>>13249 A sucker punch immediately after WW2 or towards the end of the Korean War might have done it. The later it happens, the more able the US is to bring its manufacturing capabilities to bear.

>>13255 That space of time in the immediate aftermath of WW2 where the western allies would've been standing down their forces in Europe and breathing a sigh of relief, still thinking that Uncle Joe and the merry band of the red army were good guys and would've been caught with their pants down sure. The Soviets might have had just enough of a suitable window to attack where things like the materiel, logistics and industrial steamroller, overwhelming airpower plus other firepower and C3 assets wouldn't have sufficient time to be brought back up to a sufficient level to stomp the soviet forces into dust...AND the abrupt ending of western material support that can't be offset by looting causing an accelerated collapse along with mounting casualties. Something that I read somewhere suggested it wasn't really that far off for the Soviets despite apperances on parades in 1945. Korean war probably not, but the late 50s to the late 60s might have been another opportunity.

>>13249 My bet would be about 1969-1972, before the USAF reforms post-Vietnam really took place, before our troops were fully pulled out, and before the Abrams and F-15 were deployed. T-64 would rape late 60s M60s.

>>13249 If that Soviet submariner had just launch the nuke in Cuba we could’ve know

>>13255 >>13418 Soviet logistics at all levels were propped by British and American industries till the very end of WW2. Even Zhukov admitted that without western materiel, they'd have lost. In an hypothetical reversal of operation unthinkable they'd run out of fuel, ammo, trucks and most importantly food in a matter of weeks considering they had mobilized 27 million personnel.

50s for sure, USSR had ICBMs and the US didn't. If they did a continuation war of WW2 the US would have ended lend lease and the USSR couldn't match production due to production centres being destroyed.

Early 80s when the Soviets had a massive buildup of everything.