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Currently Playing: Before SAGE: The Post War Evolution of US Air Defenses

Following the end of World War II, the United States rapidly demobilized its defenses, only to be jolted back into action by the unexpected emergence of Soviet nuclear capabilities and long-range bombers. This video explores the frantic decade of 1945 to 1955, detailing the transition from "Lashup" radar networks and World War II-era piston fighters to the first purpose-built jet interceptors and Nike surface-to-air missiles. In it I examine how political maneuvering, inter-service rivalries, and technological breakthroughs laid the foundation for the most elaborate integrated air defense system ever built. Interceptor deep dives: F-82 Twin Mustang: https://youtu.be/tdWqSCcS-wQ?si=QqlV9IOkCBJE5D-S F-94 Starfire: https://youtu.be/mJmBdeDuVmo?si=uv0G_wIrWTto2kgI F-86D Sabre Dog: https://youtu.be/l4_Ce-nYpdk?si=euELIxardK2wOOx8 F-89 Scorpion: https://youtu.be/AqF6Sk5USj0?si=kSpVlQHGZ5pXUy2T Good Sources: The Emerging Shield: The Air Force and the Evolution of Continental Air Defense 1945-1960 by Kenneth Schaffel History of Strategic Air and Ballistic Missile Defense, Volume I: 1945–1955 by The Center of Military History, United States Army Searching the Skies: the Legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program by David F. Winkler and Julie L. Webster