B-52d Tail Gunner - On 16 September 1991, SAC eliminated the gunner position and disabled the guns on the B-52 as a cost-saving initiative.
As previously reported, CMSgt (Ret.) Robbie Wellbaum, the last US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress (BUFF) air defense gunner, retired on May 12, 2017, marking the end of an era.
B-52d Tail Gunner
When he joined the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1987, Wellbaum had no idea he would be the last of his kind.
Bombers B 52 (1957)
Wellbaum said it was his passion for flying that inspired him to join the Air Force.
"I went into the recruiter's office and asked them what jobs [their members] had to fly," Welbaum recalled. "My recruiter mentioned a loader, boom operator, and B-52 anti-aircraft gunner. Gunnery sounded like the best job of the three, so I applied.
But on September 16, 1991, then-commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), General George L. Butler announced the elimination of the gunner's position on the B-52 and the disabling of the guns as a cost-saving initiative.
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"We knew something was working, but we didn't expect the cutbacks," Welbaum explained. "However, the Air Force took care of us and opened many AFSCs, one of which was flight engineer. I knew several people who had cross-trained in this career field, so I saw it as a natural progression.
During his career, Wellbaum logged more than 6,500 flight hours in the B-52 with more than 1,000 flight hours and earned the Master Aircrew Enlisted Flyer Wings award.
However, Chief Master Sgt. Rob Wellbaum is apparently not the last B-52 gunner. In fact, John Stallings, President of the Air Force Gunners Association and a reader of The Aviation Geek Club, reports that there are currently at least 3 former BUFF gunners who are either on active duty or in the Reserves/Guards, but unfortunately the Association does not have a list of active members.
Dario Leone Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the founder and editor of The Aviation Geek Club, one of the most read military aviation blogs in the world. His writings have appeared in The National Interest and other media outlets. He reported from Europe and flew Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.
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Military Aviation[UPDATED] LAST B-52 GUNNER TO RETIRE May 12, 2017 Dario LeoneAviation History / Cold War / Military Aviation THIS FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENT CAUSED THE DETACHMENT OF A BUF TAIL GUN. HARM IS IN THE WAY" STORY November 8, 2017 Dario Leone
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Boeing B 52d Stratofortress Usaf Eight Jet Strategic Bomber
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Interesting Footage Tells The Story Of One Of The Last B 52 Gunners
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B 52d Diamond Lil Tail Gunner Explains How He Scored The Last Confirmed Kill By A Tail Gunner In Wartime
This Google Analytics integration anonymizes your IP address. Anonymization works by truncation of the Users' IP address within the borders of the member states of the European Union or other countries that are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Union. Only in exceptional cases will the IP address be sent to Google's servers and shortened in the United States. Both of the BUFF MiG kills were made during Operation Linebacker II, the Christmas strategic air strike against the industrial and logistical heart of North Vietnam.
The Boeing B-52 is the ultimate embodiment of the principle of strategic air power: designed to carry hydrogen bombs over intercontinental distances, the Stratofortress was widely used for conventional bombing during the Vietnam War, where the MiG could also be a killer. , shot down two MiG-21 fighters.
Both MiG kills were carried out during Operation Linebacker II, a strategic Christmas offensive against North Vietnam's industrial and logistics heartland that began after negotiations failed at the Paris peace talks. It was during this air campaign that two B-52D tail gunners from the 307th Strategic Bomb Wing at U-Tapao RTAFB (Royal Thai Air Force Base) in Thailand continued a long tradition of tail gunners from previous wars and downed two North Vietnamese. Fish beds.
These achievements were made possible by the Stratofortress D variant's rear-mounted four .50-caliber M3 machine guns, making the B-52 the ultimate strategic bomber capable of shooting down an enemy fighter. Armed with 600 rounds and controlled by the A-3A fire control system search and track radar, the guns were controlled by the tail gunner or by remote control from the gunner's position in the forward fuselage.
Combat Veteran Buff: Restoring A Vietnam War Bomber
The first of two MiG kills occurred on 18 December 1972 when 129 bombers (42 B-52Ds from U-Tapao, followed by another 87 BUFFs between B-52Ds and B-52Gs from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam) were launched. Rail yards and logistics facilities in and around Hanoi, as well as MiG bases at Kep, Hoa Loc and Phuc Yen, according to Bill Yen's book B-52 Stratofortress: The Story of the BUFF from the Drawing Board to the Skies over Afghanistan. The bombers worked on three planes to protect each other's ECM (Electronic Countermeasures). Among the bombers, B-52D Tail no. 56-0676, calls Brown III, with Ssgt. Samuel O. Turner as a tail shooter. Numerous SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) were fired during the bombardment, and the Brown III was fired with anti-aircraft fire of all calibers.
The B-52Ds reached their target, dropped their bombs, and several MiGs flew to intercept them on their way home. One of the MiG-21s prepared to launch a missile at the Brown III, but Turner locked onto the approaching Fishbed and when it got within firing range, it fired, hitting the rear of the MiG and bursting into flames. . It was the first kill for the bomber crew since the Korean War, and it was confirmed by MSgt. Lewis E. Le Blanc, the tail gunner on another B-52, was reported by Donald J. McCarthy Jr. wrote in his MiG Killers A Chronology of U.S. explained in his book. Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973.
Today, B-52D tail number 55-0676 is preserved at Fairchild AFB Heritage Park near Spokane, where it can be seen with the classic MiG Killers emblem in the form of a red star below the cockpit.
The second Stratofortress aerial victory of the Vietnam War occurred on Christmas Day, December 24, 1972. 30 BUFFs launched from U Tapao were forced to hit the Tai Nguyen and Kep rail yards, 40 kilometers north and northeast of Hanoi, and B-52s were attacked during the bombing run.
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