World War III was a global conflict that started in 1962 and ended in 1975. It involved most of the world's nations- including the United States and USSR- and eventually became a conflict between two opposite pacts- NATO and the Warsaw Pact. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 230 million military personnel mobilised. In a state of "total war", the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant events involving the mass death of civilians, it is the deadliest conflict in human history, resulting in over 210 million fatalities.
The event preceding World War III, the Cold War, had begun after World War II and was a time of political and economic tension between the US and USSR. This later became a struggle between the NATO and Warsaw Pact nations. While the Cold War did sometimes turn intense (Korean War, Vietnamese Civil War, Bay of Pigs Invasion), the final straw was the Cuban Missile Crisis and subsequent Gulf Skirmish in 1962. The Soviet response was to invade West Germany in December 1962.
The NATO response was a declaration of war. Immediately, the NATO nations began to fight for West Germany, but the Soviets were too strong in West Germany. Turkey was invaded in 1963, resulting in the dismantlement of several hundred nuclear weapons and the Soviet recovery of many more. NATO urged China to invade the USSR, but they refused, stating that 'it was too risky'. In 1965, the Warsaw Pact invaded much of Scandenavia and Yugoslavia. By 1967, Eastern Europe belonged to the USSR. However, the USA and some NATO nations began to secretly discuss the possibility of a nuclear strike on the USSR.
In 1967, China entered the war and invaded the USSR. This prompted Japan to invade the USSR and Mongolia. As the battles in Asia came to a stanstill and lines were solidified, the USSR began preparing for a sneak naval attack on Pacific targets. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, the Communists began to turn on each other, seeing the rift between China and the USSR turning into war.
The naval battles of World War III began in 1968, when Soviets invaded American Samoa. By 1969, Hawaii was invaded and Alaska was the site of war. America had been invaded. The fronts changed over and over, but the USSR gained fronts in western and central Alaska.
In 1969, Spain, fearing a Soviet invasion, joined the Warsaw pact and helped the USSR invade France. The year 1971 saw many changes. China gained a major foothold in Siberia. Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and parts of California became battlefields with the lines constantly changing. Meanwhile, Scotland was invaded by the Warsaw Powers.
In 1972, the battles along the Pacific coast continued to switch sides weekly. The UK also fought the Warsaw Powers to a standstill. As World War III essentially became a war of attrition aside from France's fall that year. Seeing a no-win solution, the Treaty of Paris was signed. Solidified lines were created and World War III ended.