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Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress, the Superfortress was designed for high-altitude strategic bombing, but also excelled in low-altitude night incendiary bombing, and in dropping naval mines to blockade Japan. B-29s dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the only aircraft ever to drop nuclear weapons in combat.

"Superfortress" and "B-29" redirect here. For the derivate post-war-bomber, see Boeing B-50 Superfortress. For other uses, see B29 (disambiguation).

One of the largest aircraft of World War II, the B-29 was designed with state-of-the-art technology, which included a pressurized cabin, dual-wheeled tricycle landing gear, and an analog computer-controlled fire-control system that allowed one gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets. The $3 billion cost of design and production (equivalent to $51 billion in 2022),[3] far exceeding the $1.9 billion cost of the Manhattan Project, made the B-29 program the most expensive of the war.[4][5] The B-29 remained in service in various roles throughout the 1950s, being retired in the early 1960s after 3,970 had been built. A few were also used as flying television transmitters by the Stratovision company. The Royal Air Force flew the B-29 with the service name Washington from 1950 to 1954 when the jet-powered Canberra entered service.


The B-29 was the progenitor of a series of Boeing-built bombers, transports, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, and trainers. For example, the re-engined B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II became the first aircraft to fly around the world non-stop, during a 94-hour flight in 1949. The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter airlifter, which was first flown in 1944, was followed in 1947 by its commercial airliner variant, the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser. This bomber-to-airliner derivation was similar to the B-17/Model 307 evolution. In 1948, Boeing introduced the KB-29 tanker, followed in 1950 by the Model 377-derivative KC-97. A line of outsized-cargo variants of the Stratocruiser is the Guppy / Mini Guppy / Super Guppy, which remain in service with NASA and other operators. The Soviet Union produced 847 Tupolev Tu-4s, an unlicensed reverse-engineered copy of the B-29. Twenty B-29s remain as static displays, but only two, FIFI and Doc, still fly.[6]

(two former RAF aircraft for trials)

Royal Australian Air Force

The Friday evening of 10 November 1944 crash of a B-29 near . All 15 members of the crew were killed.

Clovis, New Mexico

12 June 1946 a B-29 crashed into in Tennessee killing the entire crew of twelve.[94]

Clingmans Dome

The 1947 crash of the in Greenland during a flight to the geographic North Pole,[95] and its subsequent destruction in 1995 during a recovery attempt.[96]

Kee Bird

The , which resulted in the United States v. Reynolds lawsuit regarding state secrets privilege

1948 Waycross B-29 crash

The .

1948 Lake Mead Boeing B-29 crash

The 3 November 1948 crash at moor near Glossop, Derbyshire, England. All 13 crew on board were killed. Much of the wreckage is still exposed and can be reached by a 2 mile walk from the summit of Snake Pass, starting along the Pennine Way footpath through Devil's Dyke.[97]

Bleaklow

On 11 April 1950 a B-29 departed at 9:38 PM and crashed into a mountain on Manzano Base approximately three minutes later, killing the crew. Detonators were installed in the nuclear bomb on the aircraft. The bomb case was demolished and some high-explosive (HE) material burned in the gasoline fire. Other pieces of unburned HE were scattered throughout the wreckage. Four spare detonators in their carrying case were recovered undamaged. There were no contamination or recovery problems. The recovered components were returned to the Atomic Energy Commission.[98] Both the weapon and the capsule of nuclear material were on board the aircraft but the capsule was not inserted in the bomb for safety reasons, so a nuclear detonation was not possible.[99]

Kirtland Air Force Base

On 5 August 1950 a bomb-laden B-29 Superfortress ; 17 were killed and 68 injured[100]

crashed into a residential area in California

The 1953 crash, Peconic Bay, New York State.[101]

"Tip Tow"

Accidents and incidents involving B-29s include:

Crew: 11 (Pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, flight engineer, navigator, radio operator, radar observer, right gunner, left gunner, central fire control, tail gunner)

Length: 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m)

Wingspan: 141 ft 3 in (43.05 m)

Height: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)

Wing area: 1,736 sq ft (161.3 m2)

: 11.5

Aspect ratio

: root: Boeing 117 (22%); tip: Boeing 117 (9%)[103]

Airfoil

: 0.0241

Zero-lift drag coefficient

41.16 sq ft (3.824 m2)

Frontal area:

Empty weight: 74,500 lb (33,793 kg)

Gross weight: 120,000 lb (54,431 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 133,500 lb (60,555 kg)

Data from Quest for Performance[102]


General characteristics


Performance


Armament

Air warfare of World War II

AN/APQ-13

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era


Related lists

Anderson, C. E. "Bud" (December 1981 – March 1982). "Caught by the Wing-tip". . No. 17. pp. 74–80. ISSN 0143-5450.

