A pair of machine guns were installed in the tail to counter any incoming interceptors. A pair of 12.7mm machine guns were installed in a chin position with another two-gun system mounted under the rear fuselage. Four were installed in an electrically-operated dorsal turret while a second dorsal turret fitted two more. The B-29 fitted a bevy of 12.7mm Browning M2 heavy machine guns for self-defense.
As such, night time bombing campaigns grew in number as the B-29 continued serving under the new USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC). Several modified - or converted - models of the B-29 were used exclusively for crew training, as dedicated Search and Rescue (SAR) systems, dedicated reconnaissance platforms outfitted with camera and weather survey platforms before the end of the aircraft's production run.īy the time of the Korean War, daylight bombing runs had become becoming increasingly costly to B-29 crews due to the arrival of the Soviet-built, single-seat, jet-powered Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 "Fagot" fighters. This armament arrangement represented a vast departure from any bomber defenses fielded during the war, though necessitated by the B-29's high operating altitude (the B-17 still utilized some open-air machine gun ports, exposing the crew to the bitter cold temperatures of high-level flight). All weapon systems were held in electrically-powered turret "barbettes" operated by way of integrated periscopes and fitted in dorsal, ventral and tail gun positions. Crew accommodations included ten personnel made up of pilots, bombardiers, navigators, specialists and dedicated gunners. The pencil-like fuselage was heavily-glazed at the nose and provided the characteristic appearance for the series. The B-29 Superfortress was a mid-wing monoplane design centered around a tubular fuselage powered by four large air-cooled radial piston engines.
The first of three "XB-29" prototypes took to the air in 1942 with government orders already secured for over 1,500 production-quality units.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7th, 1941), the B-29 program was pushed into full gear as the need for modern bombers was apparent. The B-29 program began slowly and appeared prior to America's entry into World War 2. The range requirement was of particular note due to the vast distances encountered in the Pacific. The B-29, like the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress before it, was developed to a US Army Air Corps (USAAC) requirement for a high-level heavy bomber capable of extended operational ranges and increased payloads while operating at speeds nearing 400 miles per hour.
However, the bomber series would go one to serve extensively throughout the upcoming Korean War (1950-1953), solidifying its place in American military aviation history. The Boeing B-29 only served in the Pacific Theater against the Empire of Japan during the war and was never called to action over Europe as the war against Germany was winding down by April-May of 1945. However, before the B-29 signaled the beginning of the end of the conflict, it served as a nearly untouchable, high-altitude, heavy bombing platform with revolutionary technologies incorporated throughout her impressive design. The Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" will forever be linked to the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to help end World War 2 ("Bock's Car" and the "Enola Gay" were the selected aircraft).