This classic 1956 edition of the US Air Force Survival manual will be enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the Cold War, survival and the wilderness, or American cultural history. Viewers who enjoy movies like Dr. Strangelove, Fail Safe, and Strategic Air Command will find this a fascinating look into the mindset of the era's aviators. Survival under adverse conditions ranging up to hot war was a very real concern. Dozens of US aircraft were shot down during the Cold War.


From the Foreword by General Nathan Twining:


This Manual is designed for use of students in the Air Force survival training courses. It amplifies AFM 64-5, Survival, by including training information not covered in the kit edition because of weight and size of limitations. AFM 64-3 can also be used as a source book of survival information. It includes much detailed information which would have been beyond the intended scope of the smaller publication; it tells the reader not only what he must do but also why he must do it.


Because of the global responsibilities of the United States Air Force, all Air Force personnel face the possibility of survival in a remote or desolate area of the world. It is the purpose of this Manual to prepare all personnel participating in flights on military aircraft for an intelligent approach to any possible survival situation. The reader is shown that nature and the elements are- neither friendly nor hostile and that the training and attitude he carries with him will determine his success in survival.


The Manual opens with a discussion of the problems and techniques of general land survival: psy-chological problems, immediate action, camping and woodcraft, travel, clothing, signaling, food, and other related subjects. Then the ensuing chapters cover the special requirements for survival in the follow-ing areas: Arctic, desert, Tropics, sea, and sea ice.