B-29 nose art
Mon Feb 09, 2009 3:13 pm
Showing my Dad's B-29 the Georgia Peach Serial # 42-63356 with a Camel "Hump" twist.
http://www.warbird-central.com/american ... 63356.html
http://www.warbird-central.com/american ... 63356.html
Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:08 am
That is a fascinating picture--it appears that the Peach was being stripped to the tanker configuration, but I've never seen one with no top turret and still retaining the lower forward. She's also still got the antenna fairing on the lower forward fuselage. Very interesting configuration.
Scott
Scott
B-29 Georgia Peach
Wed Feb 11, 2009 2:34 pm
It looks to me like that photograph might have been re-touched along the top of the fuselage . . .
Re: B-29 Georgia Peach
Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:40 am
Steve Birdsall wrote::idea: It looks to me like that photograph might have been re-touched along the top of the fuselage . . .
Possibly so...the central part of the cockpit transparency has some odd shapes as well now that I've expanded the photo a bit. I wonder why they would modify the image? Bell didn't start producing airplanes with the four gun forward turret until -10 or so, but maybe this one had been modified with one in the field and the censors blotted it out.....
Scott
Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:52 am
and whoever 're-touched' the photo and removed the top turret also took out the astrodome! Guess the poor navigator will shoot his sextant out of the scanner blisters?
Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:12 pm
I believe some of the tankers also lost the astrodome during the conversion. They were stripped as much as possible to enable max fuel offload in China. Notice that this one has no astrodome visible either: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... hp?t=31076
S
S
Mon Jul 20, 2009 3:35 pm
Must just be an 'in field modification'.
Every KB-29 that I have seen photos of has the astrodome.
No turrets.., but definately an astrodome!
Every KB-29 that I have seen photos of has the astrodome.
No turrets.., but definately an astrodome!
Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:58 am
Smis,
The 58th Wing tankers were most definitely field modified. The struggle to get fuel and bombs over the Hump forced them to select several airplanes from each of the four Groups for conversion to tankers. The conversions were accomplished in India at the "home" fields. All CFC equipment was removed and other equipment stripped out to lighten the airplanes. They were equipped with bomb bay tanks and plumbed to allow more efficient offloading of the fuel at the China forward bases. These airplanes were virtually flying fuel trucks, hauling gas from India to China and returning for another load. It was a very inefficient way to fight a war, but it was all the 20th Air Force had to work with early on.
Don't confuse the CBI tankers with the much later KB-29 series. The conversions done in '44 were a stop-gap measure to supply the forward China fields only. The KBs were a much more advanced aerial refueller.
Scott
The 58th Wing tankers were most definitely field modified. The struggle to get fuel and bombs over the Hump forced them to select several airplanes from each of the four Groups for conversion to tankers. The conversions were accomplished in India at the "home" fields. All CFC equipment was removed and other equipment stripped out to lighten the airplanes. They were equipped with bomb bay tanks and plumbed to allow more efficient offloading of the fuel at the China forward bases. These airplanes were virtually flying fuel trucks, hauling gas from India to China and returning for another load. It was a very inefficient way to fight a war, but it was all the 20th Air Force had to work with early on.
Don't confuse the CBI tankers with the much later KB-29 series. The conversions done in '44 were a stop-gap measure to supply the forward China fields only. The KBs were a much more advanced aerial refueller.
Scott
Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:26 am
great info. the c-47, the c--87 cargo version of the b-24 bomber are most mentioned in hump supply missions. didn't know about b-29's. 1945, mindanoa my dad, an infantry rifle company commander was supplied for 30 days by air drop for for food, ammo, meds, etc. & in mid country.
Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:06 am
Tom,
The B-29s only supplied themselves over the Hump. When the 58th Bomb Wing was sent to India they were supposed to be air-supplied by the CBI transports already in-theater. There simply wasn't enough machinery in the ATC to supply the B-29 guys and everyone else who was already there, so the Superfortress people had to improvise and haul a lot of their own fuel and bombs over the Himalayas. ATC still hauled a lot of material for the 58th, but they also had to perform their original task of supplying the troops already there.
When the 58th Wing left for the Marianas all CBI ATC transport was once again devoted fully to the original task-at-hand. I think all the surviving C-109s were left in the CBI by the Wing and absorbed into the organic transport system.
An interesting side-story to the Hump supply flights is that the man in charge of the ATC Hump operation at its height, General William Tunner, also was selected to run the Berlin Airlift in 1948.
Scott
The B-29s only supplied themselves over the Hump. When the 58th Bomb Wing was sent to India they were supposed to be air-supplied by the CBI transports already in-theater. There simply wasn't enough machinery in the ATC to supply the B-29 guys and everyone else who was already there, so the Superfortress people had to improvise and haul a lot of their own fuel and bombs over the Himalayas. ATC still hauled a lot of material for the 58th, but they also had to perform their original task of supplying the troops already there.
When the 58th Wing left for the Marianas all CBI ATC transport was once again devoted fully to the original task-at-hand. I think all the surviving C-109s were left in the CBI by the Wing and absorbed into the organic transport system.
An interesting side-story to the Hump supply flights is that the man in charge of the ATC Hump operation at its height, General William Tunner, also was selected to run the Berlin Airlift in 1948.
Scott
Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:24 am
thats an interesting twist!! please tell more!!!
Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:26 am
an ideal choice by far!!!!
Score one for the US Military minds!
Score one for the US Military minds!