Written as though compiled shortly after the war's conclusion, this imaginary history of the Third World War describes why, where, and when it would be fought, and what its effects would be.

Includes index.

August dawn : the first blows -- The world in 1984 -- Cradles of conflict : Middle East and Africa -- Awakening response in the West -- Unrest in Poland -- No peace at Christmas -- Summit and aftermath -- Heidelberg, 27 July 1985 -- The invasion of Yugoslavia -- Soviet planning -- Over the edge -- NATO forces -- The Warsaw Pact forces -- The stage is set -- The storm breaks on the central front -- Sea power -- The battle of the Atlantic -- The war in inner space -- Air defence of the United Kingdom and Eastern Atlantic -- The air war over the central region -- The centre holds -- Home fires : the domestic scene in a televisual society -- The vital peripheries : Middle East and Africa -- The nuclear decision -- The destruction of Birmingham -- A devastating response -- Reflections on a war -- The beginning of the future.