Keene College 4: Territorial Army Centre and factories 5: Great Central railway station 6: Primary school 7: Leicester railway station & goods yard 8: College on Mill Lane / Goswell Street
It is thought the topographical plans were created using aerial photography, satellite images and reports from undercover Soviet agents.
They have been released for the first time today after being discovered following the collapse of the Soviet Union almost two decades ago.
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Dr Kenneth Morrison, senior lecturer in modern European history at De Montfort University, runs a course on the Cold War.
He said: "All major industrial cities would have been legitimate targets in the event of a nuclear war, with the main objective being to destroy the UK's military, communications and civilian infrastructure and to decimate its industrial capacity.
1: Factories
2: Bus depot and gas works
3: Charles Keene College
4: Territorial Army Centre and factories
5: Great Central railway station
6: Primary school
7: Leicester railway station & goods yard
8: College on Mill Lane / Goswell Street
"Even those seemingly benign industrial centres, such as Leicester, were home to factories that could have been put to use to produce military equipment and supplies. It was, therefore, a legitimate military target.
"The very fact that such detailed maps of the city exist suggests that the Cold War did impact upon Leicester, despite the fact many citizens may have been unaware of this."
The maps would have been used by the Soviet military intelligence to develop an offensive strategy in the event of a nuclear war.
Military strategists would have devised a "strike pattern", in which important industrial sites would have been identified as "first-strike targets", said Dr Morrison.
Military bases, Government and administrative buildings, industrial sites, power stations, coal mines and communications centres would have all been primary targets.
Dr Morrison said that Leicester's hosiery industry could be one of the reason the city was highlighted as a target.
Factories which made military clothing were seen as an important part of the Armed Forces' infrastructure and were pinpointed on their maps. They would also have been used to target buildings such as Leicester railway station, the Territorial Army centre, in Belgrave Road, and the Grand Central Railway.
Website old-maps.co.uk bought the rights to the maps from a US company.
Russell Morris, from old-maps.co.uk, said: "These maps are totally accurate. They relate directly to the Ordnance Survey maps of the time. The roads, rail and river networks are the same and all the buildings are the same. It is just that these military maps have top secret buildings that the OS could not show.
"They reveal the exact location and purpose of every structure of possible military importance, including details such as the width of our roads, the height of our bridges and the depth of our rivers."
Comments
by milesignotus
Tuesday, August 23 2011, 5:15AM
“They are targeting the UK the same way the Soviets did, only they will attack the UK.
http://tinyurl.com/3ul4okn
The UK is considered a major threat for several reasons. At one time the Americans had nearly 2000 nuclear weapons stationed in the UK, the ability of the UK to modify, and independently target with nuclear weapons, and the modifications to the Polaris Missiles, and American warhead designs. The UK's historical significance of not giving up against the Nazi's, and the policy of allowing the UK military forces to fight nuclear war independently after the civilian government is destroyed, or allowing UK military forces to target nuclear munitions without civilian command and control. That simply worries these things greatly.
It's why they constantly buzz, do surveillance on UK nuclear sites.
Several UFOs were spotted in Leicester, United Kingdom on Sunday, August 21, 2011. According to a witness, they were "moving in a formation." A video recorded during the UFO sighting shows three separate pin*****s of light in the dark night sky above several buildings and trees.
The three unidentified flying objects all moved in the same direction and appeared to be traveling at the same speed. The lead UFO was significantly ahead of the second and third.
The video on the left side of the screen is from 7amarivu's YouTube channel. The following is from the uploader's comments on the sighting: "I dont know what was this. May be a UFO. I haven't seen any weather ballons so it might be that also. They were moving in a formation."
The lights eventually wink out one by one or move behind the buildings out of range of the video camera. The video lasts just over one minute long, but it's enough to closely observe the path of the UFOs above Leicester, United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the objects ar”
by John, Leicester
Friday, October 01 2010, 6:56PM
“Doubtless the UK and US had similar maps of principal Russian cities and for the same reason.”
by CGLee, near Melton
Friday, October 01 2010, 6:51PM
“And Bill the Builder, you are naive.”
by Bill the Builder, Oadby
Friday, October 01 2010, 2:06PM
“CGLee, near Melton, you are thick”
by Nick, Leicester
Friday, October 01 2010, 1:40PM
“If you go to the website and load the part of the map around Anstey Lane then you notice that the Soviets missed out the biggest target in Leicester. They seem to have a housing area on the site of Marconi (GEC Blackbird Road). Does anyone know why certain schools are in black? Also found was black lines going around the Highcross site. What are these?”
by Jon, leics
Friday, October 01 2010, 12:56PM
“I would not have thought the car repairers under the great central railway arches were much of a threat to the Soviets in 1974 - that Nottingham to Rugby stretch of line closed in 1969”
by CGLee, near Melton
Friday, October 01 2010, 12:17PM
“Chilling, isn't it? And there are those people who would gladly do away with our nuclear deterrent. To those I would say - we have had peace in Europe for 65 years. That is largely because of the nuclear weapons held by the major powers. OK, the threat is no longer from Russia but beware of Iran and N. Korea.”
by Kulgan, Crydee
Friday, October 01 2010, 11:58AM
“The best intelligence is often the easiest to source.”
by martin, le3
Friday, October 01 2010, 11:27AM
“"They relate directly to the Ordnance Survey maps of the time" - so in other words this was publicly available in WH Smiths in 1974.”