Warbird Information Exchange

Now and then when you're slogging through photos on eBay, something really odd pops up:



Taken in occupied Japan, this sure looks like an airfield decoy - but why a B-29? Anyone know more?

Link:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/305364935385

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Wild guess...a decoy at one of their R&D facilities like Tachikawa. Trying to make the Americans think that they a had an intact B-29. Trying to draw fire away from the stuff they wanted to keep.

Another possibility, a full scale model to help train interceptor pilots.
While it obviously couldn't fly, their pilots could walk around studying approach and attack angles, or perhaps dive on it.
Remember too, few has probably ever encountered an aircraft that large before. Seeing one up close would give them a better idea of size and distance while attacking the real thing.
They did have an airworthy B-17 and like the Germans, used it to develop fighter tactics.

I doubt if they ever got their hands on a potentially repairable B-29 that went down over Japan.

Final possibility..the birth of the Japanese model aircraft industry.
A little known 1/1 scale early effort by Hasagawa or Tamiya.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.

Or it's a decoy on Tinian and not in occupied Japan. More likely surely?

How do I buy one?

Thanks Mike! The Atlantic article links OK but I get security warnings on the other three.

_________________

All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

Not sure why there are warnings? The "other three" are just some more photos. They open without any warnings at my house.

Here's the link with numerous B-29 photos. Three of these photos are the above links.
https://www.historyofwar.org/pictures_B ... _B-29.html

The History of War website appears to have a problem with its security certificate. In this case, it is most likely a clerical error (or the digital equivalent) and it throws up warnings in many of the modern browsers. If you're happy accepting this, you can usually click 'advanced' and accept the risks and continue to the website. I have copied the three photos in question below.

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A Little VC10derness - A Tribute to the Vickers VC10 - www.VC10.net

The book "Meatballs and Dead Birds" by James P. Gallagher shows photos of many aircraft taken around Atsugi Naval Air Station during September 1945. These include several photos of this (or another?) B-29. made of wood and "set up in an open field adjoining the Japanese base at Irumagawa".

From what I understand, this was for in training special forces who would be landed on Tinian to blow up parked aircraft (of course, one of these operations had some success).

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Kevin McCartney