Battles & Wars › World War II › Arsenal of Democracy: US war production
B-29 Superfortress program
first flight September 21, 1942; ~3,970 built· Arms maker, factory or program· Arms makers & war industry
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The US effort to design and mass-produce the B-29 Superfortress, World War II's most advanced and costliest bomber.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Boeing's B-29 had pressurized crew compartments, remote-controlled gun turrets and a range of over 3,000 miles. Four huge plants in Kansas, Washington, Georgia and Nebraska built about 3,970. Its new engines often caught fire, and a 1944 rush called the 'Battle of Kansas' readied the first combat groups. From the Marianas, B-29s under General Curtis LeMay firebombed Japanese cities; the March 1945 Tokyo raid killed an estimated 80,000–100,000 people.
Why it matters
It made the strategic bombing of Japan possible and delivered both atomic bombs; the Soviets copied it as the Tu-4, their first nuclear-capable bomber.
How we know
Army Air Forces and company production records, the postwar US Strategic Bombing Survey, Japanese damage records, and surviving aircraft such as Enola Gay and the still-flying 'FIFI.'
Still debated
Whether the firebombing and atomic attacks were militarily necessary or morally defensible, and how much they hastened Japan's surrender, is still argued.
Connections (4)
▸Boeing designed and led the B-29 Superfortress programWell documented
The connection
Boeing designed the B-29 from 1940 to an Army request for a long-range bomber, adding a pressurized cabin and remote-controlled gun turrets. It built most of the 3,970 aircraft at Wichita, Kansas, and Renton, Washington, while Bell in Georgia and Martin in Nebraska built the rest.
When and how
Seattle, Wichita and Renton, 1940–1945; Boeing engineers and test pilot Eddie Allen, killed with his crew when the second prototype crashed in Seattle in February 1943.
How we know
Boeing and Army Air Forces production records listing output by plant.
Debates and open questions
Whether rushing the B-29 into combat with its fire-prone Wright engines cost lives that a slower program might have saved is debated.
▸B-29 Superfortress program built the bombers that flew the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and NagasakiWell documented
The connection
Specially modified 'Silverplate' B-29s were the only US planes able to carry the heavy atomic bombs that far. Flying from Tinian, Enola Gay dropped Little Boy on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Bockscar dropped Fat Man on Nagasaki on August 9. Both planes were built by Martin in Omaha.
When and how
Tinian, Mariana Islands, August 1945; the 509th Composite Group under Colonel Paul Tibbets, with Bockscar flown by Major Charles Sweeney.
How we know
Mission records, crew accounts, and the two aircraft, now at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center and the National Museum of the US Air Force.
Debates and open questions
The debate centers on the bombings themselves; the Smithsonian's planned 1995 Enola Gay exhibit was cut back after veterans protested its framing.
▸B-29 Superfortress program cost even more than the Manhattan ProjectWell documented
The connection
The B-29 was the costliest weapons program of World War II, roughly $3 billion against about $2 billion for the Manhattan Project. The two were linked: the bomb had to fit a B-29, and modified bombers trained for the atomic mission from 1944.
When and how
United States, 1940–1945; the Army Air Forces, Boeing and partner factories; the Manhattan Project under General Leslie Groves.
How we know
Wartime budget figures from Army and congressional records, commonly cited in histories of both programs.
Debates and open questions
Comparisons depend on what is counted, such as development, production, bases and training, so the exact gap between the two is uncertain.
▸B-29 Superfortress program flew bombing missions again in the Korean WarWell documented
The connection
Five years after World War II, B-29s again flew bombing campaigns, this time against North Korea, destroying most of its cities and industry. In October 1951 Soviet-flown MiG-15 jets shot down several in daylight, forcing the aging bombers to switch to night raids.
When and how
Korean Peninsula, June 1950 – July 1953; US Far East Air Forces Bomber Command, flying from Japan and Okinawa.
How we know
US Air Force records show B-29s flew about 21,000 sorties; Soviet archives later confirmed that Soviet pilots flew many of the MiGs.
Debates and open questions
Estimates of North Korean civilian deaths from the bombing vary widely, and its effect on the armistice talks is debated.