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通過在dashlane.com/rll免費註冊Dashlane，不再丟失密碼。

The Second World War was the most destructive conflict in human history

第二次世界大戰是人類歷史上最具破壞性的衝突。

Over 60 million people died in the span of only 6 years, but at the end of it,

僅僅6年時間，就有6000多萬人死亡，但在最後。

it only seemed to sow the seeds for another and even greater Third World War between the victors

這似乎只是為勝利者之間的另一場甚至更大的第三次世界大戰埋下了種子。

The United States and The Soviet Union

美國和蘇聯

The difference was that if this war ever kicked off

不同的是，如果這場戰爭一旦開打

the same number of people who died during 6 years in World War 2

死難者總數

would probably die during the first week of World War 3

可能會在第三次世界大戰的第一週死亡。

Both sides would eventually posses thousands of nuclear warheads

雙方最終將擁有數千枚核彈頭。

Capable of obliterating each others entire countries

能夠消滅對方的整個國家

But in 1979, the Soviets developed a secret conventional plan to win the upcomming Third World War against the west

但在1979年，蘇聯制定了一個祕密的常規計劃，以贏得對西方的第三次世界大戰的勝利。

And they would do it in under 2 weeks.

而且他們會在2周內完成。

To understand how the plan would work

為了解該計劃如何運作

it's important to understand the political and geographic realities of Europe at the time

瞭解當時歐洲的政治和地理現實很重要。

The continent was starkly divided between the two major superpower alliances

大陸兩大超級大國聯盟涇渭分明

The Warsaw Pact in the east, consisting of The Soviet Union itself,

東部的華沙條約組織，由蘇聯本身組成。

Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria

波蘭、東德、捷克斯洛伐克、匈牙利、羅馬尼亞和保加利亞。

And NATO in the west, consisting of The United States itself,

而西方的北約，由美國自己組成。

Canada, Portugal, Iceland, The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, West Germany,

加拿大、葡萄牙、冰島、聯合王國、法國、比利時、盧森堡、荷蘭、西德。

Denmark, Norway, Italy, Greece and Turkey

丹麥、挪威、意大利、希臘和土耳其

Since both Austria and Yugoslavia were remaining neutral,

由於奧地利和南斯拉夫都保持中立。

this created an invasion funnel for both sides acreos the east-west German border

這為雙方在東西德邊境建立了一個入侵漏斗。

and this is where Germany's geography becomes important

這也是德國地理環境的重要性所在

There are two major things to see here

這裡有兩大看點

first is the North German Plain, part of the larger North European Plain

一是北德平原

that's a large, flat, and open plain, perfect for the mechanised units of The Warsaw Pact to blitz accros

那是一個廣闊、平坦、開闊的平原，非常適合華約的機械化部隊進行突擊

This, would be the prefeered route of invasion

這，將是入侵的首選路線。

but an advance through here would leave out the most major US Airforce base in Germany at Frankfurt

但如果從這裡推進，就會漏掉法蘭克福這個美國在德國最主要的空軍基地。

which if not destroyed, would allow the US to pour in reinforcements

如果不被摧毀，美國就可以傾力增援了

In the way of the Warsaw Pact advance towards Frankfurt are mountains to the east and the west

擋在華約向法蘭克福推進的路上，東邊和西邊都是山脈

but a valley in between, known at the time as, Fulda Gap

谷口

Both sides recognised the importance of this vally as an invasion route into West Germany

雙方都認識到這個峽谷作為進入西德的入侵路線的重要性。

so both has large military forces in the area

所以，雙方都有大量的軍隊駐紮在該地區