The first production B-52A takes off from Boeing Field, 5 August 1954. (Boeing)
5 August 1954: The first production Boeing B-52A Stratofortress, B-52A-1-BO 52-001, made its first flight from Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington.
Boeing B-52A Stratofortress 52-001 rollout, 18 March 1954. (Boeing)
The B-52A differed from the XB-52 and YB-52 in that its cockpit was arranged for side-by-side seating, rather than the B-47-type tandem arrangement of the prototypes. It also had an inflight refueling system allowing it to receive fuel from an airborne KC-97 tanker.
Boeing B-52A Stratofortress 52-001 takes off from Boeing Field, 4 August 1954. (U.S. Air Force 021001-O-9999G-015)
52-001 was used as a service test aircraft along with sister ships 52-002 and 52-003. It was used to test the shorter vertical fin of the B-52G. It was permanently grounded at Chanute Air Force Base in the early 1960s.
Boeing B-52A-1-BO Stratofortress 52-001 during its first flight, 5 August 1954. (U.S. Air Force)
Major Louis Joseph Sebille, United States Air Force.
Medal of Honor
Major Louis J. Sebille
Rank and Organization: Major, U.S. Air Force, 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, 5th Air Force. Place and Date: Near Hanchang, Korea, August 5, 1950. Entered Service At: Chicago, Ill. Born: November 21, 1915, Harbor Beach. Mich.
Citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Major Louis Joseph Sebille, United States Air Force, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, Fifth Air Force in action against enemy forces near Hanchang, Korea.
During an attack on a camouflaged area containing a concentration of enemy troops, artillery, and armored vehicles, Major Sebille’s F-51 aircraft was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Although fully cognizant of the short period he could remain airborne, he deliberately ignored the possibility of survival by abandoning the aircraft or by crash landing, and continued his attack against the enemy forces threatening the security of friendly ground troops. In his determination to inflict maximum damage upon the enemy, Major Sebille again exposed himself to the intense fire of enemy gun batteries and dived on the target to his death.
The superior leadership, daring, and selfless devotion to duty which he displayed in the execution of an extremely dangerous mission were an inspiration to both his subordinates and superiors and reflect the highest credit upon himself, the U.S. Air Force, and the armed forces of the United Nations.
Major Louis J. Sebille, U.S. Air Force, with a Lockheed F-80C-10-LO Shooting Star, 49-590. (U.S. Air Force)
Louis Joseph Sebille was born at Harbor Beach, Michigan, 21 November 1915. He was the son of Louis Joseph August Sebille, M.D., a physician, and Edna I. DeLish Sebille. In 1934, Sebille attended Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, where he was a member of the Gamma Phi Delta (ΓΦΔ) fraternity. He was also a member of the drama club.
Sebille enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, 19 December 1941. Cadet Sebille underwent flight training at at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Perrin Field, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve, 10 July 1942. He then was assigned to MacDill Field, Florida, for advanced training as a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber pilot.
Lieutenant Sebille married Miss Elizabeth Jane Young of Chicago, Illinois, at Barton, Florida, 26 September 1942. W.F. Hutchinson, a notary public, officiated at the civil ceremony. They would have a son, Louis Joseph (“Flip”) Seville III, born in 1950.
“Lou” Sebille deployed to Europe with the 450th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium), based at RAF Bury St. Edmunds. He was appointed a First Lieutenant, Army of the United States, 13 January 1943. The group flew the first B-26 mission from England, 14 May 1943, making a low-level attack against a power station at Ilmuiden, Holland, in enemy-occupied Europe. Lieutenant Sebille flew that first mission. The 322nd’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Robert M. Stillam, was killed when his B-26 was shot down. On 17 May, eleven B-26 bombers from the 322nd flew another low-level mission over Holland. Ten airplanes were shot down by antiaircraft artillery, and 60 airmen were lost. After that, the group concentrated on medium altitude attacks.
Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers of the 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium) at Andrews Field (RAF Great Saling), circa 1944.
Sebille was promoted to Captain, A.U.S., 17 August 17 August 1943, and to Major, A.U.S., 7 September 1944. After 68 combat missions, Major Sebille returned to the United States.
In April 1945, Major Sebille attended the Airborne Radar Familiarization Course at Orlando, Florida. He was released from active duty 5 August 1945. His permanent rank was First Lieutenant, Air Corps, with date of rank retroactive to 21 November 1943. In September 1945, Major Sebille went to the Command and General Staff School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Major Sebille was recalled to active duty in July 1946. He held several staff assignments, before being assigned to the Air Tactical School at Tyndall Field, Florida.
