FALLOUT SHELTER NYC IS AN ATTEMPT TO FIND AND CENTRALIZE THE ATOMIC HISTORY OF THE NYC AREA AND THE EASTERN SUBURBS OF LONG ISLAND NY AND THE NUCLEAR GENIE THAT BEGGED TO BE LET LOOSE AND ITS ATOMIC MASTERS THE US NUCLEAR FORCES - DECLASSIFIED-DESANITIZED- ARCHIVAL FILM FOOTAGE,PICTURES,STORIES FROM THE COLD WAR TELLING THE STORY OF A WAR THAT WAS ANYTHING BUT COLD-THE CIVIL DEFENSE, THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE ,THE NATIONAL DEFENSE ,THE ARMED DEFENSE ,AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE
THIS SEARCH BOX CAN FIND OLDER BLOG POSTS,LINKS,AND INTERNET INFORMATION
ATTENTION!!!! PLEASE READ BEFORE ENTERING SITE
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
*** its been brought to my attention that some of the embedded movies are not downloading when opening this blog. There are literally hundreds of embed movies and they are there, So please reload the blog and you will find your movie or picture that did not load, Contact the Fallout Shelter Warden @ falloutshelternyc@gmail.com we are still down here waiting and since TRUMP became POTUS it won't be long....
THE LAYOUT OF THIS BLOG IS ODD , PUNCUATION AND SPELLING HAVE SUFFERED AS MOST OF THIS BLOG WAS DONE ON A TABLET AND CELL PHONE, YOU CAN BE AN ELITIST AND SAY ITS THE WORK OF A CHILD OR YOU CAN ENJOY IT. THE VARIOUS POSTS YOU WILL SEE ARE SEMI PERMANENT, MOSTLY THE FILMS,THE MONTHLY POSTINGS ARE LOCATED MID WAY DOWN AS YOU SCROLL TOWARDS THE BOTTOM, USE THE DIRECTORY OF POSTS TO FIND A PARTICULAR POST AND IT WILL BE FOUND MIDWAY DOWN AS YOU SCROLL DOWN TOWARDS THE PERMANENT DECLASSIFIED ATOMIC FILM COLLECTION. IT IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE BUT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF POSTS ON LOCAL NEW YORK / LONG ISLAND ATOMIC HISTORY LOTS OF ATOMIC AGE ART AND PROPAGANDA, NEVER SEEN ATOMIC KITSCH AND MORE! BE PATIENT, USE THE POST DIRECTORY, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE IT ALL AND YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH A TRIP UNDERGROUND IN FALLOUT SHELTER NYC , AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LEAVE COMMENTS, ENJOY, SHELTER WARDEN0910
FALLOUT SHELTER NYC TABLE OF CONTENTS-CHECK OLD POSTS FOR EXCELLENT IMAGES AND NEVER SEEN ATOMICA!!
THE FALLOUT SHELTER STARTS HERE SIGN IN WITH THE FALLOUT SHELTER OFFICER UPON ARRIVAL
WELCOME- THIS BLOG HAS MANY POSTS THAT CAN BE FOUND ABOVE IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS, I TRY TO ADD THINGS MONTHLY SO ALWAYS CHECK BACK. THE MAIN SECTION OF FALLOUT SHELTER NYC DOES START HERE AND YOU CAN SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AND FIND DOZENS OF DECLASSIFIED NUCLEAR TEST MOVIES AND CIVIL DEFENSE FEATURES, THERE ARE LOTS OF POSTS TO GO THROUGH AND YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING GUARANTEED THAT WILL HAVE YOU COMING HERE MORE, SO DECONTAMINATE ,FIND YOUR BEDDING AREA AND RECEIVE YOUR SHELTER RATIONS WHO KNOWS HOW LONG YOU WILL BE HERE FOR.
(SEE BELOW ) OF ART FRAMED AND HUNG AND THE LAST POST OF THE FOUR COMICS IS THE ORIGINAL COVER OF THE COMIC BOOK. IT SHOULD ALSO BE SAID THE COVER DEPICTING THE COMMIE SUBMARINE AND JETS ATTACKING IT IS ALSO FOR SALE ON NEW AMERICANA-Etsy.com/shop/newamericana PLEASE IF YOU ARE A LOVER OF THIS TYPE OF ART VISIT NEW AMERICANA THE BEST BY FAR ON ETSY. TELL EM FALLOUT SHELTER NYC SENT YOU. I AM SO IMPRESSED WITH THEM I AM GIVING THEM THEIR PROPS ON MY BLOG THEY SENT ME MY PRINT CHECKING ALL THINGS TO ENSURE IT WAS CORRECT! VERY FRIENDLY AND THEY EVEN TOOK A LOOK AT THE BLOG AND NOTICED MY LOVE OF ATOMIC EVERYTHING AND SENT ME A SECOND PRINT THAT I MENTIONED WAS A GREAT PRINT I WAS TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY BY THEIR CUSTOMER RELATIONS GREAT PEOPLE GREAT STUFF THE LINK IS HERE VISIT THEIR PAGE AND CHECK OUT THEIR STUFF I CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH!!
YOU WILL SEE FOR YOURSELF!
Pop art print depicting New York City getting hit by an atomic bomb. Iconic buildings are seen crumbling in front of a Mushroom cloud. 1 of 3 in a series from government anti-communist pamphlets in the late 1950's. This poster is sure to have people talking every time someone sees it. Looks awesome as part of a set and can give a modern apartment a good pop of color, along with an interesting and edgy piece of art. The headline has been retouched (see pictures) and the print comes from a time in American history that reminds us of and effects with today's world events. Americana. Looking to complete the retro look in your studio or apartment? Check out more of our awesome posters atwww.etsy.com/shop/NewAmericana
18x24 Specifications: Sheet Size: 18 x 24 Image Area: 17 x 23 (1/2" border on all sides) Images are proportionally scaled to the maximum size within the 17" x 23" print area
8x10's are printed on 8.5x11 paper and have sometimes may measure slightly differently, depending on the dimensions of the original image. The images are as close to 8x10 as possible, and if you would like the image cropped to an exact 8x10, please just let us know. 8x10's and smaller are printed on high quality glossy photo paper. Quality Guarantee - If prints arrive damaged in any way, I will happily replace them or resolve any other issues that may arise. Colors may vary slightly from what is shown in Etsy listing.
[About Me] The thing I enjoy about running my Etsy shop is seeing the old posters I found, most of them faded, wrinkled, and torn, restored to their original state. I use my background in graphic design to carefully retouch and recolor the posters, many of which have set abandoned for 50+ years. As a photographer, I've worked for shoe and makeup companies, photographed for magazines, and created album artwork for many successful recording artists. Photography was a passion of mine that introduced me to graphic design, and I've continued to explore my interest by photographing everything from my travels and sharing pieces of those experiences with the world.
I OWN THIS PRINT AND I LOVE IT!!!! AND IT HANGS IN MY FALLOUT SHELTER.
A LITTLE PREVIEW OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HUNG AS AN ART PIECE WHERE IT SHOULD BE. BELOW ARE THE FOUR ORIGINAL COVERS FROM THIS SERIES. NEW AMERICANA HAS SUCH A SELECTION OF PRINTS OF ATOMIC POP OR PROPAGANDA EVEN OLD KOREAN ANTI COMMUNIST COMIC COVERS ALL MADE TO ORDER AT GREAT PRICES HIT THE LINK ON THIS POST AND CHECK EM OUT.
