Cold War Peacemaker: The Story of Cowtown and the Convair B-36 [Hardcover]

Dennis R. Jenkins (Author), Don Pyeatt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2010

Great airplanes don't simply appear in history, they evolve through a myriad of technological, political, and economic processes. In this book you will experience one of the most unlikely developments in aviation history the Convair B-36 very-long-range nuclear bomber. From its beginnings during the world s greatest conflict, through construction in a former wild-west cattle town, and deployment into the Cold War, the story of the Convair B-36 and how it intimidated the Soviet Union is an interesting study in politics and technology. In Cold War Peacemaker, you will experience life during the Cold War as your parents and grandparents lived it. You will meet military leaders, politicians, cowboys, tycoons and a cowboy tycoon who worked together to save the free world from communist domination. You will also see up-close the amazing technology of aviation at the beginning of the nuclear age and how it was manifested in the B-36.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This all makes for a most fascinating book and one of the best yet on the B-36. If you are a fan of the aircraft or just like an exceptionally well written and illustrated book, then this one is a must have. Buy with confidence that you are getting the best. ---Modeling Madness, reviewed by Scott Van Aken, March 2010

Not only a detailed look at the development of the B-36 but also the story of aerospace manufacturing at Fort Worth. ---Hyperscale, reviewed by Ken Bowes, June 2010

For a single reference on the B-36, this is a pretty thorough book. ---Internet Modeler, reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl, September 2010

About the Author

Dennis R. Jenkins is a consulting engineer in Cape Canaveral, Florida, working on various aerospace projects including 20 years on the Space Shuttle and several on the stillborn X-33 program. He is the author of Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System The First 100 Missions, in addition to more than 30 other works on aerospace history.

Don Pyeatt worked in the electronic instrument industry for both civil and military applications, and recently retired after owning an industrial control sales and service company. He has served as the historian for the B-36 Peacemaker Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and as historian for the 7th Bomb Wing B-36 Association, also in Fort Worth, Texas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Specialty Pr Pub & Wholesalers (January 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580071279
• ISBN-13: 978-1580071277
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnesium Overcast Redux, March 11, 2010

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Terry Sunday (El Paso, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cold War Peacemaker: The Story of Cowtown and the Convair B-36 (Hardcover)

What, another book about the B-36? It's not exactly aviation's best-known subject--not like the North American P-51 Mustang or the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, for example--but Convair's huge intercontinental-range strategic bomber has gotten its fair share of press in the last decade or so. There's Meyers K. Jacobsen's superb 400-page magnum opus "Convair B-36: A Comprehensive History of Americas Big Stick" (1997), Dennis R. Jenkins' short but useful "Convair B-36 Peacemaker" (1999) (Volume 14 in the Specialty Press Warbird Tech Series) and his outstanding, heavily illustrated "Magnesium Overcast" (2001), among others. Now comes "Cold War Peacemaker." Do aviation enthusiasts really need another book about the big rumbling aerial behemoth?

If you don't have any or all of the other books mentioned, it's a no-brainer decision. Pick up a copy of "Cold War Peacemaker" immediately. It's a fascinating, detailed history that covers virtually every aspect of the bomber's design, development, flight test, production, deployment, variants, upgrades, operations--literally everything you'd want to know about the thundering Peacemaker. Its superbly illustrated with hundreds of sharp black-and-white photos and line drawings, plus a 19-page color section. As a bonus, the 30-page Chapter 1 relates the history of Fort Worth and describes the rise of the aviation industry in "Cowtown," a subject on which the other books are silent. Here's the complete Table of Contents:

Chapter 1--Cowboys to Cockpits: Aviation Comes to Fort Worth (Page 16)
Chapter 2--Consolidated B-36: A True Intercontinental Bomber (46)
Chapter 3--The Bleeding Edge: 1940s High Technology (108)
Chapter 4--Conflict Unfinished: A Chilly Peace and a Cold War (128)

But then there are some great Appendices:

