Overview

January 1964: America is embroiled in the Cold War. Tensions erupt following the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the United States and Soviet Union both possess massive nuclear arsenals. A B-52 Stratofortress, icon of American airpower, must return to the U.S. for repairs. A USAF retrieval crew arrives in Massachusetts to fly the plane back to Turner Air Force Base in Georgia. The crew expects a short flight but gets caught unaware and flies directly into an Arctic blizzard. The winds shear off the tail of the B-52, and the crew must eject at 30,000 feet into the blizzard. They land two miles apart from each other in the 52,000-acre rugged Savage River Forest of western Maryland. The bomber goes on to crash in the mountains with two nuclear bombs on board. In a massive attempt to retrieve survivors, 1000 people of the community and the U.S. military searched for five days.

Full Product Details

9798990788886

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""If you have an appreciation for thorough research, you need to read this book. As a former B-52 crew member, the author's description rekindled my emotions when carrying nuclear weapons on Chrome Dome missions. Her realistic descriptions of the final moments of flight and the use of a survival kit transport you to being a crew member. She also captured the essence of the willingness of the local population to endure horrible weather to aid in rescue efforts. A terrific read!"" Roger H. Williams, Major, United States Air Force, Retired ""Linda Sittig not only captures the historical role aviation played in our national defense but gives us a true sense of the men who flew this aircraft, their families, and the ordinary citizens determined to find the missing airmen in the aftermath of this tragedy."" Captain Laura Savino, Pilot, United Airlines, Retired"

Author Information

An award-winning writer with pieces in the Washington Post, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and other publications, Linda's commitment to literacy led her to write columns, articles, and books on how to raise life-long readers. She combined her passion for history and strong women by creating a blog, www.strongwomeninhistory.com, which over 1450 readers follow in 64 countries. Linda has had five books published, all of them featuring strong women who made a difference.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available