Etsy.com/shop/newamericana
This Excellent Atomic Pop Art Comic Book Cover Is Also In The New Americana Inventory, A Beautiful Piece To Display On AnyOnes Wall At Home Or In Their Fallout Shelter You Cannot Go Wrong With This Outfit! Etsy.com/shop/newamericana
I Am The Owner Of This Apocalyptic Nuclear Strike In The Heart Of Manhattan All The Skyline Is Represented And The Detail On The Print I Ordered Is Great And Worth Every Cent This Print Is Also On New Americana At Etsy.com/shop/newamericana A LITTLE BIT ON THE SERIES "
The comic I found to be most interest was the comic “Only A Strong America Can Prevent ATOMIC WAR!” produced in the year 1952-1953 by Ace Comics. This comic is a series of four comics at all project the outcomes that atomic war would bring. The sole purpose of this comic was to show the horror and devastation that would come of an atomic war, especially on American soil. At this point, the American public had already understood the devastation that can occur after the dropping of an Atomic bomb in a city, because we had dropped two ending World War II. Now that the Soviet Union had access to Atomic Weaponry, fear of an attack on American Soil was especially present.
This comic starts out with talk of a major peace treaty, in which the United States and United Nations are all around a table while Russia announces their call for peace. With everyone believing war was over, Russia sends over atomic bombs destroying Chicago, New York, and Detroit, starting an age of destruction and atomic war. After this initial attack from the Russians catching Americans off guard, the remaining comics are a series of counterattacks, retaliations, and military strategic planning to catch the Russians off guard, and from the eyes of the Russians catching the Americans off guard. The setting of this comic is supposed to be the year 1960 in which many more atomic weapons have been created and are currently being used in war. I found many of the instruments the comic chose to talk about as interesting. At the time this comic was produced they had just finished a prototype of an atomic weapon that could be fired from the ground. This weapon, an M65 Atomic Cannon nicknamed “Atomic Annie,” is used throughout the comic, but is not called “Atomic Annie” in the comic. Other futuristic scientific weapons used in the comic include a Hydrogen bomb (which in real life began construction in 50 under Truman’s order), atomic handguns, jet boats that can dive under water for extended periods of time, naphtha-phosphorus guns, fluorine gas flame throwers, a Russian satellite carrying atomic weapons, and my personal favorite the Russian high frequency sonar weapon called the “Pulzerizers.” These fictional “Pulverizers” were used to melt anything metallic that the Americans were using, rendering them defenseless against the Russian attack. In this specific issue, two engineers are arguing with the old-timer commander about how old-fashioned war tactics are not going to beat this new scientific warfare. They argue that science can only be fought by science and we will be wiped out if we don’t compete with the advanced scientific weaponry that they have by creating it ourselves. Overall I think it showed the American thoughts of war, as a game of scientific accomplishments that would eventually lead to the destruction of the entire world if ever put into action. And that is why the title of the comic is “Only A Strong America Can Prevent ATOMIC WAR!” and as always NYC is a entire cover showing its detailed destruction so New Yorkers have been nuked by War Planners at RAND, Propaganda And Civil Defense Literature , Russian Art, now Comic Books are we awaiting our destruction?
A USAF PRODUCTION ON COLD WAR TACTICS AND THE ROLE OF SAC AND ADC BASES IN THE SUBURBS OF AMERICA
THE "FREEDOM HAS A NEW SOUND"
CAMPAIGN
AND THE DETAILS ON ONE OF THE BEST WEAPONS EVER BUILT TO PROTECT THIS NATION
THE B-58 "HUSTLER"
I PULLED THIS AND ADDED SOME INFORMATION ON THE B-58 THE FOLLOWING BLOG ENTRY is FROM MY ARCHIVES FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED TO SEE THIS FROM THE FACEBOOK GROUP COLD WAR AIRCRAFT ORIGINALLY BLOGGED BACK IN 2013
THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF THE GREAT SAC AIR COMMAND PROPAGANDA MOVIES EVER, AND A SCARE PIECE ABOUT AMERICANS HAVING TO BETTER GET USED TO HEARING THE SONIC BOOM OF USAF AIRCRAFT OR FACE ANOTHER KIND OF BOOM, THE ATOMIC BOMB.IN THIS BLOG THERE ARE MANY MOVIES AND PUBLIC SEVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN MAGAZINES THAT BASICALLY EXPLAINED TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THAT THE SOUND OF ALERT AIRCRAFT IN FULL AFTERBURNERS TEARING ASS FROM RUNWAYS AT AIR DEFENSE BASES LOCATED IN SUBURBS AROUND THE CONTINENTAL U.S. IS SOMETHING AMERICANS WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH. THEY CALLED IT THE "SOUND OF FREEDOM". SAC AIR DEFENSE COMMAND BASES HOSTING USAF CREWS AND THEIR INTERCEPTOR AIRCRAFT AND SOME ADC BASES WOULD HOUSE BOMARC GROUND TO AIR NUCLEAR MISSILES AND STILL OTHERS WOULD HAVE THE BOMBERS OF THE COLD WAR LIKE THE B-58 HUSTLER AND THE AIR TO AIR REFUELING AIRCRAFT THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER THEIR PACKAGE FAR INTO THE RUSSIAN HEARTLAND. THE NOISE OF THESE USAF BASES DURING OPERATIONAL READINESS DRILLS OR ALERTS COULD BE DEAFENING. THESE AIRCRAFT SIMULATING WAR CONDITIONS WOULD BE DEAFENING TO THE COMMUNITIES AROUND THEM, USUALLY LOCATED ON THE PERIMETERS OF AMERICA'S BIG CITIES OR STRATEGIC INDUSTRIAL AREA"S. THEN FACTOR IN USAF AIR CREWS IN BOMBERS FLYING MISSIONS LIKE THE ONE DEPICTED HERE IN TALLMAN 55 CREATING LOUD SONIC BOOMS, (I CAN REMEMBER HEARING THEM ON EASTERN LONG ISLAND NEW YORK IN THE EARLY 70"S 10 PLUS YEARS AFTER THIS MOVIES DEBUT) THEY ARE LOUD ENOUGH TO CAUSE A REACTION. AMERICANS WERE PROBABLY NEVER SAFER FROM ENEMIES INTENT ON COMING TO OUR NATION INTENT ON DROPPING ATOMIC WEAPONS. THESE USAF AND ARMY DEFENSES WERE ON THE BALL. THE VERY FACT THAT THE EXERCISE IN THIS MOVIE SHOWING HOW USAF WAR PLANNERS FOUND AMERICAN CITIES WITH THE SAME RADAR SIGNATURE AS THEIR SOVIET TARGETS AND HAD BOMBERs WITH THEIR AIRCREWS FLYING THE SAME AMOUNT OF MILES THAT THEIR TARGET WAS FROM THEIR SAC AIR DEFENSE BASES AND THEN THROW IN USAF ORD TEAMS FLYING INTERCEPTORS OR LAUNCHING ELECTRONIC SIMULATED MISSILES TO TRY AND DOWN THE INCOMING AMERICAN SKY PIRATES JUST AS THEY WOULD FACE IN ATOMIC COMBAT ON WAR FOOTING JUST AS THE SOVIETS COUNTERPARTS WOULD DO.THIS ONLY ADDED TO THE REALISM AND A TENSE FLIGHT AND WAS TO SHAKE UP THE CREW SO THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER THEIR SIMULATED 20 MEGATON THERMONUCLEAR PRESENT FROM GENERAL CURTIS LEMAY, THE FATHER OF THE ATOMIC AIR FORCE AND THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, UPON GETTING THROUGH THE SIMULATED DEFENSES THE AIRCREW WOULD DON EYE PATCHES COVERING ONE EYE SO IF A ATOMIC WEAPON OR AIR DEFENSE ROCKET DETONATED THE BLINDING NUCLEAR FLASH WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO BLIND ONE EYE LEAVING ONE TO FINISH THE MISSION. