History's Greatest Hero

[Barihawk]

Over the passage of time, many heroes come to mind. Whether it be the ancient exploits of Hercules, the daunting heroism of our fighting men, famous leaders such as Churchill, humanitarians such as Mother Theresa, and the fictional Superman...none have literally saved the world from ultimate destruction.

 

 

 

Then what build of man is this great hero? He is not strong. His voice is weak. But let's face it. If it were not for the hard will of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, none of us would be here reading about him, and Earth would be a glass sphere.

 

 

 

MOSCOW ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ It was just past midnight as Stanislav Petrov settled into the commander's chair inside the secret bunker at Serpukhov-15, the installation where the Soviet Union monitored its early-warning satellites over the United States.

 

 

 

Then the alarms went off. On the panel in front him was a red pulsating button. One word flashed: "Start."

 

 

 

It was Sept. 26, 1983, and Petrov was playing a principal role in one of the most harrowing incidents of the nuclear age, a false alarm signaling a U.S. missile attack.

 

 

 

Although virtually unknown to the West at the time, the false alarm at the closed military facility south of Moscow came during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War. And the episode resonates today because Russia's early-warning system has fewer than half the satellites it did back then, raising the specter of more such dangerous incidents.

 

 

 

As Petrov described it in an interview, one of the Soviet satellites sent a signal to the bunker that a nuclear missile attack was underway. The warning system's computer, weighing the signal against static, concluded that a missile had been launched from a base in the United States.

 

 

 

The responsibility fell to Petrov, then a 44-year-old lieutenant colonel, to make a decision: Was it for real?

 

 

 

Petrov was situated at a critical point in the chain of command, overseeing a staff that monitored incoming signals from the satellites. He reported to superiors at warning-system headquarters; they, in turn, reported to the general staff, which would consult with Soviet leader Yuri Andropov on the possibility of launching a retaliatory attack.

 

 

 

Petrov's role was to evaluate the incoming data. At first, the satellite reported that one missile had been launched ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ then another, and another. Soon, the system was "roaring," he recalled ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ five Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched, it reported.

 

 

 

Despite the electronic evidence, Petrov decided ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ and advised the others ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ that the satellite alert was a false alarm, a call that may have averted a nuclear holocaust. But he was relentlessly interrogated afterward, was never rewarded for his decision and today is a long-forgotten pensioner living in a town outside Moscow. He spoke openly about the incident, although the official account is still considered secret by authorities here.

 

 

 

On the night of the crisis, Petrov had little time to think. When the alarms went off, he recalled, "for 15 seconds, we were in a state of shock. We needed to understand, what's next?"

 

 

 

Usually, Petrov said, one report of a lone rocket launch did not immediately go up the chain to the general staff and the electronic command system there, known as Krokus. But in this case, the reports of a missile salvo were coming so quickly that an alert had already gone to general staff headquarters automatically, even before he could judge if they were genuine. A determination by the general staff was critical because, at the time, the nuclear "suitcase" that gives a Soviet leader a remote-control role in such decisions was still under development.

 

 

 

In the end, less than five minutes after the alert began, Petrov decided the launch reports must be false. He recalled making the tense decision under enormous stress ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ electronic maps and consoles were flashing as he held a phone in one hand and juggled an intercom in the other, trying to take in all the information at once. Another officer at the early-warning facility was shouting into the phone to him to remain calm and do his job.

 

 

 

"I had a funny feeling in my gut," Petrov said. "I didn't want to make a mistake. I made a decision, and that was it."

 

 

 

Petrov's decision was based partly on a guess, he recalled. He had been told many times that a nuclear attack would be massive ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ an onslaught designed to overwhelm Soviet defenses at a single stroke. But the monitors showed only five missiles. "When people start a war, they don't start it with only five missiles," he remembered thinking at the time. "You can do little damage with just five missiles."

