Welcome
to B-29 Superfortress Then and Now. This site is comprised totally of
stories, photographs, diaries and articles written by B-29 veterans
or their offspring. It is my virtual memorial to these men and women
and the amazing B-29 Superfortress. You can navigate this site by using
the buttons at the left or by clicking on the Site Index Page. I have
a B-29 mailing list associated with this site which you are also welcome
to join. I hope you enjoy your journey here . . .
-Sallyann
Wagoner
44-70113
1944-1945
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44-70113
Today
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The
B-29 Superfortress was born in response to the Army Air Corps demand
for a bomber capable of flying 400 miler per hour, carrying a ton of
bombs, and flying missions up to 5,000 miles. There were 3,965 of these
beauties produced at four different plants, one of which was Bell Aircraft
(now Lockheed-Martin) located in Marietta, Georgia. Six hundred sixty-eight
B-29's were produced here. The first B-29s rolled off the production
lines at Bell-Atlanta (Marietta) in February of 1944.
44-70113
(pictured
above) was built in Wichita, KS in late 1944. She was assigned to the
20th Air Force, the 73rd Bomb Wing, the 500th Bomb Group and carried
the squadron number 58. The Z identifies the Group. Crews flew her in
1945 in WWII combat missions over Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Kobe, Japan.
She is credited with shooting down 3 Japanese fighters and 5 POW missions.
She flew a total of 27 combat missions one of which was on the last
day of WWII. She was decommissioned in 1956 and stored until the Marietta
B-29 association sponsored her restoration in 1994. She was assembled
and prepared through a joint effort between reserve and civilian Air
Force personnel at Robins AFB, Westover AFB and Dobbins AFB.
Members of
Ray Clinkscales crew receiving medals that day are (L to R): Ray
Clinkscales-
pilot, Bob Spicer-navigator, Tom Benwell-co-pilot, Jim Wride-flight
engineer, and Ed Strubble-bombardier.
To see Flash animation of the above photo click here
Flash player needed click here
Statistics
for the B-29 are as follows:
Boeing B-29 (nicknamed the Superfortress)
Length 99'0" (30.17M), Height 27'9" (8.46M), Wingspan
141'3" (43.05M)
Wing area: 1739.00 Sq Ft (161.54Sq M), Empty Weight: 69610.0lbs
(31569.0Kg)
Gross Weight: 140000lbs (63492.0Kg), Max Weight: 141100lbs (63990.0Kg)
Number of engines: 4
Powerplant: Wright R-3350-23, 2200 Horsepower each
Range: 5830 miles (9388.00 Km)
Cruise Speed: 220.00 mph ( 354.00 Km/H / 191.35 Kt)
Max Speed: 365.00 Mph ( 587.00 Km/H / 317.30 Kt)
Ceiling: 31850.0 Ft (9707.40M)
In June 1944, B-29 combat operations began with raids against
Japanese-held targets in Indochina. By New Years Day 1945, approximately
750 B-29s were in combat groups overseas, and by the time the
2,000th B-29 rolled off of the assembly lines in March 1945, were
heavily engaged in bombardment activity against targets in Japan
itself. By May 1945, the aerial bombardment of Japan was in high
gear. By the war's end in August 1945, these American-made B-29's
had destroyed virtually every strategic target in Imperial Japan.
STANDING
(L to R): Ray Clinkscales - Pilot ( Belmont, NC), Tom Benwell
- Co-Pilot (deceased), Bob Spicer - Navigator (Lake Placid, FL),
Ed Struble - Bombardier (deceased), Jim Wride - Flight Engr (Bartlesville,
OK) Bob Kain - Radar (deceased).
KNEELING (L to R): Francis Sobek - Radio (deceased), Dick
Wing - Gunner (Sparks, NV), Don Chambers - Gunner (unknown), Jim
Reifenschneider- CFC Gunner (New Philadelphia, OH), Elmo Glockner
- Tail Gunner (deceased).
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Flight
Surgeon- Dr. Zimmerman, Pilot- Lt. Col. Ray Clinkscales, CFC Gunner
- James E. Reifenschneider
On
May 6, 1997 the "Sweet Eloise" was dedicated at Dobbins AFB
in Marietta, GA. This event wraps up years of blood, sweat and tears
spent in restoring this piece of American history. After her decommission
in 1956, she spent 20 years at Aberdeen proving ground in Maryland,
transferred to Florence, SC where she was almost destroyed by hurricane
Hugo and finally to Marietta where she now stands proudly after much
hard work and dedication by truckers, students, government and military
officials and B-29'ers across Georgia. Our thanks go out to those individuals,
but this web page stands as a memorial to the designers of the B-29,
the factory workers who built these babies and the brave and courageous
men and women in our armed services who crewed these war ships.
It has been said that the B-29's won WWII and saved countless lives
because our men never had to land on Japanese soil. This war was won
"in the air" and turned the tide on the entire war. We Americans
owe the lifestyle we are living NOW to those who fought THEN... an important
message that has failed to be delivered to those of us who are fortunate
enough to have never lived through war. The fighting men and women and
their support personnel deserve our gratitude for defeating an enemy
that would have changed the face of the planet forever. We applaud those
who made the ships, who flew the ships and especially those who gave
their lives so we could keep ours! It is never too late to say Thank
You!
I have
also created a B29 mailing list to help widen our network of B-29 veterans,
their families and anyone who admires the B-29. If you would like to
join our mailing list please click here.
If you have any problems, please contact Ford
Tolbert, who has volunteered to help you. We look forward to meeting
you there! - Sallyann
See
actual B-29
training films! Real
Player needed!
Dad
Rarey's Sketchbook Journals . . .
"In 1942 my father, George Rarey, a young cartoonist and commercial
artist, was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He flew a P-47 before
he drove a car. During his service he kept a cartoon journal of
the daily life of the fighter pilots. A few weeks after D-Day he
was killed in combat over France."
Thus begins
the web site of Dad
Rarey's Sketchbook Journals of the 379th Fighter Squadron.
Please go take a look at this great web site - I am sure you
will enjoy it as much as I do!
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Rarey's letter: March 26, 1944.
"Were having a bit of English spring, the first really
pleasant, balmy weather weve had. Makes my fingers itch to
whip off a few outdoor watercolors. Today was a beauty, the second
in succession, an amazing thing in old
England. The whole outfit is pretty well intoxicated by this weather
and are acting like a lot of kids."
This
is but one of the many cartoons on this site created by George
Rarey during WWII in 1942.
Many thanks to Damon Rarey, George's son, for allowing me the
use of his father's cartoons. Please take a peek at this poignant
site.
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I would like
to thank Scott Burris from the Heavy
Bombers site for the use of the 20th Air Force logo used on
the navigational bar. Thanks, Scott!!
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To
reach me with questions, photos, suggestions click
here.
I would
like to thank Don Henderson for designing the logo used on the navigational
bar. Don's web site can be reached by clicking here.
Thanks a lot, Don!!
All
material on our site is Copyright © 1995--2004 by Sallyann Wagoner.
All Rights in Copyright are Reserved.
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