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE TERM YANKEE SKY PIRATE WAS BORN FROM THIS PROCEDURE. THE BOMBER CREW WOULD READY THEIR WEAPON AND DIAL IN THEIR EQUIPMENT.THE BOMBER CREW WOULD BE MOST LIKELY GO SUPERSONIC DURING THIS PERIOD CAUSING THE SONIC BOOM,DOING SO THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THE ATOMIC EXPLOSION AND RADIATION UPON WEAPON RELEASE AND DETONATION ON TARGET, MEANWHILE ON THE GROUND OUTSIDE THESE UNNAMED CITIES (THIS FILM DEERFIELD MASSACHUSETTS WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE AMERICAN SIMULATION CITY) UN NOTICED BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE SAT USAF TRAILERS AND RADAR EQUIPMENT THAT TRACKED THESE BOMBERS AS THEY CAME TOWARD THEIR SIMULATED TARGET AN AMERICAN CITY. WHEN THE BOMBER CREW IDENTIFIED THEIR TARGET THEY WOULD SEND AN ELECTRONIC BEACON CONFIRMING THE DROP OF THEIR WEAPON AND THE GROUND CREW WOULD APPROXIMATE AND PINPOINT WHERE THE WEAPON WOULD HAVE LANDED IN THE SIMULATED SOVIET TARGET CITY. AFTER MANY HOURS OF NONSTOP FLYING THEY WOULD HEAD BACK HOME TO BE TOLD OF THEIR SUCCESS OR NOT AND THE ORD TEAM WOULD GO AND SETUP AT ANOTHER AMERICAN CITY THAT ANOTHER BOMBER CREW WOULD FLY AGAINST TO DROP THEIR SIMULATED ATOMIC WEAPON. THIS WAS THE BEST THING A SOVIET INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM WOULD GET, AND THE EFFECT ON SOVIET MILITARY PLANNERS PROBABLY HAD THEM FEARING THE YANKEE BOMBER CREWS AND THEIR SUPERSONIC DELIVERY PLATFORM .SOVIETS MOST LIKELY COULD NOT AFFORD TO CONDUCT THESE TYPE OF READINESS DRILLS AND MOST LIKELY COULD NOT BELIEVE WE WOULD FLY MISSIONS AGAINST OUR OWN CITIES EVEN IF THEY WERE SIMULATIONS. THE FOOTAGE IN THIS MOVIE IS PRICELESS! I MYSELF ENJOY SEEING HOW THESE CREWS WOULD REACT WHEN THE ALERT HORN SOUNDED,AND THESE CREW NEVER WOULD KNOW IF THIS WAS IT ,TIME FOR THE TEAM TO GO FOR THE BIG WIN. THEIR IS NOTHING ROMANTIC ABOUT A NUCLEAR WAR. INTERESTING PROCEDURE AND TACTICS WILL KEEP HISTORIANS BUSY FOR MANY MANY YEARS, THIS IS ONLY DUE TO THE MEN AND YES WOMEN (MY MOTHER SERVED AT SAC OFFUTT DOWN IN THE HOLE DURING THESE YEARS AND THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS)WHO KEPT THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT AND IN DOING SO KEPT THE PEACE.
THIS GREAT MOVIE IS NOT ABOUT TALLMAN 55 BREAKING SPEED RECORDS WITH JIMMY STEWART NARRATING WRONG PLANE WRONG CREW THIS IS ABOUT THE EVERYDAY COLD WAR STRATEGIC BOMBER CREWS WHO FLEW TRAINING MISSIONS IN PREPARATION FOR WAR FLYING THOUSANDS OF MILES TO DROP AN ELECTRONIC ATOMIC WEAPON ON AN AMERICAN CITY,.....CONFUSED WATCH THE MOVIE
Convair B-58 Hustler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B-58 Hustler
The Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight.[2] The aircraft was designed by Convair engineer Robert H. Widmer and developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the 1960s.[3] It used a delta wing, which was also employed by Convair fighters such as the F-102, with four General Electric J79 engines in pods under the wing. It carried five nuclear weapons; four on pylons under the wings, and one nuclear weapon and fuel in a combination bomb/fuel pod under the fuselage, rather than in an internal bomb bay.
Replacing the Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium bomber, it was originally intended to fly at high altitudes and supersonic speeds to avoid Soviet fighters. The B-58 received a great deal of notoriety due to its sonic boom, which was often heard by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.[4]The introduction of highly accurate Soviet surface-to-air missiles forced the B-58 into a low-level penetration role that severely limited its range and strategic value, and it was never employed to deliver conventional bombs. This led to a brief operational career between 1960 and 1970 when the B-58 was succeeded by the smaller, swing-wing FB-111A.[5]
The genesis of the B-58 program came in February 1949, when a Generalized Bomber Study (GEBO II) had been issued by the Air Research and Development Command (ARDC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, for the development of a supersonic, long range, bombardment aviation platform. The proposed bomber's design and development was to begin less than two years after sustained supersonic flight had successfully been achieved.[6]A number of contractors submitted bids to perform the generalized study (that hopefully would lead to a development contract) including Boeing, Convair, Curtiss, Douglas, Martin and North American Aviation.
Convair, building on its experience in earlier delta-wing fighters, beginning with the XF-92A, a series of GEBO II designs were developed, initially studying swept and semi-delta configurations, but settling on the delta wing planform. The delta planform had good internal volume for support systems and fuel; plus a low wing loading (for airframe size), that permitted supersonic flight in the mid-stratosphere (50 - 70,000 feet). The final Convair proposal, coded FZP-110, was a radical two-place, delta wing bomber design powered by General Electric J53 engines. The performance estimates included a 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h; 870 kt) speed and a 3,000 statute mile (4,800 km; 2,600 nmi) range.[6]
RB-58A with two component pod (TCP)
The USAF chose Boeing (MX-1712) and Convair to proceed to a Phase 1 study. The Convair MX-1626 evolved further into a more refined proposal redesignated the MX-1964. In December 1952, the Air Force selected the MX-1964 as the winner of the design competition[7] to meet the newly proposed SAB-51 (Supersonic Aircraft Bomber) and SAR-51 (Supersonic Aircraft Reconnaissance), the first General Operational Requirement (GOR) worldwide for supersonic bombers. In February 1953, the Air Force issued a contract for development of Convair's design.[8]
The resulting B-58 design was the first "true" USAF supersonic bomber program. The Convair design was based on a delta wing with a leading-edge sweep of 60° with four General Electric J79-GE-1turbojet engines, capable of flying at twice the speed of sound. Although its large wing made for relatively low wing loading, it proved to be surprisingly well suited for low-altitude, high-speed flight. It seated three (pilot, bombardier/navigator, and defensive systems operator) in separated tandem cockpits. Later versions gave each crew member a novel ejection capsule that made it possible to eject at an altitude of 70,000 ft (21,000 m) at speeds up to Mach 2 (1,320 mph/2,450 km/h). Unlike standard ejection seats of the period, a protective clamshell would enclose the seat and the control stick with an attached oxygen cylinder, allowing the pilot to continue to fly even "turtled up" and ready for immediate egress. The capsule would float, and the crewmember could open the clamshell, using it as a life raft.[9][10] In an unusual test program, live bears and chimpanzees were successfully used to test the ejection system.[11] The XB-70 would use a similar system (though using capsules of a different design).
