https://medium.com/raf-caps/uk-governments-and-the-british-bomber-borne-nuclear-deterrent-1945-1955-386c0bc60f4f

This article was first published in Air Power Review Deterrence Special Edition Volume 20 Number 2 Summer 2017.

Abstract: Decisions made by British governments in the period from 1945 to 1955 led to the creation of an advanced strategic bombing force to deliver a British independent nuclear deterrent. During the same period, proposals were made to extend the life of the ‘V-Force’ and find its eventual replacement. The reasoning behind those decisions, and the extent to which they can be explained and justified in terms of political objectives, economic capacity, and technical advance, are the subject of this article. The author identifies that, whilst the creation of the V-Force was a very significant achievement, by 1955 serious questions had already arisen as to its potential operational effectiveness.