Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program

Author - David K. Stumpf ... [Goo?] [Posters]
Jay W. Kelley ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from University of Arkansas Press was reviewed on 25-Oct-2008.

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1) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. I loved this book through and through. The coverage of doctrine, policy from the U.S. leadership to the "in the trenches" view from the wing/squadron/flight level was amazing. The Titan family has been a stalwart throughout the Cold War - as ICBMs, Space Launch Vehicles, boosting Gemini capsules into orbit... and its cousins boosting national reconnaissance satellites in later decades.

I liked the fact that it was written as a historical study from a non-military source. If there is bias in the book it is from the historian perspective and not the party-line offered by the U.S. military. With today´s Air Force missileers screwing up left and right, its nice to read a history of their figurative grandfathers and fathers doing the job correctly to keep the Russian Bear at bay.

Recommended: Disaster at Silo 7, Star Trek: First Contact (alternative uses for a Titan II???), The Day After (don´t put a Titan II silo in your backyard...)¤

2) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. Very informative book chock full of all the information you could ever want to know about the missile and program.¤

3) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. Wow another wonderful cold war missile history book.This book is so imformative it get right down to the nuts and bolts that kept this mighty missile together.If you want to learn about what Titan was and what it did to protect us then get this book now trust me it´s that good.¤

4) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. I admire the author for his undertaking. It is like he saw an important piece of history disappearing, and he decided to write a book to put together the source materials before they disappeared. He ended up with what must be the definitive book on the Titan II ballistic missile program from concept to design to installation to operation to retirement. He is to be applauded for this effort because even he probably does not know how much time it took him.

That being said, this book is probably overly technical except for the most detail-oriented student of history. One literally learns every serial number of every missile and the names and ranks of all military personnel down to every team member on every missile crew. I found that intimidating for someone with my level of interest, which is more than the average lay person and less than the professional historian.

The level of technical details is so exceptional that it almost reads like a military briefing book. I wish there had been more about the people, the mission, the Cold War, but perhaps the author thought those matters were better left for others.

For someone wanting to know just what Titan II was all about, this may not be the book. It can be, but it will require a lot of skipping over of the very detailed sections and possibly a second reading if the first one leaves a thirst for more detail. I did not mind the intense level of detail, but I give it four stars for this reason.¤

5) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. Compiled and written by David K. Stumpf (Associate Research Scientist, University of Arizona), Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program is the informed and informative story of the intercontinental ballistic missile program developed by the United States military in the 1950s and 1960s. Each missile was designed to carry a single nuclear warhead, used liquid fuel propellants, and was stored (and launched from) hardened underground silos. The missile sites were based in Arkansas, Arizona, and Kansas facilities, and then were finally deactivated in the early 1980s. Based on a wide range of sources including engineer and airmen interviews and memoirs, declassified government documents, and other public materials, and enhanced with more than 170 drawings and photographs (most of which have never been previously published), Titan II is a definitive, strongly recommended, technological history of a deterrent weapons system that for more than 20 years successfully defended America from nuclear attack.¤

6) Hardcover Book Titan II: A History of a Cold War Missile Program by University of Arkansas Press. The Titan II ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) program was developed by the United States military to bolster the size, strength, and speed of the nation´s strategic weapons arsenal in the 1950s and 1960s. Each missile carried a single warhead -- the largest in U.S. inventory -- used liquid fuel propellants, and was stored and launched from hardened underground silos. The missiles were deployed at basing facilities in Arkansas, Arizona, and Kansas and remained in active service for over twenty years. Since military deactivation in the early 1980s, the Titan II has served as a reliable satellite launch vehicle. This is the richly detailed story of the Titan II missile and the men and women who developed and operated the system. David K. Stumpf uses a wide range of sources, drawing upon interviews with and memoirs by engineers and airmen as well as recently declassified government documents and other public materials. Over 170 drawings and photographs, most of which have never been published, enhance the narrative. The three major accidents of the program are described in detail for the first time using authoritative sources. Titan Il will be welcomed by librarians for its prodigious reference detail, by technology history professionals and laymen, and by the many civilian and Air Force personnel who were involved in the program -- a deterrent weapons system that proved to be successful in defending America from nuclear attack.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 22-Nov-2008, 15572860199781557286017, 100-900-000-191-831-831-8

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