B-58 crewmember escape capsule
Convair YB-58A-1-CF Hustler, (AF Ser. No. 55-0661), the second aircraft built
Because of heat generated at Mach 2 cruise, not only the crew compartment, but the wheel wells and electronics bay were pressurized and air conditioned. The B-58 utilized one of the first extensive applications of aluminumhoneycomb panels, which bonded outer and inner aluminum skins to a honeycomb of aluminum and fiberglass.[12]
The pilot's cockpit was fairly conventional for a large multiengine aircraft.[13] The electronic controls were ambitious and advanced for the day. The navigator and DSO's cockpits featured wraparound dashboards with warning lights and buttons, and automatic voice messages and warnings from a tape system were audible through the helmet sets. Research during the era of all-male combat aircraft assignments revealed that a woman's voice was more likely to gain the attention of young men in distracting situations. Nortronics Division of Northrop Corporation selected actress and singer Joan Elms to record the automated voice warnings. To the men flying the B-58, the voice was known as "Sexy Sally."[14][15]
Defensive armament consisted of a single 20 mm (0.79 in) T-171E-3 rotary cannon with 1,200 rounds of ammunition in a radar-aimed tail barbette.[16][17] It was remotely controlled through the Emerson MD-7 automated radar fire-control system only requiring the DSO to lock-on a selected target blip on his scope and then fire the gun; the system computing all aiming, velocity or heading differential, and range compensation.[16] Offensive armament typically consisted of a single nuclear weapon, along with fuel tanks, in a streamlined MB-1C pod under the fuselage. Incurable difficulties with fuel leakage resulted in the replacement of the MB-1C with the TCP (Two Component Pod), which placed the nuclear weapon in an upper section while the lower fuel component could be independently jettisoned.[18] This had the added benefit of allowing the pilot to "clean up" the aircraft for fuel efficiency or in case of emergency, while still retaining the (somewhat) more slim weapon.
The first prototype, serial number 55-660, was completed in late August 1956.[19] The first flight took place in November 1956.[20] A difficult and protracted flight test program involving 30 aircraft continued until April 1959.[21]The final B-58 was delivered in October 1962.[21]
From 1961 to 1963, the B-58 was retrofitted with two tandem stub pylons under each wing root, adjacent to the centreline pod,[22] for B43 or B61 nuclear weapons for a total of five nuclear weapons per aircraft. Although the USAF explored the possibility of using the B-58 for the conventional strike role, it was never equipped for carrying or dropping conventional bombs in service. A photo reconnaissance pod, the LA-331, was also fielded. Several other specialized pods for ECM or an early cruise missile were considered, but not adopted. The late 1950s High Virgoair-launched ballistic missile was designed to be launched from the B-58 with four test launches of the High Virgo carried out by a B-58 to determine ballistic missile and anti-satellite weapon system capability.[23]
The B-58 crews were chosen from other strategic bomber squadrons. Due to some characteristics of delta-winged aircraft, new pilots used the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger as a conversion trainer, before moving to the TB-58A trainer.[24] The B-58 was difficult to fly and its three-man crews were constantly busy, but its performance was exceptional. A lightly loaded Hustler would climb at nearly 46,000 ft/min (235 m/s).[25] In addition to its much smaller weapons load and more limited range than the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the B-58 had also been extremely expensive to acquire.
Through FY 1961, the total cost of the B-58 program was $3 billion.[26][27] A highly complex aircraft, it also required considerable maintenance, much of which required specialized equipment and ground personnel. For comparison, the average maintenance cost per flying hour for the B-47 was $361, for the B-52 it was $1,025 and for the B-58 it was $1,440.[28] The B-58 also cost three times as much to operate as the B-52.[29] The cost of maintaining and operating the two operational B-58 wings equaled that of six wings of B-52s.[30] This included special detailed maintenance for the nose landing gear, which retracted in a complicated fashion to avoid the center payload. Further, compounding this, the B-58 had an unfavorably high accident rate: 26 B-58 aircraft were lost in accidents, 22.4% of total production. The SAC senior leadership had been dubious about the aircraft type from the beginning, although its crews eventually became enthusiastic about the aircraft. General Curtis LeMay was never satisfied with the bomber and after a flight in one declared that it was too small, far too expensive to maintain in combat readiness and required an excessive number of aerial refuelings to complete a mission.[31] Although the high altitude ferry range of the B-58 was better than the B-47, the lack of forward basing resulted in a requirement for more KC-135 tanker support.[32][33]
While its performance and design were exceptional and appreciated, it was never easy to fly. This was caused by the 60° leading edge sweepback of its wing and was inherent in these types of delta wing platforms. It required a much higher angle of attack than a conventional aircraft, up to 9.4° at Mach 0.5 at low altitudes. If the angle of attack was too high, in excess of 17°, the bomber could pitch up and enter a spin. Several factors could prevent a successful recovery: if the pilot applied elevon, if the center of gravity was not correctly positioned, or if the spin occurred below 15,000 feet (4,600 metres), recovery might not be possible. The B-58 also had stall characteristics that were not conventional. If the nose was elevated, the bomber maintained forward motion without pitching down. Unless large amounts of power were applied, the descent rate increased rapidly.[30] Another problem pilots faced was called "fuel stacking" and took place when the B-58 accelerated or decelerated. It was due to fuel moving in the tanks and causing sudden changes in the center of gravity. This could cause the aircraft to pitch or bank and subsequently lose control.[34] The B-58 was very difficult to safely recover from the loss of an engine at supersonic cruise due to differential thrust.
The plane had very unusual takeoff requirements, with a 14° angle of attack needed for the rotation at about 203.5 knots (376.9 km/h; 234.2 mph) for a 150,000 pound combat weight.[35] This poor takeoff performance was also evident with the high landing speed that necessitated a drogue parachute for braking.
Two SAC bomb wings operated the B-58 during its operational service: the 43d Bombardment Wing, based at Carswell AFB, Texas from 1960 to 1964, and Little Rock AFB, Arkansas from 1964 to 1970; and the 305th Bombardment Wing, based at Bunker Hill AFB(later Grissom AFB), Indiana from 1961 to 1970. The 305th also operated the B-58 combat crew training school (CCTS), the predecessor of the USAF's current formal training units (FTUs).
XB-58 prototype during takeoff
By the time the early problems had largely been resolved and SAC interest in the bomber had solidified, Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara decided that the B-58 was not going to be a viable weapon system.[36] It was during the B-58's introduction that high-altitude Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAM) became a viable threat, especially the SA-2 Guideline, a SAM system the Soviet Union extensively deployed. The "solution" to this problem was to fly at low altitudes, minimizing the radar line-of-sight and reducing exposure time.
Because of the denser air at low altitudes, the B-58 could not fly at supersonic speeds and its moderate range was reduced further, thereby negating the high-speed performance the design paid so dearly for. In late 1965, Secretary McNamara ordered the B-58's retirement by 1970. Despite efforts of the Air Force to earn a reprieve, the phaseout proceeded on schedule. The last B-58s were retired in January 1970 and placed in storage with the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The fleet survived until 1977, when nearly all remaining aircraft were sold to Southwestern Alloys for disposal.[37][38] The B-58 as a weapons system was replaced by the FB-111A, designed for low-altitude attack, more flexible with the carriage of conventional weapons, and less expensive to produce and maintain.
