Der Mann, der die Welt rettete

Armageddon. Nuclear holocaust. Doomsday. These were the terms that were used during the Cold War. Both the United States and the USSR stood nose-to-nose ready to reduce their respective adversaries to radioactive wastelands. The U.S. public had no idea of the number of near-misses that occurred during this dangerous time. This documentary is about a single man who stood between the world and the end of humanity during one of those near-misses.

I lived through the Cold War. I served aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine. This submarine was not a ballistic missile sub. It was called a "fast attack" or "hunter-killer" sub. What I found out when I served during the early 1980's was that on ballistic missile submarines (boomers) the missiles came out of the top of the sub. On a fast attack, they came out the front.

We carried nuclear weapons. I was within arms reach of a real-live nuclear weapon when I went into the sub's battery bay to do morning measurments. That experience changed me. I did not want to play chicken with things that would have destroyed life on this planet.

My inner turmoil was nothing compared to the choice that Stanislav Petrov faced on September 26, 1983 when the Soviet satellite surveillance of the U.S. strategic forces reported not one, not two, but five incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was his decision to report the missile warnings as false alarms. Had he simply followed established procedures his actions could have touched off a world-destroying nuclear war. The entire world owes this man a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

This film documents the life of the man who saved the world. He never considered himself a hero despite the fact that his decicion allowed civilization to continue on this planet. The film shows that Stanislav wasn't a choirboy. He was a flawed human being. He also endured difficulties that defy description considering the magnitude of the act that he performed in the service of humanity.

The name Stanislav Petrov should be etched in the annals of history as an example of people who have saved far more lives than all of the world's despots have destroyed. He saved even more lives than someone like Dr. Norman Borlaug.

Look it up.

"The man who saved the world" is eye-opening and it actually made my eyes tear up several times.

It's compelling filmmaking and a fascinating story with which all human beings should familiarize themselves.

A Cold War thriller that shows us just how close we came to World War III … and it's not over yet! With a new cold war rising and thousands of nuclear weapons on hair trigger alert, we still live under the same catastrophic danger that Stanislav faced back then.

I left the theater feeling that it is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.

Don't watch this movie if you are expecting a fast paced thriller. Don't watch this movie if you are banking on Kevin Costner acing yet another role. Don't watch this movie if you don't want to know why you are alive!

Any movie that follows a factual event, detailing the circumstances, adding in some personal story, combining that with moments of reverence, deserves an award. This is that movie. More of a 'docu' drama, it fills in some character turmoil, that while unrelated to the core reason for its creation, adds to the ultimate admiration that you have to feel for Stanislav. I for one would willingly line up to shake this mans hand and this movie made me feel inclined to buy a ticket to Moscow to do so.

I was truly moved by the human nature that not only showed throughout, but was the epicenter of the basis for the movie. Add the speech that Kevin Costner gave in Stanislav's honor and you would have to be made of stone not to be moved by the whole thing.

You do not need to have a car chase, a womanizing hero, a crooked cop or any of the over used clichés to make a great movie, all you need is a real hero, some humbled super stars and a dash of reality to make a blockbuster, and this was it.

Since 1961 the U.S. had U.S. Army Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs) with 1.1 Megaton Thermo Nuclear Warheads targeting Moskow from U.S. Army Bases at Italy and Turkey. U.S. Army also had Multi Role, Nike Hercules Missiles with 20 KT Nuclear Warheads as Anti Aircraft, ABM, and Surface to Surface as Short Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBMs).

1980s I was assigned to the U.S. and NATO Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe, I.N.F. Europe. Including doing a similar kind of Nuclear Control Order Duty, that would order the launches of the German and U.S. Pershing Missiles, starting Thermo Nuclear World War 3. Not only are you walking on a razors edge you are juggling a bunch of hollow glass balls.

Was much more serious Worldwide than portrayed, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were at other Nations involved in actual Armed "Conflicts". The U.S.S.R was attempting to get control of Five (5) Nations in a Row, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, to get the U.S. and U.S. Allies out of the Middle East.