 

 

 

Another factor, he said, was that Soviet ground-based radar installations ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ which search for missiles rising above the horizon ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ showed no evidence of an attack. The ground radar units were controlled from a different command center, and because they cannot see beyond the horizon, they would not spot incoming missiles until some minutes after the satellites had.

 

 

 

Following the false alarm, Petrov went through a second ordeal. At first, he was praised for his actions. But then came an investigation, and his questioners pressed him hard. Why had he not written everything down that night? "Because I had a phone in one hand and the intercom in the other, and I don't have a third hand," he replied.

 

 

 

Petrov, who was assigned to the satellite early-warning system at its inception in the 1970s, said in the interview that he knew the system had flaws. It had been rushed into service, he said, and was "raw."

 

 

 

Petrov said the investigators tried to make him a scapegoat for the false alarm. In the end, he was neither punished nor rewarded. According to Petrov and other sources, the false alarm was eventually traced to the satellite, which picked up the sun's reflection off the tops of clouds and mistook it for a missile launch. The computer program that was supposed to filter out such information was rewritten.

 

 

 

It is not known what happened at the highest levels of the Kremlin on the night of the alarm, but it came at a climactic stage in U.S.-Soviet relations that is now regarded as a Soviet "war scare." According to former CIA analyst Peter Pry, and a separate study by the agency, Andropov was obsessed with the possibility of a surprise nuclear attack by the West and sent instructions to Soviet spies around the world to look for evidence of preparations.

 

 

 

One reason for Soviet jitters at the time was that the West had unleashed a series of psychological warfare exercises aimed at Moscow, including naval maneuvers into forward areas near Soviet strategic bastions, such as the submarine bases in the Barents Sea.

 

 

 

The 1983 alarm also came just weeks after Soviet pilots had shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 and just before the start of a NATO military exercise, known as Able Archer, that involved raising alert levels of U.S. nuclear forces in Europe to simulate preparations for an attack. Pry has described this exercise as "probably the single most dangerous incident of the early 1980s."

 

 

 

So let's have it for Comrade Petrov, without whom none of us would exist.

[tintmangbpack]

Wow, great find Barihawk. This man is truly a hero, to look at something like that rationally and not just jump at a small oppurtunity to attack. To be able to look at a situation like that and not signal an attack is great. Especially in the Cold War where people were so afraid of nuclear war. It makes you wonder what would happen if I was in that situation, would I look at all the surrounding evidence or would I have made a great mistake and signal a counter attack. Hopefully I would have been like Petrov and made a quality decision which changed the whole course of history.

 

 

 

It is amazinig to think that he would be so cool in such a crucial moment. He truly is a great Hero.

[assassin_696]

A very interesting read. When i was reading about the cold war i was wondering how many of these false alarms the early warning systems went through, and whether or not they were kept secret. Ultimate credit to the guy, i couldn't imagine being in a more stressful position. Good find Barihawk :)

[apinagez]

In his situation, I'd feel, for sure, much more than a "funny feeling in my gut".

 

 

 

Nice read, thanks Barihawk :)

[Duke_Freedom]

Well I wouldn't say none of us would have existed without him, but that surely is an impressive story :shock:.

[Striker6]

Impressive, very decisive move :D

[indy500fan]

woah, just had deja vu. i think this was posted before...

 

 

 

just checked, it wasnt. im just going insane :lol: .

 

 

 

i have read the story before though, its pretty interesting.

[Necromagus]

Although this man is definiately a hero, I really don't think it's very likely that this situation was unique during the cold war. If there's anything Dr. Strangelove taught us it's that the end of the world is lurking around every corner in the age of the nuclear missile.

[jak722]

Too bad he got reprimanded for hesitating though...

 

 

 

:(

[Barihawk]

Too bad he got reprimanded for hesitating though...

 

 

 

:(

 

 

 

The 80's were the height of the Cold War. I can understand him being reprimanded. What would have happened if that were a real launch? At least he still got a pension to retire on.

[Kewl_Sabre]

Wow, cool story. That guy saved a lot of people by keeping a level head.