Air Enthusiast

Anderton, David A. B-29 Superfortress at War. Shepperton, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1978.  0-7110-0881-7.

ISBN

Berger, Carl. B29: The Superfortress. New York: Ballantine Books, 1970.  0-345-24994-1.

ISBN

. B-29 Superfortress in Action (Aircraft in Action 31). Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1977. ISBN 0-89747-030-3.

Birdsall, Steve

. Saga of the Superfortress: The Dramatic Story of the B-29 and the Twentieth Air Force. London: Sidgewick & Jackson Limited, 1991. ISBN 0-283-98786-3.

Birdsall, Steve

. Superfortress: The Boeing B-29. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-89747-104-0.

Birdsall, Steve

Bowers, Peter M. Boeing Aircraft since 1916. London: Putnam, 1989.  0-85177-804-6.

ISBN

Bowers, Peter M. Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 1999.  0-933424-79-5.

ISBN

Brown, J. "RCT Armament in the Boeing B-29". , Number Three, 1977, pp. 80–83. ISSN 0143-5450

Air Enthusiast

Campbell, Richard H., The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2005.  0-7864-2139-8.

ISBN

Chant, Christopher. Superprofile: B-29 Superfortress. Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1983.  0-85429-339-6.

ISBN

Clarke, Chris. , Popular Mechanics, 30 November 2015.

"The Cannons on the B-29 Bomber Were a Mid-Century Engineering Masterpiece"

Craven, Wesley Frank and James Lea Cate, eds. Archived 18 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1983.

The Army Air Forces In World War II: Volume One: Plans and Early Operations: January 1939 to August 1942

Craven, Wesley Frank and James Lea Cate, eds. Archived 23 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1983.

The Army Air Forces In World War II: Volume Two: Europe: Torch to Pointblank August 1942 to December 1943

Craven, Wesley Frank and James Lea Cate, eds. . Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1983.

The Army Air Forces In World War II: Volume Five: The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki June 1944 to August 1945

Davis, Larry. B-29 Superfortress in Action (Aircraft in Action 165). Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997.  0-89747-370-1.

ISBN

Dear, I.C.B. and M.R.D. Foo, eds. The Oxford Companion of World War II. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1995.  0-19-866225-4.

ISBN

. B-29 Superfortress Units in World War Two. Combat Aircraft 33. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-285-7.

Dorr, Robert F

. B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-654-2.

Dorr, Robert F

Fopp, Michael A. The Washington File. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1983.  0-85130-106-1.

ISBN

Francillon, René J. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam, 1979.  0-370-00050-1.

ISBN

Futrell R.F. et al. Aces and Aerial Victories: The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia, 1965–1973. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1976.  0-89875-884-X.

ISBN

Grant, R.G. and John R. Dailey. Flight: 100 Years of Aviation. Harlow, Essex, UK: DK Adult, 2007.  978-0-7566-1902-2.

ISBN

Herbert, Kevin B. Maximum Effort: The B-29s Against Japan. Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, 1983.  978-0-89745-036-2.

ISBN

Herman, Arthur. Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II. New York: Random House, 2012.  978-1-4000-6964-4.

ISBN

Hess, William N. Great American Bombers of WW II. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1999.  0-7603-0650-8.

ISBN

Higham, Robin and Carol Williams, eds. Flying Combat Aircraft of USAAF-USAF. Volume 1. Washington, D.C.: Air Force Historical Foundation, 1975.  0-8138-0325-X.

ISBN

Howlett, Chris. "Washington Times".

The history of the Washington

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.

Johnsen, Frederick A. The B-29 Book. Tacoma, Washington: Bomber Books, 1978.  1-135-76473-5 |.

ISBN

Johnson, Robert E. "Why the Boeing B-29 Bomber, and Why the Wright R-3350 Engine?" American Aviation Historical Society Journal, 33(3), 1988, pp. 174–189. ISSN 0002-7553.

Knaack, Marcelle Size. Post-World War II Bombers, 1945–1973. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History, 1988.  0-16-002260-6.

ISBN

LeMay, Curtis and Bill Yenne. Super Fortress. London: , 1988. ISBN 0-425-11880-0.

Berkley Books

Lewis, Peter M. H., ed. "B-29 Superfortress". Academic American Encyclopedia. Volume 10. Chicago: Grolier Incorporated, 1994.  978-0-7172-2053-3.

