During the height of the Cold War, the United States started to develop and expand its air defense capabilities to knock down Russian Air Force nuclear-armed bombers flying over the North Pole, across Canada, and into the northern United States to attack US military targets and major cities. The Air Defense Command created air command centers, radar stations, ground observer corps, and fighter-interceptor squadrons. The 54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (54th FIS), based at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, protected the Strategic Air Command's assets at Ellsworth AFB (nuclear alert bombers and tankers and intercontinental ballistic missiles). From 1951 to 1960, the men of the 54th FIS protected North America from possible air attack by long-range Russian Air Force bombers. The threat was deemed real at the time, only later shown to be less serious as the CIA overflew the Soviet Union with high-flying Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

This book covers the history of Dyess Air Force Base from 1941 to the present. The reader is led from the construction and World War II training operations through the Cold War with the Soviet Union, to bomber and missile nuclear alert, and to the transition of a world-wide conventional weapons response capability with the B-1B and air mobility options provided by the C-130 Hercules transport. The book includes a photo tour of the base as well as information on topics such as: Abilene Air Force Base, 96th Bombardment Wing and the Boeing B-47E Stratojet, Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter and the 11th Aerial Refueling Squadron, 578th Strategic Missile Squadron and the Atlas F Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, 4th Strategic Support Squadron and the Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, the Nike-Hercules Surface-to-Air Missile, 96th Bombardment Wing and the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and the Special Weapons Storage Area.

Until now, Army Air Force Bases in Nebraska during World War II had never before been presented in a single book (most of the photographed structures are no longer visible). These stories and photographs mostly focus on America s Greatest Generation, which fought and won World War II. Also included are information on and images of the Martin B-26/Martin-Boeing B-29 Superfortress production plant at Fort Crook. One section deals with the building of modified B-29s for the 509th Composite Group, referred to after the war as the Atomic Bomb Group, which dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan, ending World War II. Also learn about German and Italian Prisoner of War camps, where POWs contributed to agricultural production in Nebraska, helping feed American troops, Allied troops, and civilian populations around the world. Most Americans are not aware of the huge numbers of Axis POWs held in America during the war."

January 31, 1968. A cold, dense fog had settled over the city of Hue, South Vietnam. Guards posted at key points around the lightly defended American military advisors' compound stared out into blackness. Nothing could be seen or heard until the blinding flash and shocking concussion of an exploding rocket tore through the fog. A hail of rocket and mortar shells was followed by a ground attack. It was soon obvious to the heterogeneous group (Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force personnel) inside the compound that a large group of people outside the compound wanted to kill them. The Tet battle for Hue was on. The Americans battled for their lives. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Richard Brown had two jobs: leading Forward Air Controllers responsible for the area between the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and DaNang, plus advising General Truong, First ARVN Division Commander, on Air Force support. He lived in the Hue MACV compound and remained in the city during the first seventeen days of the battle. The author began his military career during World War II as a fighter pilot in the Fourteenth Air Force, China, under the command of General Claire Chennault. Called back to active duty during the Korean War, he remained in military service until the end of his duty tour in Vietnam. Curious as to how communism could "benefit" common man, he returned to China in 1980 and Vietnam in 1988.

This complete history of Ellsworth Air Force Base tells the story of the base, units, and personnel that have been defending the United States for over seventy years, and traces the proud heritage of this South Dakota military facility beginning in World War II. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, Convair B-36 Peacemakers, and Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers have all stood at the ready on Ellsworth's runway. The current bomber out of Ellsworth is the B-1B Lancer, flown by the 28th Bomb Wing who continues to defend America now and into the future.

