Osprey Combat Aircraft 43 : B-52 Stratofortress Units in Combat 1955-1973

Designed to form the backbone of Strategic Air Command's 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 USAF's 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. Text by Jon Lake with illustrations by Mark Styling.

Contents

• Genesis of the B-52
• Atom bomber - Cold War to Cuba
• South Bay to Sun Bath
• Big Belly B-52D joins Arc Light
• Arc Light Continues
• Freedom Train and Linebacker
• Linebacker II
• An Uneasy Peace
• Appendices
• Colour Plate Commentary
• Index