ZAP//United States Department of Energy /Wikimedia
During the Cold War, Britain developed one of the most unusual weapons to prevent a Soviet invasion of Western Europe: a nuclear terrestrial mine with… vivid chickens as part of the detonation mechanism.
The project, called Blue Peacock (In Portuguese, Pavão Azul) was intended to be used on the northern plain of Germany, a critical route for a potential Soviet advance, according to the.
NATO forces, including the British army, were much less than its Warsaw Pact opponents. In the event of war, the alliance strategy provided for under pressure and attempted to weaken Soviet forces in advance.
To reinforce their defensive abilities, Western allies developed nuclear rockets, artillery projectiles and, in the case of Britain, atomic terrestrial mines.
These mines would be buried over any ways of invasion, prepared to detonate days later, when the Soviet Army set out supply deposits and command centers over them.
The resultant ten kilotonial nuclear explosion He would severely disturb enemy forces, giving precious time to the born.
The mine could be detonated through an 8 -day timer, remote control or tamper detection mechanisms. One of the most bizarre proposals involved the Use of chickens To generate heat and maintain the operational mine electronics in cold conditions. The idea was that chickens, closed inside the pump with a limited supply of food, would perish after eight days, triggering the device.
Although Blue Peacock’s creepy design reflected the high risks of geopolitical impasse, the project has never crossed the planning phase. Concerns about the environmental and political consequences of nuclear mines detonation in allied territory contributed to their cancellation.
Nowadays, Blue Peacock is remembered as a peculiar relic of the ingenuity of the Cold War – proof that even in the pursuit of deadly goals, absurd ideas can enter military planning.
