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The B-29 bomber was designed and produced by the Boeing Aircraft Company in 1940. It was the first long-range heavy bomber used by the
United States. Initially, it was used in the Pacific Theater, but later became renowned as it dropped the world’s first atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan in August 1945.
The Boeing B-29 was initially designed to replace for the B-17 and B-24. It made its maiden flight on
21 September 1942. The B-29 was technically a generation ahead of all other heavy bombers of its time. It had remotely-controlled gun turrets and was pressurized for high altitudes. Most importantly, it carried four supercharged Wright R-3350-23 engines; which gave the aircraft a range to carry large bombs across the
Pacific Ocean. The B-29 weighed 140,000 pounds loaded, with an effective range of 3,250 miles.
In
18 February, 1943, a test flight of the plane’s XB-29 prototype crashed after its engine caught fire. The pilot along with 19 others on the ground was killed. After this incident, The Boeing Company announced that it will not build anymore of this type of airplane. Gen. Henry ‘Hap’
Arnold, the Air Force’s first general threatened the Boeing to repay the $200 million that they had been given to build the planes. Boeing than agreed to work on the planes but said, will not take responsibilities. The Army at the end took over the test program. Development continued with flight testing of the YB-29.
The US Army decided in December 1943 that B-29 will not be used in the European Theater; tt will be used in Pacific area instead where its high range made it suitable for the long over water flight required to attack the Japanese homeland from air bases situated in
China.
As the B-29 weighed 140,000 pounds but the existing airfield pavements controlled by the US were designed only to bear 120,000 pounds; the Corps of Engineers began experiments with new pavement overlays at Hamilton Field, located in north of San Francisco. Manufacturing procedures of the B-29 was all thorough conventional. The bomber plane had an all metal fuselage with fabric covered control surfaces. In spite of being an extended version of the B-17, the B-29 was a completely different bomber, featuring significant aerodynamic innovations.
Most pilots found the B-29 mild-mannered, though its un-boosted controls were quite heavy and required considerable physical strength to operate. Once airborne, the plane suffered from engine overheating issues. The glazed nose and forward seating position of the aircraft left pilots without a point of reference, forcing many to fly on instruments at all times. As far as the defensive armament was concerned, the B-29 was equipped with non retractable turrets mounting ten .50 caliber machine guns and one 20 millimeter cannon. The cannon was later dropped. All of the turrets were remotely operated by a General Electric central fire control system. B-29 included a high aspect ratio wing, huge Fowler flaps which increases the wing area by 19 %; a dual wheel retractable tricycle landing gear; flush riveting and butt jointing to reduce drag and pressurized compartments for the usual crew of 10. The landing gear of the plane lowered contributed 50 % of the resistance.
The B-29 had an extensive radio and radar equipments. It had a liaison set, radio compass, marker beacon, glide path receiver, localizer receiver, IFF (identification friend or foe) transformer, emergency rescue transmitter, blind bombing radar, radio countermeasures, and static dischargers. It also had fire prone, a 18 cylinder Wright R-3350-23 engine. The 4 engines were mounted by 4 bladed
Hamilton constant speed, full feathering propellers, 16 feet, 7 inches in diameter. Additionally, the engines were capable of using two turbo superchargers.
The B-29 and B-29A were alike and barely differed from the B-29B. The B model was about 2,000 pounds lighter than the A, had an extra 150 feet in service ceiling, and a slightly longer range.
In the middle of World War II, General ‘Hap’ Arnold, then Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, wanted to bring the B-29’s unique strategic bombing capabilities to use against Japanese force. So, he formed the ‘Twentieth Air Force’ in April 1944 and gave it a fierce mission of dropping bombs in
Japan from forward bases in
China. The operation was called ‘
MATTERHORN’. This particular operation turned out to be one of the most successful air campaigns in history of the
US military forces. Twentieth Air Force then expanded its B-29 operations to bases in the
Marianas
Islands. In November and December of 1944, the B-29s were deployed in the islands of Saipan, Guam and
Tinian to attack the Japanese mainland. Overall, 250 fighters and 1,000 bombers conducted 28,000 combat sorties against
Japan, flying more than 1,500 miles one way, in the span of just 16 months.
In the early 1944, the US Army Air Forces planned to develop an atomic bomb delivery capability on one of its aircrafts. The B-29 was chosen as an option for its long range, superior high-altitude performance, and ability to carry a heavy bomb that was expected to weigh 9000 to 10,000 pounds. The plan went well and in March, the same year, dummy atomic bombs were dropped by B-29s at Muroc Army Air Force Base in
California to test the release mechanism. In August 1944, seventeen B-29s entered a modification program named ‘Silver Plate’ at the Glenn L. Martin plant in
Omaha,
Nebraska. Reason was to apply the lessons learned at Muroc Base and to conduct a training program aimed at World War II atomic missions. The program was successful and the B-29s were ready for the attack in
Japan. On
6 August 1945, B-29 nicked ‘Enola Gay’ dropped the first atomic bomb on
Hiroshima. The mission started at 0245
Tinian time. The ‘Enola Gay’ moved towards
Hiroshima at a speed of 285 mph. After 6.5 hours of flying, the B-29 was over its target at 0915. Pilot Paul Tibbets dropped the 9,000-pound bomb named ‘little boy’ and put the aircraft into a 60-degree diving right turn towards home.