U.S. sent Us U.S. Army Special Forces to the Iran Iraq Wars, to assist U.S. Ally Iraq. Like Us leading U.S. Ally Iraqis Combat Units, the U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz and KGB were "Assisting" U.S.S.R. Ally Iran.

U.S. sent Us U.S. Army Special Forces attached to the CIA to Afghanistan as CIA Operation Cyclone to train, arm, lead Pro U.S. Afghans (that became Northern Alliance since 1990 fighting the Taliban) and kill as many U.S.S.R. 40th Army and Pro U.S.S.R. Afghan Military (that 1989 became the Taliban) as possible creating "Unacceptable Losses" for the U.S.S.R..

December 1982 U.S. started to prepare for Able Archer 1983, the U.S.S.R. Warsaw Pact Nation of East Germany Intelligence, Stasi East German Spies had infiltrated the Federal Republic of West Germany's Bundeswehr U.S. Pershing 1 Command and Control Center and most of NATO posing as West German Bundeswehr Officers, Stasi East German Intelligence was reporting to the U.S.S.R. that the U.S. and NATO were planning a First Strike Nuclear Attack against the U.S.S.R. from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Europe, flight time to Moskow less than 5 minutes. The location that Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov was at as U.S.S.R. Command and Control, Early Warning, was definitely targeted by one or more West German Pershing 1a and or U.S. Pershing 2. In response the U.S.S.R. moved their Mobile Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles from the U.S.S.R. into Warsaw Pact Nations bordering NATO Nations. A Stasi East German Spy finally convinced the U.S.S.R. that NATO's Nuclear Capabilities were Defensive, not what the U.S.S.R Intelligence believed that NATO's Nuclear Capabilities were Offensive First Strike (Attack) Weapons targeting the U.S.S.R. and Warsaw Pact Nations. After the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and Warsaw Pact Nations, the Reunified Federal Republic of Germany Government released the Stasi East German Intelligence Agencies Files, revealing how close, 1982, the U.S.S.R. was to doing a Pre Emptive Nuclear Attack against the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe before Able Archer 1983.

After participating with the Iran Iraq Wars, and CIA Operation Cyclone, I returned to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe.

The U.S. and U.S.S.R. were already nearly at War, when this September 26, 1983 U.S.S.R. Incident happened.

So thankful that the U.S. did not treat Us like U.S.S.R. Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov.

Much later after the Fall of the U.S.S.R. and the creation of the Russian Federation, I met my Counterpart, he also was of the U.S.S.R.'s Strategic Rocket Forces like I was of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Europe and switched to Special Forces. He never admitted that his Special Forces, U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz, were hunting Us at both the Iran Iraq Wars, and CIA Operation Cyclone (was in his U.S. Intelligence file), U.S.S.R. Spetsnaz Sniper shot and nearly killed one of my Lieutenants.

We talked about lots of things still not for Public Information.

U.S. Informal Declaration of Thermo Nuclear World War 3 from his knowledge of U.S. putting Pershing IRBMs in the upright launch mode, my guess was he wanted me to confirm that happened, I did not.

He mocked me for being only the Rank/Grade Officer I was, and he was a General.

U.S. needs to give him some kind of Medal, Award, with some kind of money, pension attached. United Nations must award him some kind of money also. Nobel Committee Nobel Peace Prize that does have money attached so that he doesn't have to live like as depicted in this movie.

The movie is a must see for everybody. The story was indeed extremely personal for me as I have studied with Ann Petrova who is a niece of Stanislav. More to say, she was my first childhood love. We have rarely met with Stanislav himself as he was not much seen in the family but he was quiet and no one NEVER EVER told anything about what had happened with him. Despite the fact he should have been proclaimed a national hero hardly anyone knows about him at all. More to say, whenever the story is being brought up it is being treated as a hoax. It is indeed absolutely great that the story was finally told. The world should remember people like him. After all... we are all here because of him:)