The Boeing B-29 Superfortress not only brought
one of the world's largest and most brutal conflicts to a shocking end by delivering the
atomic bombs on top of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but it also revolutionized combat
aviation technology as a whole. With a staggering wingspan of 141 feet and
a total 99-foot length from nose to tail, the colossal aircraft was the heaviest bomber in
the world when it flew for the first time in 1942. Moreover, it had two enormous bomb bays that could
carry the most massive payloads of any warplane. The Superfortress was engineered as one of
the first warplanes with a pressurized cabin, and it was able to fly so high that
no Japanese aircraft could reach it. The project was the most expensive and
ambitious military undertaking by the US military of its time, costing even more than the
Manhattan Project that created the atomic bomb. Still, as the US appeared to have
reached supremacy over the skies, the most advanced bomber in the
world was stolen by its wartime ally, sending America into a desperate
pursuit to get it back… The Need for a Superfortress In 1938, Europe was struggling to
appease an ever more defiant Hitler in the west. And in the far east, Imperial Japan
was aggressively expanding over Chinese territory in a bold move to establish itself
as the leading Asian superpower. American military strategists knew
a significant conflict was brewing and needed to plan for a possible involvement. When it came to air bombardment capabilities,
they felt the US could do an adequate job over European territory, but if a war against
Japan broke out, their recently developed B-17 Flying Fortress bomber did not have the
range nor the ideal altitude to pose a threat. The most significant issue the US faced when
considering war in the Pacific was range, and its bombers would not be capable of sustaining
the vast distances between one island to another, especially Japan’s main one. An aircraft with increased range was required,
but the task was not as simple as equipping a new bomber with a more powerful engine. The
answer lay in altitude; if a bomber could fly at a higher altitude with less air density
and resistance, the fuel would last longer. Boeing Steps In Boeing soon began experimenting with pressurized
long-range bomber designs in an attempt to reach higher altitudes. However, pressurized
cabins were a novel concept at the time. The Air Corps didn't have the funds
to finance much experimentation, but Boeing’s executives were
so determined and confident in the technology’s military prospects
that the company funded the venture. A prototype called Model 334 was then born, which was a pressurized derivative
of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Then, in April of 1939, reports surfaced
of Germany's mass production of bombers, and legendary pilot Charles Lindbergh
convinced general Henry H. Arnold to produce a new bomber in large numbers so
that America could be ready to face the Germans. By December, the Air Corps formally issued a
specification for a so-called "superbomber" that could deliver 20,000 pounds of bombs to a target
2,667 miles away at a speed of 400 miles per hour. As the request reached all major
aircraft manufacturers in America, Boeing had a significant advantage, as their
Model 334 met many of the requirements. Boeing's proposal was officially submitted in May
of 1940. After being accepted, it was codenamed XB-29, and the Air Corps tasked the aircraft
manufacturer with producing three prototypes. Development Setbacks The development of what would become
the B-29 Superfortress was complex and logistically problematic. Many of the obstacles
stemmed from the pressurized cabin imperative, which forced Boeing to go with a circular
cross-section and stepless cockpit design. Both features were chosen to facilitate even
distribution of pressure within the cabin, and they immediately gave
the aircraft a distinct look. By now, the world was at war, and
there was tremendous pressure on Boeing to deliver its new generation of bombers. However, Boeing had to employ five different factories to
manufacture the various sections of the aircraft. Thousands of subcontractors also worked on the
project, but a series of setbacks delayed the final production. Still, the Air Corps placed
an order for 500 B-29 Superfortresses in 1942. Several tests took place with the
second prototype the following year, but the hasty production cycle led to
tragic shortcomings. On February 18, an aircraft taking off from Boeing Field in
Seattle experienced an engine fire and crashed. Most of the issues with the B-29 had to do with
the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines, which were a relatively new technology
and suffered from many stability issues. After the tragedy, Boeing engineers added cuffs
on the propeller blades to divert a greater cooling air flow into the intakes. Oil flow to the
valves was also increased, and asbestos baffles were installed around rubber push rod fittings to
prevent oil loss. In addition, thorough pre-flight inspections were instituted to detect unseated
valves, and mechanics frequently replaced the engines’ cylinders. In fact, the entire engine
