How many crew members does a B-29 bomber have?
Technical Specifications
| First flight | Sept. 21, 1942 |
|---|---|
| Ceiling | 31,850 feet |
| Power | Four 2,200-horsepower Wright Duplex Cyclone engines |
| Accommodation | 10 crew |
| Armament | 12 .50-caliber machine guns, 1 20 mm cannon, 20,000-pound bomb load |
Did the B-29 have a tail gunner?
During the closing years of the conflict, the American B-29 bombers were equipped with a tail gun position in which the gunner still had a direct view on his target while operating his synchronized weapons, but some other gun positions of this particular model of Boeing bomber were, for the first time in an aircraft.
How many Gunners are on the B-29?
It was armed with 10 . 50-calibre machine guns and one 20-mm cannon, four of the gun turrets being operated by remote control from any of five sighting stations. Its bomb capacity was 10 tons, and the crew varied from 10 to 14.
How many B-29 Superfortresses shot down?
B-29 gunners were credited with shooting down 27 enemy aircraft. In turn 78 B-29s were lost; 57 B-29 and reconnaissance variants were lost in action and 21 were non-combat losses. Soviet records show that one MiG-15 jet fighter was shot down by a B-29 during the war.
What was the crew positions of the B-29?
Front row, left to right: Vern W. Schiller, flight engineer; Herbert Schnipper, right gunner; Kenneth E. Young, tail gunner; Vernon G. Widmayer, left gunner; Henry Erwin, radio operator; Howard Stubstad, CFC gunner.
How many flying B-29s are left?
Many served during the Korean War and as aerial tankers during the 1950s. Only 22 complete B-29 airframes are currently restored in the United States. Two of these are airworthy.
What was the life expectancy of a tail gunner in WW2?
The Rear-Turret Gunners were in the most vulnerable position on the Plane. The life expectancy of a WW2 Rear-gunner varied but was never high, mostly about just 5 Sorties.
Was the B-29 a failure?
A post-war official report credited B-29s with 914 victories against 72 losses in over 31,000 sorties flown in the 13 months from August 1944 to August 1945. Despite the effort that went into developing the B-29’s central fire control and its operational success, it was not always seen as an essential system.
Did the B-29 have a bathroom?
B-29. ‘For the long flight, we were provided with sandwiches and coffee, and Benzedrine tablets to keep us awake. In the forward end of the aircraft, there was a cylindrical canister with a funnel and a rubber tube into which we could urinate.
What plane replaced the B-29?
de Havilland Comet aircraft
They were decommissioned in 1958, being replaced by de Havilland Comet aircraft. Two British Washington aircraft were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1952.
What happened to all the B-29 bombers?
After World War II, many of the existing B-29 aircraft were sent for storage, and ultimately scrapping at aircraft storage and disposal facilities around the U.S. The remaining B-29s helped build the initial bomber inventory of the Strategic Air Command when it was formed in March of 1946.
What was the survival rate of WW2 pilots?
During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. Only 24% survived the war unscathed.
How many tail gunners died in WW2?
Through the entire Operation, the Rear Gunner knew that the Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots preferred to Attack from the rear and under the belly of the Bomber, so he was often 1st in line for elimination. During WW2 – 20,000 Air Gunners were killed while serving with Bomber Command.
Are there any B-29 still flying?
What was wrong with the B-29?
The revolutionary aircraft could fly higher and farther than previous bombers. The rush to get the aircraft into the war, however, resulted in an array of problems. One of the primary concerns was the overheating of the aircraft’s four engines as they struggled to reach high altitudes with their heavy payloads.
How many B-29 bombers are left flying?
26
Of the 3,970 built, 26 survive in complete form today, 24 of which reside in the United States, and two of which are airworthy.
How many B-29 are left in the world?
Of the 3,970 built, 26 survive in complete form today, 24 of which reside in the United States, and two of which are airworthy.
What was the average lifespan of a pilot in WW2?
Life Expectancy
The average life expectancy of a spitfire pilot during the Battle of Britain was an astonishing four weeks. During the battle, 544 British RAF pilots died.
Who shot down the most planes in WW2?
While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills. How did Hartmann get so good at dominating the skies over the Eastern Front?
What was the life expectancy of a rear gunner?
What was the life expectancy of a WW2 bomber crew?
More than 50,000 Airmen lost their lives in the four years of WWII and the majority of those losses were on bomber missions over Nazi Germany in B-17s and B-24s. The average age of the crew of a B-17 was less than 25, with four officers and six enlisted Airmen manning the aircraft.
How deep is the B-29 in Lake Mead now?
Today the B-29 rests in 115 feet of fresh water at the bottom of the Overton Arm of Lake Mead National Recreational Area. This is a protected site within the National Park.
How much does it cost to ride in a B-29?
Seat Locations and Pricing
Each B-29 Doc Flight Experience flight has nine seats: Bombardier ($1,500), Cockpit/Pilot Observer ($1,200), Navigator ($1,200) and six Gunner seats ($600 each).
What did German pilots think of the B-17?
‘A German pilot did once say that attacking a B-17 formation from behind was like trying to make love to a porcupine that is on fire,’ Walt Miller, Former 0311/0302 at United States Marine Corps (1973-1993), explains on Quora.
What were the odds of surviving WW2?
As 2,000 paratroopers face 345,000 bullets, across an area of sky covering 9 squares miles, the chances of survival were 1 in 4. But 50% of the men survive.