The Boing B-29 Superfortress was a state-of-the-art plane when it first rolled off production lines in 1944-1945. Each plane cost an average $640,000. These specifications are typical of B-29s like the Star Duster.
Size & Weight
| Length | 100 ft. |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 141 ft. |
| Height | 29 ft. |
| Empty Weight | 74,500 lbs. |
Powerplant
The B-29 had four Wright 3350 Cyclone engines with 18 cylinders in radial configuration. Each engine had two General Electric B-11 superchargers gave the engine 2,200 HP at takeoff. The engines turned Hamilton Standard, 16ft. diameter, four-blade propellers with hydraulically operated variable pitch and feathering.
Performance
| Maximum Speed | 375 MPH |
|---|---|
| Cruising Speed | 200-250 MPH |
| Total Weight, Normal Loading | 120,000 lbs. |
| Total Weight, Combat Loading | 140,000 lbs. |
| Operational Radius | 1,600 miles |
| Ferry (One-way) Range | 5,600 miles |
| Ceiling | 33,000 ft. |
Fuel and Bomb Capacity
In combat conditions the B-29 was frequently loaded to carry almost its own weight, and additional 70,000 lbs., in bombs, fuel, and ammunition. It is really difficult to say just how much ordinance a Superfortress could carry to a target as this depended on several variables as distance to the target and altitude of the attack would affect how much fuel was needed to accomplish the objective. Since most targets were around 1,200 miles from Saipan this variable was the least likely to change. High altitude missions required more fuel than low altitude raids. Most B-29s could carry about 8,000 gal. of high octane gasoline. This amount of fuel added 52,000 lbs. to the weight of the plane.
On high altitude missions the average bomb load was a low as 5,000 lbs. This could be increased by bombing from lower altitudes. And when the decision was made to reduce ammunition and even leave guns behind bomb loads increased to 20,000 lbs.
Armament
The typical B-29 was armed with twelve, 50 calibre machine guns mounted in five turrets around the plane. The top forward turret had four guns, the rest had two each. Early model B-29s also had a 20 mm cannon in the tail turret, but this was deleted because the firing rate did not match that of the machine guns and caused problems. The turrets were remotely controlled.
Central Fire Control
The Central Fire Control System was an analog computer that aimed the guns on the target and corrected for things like bullet drop due to gravity, windage due to the B-29 moving through the air, leading a moving target, etc.
The CFC also allowed the gunners to share gun turrets. The table below shows which positions had primary and secondary control of the various turrets on the plane.
| Turrett | Primary Control | Secondary Control |
|---|---|---|
| Top Forward | Bombardier | Top (CFC) Gunner |
| Bottom Forward | Bombardier | Shared between Left and Right Gunners |
| Top Rear | Top (CFC) Gunner | (none) |
| Bottom Rear | Shared between Left and Right Gunner | (none) |
| Tail | Tail Gunner | Shared between Left and Right Gunner |
Bombing
Once the bombs were released over the target they simply fell to the ground below. Since there was no way to guide the bombs once they were released they had to be aimed with a special telescope called a bombsight necessitating a bomb run of straight and level flight while the plane was flown over the target until the bombs were released. The Norden bombsight was used on the B-29. This sight was connected to the plane's instrumentation and autopilot system to make bombing as accurate as possible.
A number of variables such as altitude, air speed, wind speed and direction, etc. had to be calculated to drop the bombs on target. The Norden sight could make course corrections to the autopilot so the plane would fly directly over the target.
Radar
Most B-29s of World War II were equipped with an AN/APQ-13 radar for bombing and providing navigational aid. The antenna was located in a dome between the two bomb bays and provided a low resolution image of the ground below the plane. This was used to locate the bombing target in cloudy (undercast) conditions.
Crew
Each Superfortress had an eleven man crew. The first four positions listed below were officers. The flight engineer started out as an officer's position but quickly became filled by enlisted personnel.
- Aircraft Commander (commonly called the Pilot)
- Pilot (commonly called the Copilot)
- Bombardier
- Navigator
- Flight Engineer
- Radio Operator
- Radar Operator
- Central Fire Control (Top) Gunner
- Left Gunner
- Right Gunner
- Tail Gunner
Pressurization
The B-29 was the first combat aircraft to have a pressurized cabin. This meant that above 10,000 ft. the crew could continue to fly without oxygen masks and in short sleeve shirts.
