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B-29 Superfortress
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Photo: Robert Deering 1981 Valley International Airport (HRL) Harlingen, Texas |
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Designed in 1940
as an eventual replacement for the
B-17 and
B-24, the
first B-29 made its maiden flight on Sept.
21, 1942. In December 1943 U.S. Army Air
Forces leadership committed the
Superfortress to Asia, where its great range
made it particularly suited for the long
over-water flights against the Japanese
homeland from bases in China. During the
last two months of 1944, B-29s began
operating against Japan from the islands of
Saipan, Guam and Tinian. With the advent of
the conflict in Korea in June 1950, the B-29
returned to combat. Although vulnerable to
MiG-15 jet fighter attacks, the
Superfortress remained effective against
several types of targets throughout the
Korean War.
The B-29 on display in the Air Force Museum, Bockscar, dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic attack against Hiroshima. Bockscar was one of 15 specially modified "Silverplate" B-29s assigned to the 509th Composite Group. Most B-29s carried eight .50-cal. machine guns in remote controlled turrets, two .50-cal. machine guns and one 20mm cannon in a tail turret, and up to 20,000 pounds of bombs. Silverplate B-29s, however, retained only the tail turret and had their armor removed to save weight so that the heavy atomic bombs of the time could be carried over a longer distance. Bockscar was flown to the museum on Sept. 26, 1961. |
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%20(10X4).jpg) Photo: Robert Deering 1974 Confederate Air Force Museum Valley International Airport (HRL) Harlingen, Texas |
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