Cold War Indiana

By Jeffrey Swisher

Bombers, missiles, spies, and the Hoosiers who stood on the front lines of the Nuclear Age.

The Cold War may have been fought on a global stage, but its front lines reached deep into Indiana. From Nike missile batteries guarding the industrial corridor of Northwest Indiana to the sprawling military complex at Crane and the chemical weapons stored at Newport, Indiana became an important part of America's Cold War defenses. At Bunker Hill, later Grissom Air Force Base, bombers and tankers stood ready for nuclear war. Purdue University operated a research reactor, Magnavox workers in Fort Wayne produced sophisticated military technology, and thousands of Hoosiers prepared for the unthinkable in fallout shelters and Operation Skywatch observation posts.

Author and Hoosier historian Jeffrey Swisher uncovers the little-known places, people, and events that put Indiana on the front lines of the Cold War and reveals how a struggle between two superpowers transformed communities across the state.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1467173657
• ISBN13: 9781467173650
• Release Date: March 2027
• Publisher: History Press
• Length: 160 Pages