Nice but too small
"If the sculp was 20% larger it would be good. It is a bit small for a B-29 but other than that it is okay." anonymous - Thursday, December 16, 2021
USAAF B-29 Superfortress
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USAAF B-29 Superfortress Summary
3D Print B-29 Superfortress by HBGThe story of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a story of superlatives. Everything about it was extraordinary for the time. The B-29 was designed for long-range, high-altitude strategic bombing. It could fly higher, farther and faster than any other bomber, and often was at an altitude that made it impervious to Japanese defenses. The B-29 had a loaded range of around 4,000 miles, could carry a bomb load of up to 20,000 pounds, had a combat ceiling in excess of 36,000 feet, and travelled at a maximum speed of over 350 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 230 miles per hour. No other bomber in the world approached its capabilities.
One of the largest aircraft of World War II, the B-29 had state-of-the-art technology, including a pressurized cabin, dual-wheeled, tricycle landing gear, and an analog computer-controlled fire-control system that allowed one gunner and a fire-control officer to direct four remote machine gun turrets. The $3 billion cost of design and production (equivalent to $43 billion today), far exceeding the $1.9 billion cost of the Manhattan Project, made the B-29 program the most expensive of the war.
The Superfortress also influenced US strategy in the Pacific, by allowing strategists to bypass the Japanese stronghold in the Caroline Islands and instead turn their attention to the Marianas Islands. Their decision was influenced in part by the availability of the new B-29 bomber, which could easily reach the mainland of Japan some 1,500 miles away from the Marianas islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Guam.
The computer controlled gunnery system also turned out to be quite effective and may be the most often overlooked capability of the aircraft. During high altitude bombing, Japanese fighter aircraft struggled to attain the altitude to attack the B-29 and when it did, the fighter's performance was greatly reduced, so the attacks were not ideal and the fighters suffered correspondingly. However later in the war, bombing strategy shifted to low altitude nigth bombing where the bomber was more exposed. According to the Army Air Forces Statistical Digest published in December 1945, in the 13-month period from August 1944 to the war’s end in August 1945, B-29s were responsible for the destruction of 914 enemy aircraft in the air with a loss of just 72 of their own to enemy aircraft during more than 31,000 combat sorties flown. This is an incredible 12.7:1 kill ratio. One B-29 was rammed by two fighters and proceeded to shoot down 12 more in a single mission.
The B-29's advanced design allowed it to remain in service in various roles throughout the 1950s. The type was retired in the early 1960s after 3,970 of them had been built.
In a strange twist of fate, 3 B-29's had to make emergency landings in Russia, which was not at war with Japan at the time. The bombers were interred and not returned to the US. Russian leaders saw the devastation strategic bombing wrought in Europe and the Soviet Union had no bomber that could fulfill this role. Therefore Stalin ordered the B-29's be copied by taking them apart and reverse-engineering the components. The result was the look-alike Tupolev Tu-4, of which 847 were produced.
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