Elephant walk is a unique US Air Force term that grew out of World War II and became institutional memory in the new Air Force. The US Air Forces had the luxury of large amounts of bombers by 1944, and would regularly generate attacks in excess of 1,000 aircraft from its Numbered Air Forces. Observers commented that the nose-to-tail, single-file taxi movements of the heavily-laden bombers paralleled the nose-to-tail trail of lumbering elephants on their way.
What exactly an elephant walk is? An
elephant walk is a term of the United States Air Force for the taxiing of
military aircraft right before takeoff when they are in close formation. Often,
it takes place right before a minimum interval takeoff. The term originated during World War II and carved a
permanent place for itself in the US forces. The term was used when large
fleets of bombers of the Allied powers would conduct attacks in missions
containing more than 1,000 aircraft.
It was named elephant walk because the nose-to-tail, single-file taxi movements of bombers resembled the nose-to-tail trail of elephants when they travel to the next watering hole. Later, it was incorporated into the lexicon of the US Air Force to identify a 'maximum sortie surge'. The formation has tactical benefits as it allows an air force to show the capability of the units as well as teamwork. It is often performed to prepare squadrons for wartime operations and to prepare pilots for the launching of fully armed aircraft in one mass event.
The term was used during the Vietnam War as a nickname for the long lines of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft as they approached their targets. Although the tight groupings were necessary for electronic warfare, their paths were predictable and they were slow targets for North Vietnamese surface-to-air missiles. Within two weeks, the Air Force altered its tactics and began to vary the incoming paths of bombers.
In modern times, the "elephant walk" came to mean
a maximum sortie generation in Strategic Air Command. Elephant walks also
became a part of Inspector General Exercises, and sometimes were only a taxi
exercise without actual departures and landings. It was a terrific way to
inspect all aspects of a wing's readiness to meet its wartime mission. Every
flyable, tasked aircraft and crew was required to meet its war plan departure
window. For example, as many as 120 F-111s once lifted off in less than an hour
as part of a United States Air Forces Europe surge exercise in the early 1980s.
The tradition was often just a way to celebrate the great teamwork and
dedication of maintainers. After Operation Desert Storm, the 23/354 Tactical
Fighter Wing celebrated the end of combat operations with an elephant walk of
144 A-10s form seven squadrons.
The next operational surge is always just around the corner in Air Mobility
Command, from weather evacuation to humanitarian relief operations. So,
practicing for the inevitable is an opportunity not to be missed and a great
way to recognize the maintainers, logisticians and crews who have always made
it possible. Can Do has never been an idle boast, nor have elephant walks ever
been a hollow procession.
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