Curtis LeMay, The American Air Force General That Implemented Strategic Bombing

he was born in Columbus Ohio just 50 miles from the Wright brothers Shop in Dayton he saw his first airplane at the age of four it fascinated him and he ran to catch it but it was gone from then on he was fascinated by flight and continued to chase it after college he joined the army and became a pilot the chase that began at age four was fulfilled and for the next 40 years Aviation would bring him Fame and achievement through a long and glorious career he was always the best Bombardier best Navigator and best pilot in his unit he developed the tactics to win Wars from the air then led the way as the Army Air Force's smashed Germany then Japan on their way to victory in World War II when the Soviets became a menace he thwarted them by first organizing the Berlin Airlift in developing the Strategic Air Command into the world's Premier nuclear deterrent bomber and missile Force dedicated to the preservation of peace that lasted for over 40 years his name is Curtis Emerson Lemay and he is a legend of air power Curtis LeMay was born November 15 1906 to Irving and Arizona Lemay his father was a steel worker and sometimes handyman who often was forced to move his family in search of work their travels carry them from Ohio to Pennsylvania to Montana to California and back again while in California young Curtis and the rest of his family visited the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco young Curtis saw aeronaut Lincoln beachly do aromatics over the crowds and he wondered just what it was like up there wonder he would never lose [Music] Lemay graduated from Ohio State University in 1928 with an engineering degree he also finished ROTC as an honor graduate and received a reserve Commission in the Army unfortunately the reserve commission didn't help land him in flight school he worked hard to enter Flight Training as an aviation Cadet at Kelly Field Texas his first Tour of Duty was with the 27th Pursuit squadron at Selfridge Field Michigan where he received his regular Commission in February 1930. at Selfridge Lemay flew the Curtis P1 he stayed at Selfridge until 1937 when he transferred to Boeing B-17 bombers at Langley field Virginia [Music] in February 1938 Lieutenant Curtis LeMay was lead Navigator when the Air corps demonstrated the long-range capability of its new B-17 six bombers of the second bombardment group made a Goodwill flight from Langley field Virginia to Buenos Aires Argentina and back born General half Arnold awarded the group The McKay trophy for the most meritorious flight of 1938 and Lemay was there just two months later three b-17s of the second bombardment group intercepted the Italian liner Rex 725 miles out headed for New York City the Air corps demonstrated that it could intercept an enemy Fleet threatening the United States at vast distances long before they became a threat once again the lead Navigator was Lieutenant Lemay just prior to World War II Lemay assigned to Ferry command pioneered fairy air routes over the South Atlantic to Africa and over the North Atlantic to England the routes that would be used constantly once the War Began Lemay then took over the 305th bombardment group trained them in California and took them to England in the fall of 1942. he gained a reputation as a tough Commander the Iron Eagle but no matter how tough he was fair and made sure his Crews were well taken care of the Baywatch commented I don't mind being called tough in this racket it's the tough guys who lead the survivors [Music] Curtis LeMay was an individual who had very high standards that he held himself to and he held the people that worked for him too he was fair he was uncompromising in his pursuit of quality in his pursuit of performance he had a reputation for being abrupt he was a man who was very performance driven and very goal-oriented and very results oriented he was uncompromising in the way that he viewed his own performance in the performance of those who worked for him he trained his Crews hard and prepared them well and through them he developed new formation tactics his tactics greatly improved defensive protection for the bombers from fighter attack the tactics also improved the group's bombing accuracy and effectiveness [Music] I found that uh mommy accuracy was very poor as a matter of fact we didn't know or half the bombs we hauled across the channel fell on further investigation showed that everyone was taking evasive action on the bombing run so it was apparents and bombardiers were not having an opportunity to use their equipment and get good results [Music] so in our stupidity we decided to make a straight-in run from the time we saw the target [Music] his bombers flew as an 18 aircraft combat box for Mutual protection they all dropped their bombs when leads were dropped so that the bombs fell in a tight grouping known as synchronous bombing the maze tactics were adopted by all groups in all theaters of operation [Music] foreign leader prompting General Ira Aker to say in Lemay he may not be human but when I can find a hundred other group commanders like him we'll get on with this war we might even win it [Music] Lemay was quickly promoted to Fourth bombardment Wing commander and in August 1943 he planned and led the famous shuttle mission from England to Africa in which they bombed the messerschmidt airplane Factory at Regensburg Germany other bombers in the attack get the ball bearing Factories at schweinferte thank you [Music] although successful the mission lost 60 bombers and another 100 were damaged [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] come on a month later Lemay became the third bombardment division Commander making him the youngest Major General in the army his next move came in August 1944. General Arnold selected Lemay to command the 20th bomber command in India it was time to take the war to Mainland Japan and Lemay planned to do it with the new Boeing B-29 super portraits foreign [Music] began to taper off in the China Burma theater Lemay was appointed commander of the Mariana's face 21st bomber command in January 1945. the b-29s could now hit Mainland Japan with relative ease from his headquarters on Guam Lemay directed the bombing campaign [Music] initially Lemay used the European tactic of high altitude flights with high explosive bombs against Targets in Japan [Music] then in an effort to shorten the war he changed tactics realizing that Japanese construction was primarily wood he sent his bombers in between five and seven thousand feet with incendiary bombs the results were catastrophic for the Japanese as many of Japan's major cities were consumed by fire unbelievably the fires did not bring the unconditional surrender intended President Truman gave the order to use the atomic bomb on August 6 1945 the Enola Gay of B-29 from the 509th Bomb Group at tinian dropped its 9 000 pound little boy on Hiroshima thank you [Music] [Applause] after a visit with Lemay General Carl spach telegraphed Washington have had the opportunity to check up on Baker 2-9 operations and believe this is the best organized and most technically proficient military organization the world has seen to date [Music] three days later a second bomb was dropped this time on Nagasaki on August 15th the war was over the bombers of lemay's command had helped bring it about [Music] Major General Lemay became the first Deputy Chief of air staff for research and development at Air Force Headquarters in Washington in December 1945. he was in charge of nuclear weapons development and wasted no time in planning the weapons testing in the Marshall Islands bikini at all hello [Music] Lemay was promoted to Lieutenant General in October 1947 and assigned as Commanding General for U.S air forces in Europe in April 1948 the Soviets began to restrict the flow of suppliers to Berlin prompting General Lucius clay the commander of European command to ask Lemay if he could deliver coal by air the mayor responded sir the Air Force can deliver anything Lemay immediately began little lift from Brian Maine West Germany to deliver U.S army rations and perishables like fresh milk eggs and vegetables daily into templehof air drum field in Berlin the May organize the air operation and ordered more modern aircraft until they arrived he had to rely on the 96 Douglas c-47s already assigned to Germany then on June 26th the Soviets closed the city completely except for the air quarters the Berlin airlift began [Music] with the airlift flowing efficiently Lemay returned to the United States was promoted to General an assumed command of the newly formed Strategic Air Command established its headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base Nebraska he transformed the command from the remnants of World War II bombers primarily the B-29 super Fortress and the larger Consolidated B-36 Peacemaker InterContinental bomber to an all-jet bomber Force comprised of the Sleek Boeing B-47 strategy and the awesome Boeing B-52 Stratofortress man and supported by professional Airmen dedicated to the preservation of peace as the new Boeing bombers came into service Lemay quickly checked out in both the B-47 and the B-52 General the May commanded the Strategic Air Command for nearly nine years was uniquely identified with sac and its progress and also with the welfare of its people he realized that by demanding high standards of Readiness the command exacted a human toll on its people strong family man General Lemay had a great concern for his men and their family's welfare and over the years was responsible for greatly improved living conditions on Sac bases were both married and unmarried Personnel I think a measure of courtesy May's Devotion to his people is how he was concerned about them in their off flying hours he was an enthusiastic Sportsman he encouraged the development of recreation centers he developed a particular interest in road racing and Road rallies and that was a feature really of the Lemay era and then he was very concerned about the welfare of his people particularly his enlisted force and put a great deal of time and effort into the cape hot housing program and developing appropriate housing and Recreation facilities for them he was a genuine total Force person under lemay's leadership and supervision Sac laid the plans for the development and integration of an Intercontinental ballistic to complement the manned bomber [Music] in July in 1957 Lemay became the vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force but even as Vice Chief of Staff General Lemay continued to set records in November of 1957 he flew a new Boeing kc-135 jet tanker on Two record-setting And non-stop flights between the United States and Buenos Aires Argentina and return then in 1961 the May replaced General Thomas D white and was named the fifth Chief of Staff of the Air Force a post he held until his retirement in January 1965. I think historians will forever debate uh which of the two major events in lemay's Korea