The B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four engine bomber flown by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Boeing submitted the prototype to the Army in 1939, before the US entered WWII. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft flown during WWII and was one of the most advanced bombers of its time, featuring a pressurized cabin, a central fire control system, and remote controlled machine gun turrets. It also featured the new Boeing 117 airfoil with its larger Fowler flaps to increase lift. A total of 3,970 B-29's were produced. They were primarily used in the Pacific theater during WWII and as many as 1,000 B-29's at a time bombed Tokyo during the firebombing campaigns against Japan in the final months of World War II. The B-29s Enola Gay and Bockscar carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 at the New England Air Museum was delivered too late to be assigned to an overseas unit during World War II, but it did serve with training units until 1949. During the early 1950s, it flew out of the United Kingdom and Libya. It was then put into storage until 1956. The New England Air Museum acquired the aircraft in 1973. The 58th Bomb Wing Association supported the restoration of this aircraft and the establishment of a Memorial to the 58th Bomb Wing which was the first unit to take the B-29 into combat in World War II. . . . . . . . . . comment | share Type your message and click Add Comment It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name Name Email help private comment click on thumbnails for full image