Appendix A--The First Wide-Body: The San Diego Built XC-99 (176)
Appendix B--Unworthy Competitor: The All-Jet YB-60 (184)
Appendix C--Dream Unrealized: Atomic-Powered Aircraft (192)
Appendix D--Completely Different: Track Landing Gear (200)
Appendix E--Stillborn Concept: Pratt & Whitney VDT Engines (208)
Appendix F--Ahead of Its Time: Bell GAM-63 Rascal (212)
Appendix G--Bizarre Concept: Parasites and Other Coupling Ideas (220)

The authoritative narrative and crisp photos (with detailed captions) in these sections are sure to make any airplane geek salivate. Plus there are nine pages of detailed endnotes that cite sources and expand on the main text.

Okay, so you should definitely buy "Cold War Peacemaker" if it's to be your only B-36 book. But what if, like me, you already have the other books mentioned, or even more? Should you add this one to your collection? Well, I'm such a fan of the B-36 that I simply had to have this volume in my aviation library, and I never regretted buying it. I suspect most other aviation buffs will feel the same. Even if you already own some B-36 books, there's no reason not to buy "Cold War Peacemaker." Although much of the story and many of the photos have appeared elsewhere, there's enough new material in it to make it a must-have. Its great stuff, and I recommend it highly.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice on the Coffee Table and Great for the Serious Historian, Too!, March 13, 2010

By 

Jeff Johns (North Richland Hills, TX, US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cold War Peacemaker: The Story of Cowtown and the Convair B-36 (Hardcover)

The "Cold War Peacemaker: the Story of Cowtown and Convair B-36" is about an amazing longrange bomber that bridged the gap between the propeller and jet ages during the early years of the Cold War. Huge and somewhat awkward looking, the aircraft ultimately employed both pusher props and jet engines. This plane was an intimidator and when it flew overhead its strange sound vibrations rattled china in more than a few cabinets. It sent a strong message to the Soviet Union intended to prevent nuclear war. The B-36 in its variations was a remarkable aircraft technologically. And even amidst all of the contemporary advances in the aerospace industry, the innovative solutions to engineering challenges that came to fruition in the B-36 are still impressive. Authors Don Pyeatt and Dennis Jenkins have succeeded in publishing a comprehensive history of the B-36 that deserves acclaim. Whether you are a casual aviation enthusiast or a seasoned historian, this book is worth the purchase price. Packed with amazing photos, diagrams, and myriad details in its appendices and endnotes, the monograph is history at its best.

It is suggested that readers also watch the movie, "Strategic Air Command," starring the B-36 and Jimmy Stewart. Produced for the general public to promote the USAF and airpower during the Cold War, it is really quite good. Best of all, you'll hear and see the B-36 in all its glory.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Truth About Convair's B-36, July 25, 2010

By 

Kurt Burgess (Alexandria, IN, US) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cold War Peacemaker: The Story of Cowtown and the Convair B-36 (Hardcover)

Having owned two previous books by Dennis Jenkins I was anxious to dive into this account of Convair's magnificent bomber, the B-36. Don Pyeatt's contribution was a big draw for me as the subtitle addresses his Fort Worth, Texas roots. Both authors have presented an accurate story of this fabled aircraft and I am glad I have added it to my B-36 collection. The authors shattered some myths about this aircraft to set the record straight. The addition of a few unpublished images throughout the book was a treat, but I soon discovered many of the photos have been published previously. So I quickly realized that the new information within this book was probably meant to be included in, "Magnesium Overcast," another first class book by Jenkins, but simply found no room to do so. Much of "Cold War Peacemaker" contents is edited or lifted from this book. That is not a criticism. I must admit, though, I read through the Cowtown history rather rapidly (Evelyn Wood style) as it slowly lost my attention and seemed to wander from the B-36's heritage. Still, the book can be a great companion to "Magnesium Overcast" or stand on its one for the first time B-36 enthusiast. But maybe this book should have been called, "Magnesium Overview."