What? The A-4 (V-2) family was being primed for the forthcoming nuke! The German nuke measured 2.2 feet in diameter and weighed 2,205 lbs. This was the REAL device that given time to experiment was the basis for their bomb. KaiserWilhelm's "what if" supposes they finally got a complete atom splitting detonation.

OK 1st of all the Germans could have deployed a radiological device at just about any time after 1942. The danger in this would have been great. Paul Harteckk’s and Dr. Wilhelm Ohnesorge’s research theorized that low temperature for the reactor would work as a dirty bomb. Mixed with sand and dust it would leave behind plutonium and radioactive isotopes after detonation in a V-1 or V-2 warhead. A dirty bomb was feasible and possible at any time of the German program.

The original device used 551 lbs of uranium and if the device does not detonate in chain reaction fashion the uranium commences meltdown similar to a 1942 German lab incident but not with just uranium powder. Once the material bores through to the water table a mass of superheated water will arise in a colossal cloud of radioactive steam that will poison the area for decades hence.

The momentum at which the rocket program was going illustrates that the Germans were on target in precise calculations of what it would take to deliver a warhead to the US from Europe. Remember that it was Werhner von Braun, Willy Ley, Walter Dornberger and Hermann Oberth that were figuring exactly what thrust would be required to lift off, hit apogee and carry on to target. They had been calculating future moon trips since the 1930s. These were the greatest minds in the world not guys off the farm.

They had conceived of the vehicles needed and the required performance back in 1940 to reach the North American continent. The 2-stage A-9/A-10 had the required number of A-4 motors for thrust and, as mentioned, the physical size of an atomic warhead had already been designed. All that was needed was a chain reaction within and boom!

And if people don't want to employ missiles we must remember that the Amerika Bomber was green-lighted February 1945. By the "what if" 1947 timeline the Horton Project 18B could have been flying at 52,000 feet across the Atlantic, capable of 528 MPH top speed, able to carry 8,818 lbs of ordnance and go 13,670 miles. There were several other trancontinental bombers on the design boards by then plus a whole 2nd generation of high performance fighters.

KaiserWilhelm you didn't mention if the Manhattan Project happened as real or not. If so we'd be trading nukes with Germany I guess. At any rate if the US was hit 1st invasion wouldn't have been necessary and it never was considered in acuality anyway. With GB out of it the US would have had to take the years to field the B-32 and B-36 so as to be able to attack Germany or whoever from US bases.

As it was in the Cold War the presumption was that it would be nuke vs nuke and invasion scenarios were superflous.

If you use 1947-1953 as a timeline it would be very likely that the German detonating A-bomb would have been a reality since they actually found the proper moderator, graphite, as an agent to slow down the neutrons and cause fission in the atoms. Much later it was concluded that impurities in the graphite absorbed the neutrons instead of simply slowing them down. They had the perfect catalyst and didn’t know it simply because the small team could not repeat experiments for lack of personnel.

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