Bryan AFB was one of countless USAF training bases of the 1950s. And, like most of them, it did not long survive that era. Despite the promotional skills of the charming young ladies seen in this photo, the base was already starting to wind down operations, and within a few years, it was closed. 

43-48414, a C-47B that looks like any other post-war Goony Bird going about its duties in the US Air Force, is actually a plane with a past. A combat veteran, this C-47 flew multiple missions with the 316th Troop Carrier Group during World War II, most notably in the skies over the Netherlands, dropping paratroopers and towing gliders during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. 

The Dutch & Americans have an informal meeting as an F-84F Thunderstreak of the Royal Netherlands Air Force joins up with a USAF T-33 somewhere over Europe in the mid-1960s. The F-84, coded “PP-24” started out with the US serial number 53-6920 before being sold to the Dutch. Note the soot around his gun muzzles.

 Bombed up and loaded with 20mm ammo, an early A-37 awaits its next mission.

Size does not always matter. Take, for instance, the Cessna T-37 “Tweet”. Standing only waist-high and with an empty weight akin to that of a large SUV of today, it was nonetheless transformed into a highly lethal warplane, as seen here. The likely location of this photo is Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam. This bird began life as a regular Cessna T-37B (56-3465), but after a major overhaul, it emerged as 67-14519, an A-37A Dragonfly. 

Designed to be hauled through the skies while clinging to a bomber, the McDonnell XF-85 didn’t work too well in that role, but it could claim honors in the category of Most Unusual-Looking Aircraft. McDonnell built only two XF-85 Goblins, both of which are seen here, and both of which can be seen today in museums. 

WB-50s and one WB-47B, all of the 55th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, McClellan AFB. 

Two often overlooked models of the Stratofortress, the “E” and “F”. 

Today, we’re honoring Master Sergeant David P. Troutman, USAF, retired. What did he do during that fine career? Well, his was a very interesting job: He was an aerial gunner, a tail gunner on the B-52. 

His main task was defending his B-52 against aerial attacks, a job description that instantly conjures up visions of ultimate combat showdowns in the stratosphere. However, more often than not, it was a job that entailed spending endless days on alert duty or, tallying up countless hours in the air on training missions.

And all that flying could seem to some to have been a pointless exercise. After all, those gunners were not likely to encounter Soviet MiGs lurking over Michigan or North Carolina just waiting to ambush any B-52 that happened by while doing touch & goes in the local pattern. Piled on top of that, there were those critics who chuckled at the idea of the gunners having the ability to defend their aircraft at all…

…which was a mistake made by several MiG pilots who, during the Vietnam War, decided to get too close to the business end of a B-52 and were blasted out of the sky for their troubles. (“C’est la vie” goes the B-52 gunner’s motto)

That is because the gunners were always ready.

All that endless flying in peaceful skies was time well spent. They did not just fly around waiting to pull a trigger; they were quite well-versed in all aspects of defending their aircraft. B-52 gunners were well-trained professionals, members of a dedicated team – a combat crew – and they were more than prepared to assure the completion of the mission by guarding their bomber and their crew/friends.

One of those committed professionals was our man of the hour, Master Sergeant David Troutman. Joining the USAF in 1959, he soon trained as a gunner before embarking on a long career where he served with the following bomb squadrons: 93^rd, 716^th (both at Kinchloe AFB), the 51^st (Seymour Johnson AFB), and the 668^th (Griffiss AFB).

Already a highly experienced aerial gunner and Cold War veteran when the B-52s of Strategic Air Command were called upon to take to the skies over Vietnam, Troutman served six combat tours there, including Operation Linebacker I (May- Dec 1972) and Linebacker II (18-29 Dec 1972). The latter was the largest bomber operation since WWII and the last major military operation conducted by the US during the Vietnam War. By the end of the conflict, Troutman had flown over 200 combat missions.

When he retired in 1980, Master Sergeant Troutman had flown over 8,000 hours as an aerial gunner in the B-52B, C, D, E, F, G, and H models. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions over North Vietnam during Linebacker II. His other combat decorations include nine Air Medals awarded for the many missions he flew in hostile skies. His is a career worth honoring, one that his country and his family can be proud of.

Notes

1. The plump 750-pound bombs were typically carried internally while the 500-pounders were carried on external bomb racks as seen here. Note the “Peace Sign” painted on the fins of one of the 750 pounders.

2. This photo is unusual in that this was a mission where the planes dropped their bombs from a 3-ship, wing abreast formation. A typical B-52 bomb drop was done in a “trail” formation, one after the other.

3. When the last bomber in his “cell” (formation) lost their radar and could not drop, Troutman guided him to the target by using his gunnery radar and a stop watch to accurately guide that aircraft to the target and complete their bomb run. For his professionalism, Troutman was awarded this certificate.

*These photographs were taken by, and are property of, David Troutman. Provided to this website courtesy of Randy Troutman.

Parked on the ramp at Elmendorf AFB is F-82H 46-384 of the 449th Fighter Squadron, All Weather, a visitor from Ladd AFB, Alaska.

For an airplane built in small numbers (less than 300) and introduced when jets were the center of attention, the piston-engined F-82 Twin Mustang compiled a noteworthy record during its service with the USAF from 1946 to 53.

The USA’s first super-sonic aircraft in Europe: the F-100.

Paris Air Show, 1957.

Paris Air Show brochure.

I believe this is the “Looping en forme de losange”.

Same.

Everything was done in formation.

The team.

Assigned to Bitburg Air Base’s 36th Fighter Day Wing/Tactical Fighter Wing, the F-100C Super Sabre-flying “Skyblazers” wowed millions in the skies over Europe from 1957 to 1962. The team pictured here was led by Captain Bill Creech (later a 4-star general and the namesake of Creech AFB in Nevada). His wingmen were Captains Pat Kramer & Nevin Christensen and Lieutenants Gordon Eells & Gordon Scharnhorst. 

They really knew how to put on a show.

C-130A, 55-0007, ended up in Bolivia where it rests today.

F-100s on the Wheelus flightline.

F-102A of the 497th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.

F-101C of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing.

An F-105 visitor from the 36th TFW at Bitburg Air Base, Germany.

Another 105, this time from the 49th TFW, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

C-47 that was assigned to Wheelus for various odd-jobs.

C-54 undergoes engine work.

Here are a few photos taken around 1961-ish. Our photographer was plagued by either a poor camera, or bad picture-taking skills, but he did bless us with a variety of aircraft.

So, about Wheelus Air Base.

European weather is typically not the type one would choose when wanting to fly. The situation was, of course, the same in the 1950s and 60s. Enter Wheelus Air Base. Located right next to Tripoli, Libya, on the sunny shores of the Mediterranean. Salubrious climate aside, Wheelus was an extremely important facility for two other reasons: 1. South of its location stretched an endless desert tailormade for a bombing range. 2. The open skies of the region were well-suited for engaging in air-to-air practice (dogfights). 

Given that neither of those aforementioned two factors was readily found in the topography (or skies) of central Europe, the fighter squadrons of the US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) regularly rotated through Wheelus in order to maintain their qualifications in the air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. According to those who took part in such deployments, a few weeks in Libya was a pretty sweet deal. Plenty to do on the base, nice beaches, and booze was cheap. Also, it wasn’t foggy or snowing.