The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber [Paperback]

John C. Fredriksen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786442786 | ISBN-13: 978-0786442782 | Publication Date: August 25, 2009

The North American B-45 Tornado was America's first jet bomber and was used in a number of vital missions for nearly a decade. Drawing from declassified secret documents, this history explains the bomber's use in strategic reconnaissance and atomic-weapon strike missions from its 1944 development to its role in the Cold War. The book includes numerous photographs and more than 100 interviews with pilots, navigators, and ground personnel.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John C. Fredriksen, is the author of more than 20 books about military history. He lives in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786442786
• ISBN-13: 978-0786442782
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is deep cold war history of a rather obscure aircraft, October 13, 2009

By 

Gregory K. Myers "bigiron383" (Phoenix AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber (Paperback)

My father and father in law were both in the USAF assigned to the bases and aircraft involved in this time period. I was along for the ride as a rather impressionable young man making my way through grade school and high school at the time, but I do remember the aircraft.
This book helped fill in the blanks.The author covers not only the aircraft itself but the histories of the units involved, the air crews , the ground crews and the major commands.The infighting between SAC and TAC made you wonder if the USAF really did know what they were doing. I don't think he left any thing out. The comments from the crew members in the air and on the ground really bring it home.
As he points out the B-45 is hardly covered in aviation history and few people have heard about. This book changes that.This book isn't for the casual aircraft picture book crowd as it get's into the aircraft, the history, the politics and the day to day aspects of the B-45.
One suggestion, don't pass on the foot notes as they add quite a bit more to the story.
.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good study on an often overlooked cold war aircraft, April 3, 2010

By 

Ken F. (Germany) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber (Paperback)

This is book is good summary of an often overlooked aircraft of the Cold War. As a member of the USAF for the past 17 years, I enjoy reading about the men who paved the way before me. It is amusing to see Maintenance had to deal with parts shortages and horrible weather conditions just as they do today. I enjoyed how Mr. Fredriksen contributed various interviews from the maintainers who worked the B-45. All too often, aviation authors write only about pilots and operations and leave out the forgotten maintainers.
This book is not only a good read, but very educational not only for the aircraft, but also a glimse of the political environment in the early 1950's. The author covers the B-45's various AORs to include, England, Japan, Korea and the States. This book is packed with daily stories that came from official squadron/wing histories as well as numerous personal interviews.
The reason I gave this book 4 stars is because it could be so much more on the side of packaging. This is a note to Mr. Fredriksen, if there is going to be a revised edition, please consider my recommendations. For $36 this book is steep for a paperback and all black and white format. If I were king for a day, I'd place some color photos strategically throughout this book. I'd also put a few maps of the operating areas. For example, I know where Yokota, Misawa and Sculthorpe are, but the average ready probably has never heard of such bases. Maybe even a map of the Russian overflight paths. I'd also enlarge it (dimension wise), because the quotes were quite small to read. Lastly, a book of this level of work deserves a hard cover.
Even as a "4", I can recommend this book to any aviation or Cold War buff.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a letdown, April 5, 2010

By 

Air Kit News Fornetti - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The B-45 Tornado: An Operational History of the First American Jet Bomber (Paperback)

With so little published about the B-45, I was eager to get it. Well, if your interest is in crew/operations stories, here's your book. But if you're interested in the B-45 aircraft, keep the wallet in your pocket. There's very little about the machine itself, pictures are few, generally known and printed on such low-quality paper as to be almost unreadable.