Quote from Owain Glyndwr:
As to flight without a rudder, I think the vestigial fin left on that B52 would not have added much directional stability. OTOH, the B52 had a lot more fuselage aft of the wing root than ahead of it. My experience (strictly ground based!) would suggest that aircraft with highly swept wings can be flown without a fin, although they might wallow quite a bit ("interesting" dutch roll characteristics!) and one wouldn't want to attempt anything more than very gentle turns. Engine failures would be a definite no-no.
Point taken. Very different fuselage profile from the B747...