Saturday, August 8, 2026

Thursday, August 8, 1946. First flight of the B-36.

B-36 (right) next to a B-29.

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was flown by the United States Air Force for the first time. It had originally been conceived of as a bomber that could reach Japan from Hawaii.  It became the US's first dedicated nuclear strategic bomber.

An absolutely massive airplane, it would have a short service life, being retired in 1959 with the onset of the B-52.  It was never flown in combat.

Gen. Billy Mitchell received a posthumous Medal of Honor.  He was also posthumously promoted to Major General.

No comments:

Post a Comment