The B-52 entered operational service in February 1955 with the , replacing the B-36 Peacemaker. During this era, its primary mission was nuclear deterrence.
The B-52 Stratofortress, known by crews as the (Big Ugly Fat Fellow), transitioned from a strictly nuclear deterrent to a devastating conventional weapon during its first two decades of service. Between 1955 and 1973, B-52 units evolved from high-altitude nuclear sentinels to the primary engine of the U.S. bombing campaigns across Southeast Asia. The Genesis of a Legend (1955–1964) B-52 Stratofortress Units In Combat 1955-73
Although built for high-altitude nuclear strikes, the fleet began undergoing modifications to carry massive loads of conventional ordnance—a decision that would define its combat legacy. The B-52 entered operational service in February 1955
Units maintained constant airborne alerts, patrolling the peripheries of the USSR armed with thermonuclear payloads. Between 1955 and 1973, B-52 units evolved from
B-52 wings reached their highest state of readiness in 1962 during the standoff between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Cuba.