In September 1948, Major Seville took command of the 67th Squadron, Jet, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, stationed Clark Air Base in the Philippines. At the outbreak of the Korean War, the 67th was transferred to Ashiya, Japan.
(Mrs. Sebille and Flip were returned from the Philippines to the United States aboard the troop ship USNS General Simon B. Buckner. They arrived at San Francisco, California, on 4 August 1950—5 August in Korea.)
Louis Joseph (“Flip”) Sebille III, with Mrs. Elizabeth J. Sebille and General Hoyt S. Vandenburg, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, at March AFB, California, 24 August 1951. (University of Southern California Libraries, Los Angeles Examiner Negatives Collection)
The aircraft flown by Major Sebille on 5 August 1950 was a North American F-51D-25-NA Mustang, serial number 44-74394.
In a ceremony at March Air Force Base, Riverside, California, 24 August 1951, General Hoyt S. Vandenburg, Chief of Staff, United States Air Force, presented the Medal of Honor to Mrs. Elizabeth J. Sebille, Major Sebille’s widow, and their 17-month-old son, Louis Joseph (“Flip”) Sebille III.
Major Sebille was the first member of the United States Air Force to be awarded the Medal of Honor since its establishment as a separate military service, 18 September 1947. In addition to the Medal of Honor, during his military career Major Sebille had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster (two awards), the Air Medal with two silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster (twelve awards), and the Purple Heart.
Major Sebille’s remains are buried at Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Illinois.
North American Aviation F-51D-25-NA Mustang of the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Group, Republic of South Korea, 1950. (U.S. Air Force)
Air Rescue Service Grumman SA-16A Albatross, 51-024, the type that rescued Ensign Glenn T. Farnsworth, USN, standing by during the Korean War. (U.S. Air Force)
5 August 1950: The first rescue of a downed airman by a flying boat during the Korean War occurred when Ensign Glenn T. Farnsworth, United States Navy, a pilot of VF-113 (“Stingers”) from the aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) was forced to ditch in the ocean following an air attack on North Korea.
On VF-113’s first combat mission of the war, Ensign Farnsworth’s Vought F4U-4B Corsair, Bureau Number 63018, was damaged in a mid-air collision with another Corsair, Bu. No. 63938, piloted by Ensign John F. Kail, USN. Ensign Kail’s F4U crashed and he was killed. Unable to gain sufficient altitude to bail out, Farnsworth elected to ditch his Corsair into the Yellow Sea, approximately 15 miles south of Kunsan Air Base. Kunsan had been captured by North Korean soldiers just over three weeks earlier.
Other aircraft of VF-113 called for rescue for the downed pilot. The Rescue Coordination Center in Japan contacted a flying boat, call sign “Dumbo”, and directed it to the scene. The Grumman SA-16A Albatross, a twin-engine amphibian of Detachment E, 5th Air Rescue Squadron, under the command of Captain Charles E. Schroeder, United States Air Force, along with an escort of three North American F-51 Mustang fighters, proceeded to the area. Schroeder landed on the water to pick up Ensign Farnsworth.
After his rescue, Ensign Farnsworth said “It was a smooth operation. I was confident all the time I was in the water that I would be picked up, but I was mighty glad to see those U.S. Air Force planes out there.” He returned to duty with VF-113. Glenn Farnsworth was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service with VF-113, 5 August 1950–1 December 1950.
Vought F4U-4B Corsair, Bu. No. 62924, of VF-113, landing aboard USS Philippine Sea (CV-47), December 1950. This is the same type flown by Ensign Glenn T. Farnsworth, USN. (U.S. Navy)
Martin-Omaha B-29-45-MO Superfortress 44-86292, Enola Gay, being moved into position over the pit to load Little Boy, 5 August 1945. (U.S. Air Force)
5 August 1945: In the afternoon, the Glenn L. Martin Company B-29-45-MO Superfortress 44-86292 was towed into position over a 13-foot × 16-foot (3.9 × 4.9 meters) concrete pit on the island of Tinian in the Marshall Group. Down in that pit was the most destructive weapon of war yet devised by man: The Mark I, code named Little Boy.
Little Boy was a nuclear bomb, designed to explode with unimaginable force when two masses of highly enriched uranium were forced together at very high speed. This was a “gun-type” bomb, considered to be so simple that it was not even tested before it was used.
Several hours later, at 0245 6 August 1945, the B-29, which had been named Enola Gay, took off from North Field and headed toward Hiroshima, Japan.
