(Author's Collection)
At 6:42pm on September 1, 1952, a tornado tore through Carswell Air Force Base (AFB) which was located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. Among other units, stationed at Carswell was the 11th. Bombardment Wing, which had been activated back in February 1951 and under the 8th. Air Force. The wing flew the enormous Convair B-36 “Peacemaker” bomber which had the nickname of the “Aluminum Overcast” and to which Lt. General James Edmundson once described flying the massive aircraft as “sitting on your porch and flying your house around.” The tornado, boasting sustained wind speeds of over 90mph, struck the B-36 flight line directly and commenced to tossing the huge bombers about with ease. Two-thirds of the entire B-36 fleet was put out of service with some 72 bombers being damaged.
The only complete loss was B-36D “2051” (Serial No. 44-92051) shown in the photograph. The tornado easily lifted the bomber from its parking spot so that it came to grief off the tarmac. The encounter with the tornado snapped the tail off, broke a wing, and stripped off engine cowlings and other pieces of the airframe. Around the clock repairs would see the 11th. Bombardment Wing back to full strength by October 1952. The remains of “2051” were removed from Carswell AFB and utilized as a ground target for nuclear weapon testing. Of note, the 8th. Air Force badge can be seen on the tail. Also of note, Carswell AFB was closed in 1994 and is now the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
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