Bomber: The Formation and Early Years of Strategic Air Command

397 Pages·19.662 MB·English

by  Phillip S Meilinger

Bomber
The Formation and Early Years of
Strategic Air Command
Phillip S. Meilinger
Air University Press
Air Force Research Institute
Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
November 2012
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Meilinger, Phillip S., 1948-
Bomber : the formation and early years of Strategic Air Command / Phillip S.
Meilinger.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58566-219-7
1. United States. Air Force. Strategic Air Command—History. 2. Strategic bombers—
United States—History—20th century. 3. Strategic forces—United States—History—
20th century. I. Title. II. Title: Formation and early years of Strategic Air Command.
UG633.M329 2012
358.4’230973—dc23
2012031465
Copyright 2012 by Phillip S. Meilinger
The author retains all rights to this work granted under 17 USC §106. The US Air Force
retains nonexclusive royalty-free license to publish and distribute this work.
Disclaimer
Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Air University, the
United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, or any other US government
agency. Cleared for public release: distribution unlimited.
AFRI
Air Force Research Institute
Air University Press
Air Force Research Institute
155 North Twining Street
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6026
http://aupress.au.af.mil
ii
To Barbara

Contents
About the Author vii
Foreword ix
Introduction xiii
Abbreviations xix
1 The Intellectual and Organizational Imperatives
for Bombing 1
The Influence of Billy Mitchell 3
The Air Corps Tactical School—the Early Years 7
The Air Corps Tactical School—the Golden Age 15
Bombing Accuracy and Targeting 23
Summary 28
2 The Realities of War and Strategic Bombing 33
Organization for Combat 35
Planning the Air Campaign—AWPD-1 38
Problems and the Development of Operations Research 41
Air Intelligence and Targeting 45
Analyzing the Effects—the US Strategic Bombing Survey 51
Summary 58
3 Formation 65
The Bomb and Its Relevance 67
Planning the Atomic Air Force 70
Reorganization and Strategic Air Command 75
Initial Problems 79
The Deployment Challenge 85
The Bikini Atomic Tests 89
Summary 92
4 Independence Mixed with Challenges 97
Roles and Missions 101
Planning for Atomic War 104
The Berlin Crisis and the Rebirth of SAC 109
Summary 122
v
CONTENTS
5 Expansion and Adversity 129
Reforging the Weapon 133
The Revolt of the Admirals 140
Evaluating the Atomic Air Offensive 150
Budget Battles 154
Intelligence and Joe 1 156
Summary 159
The Men and Machines That Built Strategic Air
Command—Photo Montage 165
6 Nuclear Weapons, Custody, and the Korean War 215
The Outbreak of War 220
Custody of Atomic Weapons 232
Stalemate in Korea 238
Summary 244
7 The Technological Imperative 249
Building the Bombers 251
The Challenge of Range 259
The Penetration Problem 264
The Importance of Electronic Warfare and
Countermeasures 270
Summary 276
8 Expansion, Intelligence, and Targeting in the
Nuclear Age 283
Thoughts on Total War 288
The “New Look” and Tactical Nuclear Weapons 295
Intelligence and Targeting 303
Summary 311
9 Retrospect and Epilogue 319
Appendix 339
Bibliography 343
Index 367
vi
About the
Author
Col Phillip S. Meilinger, USAF, retired, was born in Michigan but
raised in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in
1970 and served 30 years as a pilot, staff officer, and educator. He initially
flew as an instructor pilot in Air Training Command, then flew C-130s
in the Philippines while also serving in the Pacific Airlift Control Center.
Later he transitioned into the rescue version of the HC-130 as an instruc-
tor pilot at RAF Woodbridge in the United Kingdom. These overseas
assignments allowed him to fly all over the world and further his under-
standing of geopolitics, history, and culture. During Operation Desert
Storm in 1990–91, he was a planner on the Air Staff in the Pentagon
while also serving as chief of the Air Force Doctrine section.
In 1975 Meilinger received a master’s degree in military history
from the University of Colorado and in 1985 was granted a doctorate
(also in military history) from the University of Michigan. He has
taught at the Air Force Academy and the Naval War College and was
dean of the School of Advanced Airpower Studies (now School of
Advanced Air and Space Studies, or SAASS)—the Air Force’s only
accredited graduate school for the education of future strategists. He
retired from the Air Force in June 2000 and worked as a defense ana-
lyst in the Washington, DC, area for six years. He is now a freelance
writer and lives outside Chicago with his wife, Barbara.
Dr. Meilinger has authored 10 books and more than 100 articles
dealing with military and airpower operations and theory and has
been invited to lecture at military and civilian venues all over the
world. Among his books are
Hoyt S. Vandenberg: The Life of a General;
The Paths of Heaven: The Evolution of Airpower Theory;
vii
abOuT ThE auThOr
Ten Propositions Regarding Airpower;
Airmen and Air Theory;
Airpower: Myths and Facts;
Airwar: Theory and Operations;
Hubert R. Harmon: Aviator, Officer, Father of the Air Force Academy; and
Into the Sun: Novels of the US Air Force.
Two of his books to date have been chosen for the USAF Chief of
Staff’s Reading List, and several of his articles have received awards.
This latest book, dealing with the early years of Strategic Air Com-
mand, was commissioned by the Air Force Research Institute.
viii
Foreword
It is impossible to think about the Strategic Air Command (SAC)
without consideration of Gen Curtis LeMay and his remarkable in-
fluence. When he assumed command of SAC in September 1948, LeMay
immediately brought dramatic change to Air Force culture and con-
tinued to make his mark in the nearly 10 years he served as SAC com-
mander. LeMay extended his influence when appointed vice-chief
and then in 1961 as chief of staff of the Air Force and on into retire-
ment—but that is another story. Throughout his tenure at Offutt
AFB, SAC was the preeminent Air Force organization. Bomber, Phil
Meilinger’s thorough and well-documented analysis of the formation
and early years of SAC, not only informs us on that heroic period in
Air Force history, it also provides an understanding of the funda-
mental and often uncomfortable changes still facing the service in
this post–Cold War era.
The drastic reduction of forces at the end of World War II and the
onset of the Cold War placed heavy pressure on the Air Force to proj-
ect power abroad and establish credible deterrence in a dawning nu-
clear age, to include launching retaliatory strikes should that deter-
rence fail. It was a heavy responsibility on a newly independent force
manned by airmen who had just returned from a long and costly war
against the Axis powers.
Bomber attempts to describe SAC in the context of what was then
a new global dynamic, later dubbed the Cold War, showing how it
faced the continually evolving challenges of its time. Meilinger has
illuminated the problems and successes faced during these forma-
tive years.
Lt Gen Curtis E. LeMay, just 41 when he came to SAC—the age
at which most current officers are pinning on lieutenant colonel—
found a few B-29 bombardment groups with half their bombers
nonoperational and crews only partially trained. It is debatable as to
who was more surprised during an inspection of a hangar full of
nuclear-armed bombers, LeMay or the single sentry armed with
only a ham sandwich. On a mock bombing exercise against Dayton,
Ohio, LeMay was shocked to learn that most bombers missed the
target by a mile or more. His command could not express profes-
sional expertise.
Forceful and adroit leadership was vital, but the mastering of tech-
nology also played a crucial role in SAC’s achieving effectiveness.
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