 

 

 

Even if he was wrong... it probably would have been a good thing anyway. I mean, think about it. He responds to a massive nuclear attack, all it does is mean more people die. Not altogether very helpful on a world scale. Then again, such was the madness of the Cold War. :?

 

 

 

Ah well. Good to know that in this day and age, people have moved past that stupid, senseless kind of violence. :roll:

 

^(extreme sarcasm)

[Giordano]

Wow, interesting find :shock:

 

If I was him I would of launched missiles at USA :oops:

[Oy_the_Great]

Well I wouldn't say none of us would have existed without him, but that surely is an impressive story :shock:.

 

 

 

Indeed! I wonder if Europe would get blown apart as well. An a-bomb can do massive damage but you would need tens of thousands of them to annihilate a continent and I seriously doubt there are that many a-bombs at all.

[Barihawk]

Well I wouldn't say none of us would have existed without him, but that surely is an impressive story :shock:.

 

 

 

Indeed! I wonder if Europe would get blown apart as well. An a-bomb can do massive damage but you would need tens of thousands of them to annihilate a continent and I seriously doubt there are that many a-bombs at all.

 

 

 

It was 1983, we had H-bombs. Between the US and the Soviets, there were enough missiles (just missiles, not counting tactical nukes or bombs) to destroy the world 8 times over. The ENTIRE world.

[apinagez]

What a waste!

 

Wouldn't destroying the world once be enough?

 

I suppose US and USSR were just trying to prove who's the daddy :lol:

[Barihawk]

What a waste!

 

Wouldn't destroying the world once be enough?

 

I suppose US and USSR were just trying to prove who's the daddy :lol:

 

 

 

Two words: Mutual Assurance. It saved us from war.

[BlueTear]

 

Indeed! I wonder if Europe would get blown apart as well. An a-bomb can do massive damage but you would need tens of thousands of them to annihilate a continent and I seriously doubt there are that many a-bombs at all.

 

 

 

There 'are' and there 'were' aren't quite the same thing. Besides, you don't actually need to glass a planet to make it uninhabitable. First of all, there's the nuclear fallout. It travels quite far, and in the kind of doses caused by a few good sized nuclear strikes, it'll be lethal. Second, there's the nuclear winter. Throw enough dust into the atmhosphere, block out the sun and we'll be freezing our rears off while the plantlife dies because they need sunlight for photosynthesis. It goes downhill from there.

 

 

 

We're all quite lucky someone with some ounce of intelligence was on duty that time.

[Bubsa]

It was 1983, we had H-bombs. Between the US and the Soviets, there were enough missiles (just missiles, not counting tactical nukes or bombs) to destroy the world 8 times over. The ENTIRE world.

 

 

 

If Metal Gear Solid taught you anything...

[apinagez]

What a waste!

 

Wouldn't destroying the world once be enough?

 

I suppose US and USSR were just trying to prove who's the daddy :lol:

 

 

 

Two words: Mutual Assurance. It saved us from war.

 

 

 

K, then 2 times what would be enough to destroy the world. Half to US and half to USSR. But 8 times is a complete waste.

[Oy_the_Great]

 

Indeed! I wonder if Europe would get blown apart as well. An a-bomb can do massive damage but you would need tens of thousands of them to annihilate a continent and I seriously doubt there are that many a-bombs at all.

 

 

 

There 'are' and there 'were' aren't quite the same thing. Besides, you don't actually need to glass a planet to make it uninhabitable. First of all, there's the nuclear fallout. It travels quite far, and in the kind of doses caused by a few good sized nuclear strikes, it'll be lethal. Second, there's the nuclear winter. Throw enough dust into the atmhosphere, block out the sun and we'll be freezing our rears off while the plantlife dies because they need sunlight for photosynthesis. It goes downhill from there.

 

 

 

We're all quite lucky someone with some ounce of intelligence was on duty that time.