was the most significant in a combat sense I think his decision to restructure and redirect the B B-29 raids against Japan to adopt a low-level Knight bombing incendiary bombing approach which of course radically transformed the success of the B-29 campaign and then the second case is in the post-world War II era where he radically transformed Sac he took a look at Strategic Air Command did not like what he saw in the post-world War II era saw an organization that he felt had morale problems had Mission problems had lost its Edge and he determined to build that Force into the premier power projection Force for the United States and indeed he did so as Chief of Staff General Lemay remained committed to the welfare and professionalism of the men and women of the Air Force he was a happy blend of a guy who didn't have to be a martinet to get absolute loyalty from those who served under him which is the ultimate Accolade of a military commander or of any kind of Commander for that matter he gets pretty high marks as a human being you know he was a cigar chomping rough tough Gruff Kurt Lemay and over the years this Mystique grew up about him as if he were some sort of ogre you know with a crushed cap squared over his eyes and thunderbolting everyone around him well not really you know he the beauty of him was that he had that effect in terms of what he got out of his troops but he didn't actually hurl the Thunderbolts it's kind of a strange sort of thing he got the kind of loyalty that a guy you know you would expect a commander to get if he'd intimidated his troops but he never did intimidate them he also remained the chief advocate of the policy for the continued mix of strategic manned bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles as the nation's primary deterrence to nuclear attack when the administration pressed for a change in that policy after his retirement he continued to be a strong supporter of the Air Force and the welfare of its people being born in 1906 right after the airplane first flew my history is a history the airplane and you know as well as I do that uh any way you measure it uh speed the performance of any kind the curve for our the air art is going just like that and what's going to happen in the future is going to happen so rapidly that if you don't keep abreast you're really lost his concern over declines in National Defense capabilities and the ongoing war in Vietnam prompted the general to join George Wallace as his vice presidential running mate in the 1972 presidential race in 1987 the general and Mrs courtesy levay Foundation was set up by the general and his wife to provide assistance to Indigent widows of retired Air Force officers and enlisted retirees General Lemay died in 1990 but his legacy lives on he changed forever the way Nations use bombers as an offensive weapon during war and as a source of deterrence against attack during times of peace his creation of these Strategic Air Command as a deterrent to nuclear attack during the Cold War helped defeat the Soviet Union and brought peace and an end to the threat of nuclear annihilation [Music] although he is remembered for his tough war-winning leadership his legacy is one of peace and for that he is a true legend of air power [Music] [Music] foreign this is it this is the p29 the plane you've been waiting for and it was worth waiting for it's the biggest fastest mightiest heavy bomber in the world it can travel farther and higher than anything else on wings it has a pressurized cabin permitting high altitude flight without oxygen masks it has five remotely controlled electrically driven turrets each carrying twin 50s with a 20 millimeter cannon added to the turret and the tail yes the B-29 is everything you've been promised and the pilot who flies one has an enviable job important glamorous and tough here's a B-29 pilot he's measuring the distance between pin centers on the left landing gear this part of the job Isn't So Glamorous but it's the Pilot's responsibility to make sure that everything on this biggest bomber in the world works properly if you were a B-29 pilot here's exactly what you'd have to do before an operational flight check the nose wheel see that the tires are inflated to 45 to 50 pounds per square inch while measuring the pressure look over the tires for General condition also watch out especially for cuts or signs of serious wear one of the ground crew will replace the dust covers but you're still responsible for his work after you've measured the pressure in both tires give the gear a visual check the strut should be clean with a clearance between pin centers of 10 inches and the shimmy damper must be full that's important make sure the rod is almost up to the notch in the gauge on the shimmy damper Reservoir now you can look over the engine callings on your way to the other main Landing wheel this gets the same inspection you've already given its mate the co-pilot Ducks into the wheel well to inspect the equipment there while you work on the wheels measure tire pressures again on these tires the pressure should be between 75 and 85 pounds per square inch inside the wheel well the co-pilot examines the wires connections and switches he makes sure all the cannon plugs are on tight paying particular attention to the plugs on this motor which opens and closes the nacelle doors and also to the plugs of the normal and emergency landing gear Motors then he turns around to examine his side of the strut he looks it over and inspects the brake lines