Many military planners felt that a major force that was responsible for the defeat of the Axis during WWII was aerial bombardment. Indeed, a great deal of money and effort was put into building bombers and it was felt that this sort of development needed to continue post war. After all, the only way to deploy the most powerful weapon in the arsenal, the atomic bomb, was by aircraft. So it was not surprising that in the US as well as the UK, heavy bomber development continued.

In the US, much of the focus was on intercontinental bombers with long range, though other types were also developed. The addition of turbojets added an increase in speed, though at a price as turbojets of the day were not exactly fuel efficient. For that reason, piston powered aircraft like the B-50 and B-36 were also brought into production and into service. However, the pinnacle of 1940s/1950s bomber technology was the B-52. It was large, fast and thanks to in-flight refueling, was not hampered by the need to carry prodigious amounts of fuel to complete its mission.

For over a decade, the USAF kept B-52s in the air, ready to enter enemy space at a moments notice. The strain on the airframes and the improvement in surface to air missiles finally changed that scenario, but even after, planes were kept on ground alert. What is truly remarkable about the B-52 is that it has been able to last so long in service. Thanks to a lot of hard work and effort, even the newest build planes, which are over 50 years old, are still being flown and upgraded.

In line with other books in this series, we are provided with the background and development of the aircraft along with a look at the various upgrades and modifications done to the type.  Also part of this series is a modelers section. In this case it is fair extensive taking up half of the book. There are a variety of kits featured as well as a number of modelers. There are a number of model build articles that use kits that can be currently located. These articles have a lot of photos of the completed model to provide inspiration and really are fairly light on the construction process. There is also a fairly extensive section of color profiles, which seems to be a requirement for books of this sort.

In all, it is a book well worth picking up if you are a fan of the type. It reads well and has a lot of photos of the real deal;  many of them fairly current and in full color. 

November 2024

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Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishers where you can order your copy at this link. 

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