 

 

 

I know what happens when serious explosions occur; basically a large number of A-bombs equals a series of volcano eruptions. And one thing can be the trigger of many others. But Barihawk, destroying the world is something men can't do, at least not yet. We may be able to wipe out all human life, yes, but if a meteorite the size of the one that destroyed 95% of all life 65million years ago can't seriously scratch the Earth, no man-made bombs can. And this meteorite equals several millions of A-bombs (and yes, H-bombs are about 5 times more powerful...), so I don't believe we're yet able to make the Earth explode, not by far.

[Kewl_Sabre]

 

Indeed! I wonder if Europe would get blown apart as well. An a-bomb can do massive damage but you would need tens of thousands of them to annihilate a continent and I seriously doubt there are that many a-bombs at all.

 

 

 

There 'are' and there 'were' aren't quite the same thing. Besides, you don't actually need to glass a planet to make it uninhabitable. First of all, there's the nuclear fallout. It travels quite far, and in the kind of doses caused by a few good sized nuclear strikes, it'll be lethal. Second, there's the nuclear winter. Throw enough dust into the atmhosphere, block out the sun and we'll be freezing our rears off while the plantlife dies because they need sunlight for photosynthesis. It goes downhill from there.

 

 

 

We're all quite lucky someone with some ounce of intelligence was on duty that time.

 

 

 

I know what happens when serious explosions occur; basically a large number of A-bombs equals a series of volcano eruptions. And one thing can be the trigger of many others. But Barihawk, destroying the world is something men can't do, at least not yet. We may be able to wipe out all human life, yes, but if a meteorite the size of the one that destroyed 95% of all life 65million years ago can't seriously scratch the Earth, no man-made bombs can. And this meteorite equals several millions of A-bombs (and yes, H-bombs are about 5 times more powerful...), so I don't believe we're yet able to make the Earth explode, not by far.

 

 

 

Ain't it beautiful how ALL off-topic board discussions always go down such uplifting roads? :lol:

[Oy_the_Great]

Lol, so true sabre. But then again, people on these fora are supposed to like quarelling and discussing stuff we won't ever get confronted with anyway eh? :D

[Barihawk]

When I say "destroy the world 8 times over" I mean enough explosions to make the Earth a floating marble incapable of supporting life.

[apinagez]

When I say "destroy the world 8 times over" I mean enough explosions to make the Earth a floating marble incapable of supporting life.

 

 

 

You don't mean enough explosions to make the Earth a floating marble incapable of supporting life eight times then?

 

Because my point is that it's unecessary to destroy it 8 times. The amount needed to destroy it once, for each country is enough :wink:

[Oy_the_Great]

When I say "destroy the world 8 times over" I mean enough explosions to make the Earth a floating marble incapable of supporting life.

 

 

 

You don't mean enough explosions to make the Earth a floating marble incapable of supporting life eight times then?

 

Because my point is that it's unecessary to destroy it 8 times. The amount needed to destroy it once, for each country is enough :wink:

 

 

 

Yeah well, the Cold War was all about bragging; the country with the most firepower is the coolest :)

 

And Bari; I dunno what exactely happened 65 mio years ago (since I'm only 19 punny years old) when that meteorite crashed on Earth, all I know are the consequences. And they weren't that aweful that the Earth was a piece of crap :wink: Remember, 5% of the animals did survive tens of years of bitter cold, barely any sunlight and as good as no food. Not to mention everything that happened when that thing crashed down. This is what happened when 5000y ago, a meteorite half the size of a footbal field landed in Arizona, you probably also know the famous crater there: http://www.xs4all.nl/~carlkop/meteorcr.html

 

Keep in mind that the meteorite that hit the Mexican bay was 6 miles (!) in diameter; the rock that hit arizona is nothing compared to that. And yet, even if a monster like that hit the Earth, much survives and the Earth is as good as new after a few hundred years, plenty of vegetation will be back, animals will once again flourish and multiply.

 

That's why I think that even the fragile species that we are would survive a nuclear war. We're creative enough to find solutions to almost everything.