making sure that the hose is not chafing and no fluid is leaking meanwhile you are checking the clearance between pin centers again 13 and one quarter inches right now are the wheel chocks in place one behind the inboard tire and one in front of the outboard Tire just as it should be next check the callings inspection doors and inspection plates you've already examined some of them but you must be sure all of them are okay the other members of the crew help you out with these inspections here for example a gunner tests the fastening of the top calling but you'll have to check the security of the other coverings and there are a lot of them all over the ship while you're walking along you can examine the wing seams fluid leaking from them means trouble now to check the ailerons and trim tabs all control surfaces and All trim tabs must be inspected test the tabs for excessive hinge play by shaking them and see that the gas tank caps are tightened if there were extra fuel tanks in the bomb Bays their connections would have to be examined but now the pilot and the co-pilot continue their tour around the plane they have a lot to check hatches Windows control surfaces trim tabs inspection plates and doors but the pilot and co-pilot aren't the only crew members with inspections to make the Gunners for example besides helping the pilot check the airplane must also be sure the guns and gun cameras will work properly they must inspect all five turrets in the same way they're now examining this lower rear turret after they have the Dome and gun cover removed they see that the ammunition moves freely in the shoots and is correctly loaded the guns just don't fire with the cartridges in backwards they also check the safety wiring on the gun mounting bolts up in there then the gun charging switches are put on reset that conserves the CO2 pressure which automatically charges the guns finally the gun camera is inspected enough film speed set at 16 frames per second lens adjusted to the brightness of the day and the interval control put at the desired number of seconds and turned on and this turret is all right the Dome and gun cover can be replaced the tail turret is checked by the tail Gunner but again the pilot is responsible if the guns fail he gets the blame so he watches the tail gun as the shadow alt feed mechanism is inspected now the other Gunners only have to lock the latches elevation latch locked Azimuth latch locked the doors are shut and fastened and the Gunners can go to another turret and there's still more work to be done each engine must be pulled through 15 blades with only two men per blade the engineer takes care of that he sits at his position making sure that all switches are off while the four engines are pulled through and now the co-pilot puts on his clothing and collects his equipment before joining the rest of the crew for inspection notice that the crew members wear fatigues while making their inspections and change into flight clothing only when they are ready to enter the plane the examination of the exterior of the airplane is completed so the crew can fall in for the check of their personal equipment that's the last item of the before entering the airplane part of the procedure and it's strictly the Pilot's job your job you are responsible for the men as well as the plane if they fail you're at fault each crew member must have his electrically heated flying clothing parachute oxygen mask knife a quart of water and may West steel helmets and flak vests are already inside the ship at the positions apparently these men are completely equipped but don't think they only have to climb into the ship and fly away there's a lot yet to be done let's go along with the pilot again and see what he has to do to take a B-29 into the air he climbs in through the hatch in the nose wheel well that entrance is also used by the co-pilot engineer Navigator radio operator and Bombardier there's work for every man before the engines are started during engines starting and warm-up before takeoff after takeoff and then a whole list of additional things to do before landing again as soon as the radio operator gets in he climbs back to close the pressure door between the forward compartment and the forward bomb bay the Bombardier is the last one in so he closes the hatch the Gunners close the pressure doors in their compartment they also open the cabin pressure valves which will now automatically maintain the cabin pressure at the desired level three compartments in the plane the Pilot's compartment the gun control compartment and the tail Gunners compartment are sealed off from the rest of the fuselage and supplied with this compressed air the cabin pressurizer keeps 8 000 feet altitude inside the plane until the outside is at thirty thousand feet if the plane gets higher than thirty thousand feet the pressure inside drops off gradually but it is always 13.4 inches of mercury more than the outside pressure but let's get back to flight procedure the Gunners take care of the other pressure door in their compartment but what about the pilot that's you you already have your Chute fastened you may West on and the seat adjusted so you put your throat microphone and earphones on if you put the mic on first you won't get so badly Tangled in the wires don't forget to plug in your disconnector cord now to start work ask the engineer for forms 1 1A and all 1-1-40 and look them over be sure that everything on forms 1 and 1A has been checked pay particular attention to the list