Military Model Scene

Title: Chrome Dome 1960-68
Author: Peter E. Davies
Publisher: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-6054-5

The B-52s' hight stakes Cold War nuclear operation, number 46 in the Air Campaign series from Osprey. A 96-page soft-cover book in the usual style for this series.
The B-52 carried on from the earlier B-47 as from 1960 through to 1958 they maintained a continual nuclear deterrent in the air around the USA and over the Mediterranean. They guarded against the possibility of a sudden Soviet nuclear attack In the early days, while missile technology was developing, the US relied on the manned bomber being able to get through to a range of targets in Russia. The book starts by setting out the situation, and then going through the capabilities of both the attacker (the USA) and the defender (the Soviet Union). It then considers the crews who undertook these long missions, as aircraft were in the air for 12 hours at a time. Not only their technical training, as pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier and so on, but also their 'suitability' to carry out their potential mission. Even when on the ground, the level of security for the nuclear weapons the bombers carried makes for interesting reading. It goes on to take us through the missions they flew, including maps of their main bases, and the patrol routes they flew. They carried various free-fall bombs, but also the Hound Dog missile, and the cancelled Skybolt as well. With all the hours flown over the years there were challenges of cost, aircraft availability, fuel and more. While war never did need them to complete their mission, there were some accidents, known by the code name of Broken Arrow. These included two well known examples, one over Greenland and another over Southern Spain, but there were others which are also included. As the Cold War ended, so the expensive Chrome Dome missions came to an end, so it is rounded off with an Analysis & Conclusion chapter.
Well illustrated throughout, with archive photos and some more of the excellent artwork by Adam Tooby. The Cold War is now long over, and while I am of an age to remember these events, there are so many now who will not be old enough to know what it was like to live in those times, when we lived under the threat of nuclear war, though perhaps we do still have some old men who still want to use such threats all over again. A really interesting read this one I think.
Thanks to Osprey for the review copy.

Robin