I dont think it would happen that way. Nuclear weapons use was avoided several times by luck only. One of the russian submarines in the cuba crisis in the early 60s was equipped with nukes and the US navy nearly started fighting the submarines. What would have made the submarine fire its nukes. In the 80s the russian radars showed an attack from a ballistic rocket what would usually trigger a massive strike by the russians. One russian officer decided that one rocket alone made no sense and stayed put. It turned out being false alarm. For things like that happened on US side is unknown. These things got public after the socialist east block disassembled 1990. Nowadays is clear that the su had a similar security system for use of nukes as the USA had. No idea about the french and english ones. Or the chinese or the ones from North Korea, India, Pakistan or Israel. Russia is not clear anymore. The SU had an official gremium at the top – after Stalin that is. nowadays its a one man show again. No idea how he is limited in his decisions today.
I dont think it would happen that way. Nuclear weapons use was avoided several times by luck only. One of the russian submarines in the cuba crisis in the early 60s was equipped with nukes and the US navy nearly started fighting the submarines. What would have made the submarine fire its nukes. In the 80s the russian radars showed an attack from a ballistic rocket what would usually trigger a massive strike by the russians. One russian officer decided that one rocket alone made no sense and stayed put. It turned out being false alarm. For things like that happened on US side is unknown. These things got public after the socialist east block disassembled 1990. Nowadays is clear that the su had a similar security system for use of nukes as the USA had. No idea about the french and english ones. Or the chinese or the ones from North Korea, India, Pakistan or Israel. Russia is not clear anymore. The SU had an official gremium at the top – after Stalin that is. nowadays its a one man show again. No idea how he is limited in his decisions today.