of defective equipment if anything vital is out of order it must be fixed before taking off the weight and balance computation is in form 01-1-40 that's important make sure it's correct when you've examined all the forms and signed them you can give them back to the engineer and tell him to start the Putt-Putt you have to turn on the emergency ignition switch the tail Gunner looks after the Putt-Putt starting and stopping it on orders from the engineer but now you set the jackbox selector switch to command and turn on the proper command receiver and the command transmitter this puts you in communication with the control tower now examine your own equipment look over your oxygen mask and make sure your portable oxygen bottle is fully charged then try out the cockpit lights to test the ultraviolet lamps turn on the switches and twist the shutter you should then be able to see the light by turning the shutter back you can control the amount of ultraviolet light emitted next try out the alarm Bell the gun Commander will tell you if it's working then depress the brake pedals and pull out the parking brake knob to set the brakes look over to the control stand and make sure that the emergency releases and switches are correctly set power transfer switch emergency landing gear release emergency Bomb release emergency cabin air pressure release and Pilots Over Control now unlock the control surfaces and throttles by moving the Locking lever on the aisle stand full forward then release the throttle brake and test all four throttles through their entire range take it easy move them slowly and gently all controls on the B-29 should be handled in this careful manner in order to prevent damage to the mechanism there's no need to push hard and the co-pilot doesn't just sit and read the checklist he must test the action of the control surfaces moving each surface elevators ailerons and Rudder through the complete range the gun commander looks from his blister observing the response of the surfaces and reports to the copilot a similar test is made on the trim tabs the co-pilot turns the three control Wheels as far as they will go in each direction that big wheel on the side of his control stand operates the elevator tabs the aileron and Rudder wheels are on top of the control stand behind the throttles the way the trim tabs follow the setting of the control Wheels is also observed by the gun commander who tells the co-pilot over the interphone how the tabs move the co-pilot turns the tabs back to neutral after testing them and now to try out the wing flaps but first he calls the side Gunners on the interphone to make sure none of the service crew will be in the way of the descending flaps when the Gunners report that it's safe to go ahead the co-pilot presses the flap switch to the down position and holds it there until the flaps have been lowered 15 degrees 15 degrees is enough to tell if they're working all right the co-pilot can't see the flaps of course so he watches the wing flap position indicator but the Gunners can check visually they tell the co-pilot if the flaps come down all right so now he can bring them back up the Gunners again will tell him when they're up don't start thinking the Gunners have nothing to do but watch control surfaces and flaps they have their own checklists to follow the right side gunner for example is looking over his supply of spare lamps and fuses yep that's okay but now you the pilot are almost ready to start the engines see that the automatic pilot master switch is off check over the four sets of control surface adjustment knobs making sure all their pointers are up then set the manifold pressure selector to the zero position and to press all four propeller RPM switches to the increased position and hold them there until the lights on the co-pilot's instrument panel Flash now you're all ready to start the engines and the rest of the crew should be too they check in with the co-pilot reporting in this sequence Bombardier who sits directly ahead of the pilot and co-pilot Navigator who is some distance behind the pilot facing forward flight engineer who is directly behind the co-pilot facing aft radio operator who sits across from the Navigator and faces the right wall gun commander who is in the top of the fuselage midships and can face in any direction left Gunner who faces aft right Gunner who also faces aft and the tail Gunner who stays close to the Putt-Putt during takeoff and Landing his combat position of course is in the tail everybody set now warn the service crew outside you're going to start the engines and tell the engineer to start number one and number one engine spins twice and now he turns the fuel boost pump on closes all the throttles except number one sets the fire extinguisher to number one engine presses the starter switch to energize and then flips it to start and finally it turns the Magneto switch to both you have to push the throttle to 1200 RPM and signal for number two procedure is repeated until all four engines are running now that the engines are going vacuum pressure is available to operate your gyro flight instruments so the gyro compass and the flight indicator can be uncaged and set the co-pilot will be doing the same with his gyro instruments next see if the other vacuum pump is working all right have the engineers switch to the pump on the number two engine the vacuum may drop some but it should go back to about four inches now you can call the control tower on the command radio it's already on this is