Even a German atomic breakthrough would not automatically change the outcome of the Second World War. A usable weapon still requires an aircraft or missile able to reach the intended target, and Germany might not threaten the American homeland before the United States could strike Germany. The B-29 provides a concrete American delivery route against Europe. Germany is also geographically concentrated, while the much larger United States would be harder to disable with a small number of weapons. Nuclear possession, delivery range, and target geography therefore have to be analysed together.
Notable Point · 5:31-10:32
Nuclear weapons still need a reachable target
The opening counterfactual separates possessing an atomic weapon from delivering it, using B-29 range and the relative geography of Germany and the United States.