U.S. Air Force Pararescue is the most skilful and capable rescue force in the world, taking on some of the most dangerous rescue missions imaginable. PJs (short for para-jumpers), are members of an elite unit whose commando skills are so wide-reaching they often seem like something out of science fiction. They routinely tackle perilous operations that are beyond the capabilities of other rescue organisations, and sometimes dare the seemingly impossible. Since their inception in 1947, PJs have saved more than thirty thousand lives. They can pluck near-frozen climbers off jagged mountaintops as well as recover shot-down jet pilots stranded deep in hostile territory. In the dead of night, the PJs parachute into ominous black waves that loom twenty feet tall to save distressed seamen, and brave the cruellest and most desolate deserts to recover victims. U.S. Air Force pararescuemen have played a prominent role in every armed conflict since the Korean War, rescuing thousands of soldiers from behind enemy lines. Guardian Angel provides a rare glimpse at a PJ's mind-blowing adventures. You follow Sgt. Sine's trek across exotic lands and share his encounters with mysterious cultures. Learn what it takes to lower from a helicopter onto the slippery decks of storm-tossed ships to rescue dying sailors. Feel what it's like to be caught in the middle of a bomb blast so powerful that it tears high-rise buildings in half, and flattens armoured vehicles hundreds of yards away. Soar high above towering jungle trees and experience the danger of swinging on a slim cable below a helicopter while performing a mid-air rescue of a pilot, dangling from his chute a hundred feet above a mountain slope. Go to war in Afghanistan and parachute onto a nocturnal battlefield surrounded by land mines to help a mortally wounded soldier. This is a deadly serious business: when things go wrong, they can go terribly wrong. Aircraft crash into mountainsides, killing all onboard, while some PJs live through horrendous helicopter crashes only to struggle with freezing temperatures, snapped limbs and torn flesh in a desperate fight for survival. This book presents true stories of uncommon courage told from the perspective of the actual men in the arena. PJ's belong to an exclusive brotherhood and forge unbreakable bonds of loyalty, commitment, and sacrifice. They do these things for their country, to protect their brothers in arms, and to honour their motto:"That Others May Live."

Award Winning Finalist in the Non-Fiction: Narrative category of the 2013 International Book AwardsU.S. Air Force Pararescue is the most skillful and capable rescue force in the world, taking on some of the most dangerous rescue missions imaginable. PJs (short for para-jumpers), are members of an elite unit whose commando skills are so wide-reaching they often seem like something out of science fiction. They routinely tackle perilous operations that are beyond the capabilities of other rescue organizations, and sometimes dare the seemingly impossible. Since their inception in 1947, PJs have saved more than thirty thousand lives. They can pluck near-frozen climbers off jagged mountaintops as well as recover shot-down jet pilots stranded deep in hostile territory. In the dead of night, the PJs parachute into ominous black waves that loom twenty feet tall to save distressed seamen, and brave the cruelest and most desolate deserts to recover victims. U.S. Air Force pararescuemen have played a prominent role in every armed conflict since the Korean War, rescuing thousands of soldiers from behind enemy lines.Guardian Angel provides a rare glimpse at a PJ s mind-blowing adventures. You follow Sgt. Sine s trek across exotic lands and share his encounters with mysterious cultures. Learn what it takes to lower from a helicopter onto the slippery decks of storm-tossed ships to rescue dying sailors. Feel what it s like to be caught in the middle of a bomb blast so powerful that it tears high-rise buildings in half, and flattens armored vehicles hundreds of yards away. Soar high above towering jungle trees and experience the danger of swinging on a slim cable below a helicopter while performing a mid-air rescue of a pilot, dangling from his chute a hundred feet above a mountain slope. Go to war in Afghanistan and parachute onto a nocturnal battlefield surrounded by land mines to help a mortally wounded soldier. This is a deadly serious business: when things go wrong, they can go terribly wrong. Aircraft crash into mountainsides, killing all onboard, while some PJs live through horrendous helicopter crashes only to struggle with freezing temperatures, snapped limbs and torn flesh in a desperate fight for survival.This book presents true stories of uncommon courage told from the perspective of the actual men in the arena. PJ s belong to an exclusive brotherhood and forge unbreakable bonds of loyalty, commitment, and sacrifice. They do these things for their country, to protect their brothers in arms, and to honor their motto: That Others May Live. REVIEWS a fabulous read, filled with heroism, history and hi-jinks .Reading this book will give you a history of an elite group of servicemen that few have ever heard of writing style is fluent and dynamic Readers Favorite Rather than being a history of the Pararescuemen, Bill Sine has written a book which is a collection of extended vignettes about his career in the PJs. Some are very funny and some are (given the nature of their work) sad; all demonstrate that combination of professionalism and calculated risk-taking that seems to be inherent in this trade. Some of the history is given as part of the stories but the focus is the men and the tale....brings his subject to life and most definitely explains why Pararescuemen can be regarded as a highly-specialised, highly-capable force. I recommend this book to anyone who might even be vaguely interested in the subject or who just enjoys stories from lesser-known parts of the military.Army Rumour Service (UK)