ISBN

Lloyd, Alwyn T. B-29 Superfortress, Part 1. Production Versions (Detail & Scale 10). Fallbrook, California/London: Aero Publishers/Arms & Armour Press, Ltd., 1983.  0-8168-5019-4, 0-85368-527-4.

ISBN

Lloyd, Alwyn T. B-29 Superfortress. Part 2. Derivatives (Detail & Scale 25). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania/London: TAB Books/Arms & Armour Press, Ltd., 1987.  0-8306-8035-7, 0-85368-839-7

ISBN

Mann, Robert A. The B-29 Superfortress: A Comprehensive Registry of the Planes and Their Missions. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2004.  0-7864-1787-0.

ISBN

Mann, Robert A. The B-29 Superfortress Chronology, 1934–1960. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2009.  0-7864-4274-3.

ISBN

Marshall, Chester. Warbird History: B-29 Superfortress. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1993.  0-87938-785-8.

ISBN

Mayborn, Mitch. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Aircraft in Profile 101). Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1971 (reprint).

Miller, Jay. "Tip Tow & Tom-Tom". , No. 9, February–May 1979, pp. 40–42. ISSN 0143-5450.

Air Enthusiast

Nijboer, Donald. B-29 Superfortress vs Ki-44 "Tojo": Pacific Theater 1944–45 (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017).

Nijboer, Donald, and Steve Pace. B-29 Combat Missions: First-hand Accounts of Superfortress Operations Over the Pacific and Korea (Metro Books, 2011).

Nowicki, Jacek. B-29 Superfortress (Monografie Lotnicze 13) (in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 1994.  83-86208-09-0.

ISBN

Pace, Steve. Boeing B-29 Superfortress. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, United Kingdom: Crowood Press, 2003.  1-86126-581-6.

ISBN

Peacock, Lindsay. "Boeing B-29... First of the Superbombers, Part One." , August 1989, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 68–76, 87. ISSN 0306-5634

Air International

Peacock, Lindsay. "Boeing B-29... First of the Superbombers, Part Two." Air International, September 1989, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 141–144, 150–151.  0306-5634

ISSN

Pimlott, John. B-29 Superfortress. London: Bison Books Ltd., 1980.  0-89009-319-9.

ISBN

Rigmant, Vladimir. B-29, Tу-4 – стратегические близнецы – как это было (Авиация и космонавтика 17 [Крылья 4]) (in Russian). Moscow: 1996.

Toh, Boon Kwan. "Black and Silver: Perceptions and Memories of the B-29 Bomber, American Strategic Bombing and the Longest Bombing Missions of the Second World War on Singapore" 39#2 (2020) pp. 109–125

War & Society

Vander Meulen, Jacob. Building the B-29. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 1995.  1-56098-609-3.

ISBN

Wegg, John. General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors. London: Putnam, 1990.  0-85177-833-X.

ISBN

Wheeler, Barry C. The Hamlyn Guide to Military Aircraft Markings. London: Chancellor Press, 1992.  1-85152-582-3.

ISBN

Wheeler, Keith. Bombers over Japan. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1982.  0-8094-3429-6.

ISBN

White, Jerry. Combat Crew and Unit Training in the AAF 1939–1945. USAF Historical Study No. 61. Washington, D.C.: Center for Air Force History, 1949.

Williams, Anthony G. and Emmanuel Gustin. Flying Guns World War II: Development of Aircraft Guns, Ammunition and Installations 1933–45. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife, 2003.  1-84037-227-3.

ISBN

Willis, David. "Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress". International Air Power Review, Volume 22, 2007, pp. 136–169. Westport, Connecticut: AIRtime Publishing.  1473-9917. ISBN 1-880588-79-X.

ISSN

Wolf, William. Boeing B-29 Superfortress: The Ultimate Look. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2005.  0-7643-2257-5.

ISBN

B-29 Combat Crew Manual

Popular Science, August 1944—the first large and detailed public article printed on the B-29 in the US

"Meet the B-29"

Article wrote by John Deakin, one of the pilots who regularly fly the world's first restored-to-flight B-29

Pelican's Perch #56:Superfortress!

Listing of surviving B-29s

WarbirdsRegistry.org B-29/B-50

Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine

"Great Engines and Great Planes", 1947 – 130 page book about the rapid design, testing, and production of the B-29 powerplant by Chrysler Corporation in World War II

on YouTube

B-29 Flight Procedure and Combat Crew Functioning – 1944 US Army Air Forces Training Film