Now I know that Superfortresses weren’t used in combat missions over Europe, but weren’t some ferried across during the war? I seem to recall something along those lines. It was some kind of morale boosting thing. Anybody got the poop on that?
Gosh darnit! (Ain’t I wholesome?) A few months ago that very topic came up on this site, and it was bandied about quite a bit, and as I recall we had some pretty good research sources cited about it, but I can’t remember the whole story. Or even part of it. Does anyone remember that discussion in more detail than me, since I dont recall any of the details at all?
Gosh Darnit??? [%-)]
Very good, Tom!!! [tup] [^] Proud of you.
But, I don’t recall the thread myself. Sorry. [sigh]
Randie [C):-)]
I remember the topic, but I forgot where it is. [:D] Actually I cannot find it. Some B-29s flew through Europe to get to Thailand and SE Asia I believe. But the Japs penetrated the interior and the B-29s had to get out of town so to speak.
I’ve seen pics of some of the green and grey B-29s. I think they were in Europe for a little while, but again cannot remember when.
Just do a Google search you’ll find the info you’re looking for.
What I remember is, that it was decided they needed the '29’s range in the Pacific, and that the 17’s anbd 24’s were doing the job in Europe. Last night’s History Channel on secret Luftwaffe weapons talked about using B-32’s in Europe in 1946. Don’t know where they got that info.
Didn’t the B-32’s, what few they had, actually do a few bombing missions over Thailand or Burma or French Indochina? I’m almost sure I read that somewhere. It was only like two or four aircraft, and they found a lot of problems with them. Sounds like an early version of what happened when the F-111 was sent to Vietnam in 1968, Operation Combat Lancer or something like that, before it was ready. All six aircraft were lost, and it was found that the great big pin in the carry-through box that each wing pivots on was faulty, at least in some of them, and the wings were failing. I don’t know how the others were lost. But they didn’t reappear, if I remember correctly, until Linebacker 1 in 1972. And then the F-111 went on to be a real winner which I hated to see go out of the inventory. At least the Aussies are keeping theirs for some time to come.
As for the B-29s, I’m still at a loss, but someone’s got to remember, because it was a long thread and went on a few days.
I also remebering seeing images of olive drab superforts (at leat one) being sent to England towards the end of the war in a non-combative role. I think it was very early production model (maybe even one of the prototypes) that was used by having images of it get in to Germany with the idea it might have propoganda value for the German people see the new American ‘super bomber’
During WWII we gave (or sold) the British a few B-29’s. I think their code name was “Washington”. I don’t know anything beyond that but now my curiosity is
aroused and I’m gonna search around and see what I can find.
Ray
Wait, that reminds me that I seem to recall a couple (or more) B-29s were sent to fly over Berlin just after VE day, for the political purpose of letting the Russians know what we could use to defend the rest of Europe, should they get any ideas about carving out more than they had. Can anybody confirm this? Or correct me?
OOPS!!! Darn, these sneakers taste good! The B-29 didn’t enter service with the
RAF until August, 1950 and stayed around there until sometime in 1953
Guess old age is getting to me.
Ray
The B-32 Dominator was flown in limited numbers. Only 15 aircraft were to become operational before VJ-Day (plus another 40 training examples), The 312th BG’s 386th BS was the only unit to fly the B-32 in combat at the end of WWII. A total of 118 were built.
Based on what I have read in the past, several B-29’s did make it to England in late 1944 or early 1945. The ideal was to make the Germans and Japanese think that the aircraft was going to the ETO before they went to the Pacific. I have seen German recon pictures of B-29s on the ground in England and copies of the German identification posters depicting the B-29.
The British didn’t get the B-29’s until the early 1950s. They wanted them because none of their current (at that time) heavy bombers (Lincoln etc) were not nuclear capable. I think they operated them as the Washington until late '54 when they were replaced by the first of the “V” bombers and returned to the USAF. The RAF was the only foriegn air force supplied from US stocks (as opposed to the USSR’s Tu20 Bull which has to be one of the greatest examples of reverse engineering in history)
I remember seeing something about the B-29 in Russia on the History Channel. Somehow a couple of them got left behind in Russia, I want to say three. I guess the U.S. figured oh well, what could happen. Then some American officials were in Russia a few years later while the Russians were parading around their arms when a fleet of ‘new’ Russian bombers flew by. The Americans were in disbelief. The Russians had taken them apart & litterally copied them. The documentary went on to say how difficult it became for the Russians because their system of measurements was different from ours (inches/feet to millimeters/meters) making it hard to create exact duplicates of parts.
The Russians got their “China Copy” B 29 as it was called from China. I’m pretty certain the B 29 never made it to “Europe” before the war ended. There was no need for it after late 44 anyway… The B29 was designed for the Pacific War. The British flew the B 29 in late 40s and early 50s… Called it the Washington. It was the UKs first Nuke bomber too.
According to the squadron Publications “B29 Superfortress in action” there were 3
B29s loaned to the RAFon 27 Jan 1950 and 85 B29a which the RAF designated Washington B MkI They remained in service for three years. By 1954 the remaining 70 flyable aircraft were returned to the US and were were replaced by the Briish Canberra Jet bombers
I think some of the early Pacific-based B-29’s had green camo, then it was just the fuel transporting Superforts that had paint at all.
As far as I know there was only one B-29 that went to Europe in WWII. I DO have two pictures of it while it was there as well, but its on a computer 200 miles away at home. It did have an OD over neutral gray scheme as well. From that I dont know of any more B-29’s being in Europe until just after VJ day. They’re is a General Earl Johnson on the B-29 yahoo group and he was on the round the world flight from the Marianas through to the US by way of Europe. I’m not so sure it was to show the Russians up though but heres a link to his story. http://home.att.net/~sallyann4/rtw1.html
All of the B-29’s the Russians stole came from Vladivostok. Its a much shorter flight there instead of all the way back to the Marianas. In fact one of the Doolittle raiders landed a Vladivostok after their raid.
Some of the very first forts were sent to be squad tested in Erope. They did do a few missions. I read this in a book when I was younger and dont remember the books title, but I remember clear as day the first few forts produced were used in europe on a very limited (IE like 3-4 missions). They were od over grey too.
I don’t mean to contradict you or anything but I have never read anything of B-29’s being used in Europe operationally. The only one I ever heard of was the one sent through as a decoy of sorts. I’m sure if they were operational units of B-29’s in Europe in any capacity that it would have had much more documentation and a lot more photographs. The two pictures of the B-29 at Bassinbourne I have came from an 8th AF officer who visited it on the line during the visit. They weren’t permitted to take a picture up close and both the pictures he took were from a distance. One of my good friends from Sallyann’s B-29 site also has the most complete registry of B-29’s I know of. He lives just a few miles away from my apartment at TTU and I’ve had the privlege of looking over the list for hours on end. I’ve seen every serial number from every B-29 (almost 4000) including notes such as commander, departure locations, mission log’s and such. He also has listed what they became after the war, eg. Washingtons, KB-29’s etc.
A B-29 actually being used in Europe would be so unique an event that it would be a well documented event that would be well known to those on the B-29 group as well to other researchers.
Thanks guys, I knew that if anybody could tell me, it would be in this forum.