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TreborNehoc — tornadoes retouched
Published: 2015-03-01 20:07:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 952; Favourites: 33; Downloads: 22
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Description
*** not my photo ***usaf b-45 tornadoes, early 1950s
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Comments: 12
Doing some research (again), I would hazard to guess that this picture was taken at Langley Field AFB, prior to the 84th Bomb Squadron's transfer to RAF Sculthorpe in July of 1952 - the major clue being the US-style water tower in the background.
The aircraft seen are all North American B-45A-5-NA Tornadoes; the six aircraft closest to the camera are respectively:
- 47-082: withdrawn from use on July 7th 1958 at RAF Sculthorpe; transferred to Boulhaut AFB, Morocco, where she was expended for fire practice.
- 47-089: withdrawn from use on May 13th 1958 at RAF Sculthorpe; transferred to Etain AFB, France, where she was expended for fire practice.
- 47-050: struck off charge at North American Aviation, Inglewood, California on April 5th 1957, and subsequently scrapped.
- 47-061: withdrawn from use on April 4th 1958 at RAF Alconbury; transferred to RAF Woodbridge, UK, where she was expended for fire practice.
- 47-058: withdrawn from use durinc October 1958 at RAF Sculthorpe; transferred to RAF Greenham Common, where she was expended for fire practice.
- 47-081: withdrawn from use on July 7th 1958 at RAF Sculthorpe; transferred to Ben Guerir AFB, Morocco, where she was expended for fire practice.
Numbers seven and eight are not identifiable; numbers nine and ten are respectively:
- 47-059: crashed in Brandon, UK on January 30th 1956.
- 47-084: withdrawn from use on June 26th 1958 at RAF Sculthorpe; transferred to Ramstein AFB, West Germany, where she was expended for fire practice.
Aircraft eleven in the background is also not identifiable.
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when you say "expended for fire practice," you mean used as a target, correct?
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Ah, unfortunate choice of words I guess. I should have said 'firefighting practice'.
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Yes indeed, unfortunately. :/
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One RB-45 was shot down over Korea: b-29s-over-korea.com/MIG-15/Pe…
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Looks like a jet version of the A-20 Havoc, or A26 Invader even. I like it.
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IIRC, it was an early jet-powered Medium Bomber. Her job was to carry some of the smaller nuclear warheads over shorter distances in the event of a nuclear war. Presumably they'd be forward-deployed close to potential targets, both giving greater coverage of targets than using strategic bombers alone and also giving the Soviets more targets to worry about if they hoped to neutralize our Second Strike capability in one sweep.
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It was an important part of the US Nuclear Deterrent for several years in the 1950's before being succeeded by the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. It was also used for Reconnaissance.
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