At the onset of the Cold War, an American jet-powered bomber seemed to be the optimal choice to carry atomic bombs in any attack on the Soviet Union. After a brief competition, Strategic Air Command chose the Boeing B-47 Stratojet which flew higher and was faster than all but supersonic fighters. However, despite the experience gained from building B-17s and B-29s during the Second World War, Boeing was ill prepared for the complexities of B-47 production and hundreds of B-47s were delivered without functional bombing, navigation, and defensive systems, rendering them little more than daylight, good weather shortrange bombers for use against undefended targets.

This is the extraordinary story of how the B-47 made the successful transition from an aircraft that was little more than an aerodynamic experiment into a medium bomber that formed the backbone of SAC's nuclear strike force. B-47 operations were at the forefront of early electronic warfare capabilities, were instrumental in developing tactics for low-level strikes and provided a critical communications link between ground headquarters and the famous "Looking Glass KC-135B." Reconnaissance variants of the B-47 conducted routine, if not hazardous, peripheral intelligence missions around the Soviet Union including 156 sorties during Operation Home Run. But, perhaps most importantly, the lessons learned from the B-47 proved vital for the development and operational deployment of the Boeing B-52, SAC's first true intercontinental jet bomber.

Authors Mike Habermehl and former SAC pilot Robert Hopkins combine nearly 50 years of research and operational experience to provide the ultimate history of the B-47. Illustrated throughout with over 300 photographs, detailed maps, and drawings, and incorporating newly declassified Air Force histories, the authors have compiled a complete operational history of the Stratojet, including individual data on each of the 2,000+ airplanes and detailed summaries of all losses.