A total of 116 B-58s were produced: 30 trial aircraft and 86 production B-58A models. Most of the trial aircraft were later upgraded to operational standard. Eight were equipped as TB-58A training aircraft.
Due to B-58 pilots being the only US Air Force pilots experienced in long duration supersonic flight, several former Hustler crew members were selected to fly the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at the start of the program by Colonel Douglas Nelson. Thomas B. Estes and Dewain C. Vick[39] were eventually awarded both the Harmon and Mackay Trophies after they set a new world supersonic distance record, flying an SR-71 over 15,000 miles in just 10 hours and 30 minutes. [40]
A number of B-58s were used for special trials. One was specially modified to test the Hughes radar system intended for the Lockheed YF-12interceptor and the North American F-108 Rapier, which had an extended nose to accommodate the radar and was nicknamed "Snoopy" (see Aircraft on Display). Several improved (and usually enlarged) variants, named B-58B and B-58C by the manufacturer, were proposed but never built.
The B-58 set 19 world speed records, including coast-to-coast records, and one for the longest supersonic flight in history. In 1963, it went from Tokyo to London (via Alaska), a distance of 8,028 miles (12,920 km) in 8 hours, 35 minutes, 20.4 seconds, averaging 938 miles per hour (1,510 kilometres per hour). As of 2016, this record still stands.[41][42] The aircraft was serving in an operational unit, and had not been modified in any way besides being washed and waxed. One of the goals of the flight was to push the limit of its new honeycomb construction technique. The speed of the flight was limited only by the speed at which they believed the honeycomb panels would delaminate, although one of the afterburners malfunctioned and the last hour of the flight was continued at subsonic speed. This reduced the average speed to roughly Mach 1.5, despite most of the flight being at Mach 2.[43][44] This B-58 was called "Greased Lightning" - the codename for the record attempt.
Some of the record winning aerospace trophies the B-58 won were the Bleriot trophy, the Thompson trophy, the Mackay trophy, the Bendix trophy and the Harmon trophy.[45]
Singer John Denver's father, Lt Colonel Henry J. Deutschendorf, Sr., USAF, held several speed records as a B-58 pilot.[46]
TB-58A: Training aircraft, eight conversions from YB-58A.
NB-58A: This designation was given to a YB-58A, which was used for testing the J93 engine. The engine was originally intended for the North American XB-70 ValkyrieMach 3 bomber.
RB-58A: Variant with ventral reconnaissance pod, 17 built.
B-58B: Unbuilt version. SAC planned to order 185 of these improved bombers which had uprated J79-GE-9 engines, a stretched fuselage for extra fuel capacity, canards and could carry conventional weapons.[34][47] A prototype B-58B was ordered (S/N 60-1109), but the entire project was canceled before construction began, due to budgetary considerations.[48] The B variant was also planned to be the "mothership" for a Mach 4 parasite called the FISH (for First Invisible Super Hustler). Because It was to be faster and larger than the B-58A, it could carry the FISH instead of the external pod. At an altitude of at least 35,000 feet (11,000 metres) at speeds in excess of Mach 2 the FISHs three ramjet engines could be started.[49] The Super Hustler would then disengage from the B-58B and climb up to 90,000 feet (27,000 metres) and accelerate to Mach 4.2 to complete its mission.[50][51]
B-58C: Unbuilt version. Enlarged version with more fuel and 32,500 lbf (145 kN) J58, the same engine used on the Lockheed SR-71. Design studies were conducted with two and four engine designs, the C model had an estimated top speed approaching Mach 3, a supersonic cruise capability of approximately Mach 2, and a service ceiling of about 70,000 ft (21,300 m) along with the capability of carrying conventional bombs. Convair estimated maximum range at 5,200 nautical miles (6,000 mi; 9,600 km). The B-58C was proposed as a lower cost alternative to the North American XB-70. As enemy defenses against high-speed, high-altitude penetration bombers improved, the value of the B-58C diminished and the program was canceled in early 1961.[52]
B-58A Hustler (AF Serial No. 59-2458), the "Cowtown Hustler," in front of the National Museum of the United States Air Force's restoration facility at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
B-58A, AF Ser. No. 61-2080, at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.This is the B-58 I had the pleasure of meeting
Jimmy Stewart, a bomber pilot during World War II and a brigadier general in the Air Force Reserve, appeared in an Air Force film, flying in the back seat of the B-58 on a typical low-altitude attack in the film B-58 Champion of Champions.[73]
The B-58 has also appeared in the 1964 film Fail-Safe, where stock footage of B-58s was used to represent the fictional "Vindicator" bombers which attacked Moscow. The art used in the original magazine publication of the novel had depicted the "Vindicator" bombers—itself the recycling of the name of a World War II American dive bomber—as almost identical to B-58s but equipped with canards.[74] This would have given the fictional bombers the appearance of the canceled B-58B (see Variants).
In Fail Safe, a 2000 made-for-TV remake starring George Clooney, the fictional Vindicator bomber was again represented by the B-58 Hustler.
^ Jump up to:abHall, R. Cargill. "The B-58 Bomber."Air University Review, Research Division, at the Albert F. Simpson Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, November–December 1981. Retrieved: 14 February 2015.
Jump up^Comstock, Charles. "The B-58's record flights."456fis.org(456th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Seymour Johnson Air Field North Carolina. Retrieved: 2 January 2015.
Jump up^Wayne Thomis, Aviation editor, Chicago Tribune. November 24, 1963.
Adams, Chris. Deterrence: An Enduring Strategy. New York: IUniverse, Inc., 2009 ISBN 978-1-44016-9786
Convair B-58 Hustler Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions. Washington, D.C.: United States Air Force, 2008. ISBN 978-0-9816526-5-8.
Converse, Elliott V. Rearming for the Cold War, 1945-1960 (History of Acquisition in the Department of Defense). Washington, D.C.: Office of the Secretary, Historical Office, 2012. ISBN 978-0-16091-132-3.
Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-880588-24-2.
Grant, R.G. and John R. Dailey. Flight: 100 Years of Aviation. Harlow, Essex: DK Adult, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7566-1902-2.
Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. London: Ian Allan Ltd., 1973, pp. 185–213. ISBN 0-7110-0456-0.
Hansen, Chuck. U.S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History. Arlington, Texas: Aerofax, 1988. ISBN 0-517-56740-7.
Higham, Robin, Carol Williams and Abigail Siddall, eds. Flying Combat Aircraft of the USAAF-USAF (Vol. 1). Andrews AFB, Maryland: Air Force Historical Foundation, 1975. ISBN 0-8138-0325-X.
Miller, Jay. "History of the Hustler." Airpower, Vol. 6, No. 4, July 1976.
Slade, Stuart. United States Strategic Bombers 1945–2012. Newtown, Connecticut: Defense Lion Publications, 2012. ISBN 978-0-5781-0525-3.
Sorenson, David S. The Politics of Strategic Aircraft Modernization. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1995. ISBN 978-0-2759-5258-7.
Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian, 1989. ISBN 0-87474-880-1.
United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.
Veronico, Nicholas A. and Ron Strong. AMARG: America's Military Aircraft Boneyard. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-5800-7139-0.
Wagner, Ray. American Combat Planes of the Twentieth Century. Reno, Nevada: Jack Bacon and Co., 2004. ISBN 0-930083-17-2.
Wilson, Stewart. Combat Aircraft since 1945. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2000, p. 38. ISBN 1-875671-50-1.
Winchester, Jim, ed. "Convair B-58 Hustler." Military Aircraft of the Cold War (The Aviation Factfile). Rochester, Kent, UK: The Grange plc., 2006. ISBN 1-84013-929-3.