would be replaced every 75 hours of flight time. Due to the unrelenting developing pace, many subsequent modifications were conducted
after the aircraft were already built. An Engineering Marvel In 1943, many modified B-29 bombers became
available to the US military for the first time. The aircraft was still considered an immature
bomber, prone to failures and sudden fires, but the pressure to deliver the new super
bomber to the battlefront was too big. Despite its shortcomings, the Superfortress was
the most technologically advanced bomber of World War 2, with several distinctive features such
as guns that could be fired by remote control. Also, it had two pressurized crew areas
connected by a long tube over the bomb bays and a separate pressurized area for the gunner. The B-29 was actually the first
pressurized American aviation bomber and the world's heaviest production plane due to
its fuel load and bomb bay capacity requirements. The pressurized cabin allowed the
aircraft to reach altitudes of up to 31,850 feet at a speed of over 350 miles
per hour. For many of the Axis warplanes, especially the Japanese, reaching the same
altitude as a Superfortress was impossible, rendering the American bomber
practically immune to enemy interception. A Promise The B-29 was initially intended
to be used against Germany first, and then it would be used in the Pacific;
however, due to the constant delays, the US military continued to use
the B-17 for the Western campaign. When the B-29 was finally deployed, it
was based in the Chinese region of Chengdu to fulfill a promise the US had made to China
of attacking Japan from their territory. The B-29 would conduct most of its sorties
from Chinese forward bases, first attacking Japanese assets within China and Manchuria
and then venturing into the Japanese islands. The B-29 was used in thousands
of raids against Japan, and the constant bombings
brought Japan to its knees. On July 31, 1944, the B-29 Ramp Tramp of the
United States Army Air Force 462nd (Very Heavy) Bomb Group experienced an engine failure after a
bombing run to Manchuria that included over 100 combat planes. The bomber was urgently diverted
to Vladivostok, Russia, for an emergency landing. After landing safely, the crew were taken off the premises and
were not allowed back to the aircraft. Stolen In a politically defiant move, the
Soviet Union enforced a particular clause from the Pacific War Pact that
specified that they had no obligation to return foreign assets from a military
force fighting in the Pacific conflict. The scheme had a much more cynical purpose; for
decades, Soviet development of modern four-engine heavy bombers had lagged significantly compared
to Western powers. The Soviet Petlyakov Pe-8 had been the most used bomber by the Red Army,
but it paled in comparison to the novel B-29. Joseph Stalin asked President
Franklin D. Roosevelt several times to supply the Soviet Union with B-29s
under the US military aid program. The US did give the Soviets over 11 billion
dollars in war materials, but it would never give them a groundbreaking weapon that could
be used against the Americans at some point. As an opportunity arose to catch up with
the US, Stalin didn't hesitate to steal the state-of-the-art aircraft to study
its technology and reverse-engineer it. Along with the Ramp Tramp, a few other
B-29s were forced to land in Russia, and all of them were seized and taken
into a secret compound in Moscow where the Tupolev aircraft manufacturer was tasked with
replicating the Superfortress to the last bolt. One of the bombers was dismantled entirely, the
other was used as a reference, and the remaining was used for flight tests. US authorities
used all their diplomatic resources to get the bombers back, but Stalin would not budge. After two years, Tupolev managed to create its
own version of the Superfortress named Tu-4, but it lacked the precise materials
the US had used on the original one. Delivering the A-bombs The two most iconic B-29 units were the Enola Gay and the Bockscar. Those two bombers were
chosen as part of the Silverplate series, the particular unit tasked with delivering
the atomic bombs to Japanese cities. These Silverplate bombers were
heavily modified for the unique task and were fitted with fuel injection
systems and reversible props. In addition, they were stripped of all guns
except those on the tail to make them lighter. Pilot Charles Sweeney would later credit
the reversible props for saving Bockscar after making an emergency landing on
Okinawa after the Nagasaki bombing. The modifications made the two B-29s the
most capable bomber planes in the world and the only aircraft capable of accomplishing
such a dangerous and extended mission. Enola Gay dropped the first bomb, Little
Boy, on top of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Bockscar delivered the second bomb,
Fat Man, on top of Nagasaki three days later. The events not only cemented the B-29s as the
aircraft that delivered the most damage to Japan but also as the one that finally put
an end to the war in the Pacific. Thank you for watching our video! If you
enjoyed this story, don’t hesitate to check out our other Dark Documentary channels
for more exciting history-inspired content. And click on the bell icon to be notified
of our newest videos. Stay tuned!