Japan showed its character and did not surrender despite widespread destruction caused by the ‘little boy’. Three days later, Maj. Charles W. Sweeney, commander of the 393rd BMS flew over
Nagasaki. Bombardier Capt. Kermit K. Beahan toggled the bomb switch; dropping an atomic bomb at the city.
Japan could not take any more and surrendered in the following days. That was the end of the Second World War II.
The end of World War II meant, the US did not need the 5,000 B-29s it ordered thought for practical purposes, production of B-29s did not end before June 1946, the last B-29 being delivered on the 10th June.
Overall, The AAF acquired a total of 3,960 B-29s: 3,943 B-29s, 3 XB-29s (including the experimental plane which crashed before delivery), and 14 B-29 prototypes. Post-World War II, SAC’s bomber inventory took possession of the B-29 Superfortress, the plane that had dropped atomic bombs over
Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
After the Korean War found momentum, the B-29 was once again made its way into battle field. The ‘Warner Robins Air Materiel Area’ refurbished hundreds of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Once deployed in Korean peninsula, B-29s were effectively used for attacking targets in
North Korea. B-29s successfully bombed North Korean supply lines and staved off the enemy's assault on Allied forces inside the Pusan Perimeter. B-29s continued its combat missions until the end of the war in 1953. In 1955, when the situation in
Korea was stabilized and intercontinental-range bombers entered into the scene, the need for a B-29 was no more.
The Manufacturer decided to work on the aircraft. Result was - B-29 MR (Modified Receiver). It could refuel in mid-air. Back than, the KB-29M was the tanker, a 400 foot length of hose that tethered the two airplanes together. In order to extend the range of the new generation of jet aircraft, a B-29 was also fitted with a flying boom for experiments in air-to-air refueling.
In 1948, 92 B-29s were sent to the Boeing Wichita Plant for conversion to tube type tankers, later known as KB-29Ms. This process was necessary, as it was directly related with the build up of atomic forces. B-29s’ serious range limitations needed special arrangements. Though there was an extensive forward base network in
Alaska,
Canada,
England,
West Germany,
Spain, North Africa, Okinawa, and
Guam; the use of overseas staging bases was a worrying matter. A better solution was to develop in-flight refueling systems that would give to the SAC bombers the intercontinental striking range they lacked. The first such system was incorporated in the K-29M, which was fitted with British hose refueling equipment. The British system involved trailing a hose from the tanker to the receiver and transferring fuel practically by means of gravity. The receiver aircraft (B-29MR) also required modifications, but relatively minor while the tanker modifications were extensive. Each bomb bay was fitted with a separate discarded tank that holds 2,300 gallons of fuel. These tanks were connected to the aircraft's normal fuel system so that fuel from it could also be transferred to the receiver bomber.
The KB-29M's in-flight refueling system needed the tanker and receiver to fly in formation, with the tanker above and ahead trailing a cable referred to as the haulage line. The receiver operator had to catch the lines, separated them, secured them, pulled the tanker's refueling hose and put it into the receptacle of his bomber.
The whole procedure was rather risky and had many disadvantages including the lengthy time, slow rate of fuel transfer, and a limited airspeed imposed by the hoses. Boeing soon after developed its own an aerodynamically controlled swiveling and telescoping arm, known as the ‘Flying Boom’. This ‘Flying Boom’ consisted a telescopic pipe, which was lowered from the tanker, and connected to a socket in the receiver aircraft. This system was wholly controlled by the operator sitting in the tanker. After these modifications, Boeing decided to name the B-29 as KB-29P. On
1 September 1950, the first lot consisting 116 KB-29Ps reached SAC's 97th Air Refueling Squadron. At the same time much faster KC 97 came into picture that diminished requirements of more KB-29Ps. Even then, SAC retained many of its KB-29Ps until 1957.
Nearly 120 B-29s were converted to the reconnaissance configuration and redesigned as RB-29s. Some of these aircraft, known as F 13s during World War II, were first fitted with fairly primitive photographic equipments such as 3 K 1713s, 2 K 22s, and 1 K 18 camera. After 1948, when the RB-29 designation came into sight, the converted bombers started attaining more sophisticated components. The RB-29s were assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, which played a crucial role during the Korean War. The RB-29s were too retired from the service after more effective and faster aircrafts came into the scene. Some of the B-29s were also fitted with additional trainee or instructor stations, recording equipment, and related types of apparatus. These were named TB-29s and were only used for training purposes.
A few B-29s were used for the transportation of key personnel of the force under the name VB-29; and some of it were modified to carry meteorological equipment and used on weather reconnaissance flights under the name WB-29. These WB-29s phased out from the regular Air Force in 1948. - Saga of B-29s ended there.
B-29 Superfortress Specifications
| | Span: | 141 feet, 3 inches | | Length: | 99 feet | | Height: | 27 feet, 9 inches | | Weight: | 133,500 pounds | | Armament: | Eight .50-caliber machine guns in remote controlled turrets plus
two .50-caliber machine guns and one 20mm cannon in tail;
20,000 pounds of bombs | | Engines: | Four Wright R-3350s of 2,200 horsepower each | | Maximum speed: | 357 mph. | | Cruising speed: | 220 mph. | | Range: | 3,700 miles | | Service Ceiling: | 33,600 feet | | Cost: |
$639,000 |
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