THIS MAGAZINE ADD WAS SEEN IN THE POPULAR MAGAZINES OF THE EARLY 1960's IT HAS BEEN USED ELSEWHERE ON THIS BLOG BUT IT IS PUSHING THE SDAME MESSAGE AS THE USAF PROPAGANDA FILM "TALLMAN 55", CONVAIR THE BUILDER OF THE B-58 HUSTLER IN PARTNERSHIP WITH "SAC" AND "AIR DEFENSE COMMAND" MADE THIS A GREAT PUBLIC RELATIONS GESTURE AND MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WOULD LEARN TO ASSOCIATE THE SOUND OF AFTERBURNERS AT FULL THROTTLE ON F-102/106 INTERCEPTORS AND BOMBERS LIKE THE B-58/52/36/47, AND THE SITE OF THESE GREAT ALUMINUM SKINS SHINING LIKE A KNIGHTS ARMOR AND A ORANGE STRIPE TO DENOTE U.S.A.F. AIRCRAFT AS FRIENDLYS SINCE THEY FLEW IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S., DURING THE DAYS OF THE COLD WAR EVERY AIRCRAFT IN SAC OPERATIONS OF AIR DEFENSE WERE ARMED WITH NUCLEAR AIR 2 AIR ROCKETS OR CARRIED ATOMIC WEAPONS ON AIRBORNE ALERT AIRCRAFT, ACCIDENTS HAPPENED BUT NEVER A DETONATION WOULD OCCUR.TODAYS AIR DEFENSE IS NON EXSISTANT AND SAC NO LONGER EXSISTS, USAF MORALE IS IN BAD SHAPE AND MORE IMPORTANT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW REPORTS OF USAF AIRCRAFT CARRYING NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN FLIGHT WHEN NON WERE PERMITTED OR SIGNED OUT! ONE JUST ONE ACCOUNT THAT LEAKED.HOW BAD ARE THE MEN WHO TAKE CARE OF OUR NUCLEAR WEAPONS????
WITH OUR BIRDS OF STEEL AT HAND... THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND... PEACE IS OUR PROFESSION......
(1968) USAF SURVIVE TO FIGHT ATOMIC WEAPON HITS ADC BASE JETS SCRAMBLE INTERCEPT SOVIET ATTACKERS
THIS IS A CLASSIC UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TRAINING FILM THAT IS BASED ON SURVIVABILITY OF USAF BASE OPERATIONS IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES AFTER A NUCLEAR ATTACK,BASES LIKE THIS ONE WERE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES DURING THE COLD WAR PERIOD THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE AND RESPONSIBILITY THESE MEN HAD HAD HANDLING NUCLEAR WEAPONS THAT WERE USED ON INTERCEPTOR AIRCRAFT ,THE # AM SCRAMBLES INTO THE WINTER NIGHT NOT KNOWING IF THIS WAS FOR REAL AS BASE AIRCRAFT PEELED OUT LAUNCHING IN PAIRS SC REAMING INTO THE WINTER NIGHT WAITING FOR WORD OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE AIRMEN AT THESE BASES KNEW ANY ATTACK ON THE US THEY WOULD BE AMONG THE FIRST TO KNOW AND FIRST TO GO WHILE THE COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE THE GATES NEVER KNEW HOW CLOSE THEY WERE TO WAR AS THE BASES WENT TO DIFFERENT DEFCON LEVELS, THIS WAS NOT INFORMATION FOR THE PUBLIC.
THE FILM STARTS AT NIGHT AND THE SAC AIR DEFENSE COMMAND LAUNCHES ITS F-101 INTERCEPTOR AIR CRAFT AND PREPARES TO RIDE OUT A NUCLEAR STRIKE AS CONFIRMATION OF INCOMING MISSILES IS CONFIRMED. THANKS TO A CLIMATE OF GUARDED DEFENSE THE AIR FORCE BASE IS ABLE TO BUILD DEFENSIVE AND SHELTER FACILITIES TO SURVIVE AND FIGHT AND AS A NUCLEAR DETONATION IS CONFIRMED ON BASE THE AIR FORCE BEGINS TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS SO ITS AIR WING CAN COME BACK AND RE-ARM AND RE-FUEL A GREAT SUBJECT THAT U.S. MILITARY FORCES HAD TO PLAN FOR AND TRAIN AND THIS FILM SHOWS WHAT THEY EXPECTED, THE REAL QUESTION IS IT REALISTIC IN ITS EXPECTATION?
THE ONE THING IS THAT IT IS PRICELESS THAT THE USAF MADE THIS TRAINING FILM AND ITs QUOTES LIKE "HAVE NO UMBRELLAS,IF IT STARTS TO RAIN WE WILL LET YOU KNOW." AND "YOU CALL US BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T WE WILL BE CALLING YOU" WEIRD,.. BUT STILL GREAT PROPAGANDA!FILMED AT A SAC AIR DEFENSE INTERCEPTOR BASE LOCATED IN OXNARD, OXNARD AFB CALIFORNIA 1967 THIS IS BASICALLY WHEN CLOSING OF SAC ADC BASES WAS GOING ON ALL OVER (SUFFOLK COUNTY AFB LONG ISLAND NEW YORK) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NYC AREA FOR MOST OF THE COLD WAR.DURING 1968- EARLY 1970s MOST OF THESE AIR FORCE ADC UNITS WENT OVER TO FIGHT IN VIETNAM AND THAILAND AS FORWARD AIR CONTROL AND MUNITION LOADERS FOR USAF STRIKE PLANES USING IRON BOMBS INSTEAD OF ATOMIC MUNITIONS BOMBING NVA BASES AND NORTH VIETNAM AND THE ADC PILOTS AND BACKSEATERS WENT OVER ALSO, TO ME THESE GUYS REALLY SERVED THEIR COUNTRY PLUS ONE AND DESERVE BIG RESPECT , MY HATS OFF TO THE USAF AIRMEN OF ADC/SAC AND VIETNAM/THAILAND/LAOS
NYC EMERGENCY BROADCAST PLEASE STAND BY FOR OFFICIAL INFORMATION (1980-1984)
USAF/SAC AT DEFCON ONE AND CONFIDENCE IS HIGH! "EXECUTIVE DESCISION" USAF'S NUCLEAR POSTURE
PROBABLY THE MOST TELLING STORY OF USAF MIGHT AND POWER AS WAR IS UNLEASHED ON THE AGRESSOR NATION WHO IS LATER IDENTIFIED TO BE THE SOVIET UNION, THE STOCK FOOTAGE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BEING DROPPED BY B-47 STRATOJETS and B-52 BOMBERS ARE FROM ONCE CLASSIFIED USAF NUCLEAR TEST OPS. MOST OF THIS ENTIRE FILM IS FROM CLASSIFIED WARPLANS AND SPECIAL OPERATIONS, THIS HOMAGE TO SAC AND STRATEGIC AIR COMMANDS DEDICATION TO MISSION IS A JEWEL AND FROM A TIME WHERE THE WORLD WAS A TINDERBOX READY FOR SOMEONE TO STRIKE THE SPARK AND IGNITE A WORLDWIDE NUCLEAR CONFLAGRATION WHERE LIFE MOST LIKELY WOULD OF WENT THE WAY OF THE DINOSAUR AND ONLY MILLIONS OF YEARS LATER A FOSSILIZED REMAINS OF MAN WOULD BE DISCOVERED BY THE NEXT GENERATION THAT CAME FROM THE ASHES OF THE OLD, THIS FILM IS NOT KNOWN IF IT WAS EVER SEEN OR VIEWED OTHER THAN A HANDFUL OF HIGH RANKING USAF OFFICERS, SEE THE DESCRIPTION AND INFORMATION FROM THE NUCLEAR VAULT.COM
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"The Power of Decision" may be the first (and perhaps the only) U.S. government film dramatizing nuclear war decision-making. Commissioned by the Strategic Air Command in 1956, the film has the look of a 1950s TV drama, but the subject is the ultimate Cold War nightmare. By the end of the film, after the U.S. Air Force has implemented war plan "Quick Strike" following a Soviet surprise attack, millions of Americans, Russians, Europeans, and Japanese are dead. The narrator, a Colonel Dodd, asserts that "nobody wins a nuclear war because both sides are sure to suffer terrible damage." Despite the "catastrophic" damage, one of the film’s operating assumptions is that defeat is avoidable as long as the adversary cannot impose its "will" on the United States. The film’s last few minutes suggest that the United States would prevail because of the "success" of its nuclear air offensive. Moscow, not the United States, is sending out pleas for a cease-fire.
