Aviation Ancestry - April 2012
B-29 Eagle Wing – Part IV
By Scott Schwartz
The Eagle “wing” radar antenna can be seen in this photo. The An/APG-7 radar enabled bombardiers to hit targets that were blanketed with overcast. (Courtesy of the USAF)Within three days of the North Korean incursion across the 38th Parallel, Guam-based B-29s were sent to attack enemy tanks, trucks, supplies, and troops. Much like its later cousin, the B-52, the Superfortress was a strategic bomber that was being used in a tactical role. Not surprisingly then, bombing results were mediocre. B-29 losses were fairly light, though, for at this stage, anti-aircraft fire and the occasional interception by World War Two vintage, Soviet-built piston-engine fighters were the only hazards faced by B-29 crewmen. Sadly, these days were short-lived.
Within a few months, the first Soviet-built, jet-powered MiG-15s were seen parked at enemy air bases. Further, several of these new fighters attacked an RB-29 in November, 1950. Heavily damaged, the RB-29 crash-landed en route back to its base, and its tail gunner was given credit for shooting down the first MiG ever to be shot down….by a B-29 gunner.
As more B-29s fell to the guns of enemy MiGs, it became clear that the B-29 was no match for modern interceptors. After the Oct. 23, 1951 mission, in which eight Superfortresses were dispatched to bomb an enemy air base on the Yalu River, the Air Force restricted B-29 missions to night-time attacks only. A look at what happened during this mission will explain why.
More than 50 MiG 15s attacked the B-29s. Shucking aside the Republic F-84s that were escorting the B-29s, the MiGs succeeding in shooting three of the bombers down. Three more B-29s were heavily damaged, and another two were “only” moderately damaged.
This is not to say, however, that the B-29 gunners never got in any licks of their own. By the time Korean War B-29 operations ended, gunners had been credited with shooting down 27 enemy aircraft (16 of which were MiGs) plus 17 “probables” (all of which were MiGs). Sixteen B-29s were shot down by enemy fighters, four to anti-aircraft fire, and another 14 to “unspecified” causes.
With the end of its service during the Korean War, the Air Force began steadily phasing the B-29 out of service.
Prior to its retirement, the B-29 had been produced as or modified to become several variants. One of these was the B-29A. The “A” model was different from the “standard” B-29, in that the “A” model’s forward upper gun turret had four guns instead of two. Further, the B-29As wing center section was installed in one piece, by sliding it through the fuselage and then attaching it. The outer panels and engine nacelles were then installed. This resulted in a wing that was stronger, easier to assemble, and easier to maintain in the field. The B-29As wingspan was a foot longer than that of the standard B-29.
If the reader wishes to impress fellow cocktail party guests, he or she can mention that the B-29As designation included the suffix “BN” (as in “B-29A-BN”). This is because the B-29A was built at Boeing’s Renton, Wash. plant, which was actually a U.S. Navy facility.
It’s easy to remember who built the B-29B. This was the stripped-down version of the Superfortress that was intended for use on low-level night attacks on Japanese cities. The only guns carried were the two .50 cal. machine guns in the tail, which were aimed with the AN/APG-15B radar fire control system. B-29s with this system can be recognized (in old photos, anyway) by the ball-shaped antenna housing that was mounted between the two guns.
Maj. General Curtiss LeMay reasoned that B-29s flying low, fast, and in dark, would only be vulnerable to fighter attack from the rear.
It should be remembered that LeMay had already ordered the removal of the gun turrets (except for the tail guns) from many of the Marianas-based B-29s. The B-29B was simply an assembly-line response to the need for a lighter, faster B-29.
Three hundred, eleven B-29Bs were built by Bell Aircraft (the name “Bell” begins with the letter “B”; the reader can now see why it’s easy to remember who built the B-29B) at its Marietta, Ga. factory.
Quite a few B-29Bs were fitted with the AN/APG-7 Eagle “wing” radar (the antenna housing was shaped like a small airfoil, which was mounted under the fuselage), which gave the bombardier a clearer depiction of the target, as well as the improved ability to drop bombs through overcast weather conditions.
The B-29B was the last Superfortress version to be built as a separate variant on the assembly line. Later versions of the aircraft (which will be covered in the next and final installment of this series) were modified after they had left the factory.
