World War III (1962 Conventional Warfare)

World War III (also known as the Third World War or WWIII / WW3) was a global war lasting from 1962 to 1970 and involving the vast majority of the world's nations. It pitted the United States of America, its NATO allies, and their partners against the communist Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies, as well as other Communist countries and insurgent groups worldwide. It was the most widespread conflict in human history; fighting took place in nearly every region of the globe including the Arctic and Antarctic and on every continent except Antarctica, and the war directly involved an estimated 500 million people from more than 50 countries and numerous insurgent groups. It was also by far the deadliest war in human history, with an estimated 92 million to 115 million people dead as a result of it.

The war began in October 1962 during a dispute over Soviet nuclear missiles being deployed in Cuba. In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 and the presence of American Jupiter ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey against the USSR with Moscow within range, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev decided to agree to Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter future harassment of Cuba. An agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July and construction on a number of missile launch facilities started later that summer. American spy planes discovered these missiles, as well as launch facilities and Il-28 light nuclear bombers, and set up a naval blockade around Cuba. President Kennedy announced that the US would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the weapons already in the country be dismantled and returned to the USSR. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev refused, and shot down a civil aircraft with the goal of intimidating the United States into abandoning its forces and blockade of Cuba. The US did not back down, and Soviet armored and infantry units were sent to Cuba while the United States poised its own military units to strike. (IN PROGRESS)

Prelude to War
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