atomic weapons

[forager]

when and what causes them to be available. also, what if any effect do they have in combat?

[hickmanj]

If you research heavy bombers (I think) up to 10 attack against ground they are considered atomic.

[Wilhammer]

First reading that in the rule book made me think "That's a bit weak"

[Paul Vebber]

If you have The Bomb as the Allies, and the ratio of Allied to Axis production is 50 to 1 or better, before the start of 46, the Allies win an automatic victory. IT gets you a marginal vic if the condition exists at teh end of 46.

This comes in REALLY handy if you have compressed Germany and Japan down to a few areas and bombed their resource/factory areas down to nothing. IT can take as long as a year to knock Geramny out completely when they get 70 units in West Germany and sit there...

The idea is that every heavy bomber attack at land attack 10 is not an atom bomb attack, bit that you basically use it to force an unconditional surrender once the Axis economy is in a shambles. IT removes teh need for a "final allout invasion" of the "home islands or West Germany.