SWINDON would have been a high-priority target in the event of a Cold War attack.

The town and its railway works would have been high up on the Soviet Union's list if it decided to attack the West.

The extent of Swindon's importance to hostile powers has been uncovered in a new book by military historian Bob Clarke, pictured.

Mr Clarke has examined the way Britain would have survived a nuclear attack and said although it was unlikely that Swindon would have been a target for nuclear weapons, it could well have been blitzed with chemical weapons.

He has studied maps of Swindon now held in Wiltshire's archives which were originally created by the Russians during the Cold War, and said: "The maps are detailed, which makes me think the Soviets would probably want to settle here rather than leave it a smoking crater.

"The chemicals would have dispersed after a few days, allowing them to move in.

"Swindon was a major target. Not only was it an industrial centre but with airfields like Brize Norton and Lyneham nearby, a chemical attack would have been ideal."

Ann Aldis, of the Conflict Studies Research Centre, at Camberley, in Surrey, which has closely studied military policy in the former Soviet Union said she agreed Swindon would have escaped a nuclear blast, but would have faced a bombardment.

"Swindon's railway infrastructure would have been a priority target for Soviet forces," she said.

"The town would probably have come under aerial bombardment from conventional missiles, whereas nuclear weapons would have been used against major population centres like the capital."

Mrs Aldis said nuclear weapons would probably have been targeted at airfields such as RAF Brize Norton and Lyneham, and particularly at Fairford.

Fairford was seen as a major target because it would have been used launched attacks on the Soviet Union.

Chemical weapons could not be discounted either.

Mrs Aldis said: "The use of such weapons could not have been ruled out. Had they wanted to invade and settle, they could have used them, but the conditions had to be favourable and Soviet troops would have been susceptible to such weapons as well."

The area around Swindon would have had a hand in any revenge strikes.

As well as the air forces at Fairford, there were American nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, based at Greenham Common, near Newbury.

In the event of an attack, convoys of launcher vehicles would take to the roads across the area, particularly the Marlborough Downs, where the vehicles would hide before firing back.

The missiles were hugely unpopular and led to mass protests at Greenham Common. They were removed under arms treaties in the late 1980s.

Anthony Osborne