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| A B-29 Superfortress at an outdoor park. |
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The B-29 Superfortress was the successor to the spectacular B-17 Flying Fortress, both of which were produced by the Boeing Aircraft Company. Entering the war too late to be of much use in the European Theater, the B-29 was relegated to service in the Pacific Theater where it went on to see extensive action against the Empire of Japan forces - specifically the bombing of the Japanese mainland - one of the few bombers capable of making the long range flight.
The B-29 developed from the need to produce a high-altitude bomber capable of outflying enemy interceptor aircraft at the time, key in not needing escort protection from fighters. The result was the XB-29's first three prototypes which flew in September of 1942. Fourteen preproduction aircraft followed and flew as the YB-29 in June of 1943.
At the time, the United States Army Air Corps was looking for a high-altitude 'Hemisphere Bomber' with long-range. The requirements were for an advanced aircraft fitted with pressurized cabin systems, remote-controlled armaments, high bomb loadout and good performance including range and service ceiling. The design would share some of the similarities of the B-17 Flying Fortress design in that the tail was of the same type utilizing large surface areas. Beyond that, the B-29 Superfortress surpassed the B-17 in every other respect including power, bomb loadout and sheer size. The identifiable large four-blade propellers and pencil-like fuselage dominated the design. A greenhouse-type cockpit area allowed for a good degree of forward and upper visibility.
The B-29 Superfortress program hit full stride, with a total of four production plants working together to produce various parts of the bomber. The Superfortresses eventually went into combat against the empire of Japan, though only in the Pacific Theater of Operations as the European War was beginning to wind down. The B-29 over the Pacific performed admireably well, though squadrons suffered inevitable losses consistent with new technology and warfare.
It would be the B-29 Superfortress, named the 'Enola Gay' after the mother of it's pilot (Paul W Tibbets, Jr.), that would go on to drop the Atomic bombs (nicknamed 'Fatman' and 'Little Boy') on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The use of Atomic weapons (the first of it's kind) forced a surrender of the Empire of Japan, negating the invasion planned by Allied Forces of the Japanese mainland.
The B-29A Superfortress was armed with one 20mm cannon and twelve radio-controlled (rc) .50 caliber machineguns positions in two dorsal turrets, two ventral turrets and a rear tail gun emplacement. Internal bombloadout was mission-specific but could field conventional bombs, fire bombs and atomic weaponry. Total crew count was 10 servicemen covering a range of positions from pilot and copilot, to navigator and gunner.
The B-29 Superfortress saw extended life after the war as the B-50, which featured a series of reconnaissance, in-flight tanker and bomber versions. Eventually, all piston-engine bomber development would give way to the dawn of the jet age - occurring shortly after the end of the Second World War.
The B-29 Superfortress went on to serve in the Korean War as well where it maintained air superiority in bombing sorties for the beginning part of that conflict. Ultimately, the new Soviet-produced North Korean MiG-15 jet fighters would force the B-29 crews to operate only on night sorties.
Specifications for the Boeing B-29A Superfortress:
Designation: B-29A Superfortress
Manufacturer: Boeing Aircraft Corp.
Powerplant: 4 x 2,200hp Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone Eighteen air-cooled radial engines
Length: 99 feet
Wing Span: 141.25 feet
Weight: 71,360lbs (empty); 138,500lbs (Maximum Take-Off Weight)
Maximum Speed: 287 mph
Maximum Range: 3,400 miles
Armament: 12 x .50 caliber (.5-inch) Machine Guns; 6,000 lbs of internal bomb loadout.
Crew: 10
Models: XB-29 (prototype); YB-29 (preproduction); B-29A (wider span, revised armament); B-29B (no defensive armament just single rear rc tail gun); B-29D/B-50A (revised engines).
More Pictures of the B-29 Superfortress Bomber
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