Titan II: A History Of A Cold War Missile Program

by David K. Stumpf

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Science, Military History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 15, 2000

Reviews

[George Kaslov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Titan II was an ICBM that was built to launch most probably H-Bombs (still classified), and luckily only launched all 12 Gemini capsules and in 1986 was used as a reliable satellite launcher. This missile was in service from 1962 to 1987.

The author presented in this book just about everything that was declassified about this program, from R&D of the missile itself and all of the hurdles to make it as reliable as possible, through designing and operating the silos it was stored in, various retrofits to keep it up to date (primarily its guidance computer and improving safety of the silos), every documented "mishap", their decommission and finally the creation of a museum to save one of these silos for prosperity. This book is so technical that it's almost an operating manual on how to run these silos. For all the details in this book I still found myself wanting more, primarily it's history in the Gemini program and refurbishments and retrofits done on them in the late 80s for satellite launches (this is not a complaint). And finally the Damascus incident and the whole SAC strategy for them were far better covered in "Command and Control" by Eric Schlosser.

I can only recommend this book to people who really want to get into every minute detail of the Cold War or Space Age history.

[Shane Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting detail. Lots of technical but still great sources.

[Seth Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a history as it is a detailed operations manual of how to run a Titan II missile silo lmao. Interesting nonetheless

[Jacob Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed and informative history, but more of a textbook recitation of facts than a narrative.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive study of the development and operations of the Titan II ICBM, covering both technical details and the human story (though focused on Air Force, other government, and contractor personnel, with few references to the citizens living and working near the missile sites). Stumpf is especially strong on the engineering side, with detailed explanations of the various innovations and modifications to the missiles and their launch sites. Probably best for specialists or buffs.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realllyyy comprehensive. It seems to contain everything about the Titan II that isn't classified (i.e. We don't know what happens to the second stage on reentry besides that the translational rockets are no longer used to create a decoy).

Could benefit from less use of the passive voice.