The B-29 Superfortress is an American long-range, pressurized-cabin heavy bomber built by Boeing, entering United States Army Air Forces service in 1944 for the strategic bombing campaign against Japan in the Pacific theater of the Second World War. Its pressurized crew compartments, remotely controlled defensive gun turrets and very long range represented a major technical advance over earlier heavy bombers, allowing sustained high-altitude missions over Japan from island bases such as the Mariana Islands, and B-29s conducted an extended campaign of incendiary raids against Japanese cities under General Curtis LeMay from early 1945 onward. The aircraft earned its lasting historical significance as the only type ever to deliver a nuclear weapon in war, when the modified B-29s Enola Gay and Bockscar dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, bringing the war to its end within days.
Facts
Weapon Class Introduced YearThe type first flew 21 September 1942; 1944 is written as the combat-entry year, when the first B-29 combat mission was flown. Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) Connections
Associated With
World War II, Wars The B-29 Superfortress carried out the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, including the atomic bombings, in World War II
Operated By
Source Wikipedia: B-29 Superfortress
Used In
Source Wikipedia: B-29 Superfortress
Sources
1. Wikipedia: B-29 Superfortress
WikipediaOpening definition, first sentence
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the USAAF and USAF during World War II and the Korean War.
Operational history, World War II, Marianas campaign paragraph
The first B-29 arrived on Saipan on 12 October 1944, and the first combat mission was launched from there on 28 October 1944, with 14 B-29s attacking the Truk atoll.
service status
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
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
Used In: Korean War, Wikipedia article text
The tail gunner shot down a MiG, and the remaining Migs were engaged by their P-51 escort (9 November 1950).|220x220px ===Korean War and postwar service=== The B-29 was used in 1950-1953 in the Korean War.
Operated By: United States Air Force, Wikipedia article text
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the USAAF and USAF during World War II and the Korean War.
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