The conviction that the United States could prevail was a doctrinal necessity because Air Force leaders assumed the decisiveness of air power. The founding fathers of the U.S. Air Force came out of World War II with an unshakeable, if exaggerated, conviction that the strategic bombing of Germany and Japan had been decisive for the Allied victory and that air power would be crucial in future conflicts. (Note 1) The film’s title: "Power of Decision" embodies that conviction. The title itself is a reference to a 1948 statement by General George C. Kenney, the Strategic Air Command’s first commander-in-chief: "A war in which either or both opponents use atomic bombs will be over in a matter of days...The Air Force that is superior in its capability of destruction plays the dominant role and has the power of decision." (Note 2) A confident statement made by one of the characters, General "Pete" Larson, near the close of reel 6 flows from that assumption: the Soviets "must quit; we have the air and the power and they know it."
The story begins with Colonel Dodd, standing in the underground command post of the "Long Range Offense Force" (oddly, the Strategic Air Command is never mentioned by name). Dodd discusses the Force’s strike capabilities, its mechanisms for keeping track of its strategic assets, and its war plans. That hundreds of bombers, based in U.S. territories and overseas bases, are ready to launch at a moment’s notice is the "surest way to prevent war." Dodd does not think that the Soviets are likely to strike, but if deterrence fails and the Soviets launch an attack, "this is what will happen."
What "happens" is the initial detection by U.S. air defense network of the approach of Soviet bombers over the Arctic Circle. That leads to General Larson’s decision to launch the SAC alert force under plan "Quick Strike"; airborne and nuclear-armed alert bombers fly toward the Soviet periphery, but stay at position until they receive an attack order (this was the concept of "Fail Safe" or "Positive Control" although those terms were not used in the film). About an hour after the alert force is launched, General Larson receives reports of attacks on U.S. bases, followed by more information on Soviet nuclear attacks on cities and military bases in Japan and Western Europe. "That does it," General Turner (one of Larson’s deputies) exclaims. He soon receives a call on the red phone from the Joint Chiefs, who with the President, are in a protected command post. The president has ordered the execution of "Quick Strike," releasing bombers and missiles to strike the Soviet Union. This simultaneous bomber-missile "double punch" is aimed at "all elements of [Soviet] air power" [bomber bases] along with "war making and war sustaining resources," which meant strikes on urban-industrial areas and urban populations. To depict the undepictable, the film’s producers use stock footage of nuclear tests and missile and bomber launches.
Once it is evident that the Soviets have launched a surprise air attack, Colonel Dodd observes that "By giving up the initiative, the West must expect to take the first blow." This statement is not developed, but for Air Force planners, "initiative" meant a preemptive attack or a first strike. By the early 1950, senior military planners and defense officials had begun considering the possibility of pre-emptive attacks on the basis of strategic warning; that is, if the United States intelligence warning system collected reliable information on an impending Soviet attack, decision-makers could approve strikes against Soviet military forces to disrupt it. Consistent with this, Strategic Air Command war plans assumed "two basic modes" for executing strike plans [See Document One below]. () One was retaliation against a surprise attack; the other "plan was based on the assumption that the United States had strategic warning and had decided to take the initiative." The SAC strike force would then be "launched to penetrate en masse prior to the enemy attack; the main target would be the enemy’s retaliatory capability."
In the last part of reel 6, Air Force intelligence briefings review the destruction of the Soviet military machine, including destruction of air bases, weapons storage centers, and government control centers, among other targets. "Target M," presumably Moscow, has "been destroyed" by a nuclear weapon which struck 300 yards from the aiming point. The Soviet attack has done calamitous damage to the United States, with 60 million casualties, including 20 million wounded, but evidence was becoming available of the "success" of the U.S. air offensive. The Soviet Air Force has been reduced to a handful of aircraft, it had stopped launching nuclear strikes outside of its territory, and SACEUR [Supreme Allied Commander Europe] reports the "complete disintegration of resistance" by Soviet ground forces. Moreover, cease-fire requests are coming in from the Soviets. In this context, General Larson’s certainty that the "Soviets must quit" conveyed prevailing assumptions about the value of strategic air power.
Around the time when "The Power of Decision" as being produced, a statement by SAC Commander-in-Chief General Curtis LeMay made explicit what was implicit in Larson’s observation. In an address before the Air Force’s Scientific Advisory Board in 1957 [see Document Two], LeMay argued that U.S. strategic forces could not be an effective deterrent unless they were "clearly capable of winning under operational handicaps of bad weather and no more than tactical warning." And by winning, LeMay said he meant "achieving a condition wherein the enemy cannot impose his will on us, but we can impose our will on him." Larson’s statement about control of the air dovetailed exactly with LeMay’s assumptions about winning.
Little is known about the production and distribution of "The Power of Decision," or even if it was actually shown. According to the history of the Air Photographic and Charting Service for January through June 1957, on 28 May 1956, the Strategic Air Command requested the service to produce the film, which would be classified Secret. SAC leaders may have wanted such a film for internal indoctrination and training purposes, to help officers and airmen prepare themselves for the worst active-duty situation that they could encounter. Perhaps the relatively unruffled style of the film’s performers was to serve as a model for SAC officers if they ever had to follow orders that could produce a nuclear holocaust. In any event, the script for "Power of Decision" was approved on 10 May 1957 and a production planning conference took place on 29 May 1957. The contract productions section of the Air Photographic and Charting Service was the film’s producing unit.
The next step was to find actors with security clearances because even the synopsis of the film was classified secret (although later downgraded to "official use only"). As the Air Force was not in the business of hiring actors, the production unit engaged the services of MPO Productions, a New York-based firm which produced commercials and industrial films. [References to MPO, Inc. are on the index cards and on "The End" frame at the close of reel 6]. What happened next, when the work on the film was completed, SAC’s assessment of the project, and whether, when, or where the film was shown, cannot presently be determined, although the information may be in the living memories of participants or viewers from those days.
Note: The relatively poor quality of this digital reproduction reflects the condition of the original reels as turned over to the National Archives by the Air Force.
