Part One of a presentation about "FIFI", the World's Only Flying B-29 Superfortress. Part One - "B-29 History" Presenters: Keville Miller and Konley Kelley (Oct 2011)

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2. “FIFI’s” first flight with new engines
PLAY MOVIE
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3. Meet Keville Miller
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4. Agenda
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The Story of the B-29 Superfortress
“FIFI’s” story
“FIFI’s” new mission
“FIFI’s” 2010-2011 Adventures
B-29/B-24 Squadron
- Our Mission, Planes
and People
Support “FIFI”
Q&A
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5. History of the B-29 Superfortress
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6. Heavy Bombers of WW2
Avro Lancaster (British)
B-17 Flying Fortress (U.S.)
B-29 Superfortress (U.S.)
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B-24 Liberator (U.S.)

7. 1940 Dayton, OH
● Boeing gets contract to build the next super bomber.
● 3 weeks later, Model 341 Design is ready
Phillip Johnson
President & General Manager
Boeing Airplane Co.
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8. Six Desireables
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Pressurized aircraft
Tricycle landing gear
Greater speed
Greater range
Bomb capacity
Bomb payload interchangeability
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9. Pass around “FIFI” Skin / Fabric
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10. Meeting the desireables…plus!
● Electronically-controlled remote
control guns
● Increased armor
● Norden bomb site
● Self-sealing fuel tanks
The design, development and manufacturing
of the B-29 Superfortress cost
$1B more than the Manhattan Project
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11. B-29 Military Specifications
Maximum Speed (at 25,000 ft.)
…………………………………………………………………..310 mph
Cruising Speed
…………………………………………………………………………………………….220
mph
Service Ceiling
……………………………………………………………………………………………..33,00
0 ft.
Gross Weight (military load)
…………………………………………………………………….147,000 lbs.
Wing Span
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
..141 ft.
Fuselage Length
…………………………………………………………………………………………………99
ft.
Range ……………………………………………………………………………………………
3,700-4,500 miles
Standard armament ……………………………………………………….12 .50
caliber machine guns
Bomb load
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12. Boeing B-29 compared to Boeing 737
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13. Where would the Superfortresses be built?
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14. Who built them?
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17. Component makers
Royal Typewriter, Connecticut
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made small parts for aircraft
engines
Singer Sewing Machine
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made computers for the B29
CFC
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made dome doors,
binoculars,Norden Bomb Site
parts reflectors for
searchlights
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Wright 3350 engines
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gunsights
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pressurized nose sections,
leading edges, engine
cowlings
BF Goodrich, Ohio
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gun turrets, tire tubes
AO Smith
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landing gears, life raft fabric
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propeller blades, landing
gears, nose gears, nose
assemblies
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stitching wax for fabric on
planes, scouring powder to
keep them shiney
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Shell cases for ammunition
Bausch and Lomb, New York
Chrysler, Chicago
Kodak, New York
DeSoto, Texas
Firestone, Ohio
Globe Crayon, Ohio
American Desk, Texas
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18. Pass around
“FIFI” spark plug
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19. Troublesome Wright R-3350 Engines
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20. Test Flights – Triumph and Tragedy
Eddie Allen, Chief B-29 Test Pilot
First flight, September 17, 1942
Bob Robbins
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21. “Battle of Kansas”
44 percent of all B-29’s made in Kansas
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22. B-29 Crew
● 11 man crew
● Training
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23. B-29 Crew
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Aircraft Commander
Pilot
Bombardier
Navigator
Flight Engineer
Radio Operator
CFC Officer
Left Gunner
Right Gunner
Radar Operator
Tail Gunner
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24. Aircraft Commander and Pilot
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25. Bombardier
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26. Navigator
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27. Flight Engineer
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28. Radio Operator
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29. Central Fire Control Officer
Left and Right Gunners
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30. Radar Operator
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31. Tail Gunner
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32. Testimonials from B-29 Veterans
PLAY MOVIE
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33. The Beginning of Service – India/China
“Flying over the Hump”
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34. Attacking Japan - Challenges and Hardships
● Runway Construction
and Chinese laborers
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35. Attacking Japan - Challenges and Hardships
● Munitions, Supplies, Fuel, Equipment
167,285 trips
740,000 tons of materials
701 major accidents
460 aircraft lost
792 men lost
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36. Attacking Japan
20th Air Force
CBI Operations
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37. Attacking Japan - Challenges and Hardships
● Weather
● Jet Stream
● BTO
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38. First B-29 Strike Against Japan
● June 15, 1944
● 68 B-29’s take off from bases around Chengdu.
● 49 reach target and bomb the Imperial Iron and Steel
Works at Yahata, Japan
● Three B-29’s lost on mission
● Only one bomb strikes factory
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39. B-29 Commanders
General Henry “Hap” Arnold
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General Curtis Lemay and Brigadier General Haywood Hansell

40. Early Missions - Disappointing Results
● Taking in all factors involved
in high altitude bombing,
it could take 400 B-29’s to
assure the destruction of
one industrial target
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41. The Foe
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Artwork by Jim Dietz

42. Japanese fighters
Shiden
Zeke
Oscar
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43. Anti-Aircraft Flak
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44. Aerial “Kamikaze”
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Artwork by Roy Grinnell

45. Pass around .50 cal bullet
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46. Debating the costs in lives and planes
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47. To Fight Another Day
47 by Brian Bateman
Artwork

48. Marianas Campaign – Taking Saipan, Guam
and Tinian
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49. Seabees
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50. Tinian
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52. Primitive living conditions
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53. Ground Crews
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54. Ground Crews
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55. Ground Crews – filler-up!
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56. Bombs carried by the B-29
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57. Nose Art
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58. B-29 Nose Art
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59. B-29 Tail Markings
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60. Importance of Battle of Iwo Jima
Artwork by John Shaw
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61. Change in Bombing Strategy
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62. Change in Bombing Strategy
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Incendiaries
Target Cities
Low Altitude
Night Raids
“Operation Meetinghouse”
Night of March 10, 1945
334 B-29s dropping incendiaries
267,000 buildings; ~25% of city destroyed
100,000 people killed
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63. Civilian Warning Leaflet
Dear Japanese Citizens,
Don’t you want to save your, your families’ or your friends’ lives? If you do, please read this note carefully.
Within a few days, the US Air Force will attack military facilities in 4 or 5 cities which are listed on the back of this paper.
There are military bases and/or manufacturing facilities that produce military related products in these cities. The US Air Force will destroy all military
equipment which is used for this war that Japan has no chance to win. We don’t know where the bomb will fall exactly since the bomb has no eyes. Since
America is humanitarian, we don’t want to hurt innocent people. Please stay away from these cities.
You are not America’s enemy. The Japanese military that is dragging on this war is our enemy. We can help to build a better Japan and your peaceful life
without Japanese military pressure.
Why don’t you find a new leader who can stop this war?
There is a possibility that other cities will be attacked, but we will surely attack at least 4 cities on the back of this paper.
We are warning you in advance to stay away from the cities listed on the back.
Tokyo, Ujiyamada, Tsu, Koriyama, Hakodate, Nagaoka, Uwajima, Kurume, Ichinomiya, Ogaki, Nishinomiya
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64. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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65. Korean War
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66. B-29’s based at Okinawa
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67. New Tactics – Dangerous Enemy
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68. B-29 role in Korea evolves
● Tanker
● Transport
● Jets carry
nukes
November 1, 1954
USAF retires the last
B-29 from service
F-84 Thunderjet
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69. What happened to B-29’s that survived the war?
Scrap, Target practice, forgotten
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70. “Enola Gay” at National Air & Space Museum
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