Probably An Unanswerable Question about the B-52

Madman

Joined: Jan 19, 2001

Posts: 28,477

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

11:55a, 12/22/20

AG

I was listening to a documentary about the B-52. The doc said the B-52 has dropped more lbs in bombs than any other bomber. This made me think, is it known what a specific B-52 has dropped in its lifetime and what would that number look like compared to other bomber types or total amounts dropped in specific wars?

So would we find out something like, "this specific B-52 has dropped the same tonnage as the average of 10 WWII bombers"? Or this specific B-52 has dropped more tonnage in its life than what was dropped by the allies in this month or year of WWII.

I think it would be an interesting fact and way to frame how important the B-52 is.

Cinco Ranch Aggie

Joined: Jun 27, 2001

Posts: 31,965

User Profile

Private Message

Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

2:04p, 12/22/20

AG

I suppose you would need to flight logs for every individual Stratofortress to even begin to answer such a question. And similar logs from every B-17, B-24, and B-29.

Smeghead4761

Joined: Dec 18, 2018

Posts: 2,494

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

4:36p, 12/22/20

I would imagine that the unit logs for all the WWII bomber units are somewhere in the National archives. It would take quite a lot of digging

The USAF historian's office, or maybe the folks at the Wright-Patterson museum can pobably supply generalized stats, "The average B-17 carried x tons of bombs per misiion and flew y number of missions in its operational career."

bufrilla

Joined: Jul 31, 2002

Posts: 1,976

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

8:45p, 12/22/20

AG

The B-17's payload was only about 5,000 lbs. Heck the F4Phantom carried more than that.
The B-52's payload was right about 70,000 lbs.
That should tell you that a flight of 3 B-52's on a mission in Vietnam was carrying the equivalent
of 42 WWII B-17's. The B-52 would carry up to about 120-500lb(MK-82s) bombs and would some times
reduce the Mk-82s and replace with 1000lb(MK-83s)
Not an expert, but flew the F4Phantom for 17 years, was an infantry platoon commander in Vietnam in
1968-69. Then 2 tours in the Phantom in 72-74.

The A-6 Intruder actual payload was like 2 1/2 times the B-17.
Have watched the night sky light up when a 3 plane B-52 arc light would hit just south of the DMZ. "Rolling Thunder" it was!!!

23

BQ78

Joined: Oct 13, 1999

Posts: 26,323

User Profile

Private Message

Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

8:49p, 12/22/20

AG

It would be in the records of each MMS for sure but I would guess someone consolidated it and it is in the National Archives.

1 edit

Madman

Joined: Jan 19, 2001

Posts: 28,477

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

In reply to bufrilla • 9:01p, 12/22/20

AG

bufrilla said:
The B-17's payload was only about 5,000 lbs. Heck the F4Phantom carried more than that.
The B-52's payload was right about 70,000 lbs.
That should tell you that a flight of 3 B-52's on a mission in Vietnam was carrying the equivalent
of 42 WWII B-17's. The B-52 would carry up to about 120-500lb(MK-82s) bombs and would some times
reduce the Mk-82s and replace with 1000lb(MK-83s)
Not an expert, but flew the F4Phantom for 17 years, was an infantry platoon commander in Vietnam in
1968-69. Then 2 tours in the Phantom in 72-74.

The A-6 Intruder actual payload was like 2 1/2 times the B-17.
Have watched the night sky light up when a 3 plane B-52 arc light would hit just south of the DMZ. "Rolling Thunder" it was!!!

Thank you for posting that. You have highlighted what I already suspected. I think having a lifetime tonnage by airplane would be an interesting set of stats to look at

Cinco Ranch Aggie

Joined: Jun 27, 2001

Posts: 31,965

User Profile

Private Message

Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

In reply to bufrilla • 7:10a, 12/23/20

AG

bufrilla said:
The B-17's payload was only about 5,000 lbs. Heck the F4Phantom carried more than that.
The B-52's payload was right about 70,000 lbs.
That should tell you that a flight of 3 B-52's on a mission in Vietnam was carrying the equivalent
of 42 WWII B-17's. The B-52 would carry up to about 120-500lb(MK-82s) bombs and would some times
reduce the Mk-82s and replace with 1000lb(MK-83s)
Not an expert, but flew the F4Phantom for 17 years, was an infantry platoon commander in Vietnam in
1968-69. Then 2 tours in the Phantom in 72-74.

The A-6 Intruder actual payload was like 2 1/2 times the B-17.
Have watched the night sky light up when a 3 plane B-52 arc light would hit just south of the DMZ. "Rolling Thunder" it was!!!

Many aircraft that would be considered fighters or interceptors carried far more ordinance than the B-17 was capable of. F-100 Super Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief, and even the diminutive A-4 Skyhawk could carry more tonnage.

1

Rabid Cougar

Joined: May 15, 2008

Posts: 3,541

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

4:03p, 12/24/20

AG

I would have to agree with that.

Average number of sorties for a B-24 was 2 per month.
Average number of sorties for a B-17 was 2.4 per month.

1965 to 1971 - 84,000 sorties from between a total of 40 to 80 B-52's in theater including Clark Field and Guam.

During Linebacker II planes had on average 9 missions in 12 days.

2 edits

Madman

Joined: Jan 19, 2001

Posts: 28,477

User Profile Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

In reply to Rabid Cougar • 4:08p, 12/24/20

AG

Rabid Cougar said:
I would have to agree with that.

Average number of sorties for a B-24 was 2 per month.
Average number of sorties for a B-17 was 2.4 per month.

1965 to 1971 - 84,000 sorties from between a total of 40 to 80 B-52's in theater including Clark Feild and Guam.

During Linebacker II planes had on average 9 missions in 12 days.

For some reason I would have guessed that B-17 crews were doing missions much more often.

3

Old RV Ag

Joined: Nov 29, 2014

Posts: 6,355

User Profile

Private Message

Ignore User Stop Ignoring

How long do you want to ignore this user?

24 hours One week Permanently Cancel

In reply to Madman • 5:44p, 12/24/20

AG

Madman said:
Rabid Cougar said:
I would have to agree with that.

Average number of sorties for a B-24 was 2 per month.
Average number of sorties for a B-17 was 2.4 per month.

1965 to 1971 - 84,000 sorties from between a total of 40 to 80 B-52's in theater including Clark Feild and Guam.

During Linebacker II planes had on average 9 missions in 12 days.

For some reason I would have guessed that B-17 crews were doing missions much more often.

Yes, I agree that I think they did. For example, the Memphis Belle flew between 3-6 missions per month. And that was the very early air campaign in 42-43. I would suspect by 44 they were flying minimum of 8 per month (or more).