PROPAGANDA No.2 "Your New Sound Of Freedom"
PUBLISHED FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE MISSION OF THE USAF AIR DEFENSE COMMAND AND THATS TARGETED FOR LONG ISLANDERS WHO LIVED NEAR SUFFOLK COUNTY AIR FORCE BASE IT WAS A PRIMARY ADC SQUADRON THAT WAS TO INTERCEPT ANY SOVIET BOMBERS OR OTHER UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT OF UNKNOWN ORGIN, SUFFOLK AFB BECAME PRIMARY WHEN FLOYD BENNET FIELD CLOSED AND CEASED OPERATIONS, THE CONVAIR F102-F-106 DELTA DART AND DAGGER WERE THE MAIN INTERCEPT AIRCRAFT FROM 1958-62 WHEN THE USAF DECIDED TO USE THE F-101 VODOO ALL WEATHER INTERCEPTOR, THE F-102-106 WAS USED BY THE USAF AT SUFFOLK AS WELL AS MANY OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT WOULD COME THROUGH THE AIRBASE, EARLY POSTS ON THIS BLOG HAS NUMEROUS PHOTO'S OF THESE DART LIKE AIRCRAFT AT THE BASE, THE EARLIER AIRCRAFT WERE F-86 SABRES AND THEY WERE PHASED OUT IN 1958, THERE WERE A FEW LOST AIRCRAFT OUT OF SUFFOLK AND EVEN A FALCON AIR TO AIR MISSILE AND THE INFAMOUS 1966 "STRANGE LIGHTS MOVING AT HIGH SPEEDS OVER THE SOUTH SHORE OF LONG ISLAND" THE AD WAS TO DEFEND THE MISSION OF THESE AFB'S LOCATED IN SUBURBS AROUND THE U.S. WHO HAD THE JOB OF SCRAMBLING AND GREET ANY UNIDENTIFIED RADAR CONTACT.THROUGH THE END OF WORLD WAR 2 UP UNTIL 1970 THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND HAD THESE BASES SCATTERED AROUND MAJOR CITIES AND VITAL US DEFENSE CONTRACTORS, SINCE THESE AIR WINGS WERE ON ALERT THEY FLEW OUT CONSTANTLY AND 6-7 IN FORMATION FLYING LOW IS LOUD SO SUBURBAN AMERICA COMPLAINED ABOUT THE NOISE AND THE USAF AND CONVAIR STARTED A ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN TO INFORM AND EDUCATE JUST HOW IMPORTANT THAT SOUND IS. AND HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HERE IT. DURING THE 1970s to PRESENT USAF/ADC AND OTHERB MILITARY BASES WERE CLOSED BY THE HUNDREDS, IMAGINE A CITY LIKE NEW YORK HAS NO AIR DEFENSE THE NEAREST ARMED AIRCRAFT IS 30 MINUTES AWAY , AND MOST CITYS ARE NO LONGER DESIGNATED MILITARY PROTECTION, THIS MAKES NO SENSE SINCE OUR MILITARY IS TO DEFEND THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES AND I REALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW OUR NATION CAN FORGET WHY WE HAVE ARMED FORCES. THEY ARE NOT FOR FIGHTING ON FOREIGN SOIL AND IF WE HAVE TO WE CAN SEND B-52S ON BOMBING MISSIONS, WE NEED TO LOOK BACK AT WHAT THIS NATIONS FOUNDATIONS WERE AND REBUILD IT, BECAUSE SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT!
- Meeting the Terrorist Threat, Produced by the Defense Nuclear Agency - Early 1970's - 7:30 - Color - Since the emergence of the terrorist threat, the U.S. Governments concern about the possible terrorism against nuclear facilities has intensified. This video is a dramatization. It shows how the Government has responded to this threat.
The video depicts nuclear security activities at an early nuclear storage site and how a small unarmed force of intruders easily enters under the security fence surrounding the site. The protective force subdues the intruders easily. In another scene, a well-armed terrorist team enters the base and kills a roving patrol with a well-placed sniper. Security forces finally overcome the terrorists after a superior counter-force arrives.
On a third entry, a terrorist team enters the site under the cover of a fellow terrorist, hidden in the forest, armed with a heavy machine gun. This terrorist team reaches and penetrates a storage igloo after the roving patrol is killed, and the rapid response force is destroyed. However, the terrorists do not escape. When the superior security force appears with helicopter support and an armored personnel carrier, the terrorists, including the machine gunner, are killed.
Since this film was made, the Department of Energy (DOE) has constantly improved the training and tactics of the security forces at each installation as well as the in-place security systems. With its modern day posture, it would be highly improbable that a small group of armed individuals could forcibly enter any DOE facility and escape with a nuclear weapon or any special nuclear
NEW!!!! ----GREAT FALLOUT SHELTER SONG 1961
(1975) RARE FOOTAGE OF ANG F-102s BASED AT SUFFOLK AFB (DECOM) FLYING OVER LONG ISLAND
THIS VIDEO SHOWS NATIONAL GUARD 2nd FIS FLYING F102s OVER EASTERN LONG ISLAND THE FLIGHT SCENES ARE DUBBED WITH A HORRIBLE MUSIC SOUNDTRACK "HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE" SO I ADVISE THAT YOU MUTE THE SOUND WHILE WATCHING THIS LAST OF THE CENTURY FIGHTERS BEING FLOWN AS INTERCEPTORS AND NOT TARGETS FOR MISSILE TESTS, THE SUFFOLK AFB NOW GABRESKI AIRPORT WESTHAMPTON HOME NOW TO THE 106th AEROSPACE RESCUE AND RECOVERY WING WHO OCCUPY AND USE THE OLD ALERT HANGARS AND USAF INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND "ADC" LEFT BEHIND WHEN THE SUFFOLK COUNTY AIR BASE WAS DECOMMISSIONED, EVEN THEN A NATIONAL GUARD UNIT USING F-102s WAS BASED THERE FROM 1969 - PRESENT.RARE CAMOFLAUGE F102s
*UPDATE THE F-102 THAT SAT OUT FRONT TO PAY RESPECT TO THOSE THAT SERVED THE COLD WAR MISSION AND FLEW JET AIR CRAFT LOADED WITH LIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS WAS SCRAPPED AND CUT UP ON BASE BY A SCRAP YARD IN A TOTAL DOUCHE BAG MOVE! I DONT CARE HOW BAD OF SHAPE IT WAS IN IT COULD OF BEEN SAVED AND SHOULD OF.JUST BECAUSE THE MISSON NOW INVOLVES HELICOPTERS YOU DONT FORGET HISTORY AND TRY TO TAKE THE LIME LIGHT BY DROPPIN A HELICOPTER IN ITS SPOT, YOU DISRESPECTED THOSE THAT SERVED A WAR COLD IN NAME BUT WAS A DIRECT THREAT AGAINST THIS NATION AND THOSE WHO FLEW THOSE JETS DURING THOSE YEARS WOULD OF GAVE THEIR LIVES TO KEEP THE POPULATION OF THIS COUNTRY SAFE, IT MAKES ME SAD TO SEE SUCH DISRESPECT AND PERSONALLY YOU CAN STICK THAT HELO UP YOUR ASSES!
COLD WAR PROPAGANDA No.41 (1951) USAF CARTOON RECRUITING COMMERCIAL
THIS USAF COMMERCIAL FROM THE EARLY 1950s MOST LIKELY WAS THE REASON AMERICA WON THE COLD WAR AND BEAT THE SOVIETS IN TO SPACE THE JINGLE IN OF FLYING DAH DAH DAH WITH CARTOON JETS AND PEOPLE PROBABLY CAUGHT THE EYE OF MANY YOUNG KIDS WHO TEN YEARS LATER ENLISTED AND HELPED KEEP THIS COUNTRY FREE OF ANY COMMUNIST AGGRESSORS, WE NEED MORE GOOD WHOLESOME RECRUITING PITCHES LIKE THIS ONE!