August M
Newly released government papers have shed light on Britain’s vulnerability at the height of the Cold War. The documents outline which parts of the country were considered likely targets in the event of a Soviet nuclear strike.
Declassified records from the early 1970s show that 38 towns and cities across the UK were identified as probable nuclear targets during contingency planning for a potential conflict with the Soviet Union, the Daily Express reports.
The files, now held at the National Archives, detail assessments made during Edward Heath’s time as prime minister. Military planners drew up a list of sites believed to be at high risk if hostilities had escalated into nuclear war.
In total, 106 locations were designated as “probable nuclear targets”, including both civilian population centres and strategic military infrastructure.
Military sites flagged
Beyond the named towns and cities, the plans highlighted key defence assets. These included 23 RAF bases, 14 United States Air Force bases operating in Britain, 10 radar stations, eight military command centres and 13 Royal Navy bases.
Officials noted at the time that the figures related specifically to potential nuclear strikes. The number of targets could have been higher if conventional weapons had been factored into the planning.
While the list reflects Britain’s strategic landscape more than 50 years ago, analysts say such archives offer insight into how Cold War military thinking shaped national defence policy.
The release comes amid renewed tensions between Moscow and Western capitals following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Modern warnings
In recent remarks reported by British media, Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin warned that UK locations could face risks in any future confrontation.
His comments followed criticism of former UK defence secretary Ben Wallace over remarks about making Crimea “uninhabitable and unviable from a Russian point of view”.
Towns identified
According to the Daily Express, the towns and cities listed in the Cold War documents were:
Armagh, Belfast, Brecon, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Catterick, Central London, Chatham, Cheltenham, Coventry, Dover, Edinburgh, Gillingham, Glasgow, Hull, Huddersfield, Kidderminster, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Maidstone, Manchester, Newcastle/Gateshead, Nottingham, Preston, Reading, Rochester, Salcombe, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Teesside, Wolverhampton and York.
Sources: UK National Archives, British media reports
