B-36 'Peacemaker' Units of the Cold War

A fully illustrated study into the extraordinary Convair B-36 during the Cold War.

Conceived during 1941 in case Germany occupied Britain, when US bombers would then have insufficient range to retaliate, the B-36 was to be primarily a 10,000-mile bomber with heavy defensive armament, six engines, and a performance that would prevent interception by fighters. Although rapid developments in jet engine and high-speed airframe technology quickly made it obsolescent, the B-36 took part in many important nuclear test programs. The aircraft also provided the US nuclear deterrent until the faster B-52 became available in 1955. It was one of the first aircraft to use substantial amounts of magnesium in its structure, leading to the bomber's Magnesium Overcast nickname. It earned many superlatives due to the size and complexity of its structure, which used 27 miles of wiring, had a wingspan longer than the Wright brothers' first flight, equivalent engine power to 400 cars, the same internal capacity as three five-room houses and 27,000 gallons of internal fuel - enough to propel a car around the world 18 times. Much was made of the fact that the wing was deep enough to allow engineers to enter it and maintain the engines in flight. B-36s continued in the bomber and reconnaissance role until their retirement in February 1959 following 11 years in SAC. Convair employees were invited to suggest names for the giant aircraft, eliciting suggestions such as King Kong Bomber, Condor, Texan, and Unbelievable, but the most popular was Peacemaker. Oddly, objections from religious groups deterred the USAF from ever adopting it officially.

This fully illustrated volume includes first-hand accounts, original photographs, and up to 30 profile artworks depicting in detail the complexity of this superlative aircraft.

Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
Published: 04/12/2022
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 9.40h x 7.10w x 0.30d
ISBN: 9781472850393

About the Author

Peter E Davies has published 45 aviation books, 33 of them for Osprey. He has also contributed to magazines such as Aeroplane Monthly and Aircraft Illustrated, concentrating mainly upon combat aircraft of the Cold War and Vietnam War. Peter is based in the UK.

Born in 1973, Gareth Hector found an early passion for painting and military history while growing up in Scotland. Digitally painting and art directing, he has worked on high profile projects such as Call of Duty, Warhammer, Doctor Who and Halo. In 2010, Gareth returned to his love of traditional painting and military history. Gareth has worked on numerous Osprey aviation titles producing some of the finest battlescene and cover artwork seen in these volumes.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil, and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has produced artwork for the Osprey aviation list since 2000, and over the past 20 years he has created some of the finest profile and technical artwork seen in these volumes.