Merriam Press World War 2 History. During World War II the state of Montana gave over 1,000 men to the final sacrifice to defend the United States. Thousands of military personnel trained in the state, before moving onto combat, especially those of four B-17 bomb groups. The state was temporary home to alien detainees and German Prisoners of War. Now, over 75 years from these events, this book is dedicated to these Americans who helped win the two-ocean war the United States fought, 1941-1945. This is truly a look back in time to America's greatest generation. 304 photos, maps, illustrations.

The events in Jet Age Man took place during the early Cold War, an era that will go down as a period when civilization teetered on the edge of the abyss. To some, nuclear deterrence appeared as utter madness, and was in fact commonly referred to as M.A.D. The concept of Mutually Assured Destruction provoked protests and marches, and the architect of M.A.D, General Curtis LeMay, became a symbol of madness himself. Raised during those turbulent times, most contemporary historians conclude that we were lucky to have survived. What they fail recognize is that for LeMay and the thousands of Cold War warriors who fought and won while serving in the Strategic Air Command, the proof of concept lies not in the""what if?"" but in the reality, ""what did."" Historically, M.A.D. succeeded where appeasement, diplomacy and even hot wars failed. When The Wall came down, strength, not weakness, had prevailed. Most of this story takes place in the Cold War trenches of the Strategic Air Command. It is about those who served and the many who died, told by someone who, as a young man, literally held the fate of all mankind within reach of a switch. More particularly, this is a story of man's interaction with two bombers that changed the course of political history, and were perhaps the most influential aircraft in the annals of aircraft development. The author piloted and instructed in both the B-47 and the B-52, starting out as a copilot in the B-47, then aircraft commander and finally, instructor pilot in both aircraft. Jet Age Man chronicles his fifteen-year relationship with the B-47 and the aircraft the B-47 became, the B-52--a bomber still in service today. Jet Age Man has been nominated as Best Military History Book 2013 in the prestigious journal Air Power History, published by the US Air Force Historical Foundation.

An hour and a half before sunup, nine B-29s of the 307th Bombardment Wing lifted off from Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa on a bombing mission against Namsi, a North Korean airfield under construction in the heart of MiG Alley. Five and a half hours later they would engage in an air battle that would forever change the conduct of strategic aerial bombardment. Six of the nine would not return, the highest percentage of United States bombers ever lost on a major mission. Astonishingly, virtually nothing has been published about this event. Official Air Force historical records mention it only in passing and literature of the period too often emphasises the gung ho aspect than the grim reality of war. Black Tuesday Over Namsi chronicles the calamitous B-29 daylight-bombing mission flown by the 307th Bombardment Wing on 23 October 1951 against Namsi Airfield. What many experts consider the epic air battle of the Korean War and perhaps the greatest jet engagement in the history of aerial warfare has largely become another forgotten battle in a forgotten war. Here, Lt. Col McGill presents the facts and circumstances of the mission from first briefing to final landing. This book also records, from verifiable historical documents, the broader events and conditions that led up to the confrontation, plus the first-hand accounts of aircrew members and ground personnel who were there. Allied and Soviet perspectives are examined; statements made by the MiG pilots describe the attack; and eyewitnesses to the event have supplied photographs of the mission and its aftermath, including the aerial photo of the Namsi Airfield that was used to plan the mission. This thoroughly researched narrative history is enhanced by numerous photographs, a bibliography, and an index to full names, places and subjects. This is the story of the Americans and Russians who clashed in the skies above Namsi, the events leading up to it, Black Tuesday's historical impact on aerial warfare, and, for the first time, fresh conclusions based on a careful analysis of the specific factors that went into the execution of this and other bombing missions.