B-29A "Superfortress"

B-29A "Superfortress". . The B-29 design began early in 1940 in response to specifications for a high altitude long range "Superbomber" to replace the B-17 and B-24 bombers. The Boeing XB-29 prototype first flew in September 1942. Part of the advance design featured a fuselage divided into three pressurized compartments. The nose and back midsection were connected by a tunnel and the tail gunner area was a separate pressurized compartment. Another feature includes the installation of a remote control fire system directing the gun turrets from scanner stations. All B-29s were assigned to 20th Air Force that originally started in the China-Burma-India Theater. Later, final bombing operations were carried out from the captured islands of the Marianas in the Pacific. World War II ended with the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. By 1950, the B-29s were recalled for combat service during the Korean War. During the post-war period, some flew with the Royal Air Force out of England. Both China and Russia produced exact copies called Tu-4s. This WB-29A (serial number 44-62220) is painted to represent the first B-29 (serial number 42-24614) to land on Saipan on October 12, 1944 while assigned to the 873rd Bombardment Squadron, 498th Bombardment Group, 73rd Bombardment Wing., This aerospace vehicle (B-29A) is a part of the USAF Heritage Program Collection.