about the right time to get your taxi instructions since you'll soon be ready to move out to the runway at the same time ask for the field barometric pressure so you can adjust the altimeter carefully to the correct pressure in this case 29.84 inches obviously an accurate altimeter is a vital necessity especially if you may have to fly on instruments next you want the Bombardier you know he sits back with the Navigator and the radio operator until his ship is in the air but right now he has to come forward to make the final checks on the bomb site he's already completed the regular pre-flight inspection of his equipment all he must do now is see that the bomb site is entirely ready for takeoff the directional clutch should be disengaged and the secondary clutch engaged by turning it clockwise then the drum wheel must be turned counterclockwise as far as it will go that does it he's all set to take off and now you're ready to close the Bombay doors ask the ground crew outside if there are any obstructions underneath the plane everything's clear so you can order the Bombardier to close the Bombay doors he throws the door switch while you look back through the pressure door to watch them shut the rear Bombay door is looked after by one of the gunners I will tell you when it's closed when both doors are shut the Bombardier can go back to his takeoff position in the rear of the compartment and you're almost ready to Taxi but you better make one last check of the turret warning lights oh that lower rear turret light is on call one of the side Gunners and have him take care of it perhaps the turret wasn't stowed forget about Gunner well it's easy to fix get control of the turret press the action switch and stow it that does it there that turret warning light is off now and everybody's set switch your Jack box back to command and Signal the ground crew outside to remove the wheel chocks and get a safe distance away from the airplane the co-pilot warns the crew to stand by the taxi and you can release the brakes and move the ship out to the runway all right while taxiing or whenever the plane is moving all crew members watch from the windows and keep the pilot informed of obstructions the Gunners can provide the most help since the blisters give them a wide view this is a big airplane It's mighty easy to hit a fuel truck or another ship and clip off part of the wing or stabilize it and that doesn't help the flying characteristics a bit notice the flaps are kept in the up position if you taxi with them down the under surfaces are likely to be damaged by Pebbles blown back by the propellers after you've stopped at the edge of the runway put in your call to the control tower for permission to taxi on the runway when the tower has given the clearance move on the runway steer with the outboard engines not the brakes excessive use of the brakes on a plane as heavy as this one will wear them out quickly [Music] as the ship is turned around at the far end of the runway notice again how the engines are used for steering you can see the right propellers moving faster than the left when you're at right angles to the runway stop for the engine run-up tell the flight engineer to get ready to make his Magneto check while you run the engines up one at a time first press the propeller RPM switches to the increased position holding them there until all the propellers are at maximum rpm next turn the manifold pressure selector to position eight with the knob in this position the superchargers automatically provide military power now Advance the number one throttle but slowly and gently to 2000 RPM hold this speed until the engineer tells you the Magneto check is finished then press the propeller RPM switch to the decreased position until the tachometer drops about 200 RPM Now flip the switch to the increased position and hold it there until the light on the co-pilot's instrument panel flashes and then push the throttle to full open the tachometer should show about 2600 RPM for the number one engine while manifold pressure should be around 47 inches to see if the turbo is working properly turn the manifold pressure selector towards zero that should make the manifold pressure drop the turbo's okay bring the throttle back to idling around 550 to 600 RPM and increase speed to 1200 to avoid fouling the spark plugs next start on the number two engine the same procedure is repeated for each engine now you're about set to take off after you're cleared for takeoff turn the plane the rest of the way around so that it points down the runway and stop again while the co-pilot lowers the wing flaps about 25 degrees he can tell when they're right by looking at the wing flat position indicator and the Gunners can check on the accuracy of the indicator by watching the flaps from their blisters their report on the approximate flat position over the interphone when the co-pilot tells you the flaps are okay fasten your safety belt and set the manifold pressure selector to position 8. next set the propeller RPM switches to increase RPM and wait for the lights on the co-pilot instrument panel to flash then warned the engineer to be ready for takeoff stand by for takeoff now you push on the brakes hard and open the throttle slowly until the manifold pressure gauge reads about 40 inches then release the brakes as you gather speed slowly Advance the throttles to full power and set the throttle brake manifold pressure should go up to 47 or 47.5 inches rpm should go up to 2600. continue accelerating down the