B-52 A-F Stratofortress

By Kev Darling

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has become an icon although it was the result of a diffi-cult birth courtesy of various officials whose understanding of realistic goals was overrid-den by the desire to chase an impossible dream. Eventually a great eight engined high winged bomber would appear on the Seattle flight line.

The first model would be a devel-opment batch with the B Model being the first operational version. From these two batch-es would come the famous Balls 3 and Balls 8 of NASA fame. Of all the versions of these tall tail bombers the B-52D would be the one that would achieve a certain measure of fame. Not only was this the largest production run of all the models, but it would also be the main bomber used during the Vietnam War having succeeded the B-52F in this role. Eventually the B-52D would be the only survivor remaining in service till it was replaced in the remaining Strategic Air Command Bombardment Wings by the B-52G and B-52H.

This book is written by Kev Darling and is superbly illustrated by Sam Pearson.