Bomb Unit L-11 in the pit before loading aboard Enola Gay, 5 August 1945. (U.S. Air Force)
Test pilots were not always men. These four women, members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), were assigned as engineering test pilots, testing new aircraft and modifications. The airplane behind them is a North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell twin-engine medium bomber. From left to right, Dorothy Dodd Eppstein, Hellen Skjersaa Hansen, Doris Burmeister Nathan and Elizabeth V. Chadwick Dressler. (U.S. Air Force)
5 August 1943: The U.S. Army Air Forces’ Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) under the direction of Nancy Harkeness Love, and the Women’s Flying Training Detachment, led by Jacqueline (“Jackie”) Cochran, are combined to form the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). General Henry H. (“Hap”) Arnold assigned Jackie Cochran as the Director. Nancy Love was named executive for WASP ferrying operations.
Cochran, Jacqueline (“Jackie”), Director, Women Airforce Service Pilots. (National Archives and Records Administration 4A-23096-K1210)
Cochran had previously served as a Flight Captain with the Royal Air Force Air Transport Auxiliary. After a period of six months, she had returned to the United States at the request of General Arnold, where she served on his staff. In June 1942, she became the first first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean when she ferried a Lockheed Hudson from Canada to Scotland.
Nancy Harkness Love in WASP uniform. The shoulder insignia are those of the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. (Texas Woman’s University Women Airforce Service Pilots – Official Archive, BornDigital.HOMalone.3)
WASP recruits had to be between 21 and 35 years old, in good health, be a high school graduate, and have a pilot’s license with a minimum of 200 hours flight time. The WASPs received more than 25,000 applications. Of these, 1,879 were accepted. They received four months of military flight training at Avenger Field, Sweetwater, Texas. Their training was essentially the same primary, basic and advanced training as Army Air Forces pilots. On graduation they received a commercial pilot certificate. 1,074 graduated from training.
WASP pilots were not military personnel. They were civil service employees of the federal government. Trainees were paid $150 per month, and graduates, $250. They received a allowance of $6 per day when away from their assigned base. The women were required to pay for their quarters and meals.
Women Airforce Service Pilots dress uniform. (National Air and Space Museum)
WASP dress uniforms consisted of a jacket and skirt of Santiago Blue wool, two-ply gabardine, and a beret made of the same material. They wore a white shirt with a black tie. Insignia were gold-colored.
WASP pilots Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborne at the four-engine school at Lockbourne Army Airfield, Ohio, with a Boeing B-17. (U.S. Air Force)
WASPs ferried aircraft from the manufacturers’ factories to military bases, towed targets, and flew airplanes for training bombardiers and navigators. More than 100 of the women, on graduation, were sent directly to a nine-week transition training course on the Martin B-26 Marauder twin-engine medium bomber, and airplane with a reputation of being difficult to fly.
Four members of the United States Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) receive final instructions as they chart a cross-country course on the flight line of U.S. airport. Assigned to the ferrying division of the United States Army Air Transport Command, the women pilots belong to the first class of American women to complete a rigorous nine-week transitional flight training course in handling B-26 Marauder medium bombers. They have been given special assignments with the U.S. Army Air Forces as tow target pilots. (National Archives and Records Administration NARA-535781)WASP Ruth Ellen Dailey with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. (U.S. Air Force)Florene Miller, one of the original members of Nancy Love’s Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, preparing a North American Aviation P-51D Mustang for a ferry flight from the factory at Inglewood, California. (U.S. Air Force)
They ferried P-38 Lightnings, P-47 Thunderbolts, P-51 Mustangs, B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-25 Mitchells, and many other types. Some were involved in testing newly-built aircraft, and few served as test pilots at Wright Field, where one, Ann Gilpin Baumgartner, flew the Bell XP-59A Airacomet. Two WASPS, Dora Jean Dougherty and Dorothea Johnson Moorman, were trained to fly the B-29 Superfortress. During the war, 38 WASPs died in service.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. Tibbets with WASP pilots Dorothea Johnson Moorman and Dora Jean Dougherty, at Eglin Field, June 1944. (U.S. Air Force)
As the need for combat pilots lessened in the latter part of World War II, Army Air Forces pilots began to take over the flights that had been assigned to WASPs. The Women Airforce Service Pilots were disbanded 20 December 1944.
After the U.S. Air Force became a separate military service in 1947, Jackie Cochran and Nancy Harkness Love were given commissions as lieutenant colonels, United States Air Force Reserve.