runway until the indicated AirSpeed gets up to 95 miles per hour then slowly pull the control column back putting the ship in a flying attitude the plane takes off without further action on your part when it gets flying speed the exact speed at which it will leave the ground depends on the weight when the ship is Airborne apply the brakes to stop the wheels and then have the co-pilot retract the landing gear he has to hold the landing gear retracting switch in the up position because the switch is spring loaded the co-pilot makes sure the nose gear is up by looking through the inspection door on the floor of the cockpit just ahead of the aisle stand the wheel is there all right at 160 miles per hour and 500 feet altitude the co-pilot retracts the flaps snapping the switch on and off until the indicator shows that the flaps are all the way up the side Gunners should be watching from their blisters as the plane takes off they tell the co-pilot when the flaps and landing gear are up now you ought to change from takeoff power setting to climbing adjust the manifold pressure selector until the manifold pressure drops to 43 inches and decreased propeller RPM to bring the tachometers to 2400. you can order the engineer to have the Putt-Putt turned off now and tell the Bombardier to come forward and take his combat position in the nose of the ship if this is an operational flight an enemy opposition is expected have the men put on their flak vests these vests are made of small overlapping Links of tough steel sown inside canvas quilting on the inside of the canvas provides further protection and also cushions the shock of impact above 10 000 feet oxygen masks must be worn by one man in each compartment when you reach the desired altitude level off and tell the engineer to set up cruising conditions first you move the throttles back to about 65 percent of full power individual manipulation of the throttles may be necessary to keep each engine at the same manifold pressure now you adjust the propellers and manifold pressure so turn the controls over to the co-pilot start with the props press the propeller RPM switches to decrease and bring all four propellers to 2000 RPM then turn the manifold pressure selector down until the manifold pressure drops to 30 inches the needle should stay together in this case there you are 30 inches considerable juggling of throttles propellers and supercharger may be necessary before you get it just right but that's how you get a B-29 into the air it's a big heavy and Powerful airplane bigger heavier and more powerful than anything you've ever flown for that reason it must be handled gently and precisely you must carefully follow the prescribed procedures even a super bomber is no good to the Army if it's in little busted up pieces but don't get jittery the 29 is a sweet ship to handle when it stalls the nose drops so that the plane automatically recovers there's no tendency to spin stalling speed varies quite a bit naturally depending on weight and other conditions but generally it's between 84 and 135 miles per hour when turning or executing any maneuver take it easy this is a big plane remember not a fighter yet fairly steep turns can be made safely this 30 degree Bank can also be done with full flaps that's about the limit and when evasive action is necessary you have plenty of tricks to pull just watch this B-29 [Music] and the B-29 does more than just fly well it packs a terrific wallet a wallop enemy Fighters will quickly learn to fear not turret you see moving is only one of the five on the ship which mounts a total of 10 machine guns and one Cannon four of the turrets two on top and two beneath the fuselage can turn through 360 degrees in Azimuth 90 degrees in elevation the tail turret is more restricted in movement but it has a 20 millimeter cannon in addition to the twin 50s the others carry but the big thing about the 29's Armament is the fact that the Gunners don't touch the guns the guns are controlled remotely from special sites and any Gunner can fire almost any turret for example one side gunner might have control of two turrets firing four caliber 50s at his Target that's only the beginning of the story about guns so let's get back to what a pilot has to do now you're ready to land since you've descended below ten thousand feet remove your oxygen mask tell the co-pilot to Take Over Control of the ship so that you can get out of your flak vest the vest is easy to take off just pull on the cord and it drops away this speed of removal becomes important if you ever have to bail out since the vest is worn over the parachute and well you figure it out if you've been riding with the automatic pilot turn it off you can't use it for landing of course or when taking off flying turbulent weather or setting trim tabs the co-pilot should now warn the crew to prepare for landing and tell the Bombardier to climb out of his seat in the nose and get him back with the engineer then the co-pilot has the engineer start the Putt-Putt you check the turret warning lights all the lights are off then call the control tower and get Landing instructions at the same time ask for the field barometric pressure and set the altimeter to correspond now the co-pilot hits the brakes to test the hydraulic pressure both normal and emergency systems should have eight hundred to a thousand pounds to find out about the emergency pressure you have to ask the engineer at the same time you can see if he's ready to land and get his log he has calculated the