12th mechanised division, 1st polish army. east of bremen, west germany. the blue effect Colonel Bajeck’s view of the landscape in front of him suddenly disappeared, replaced by a blinding white light. He, along with twenty or more tank crews of the Polish tank battalion, was about to experience the effects of flash-blindness. They had just witnessed the detonation of a West German neutron warhead exploding 200 metres in the air above one of their sister tank units, T-72s moving into position ready for an attack the following day. “I can’t see! I can’t see!” Shrieked a sergeant close by. Shouts could be heard from other soldiers of Colonel Bajeck’s tank battalion. Flash-blindness, an effect of the initial brilliant flash of light produced by the nuclear detonation, is harmful to the human eye. The retina, unable to tolerate the high levels of light focussed by its lens, caused the visual pigments to bleach. Unknown to the panicking tank crewmen, some injuring themselves as they blundered around their environment, the effects would only be temporary, perhaps gaining some level of returning vision within the hour.
What do You think about The Blue Effect (Cold War)?
