Synopses & Reviews
Designed to form the backbone of Strategic Air Commands nuclear deterrent, the B-52 force was brought to higher states of readiness whenever crisis threatened the USA, most notably when Kennedy and Khruschev went eyeball-to-eyeball over Cuba. Soon afterwards, B-52s formed the backbone of the USAFs bombing campaign in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. This book follows the story of the B-52 from its genesis to its first combat missions in June 1965 and through to the briefly sustained but bloodily fought Linebacker II offensive in late 1972. Even after the withdrawal of US forces in 1973, B-52s remained in-theatre, flying training missions mainly from Guam.
Synopsis
History, technology and crews of military aircraft. Each book concentrates on one of the greatest aircraft in aviation history, the technology behind it and the men who flew it. Scale drawings and aircraft profiles illustrate the major variants of each machine. This book examines the combat history of the B-52 in Vietnam, from Operation Arc Light through to the US withdrawal in early 1973. The Bocing has never been found wanting when it has come to putting ordnance on the target, and this book reveals how it has formed the backbone of the USAF since 1955.
About the Author
Jon Lakes most recent work for Osprey was the Combat Aircraft 35: ‘Lancaster Squadrons 1939-45. Jon Lake is one of Britains leading journalists and historians, and secretary of the Freelance Aviation Journalists Association.