new weight and center of gravity since you've used up a lot of gasoline by now you should look the log over but the co-pilot will check it carefully examining the center of gravity and weight computations the table on the instrument panel gives the stalling speed for the computed weight the co-pilot tells you the stalling speed and also reports that everybody in the crew is ready to land next you adjust the propeller RPM switches push them to increase until you get the tachometers to show 2100 RPM now adjust the manifold pressure selector to give you plenty of Reserve power turn it all the way up to position eight the setting for full military power when the plane is slowed down to 180 miles per hour or less order the co-pilot to lower the landing gear when the switch is set to the down position the wheels descend all the way lock and the gear Motors automatically stop when the left and right gear are down the side Gunners who should now be watching the wheels and flaps will report to the co-pilot he himself can make sure the nose wheel has been lowered all the way by looking through the window in the floor of the cockpit next the flap should come down if you've been in combat the co-pilot should lower them first only five degrees if they were damaged lowering them all away might rip them off the wing the Gunners can look them over and report on their condition the flaps are all right so the co-pilot can lower them 25 degrees notice that he snaps the switch on and off that way the flaps descend gradually and a sudden change in the lift characteristics of the airplane is avoided the Gunners will report when the flaps appear to be down 25 degrees and the co-pilot can check by looking at his wing flap position indicator when he has the flaps where he wants them he'll tell you then you'll probably have to reset the trim tabs because of the change in the flat position next adjust the throttle brake to a comfortable tension and don't forget to turn off the Detonator power switch now make a standard approach keeping the speed about 30 miles per hour above stalling and on the Final Approach order the co-pilot to lower the flaps all the way foreign should be slightly tail low and going between 95 and 100 miles per hour notice how the main Wheels bear most of the shock of Landing then the ship slowly settles forward don't apply brakes immediately let the plane lose some of its speed rolling then turn the manifold pressure selector all the way back to zero you won't need the turbos anymore and set the propellers at increase RPM raise the flaps now while you're taxing and have plenty of power you're done now you've followed your checklist step by step but there are other checklists the engineers for example so suppose we go back over that Landing procedure and see how the engineers checklist fits in with yours five minutes before landing the engineer tells the tailgunner to start the putt butt the ship enters the traffic pattern at a 45 degree angle to the downwind leg altitude is 27.60 speed is 180. here the co-pilot lowers the wheels the mixture controls are set to Auto rich and the Carl flaps open 15 degrees at the end of the Dawn wind leg the speed should be about 140 or 150 and at least three generators must be on the co-pilot lowers the flaps 15 degrees after the pilot makes the procedure turn the altitude should be 2260 feet the co-pilot lowers the flaps to 25 degrees the pilot sets the manifold pressure selector to position 8 and adjust the propellers to 2100 RPM just before the final turn the engineer checks the magnetos and turns the Boost pumps on around the turn on the Final Approach speed should be at least 140 altitude 800 feet also six generators should be on finally the co-pilot lowers the flaps all the way and calls out AirSpeed and hydraulic pressures the ship descends to the runway after the airplanes on the ground turbos come off and propellers are set to full increase RPM the engineer switches the Boost pumps off and opens the car flaps all the way we're back where we were before tell the Bombardier to come forward and open the Bombay doors the door should always be kept open when the ship is standing still to prevent the accumulation of gas fumes next turn off all the switches then you can get rid of some of your equipment that remains inside the ship and climb out for the after flight inspection yes you start with an inspection and finish with an inspection if there was anything wrong now is the time to find out about it and now is the time to correct it yes this is the airplane that you've been promised now it's up to you to weld this airplane and its crew into a single irresistible instrument of Destruction that can be your promise to us [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] if you enjoyed this video please remember to like And subscribe and as always thank you for watching [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: DroneScapes

Views: 40,036

Keywords: curtis lemay, strategic bombing, general curtis lemay, pacific war, aviation, airplanes, aircraft, air force, history, documentary, documentary channel, dronescapes, bombing of tokyo, military history, b-29 superfortress, b-29 bomber, world war ii, cold war documentary, AdKey:3-Xg6wP8wBnrop, pearl harbour, Second world war, world war 2, cold war, Hiroshima, hiroshima bomb, nuclear bomb, oppenheimer, documentary history, history documentary, history of the world

Id: gvt-pPEQogY

Length: 59min 15sec (3555 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 29 2023