B-52 Down: The Night the Bombs Fell From the Sky - Linda H. Sittig

nJanuary 1964: America is embroiled in the Cold War. Tensions erupt following the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the United States and Soviet Union both possess massive nuclear arsenals.n nA B-52 Stratofortress, icon of American airpower, must return to the U.S. for repairs. A USAF retrieval crew arrives in Massachusetts to fly the plane back to Turner Air Force Base in Georgia. n nThe crew expects a short flight but gets caught unaware and flies directly into an Arctic blizzard. The winds shear off the tail of the B-52, and the crew must eject at 30,000 feet into the blizzard. They land two miles apart from each other in the 52,000-acre rugged Savage River Forest of western Maryland.n nThe bomber goes on to crash in the mountains with two nuclear bombs on board.n nIn a massive attempt to retrieve survivors, 1000 people of the community and the U.S. military searched for five days.n