The North American F-100 Super Sabre served with the United States Air Forces in Europe for a total of sixteen years at the height of the Cold War. The primary mission of the USAFE units that flew the 'hun' was the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons on targets in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The nuclear mission was practised on the gunnery ranges of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and North Africa. The pilots, called bomb commanders, sat alert all over Europe to take off at a moment's notice and fly alone into the heart of enemy territory carrying just one atomic bomb often more powerful than those dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War. These dedicated pilots acknowledged that many of their targets were situated so far away that there would be no prospect of return to their home base and their families and friends. The secondary mission of the USAFE F-100 units was to prepare for conventional war.
Doug Gordon was born in Orford, Suffolk, and spent his early childhood within sight and sound of the USAF base at RAF Bentwaters. Regular attendance at USAF open houses engendered a passion for aircraft. These early experiences and a move to Farnborough in the early 1960s, with visits to Farnborough air shows, was the foundation for an abiding interest in the military aviation of the Cold War. He regularly publishes articles about the units and aircraft of the Cold War with a particular emphasis on the USAF. He lives in Brittany, France.
About this book; Acknowledgements; Glossary of Abbreviations; Chapter 1: Development of the F-100. Chapter 2: The Nuclear Mission. Chapter 3: The 20th Fighter Bomber Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 4:The 36th Fighter Day Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 5: The 48th Fighter Bomber Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 6: The 388/49th Fighter Bomber Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 7: The 50 Fighter Bomber Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 8: The 401st Tactical Fighter Wing. Chapter 9: The North African Bases and F-100 Units. Chapter 10:Detachment #1 7407th Support Squadron, Slick Chicks. Chapter 11:The Skyblazers. Chapter 12: TAC F-100 Temporary Detachments to USAFE in the Cold War. Endpiece; Appendices: 1, NATO F-100 units. 2, The Doctrines of Massive Retaliation and Flexible Response. Maps: USAFE F-100 bases; Gunnery ranges used by the USAFE based F-100 aircraft. Aircraft; Bibliography and other Sources.
