* HarsherInHindsight: The author at one point dismisses those arguing for defense spending cuts as "useful fools" unknowingly doing the bidding of the Soviet Union. Come over a decade later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and declassified and leaked documents would come to show that Soviet intelligence services [[VindicatedByHistory actually were]] secretly funding many left-wing peace activists and anti-nuclear organizations in the West, exploiting those people's sincere desire for peace, economic development, or diplomatic solutions in order to weaken their enemies' militaries.
** This is especially harsher in light of recent allegations in America of Russian interference in American political systems.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** In the first book, Jimmy Carter serves two full terms. The second implies UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan stood down after one term.
** Iran is still ruled by the Pahlavi monarchy, implying that the Iranian Revolution either never happened or failed.
** It's stated in the first book that Creator/Channel4 is not created because of the increase in defence spending. By the second book, it was being created. [[DontExplainTheJoke Considering what's on C4 at the moment, this line gets funnier all the time.]]
* MoralEventHorizon and ShootTheDog: The Soviets, getting thrown back in UsefulNotes/WestGermany, decide to try and scare UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} to the negotiating table by nuking Birmingham, close enough to a summit in London for the attack to be seen from there, stating that further strikes will follow unless they agree to talks. The UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} leaders decide the only way they're going to avoid a complete collapse of public morale is to nuke Minsk back.
** The Soviets [[VillainBall stop people]] ''[[VillainBall leaving]]'' [[VillainBall Minsk]]. The British stop rescuers from entering the centre of the city- it can be inferred, though, that since there's unlikely to be any more survivors there, there was no point in rescue workers risking their lives when others needed help.
* NightmareFuel: A lot of the combat is described in pretty graphic detail, and that's before the nukes start flying in Chapter 25.