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B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a long-range bomber used by the
From beginning to end, World War II was an air war. Germany opened the conflict with stunning drives across Poland in 1939, and Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and France in 1940, using bombers to support its rapidly moving armored forces. Attempts to obtain air superiority over Britain in preparation for an invasion began with German attacks on shipping in the English Channel in July 1940, followed by aerial raids on British coastal installations and Royal Air Force (RAF) bases, and day and night bombing attacks on London and other British cities.
The fighter pilots of Britain's Royal Air Force won the Battle of Britain in 1940 by a narrow margin. The quality of their Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire interceptors, the short range of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 escort fighters, and the vulnerability of other German aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 88, and Dornier Do 17 bombers were all factors in the victory. Just as important, however, was the network linking radar stations to command centers that plotted the position of German aircraft and guided British fighter pilots toward their targets by radio. Electronic weaponry had emerged as a major factor in aerial warfare.
The high losses resulting from early raids on Germany convinced the leaders of RAF Bomber Command to discontinue daylight precision attacks on specific targets in favor of night raids conducted against the industrial centers of German cities. The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) began a daylight precision bombing campaign from Britain against Germany with Boeing B-17 and Consolidated B-24 aircraft in 1943, but by the fall of that year, German fighters and antiaircraft guns had brought the offensive to the edge of collapse. The appearance of long-range escort fighters like the Republic P-47, North American P-51, and Lockheed P-38 helped turn the tide in favor of the U.S. bombers. During 1944 and early 1945, the USAAF struck Germany during the day, while the RAF attacked at night. One by one, Germany's cities were reduced to rubble.
The fighter pilots of Britain's Royal Air Force won the Battle of Britain in 1940 by a narrow margin. The quality of their Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire interceptors, the short range of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 escort fighters, and the vulnerability of other German aircraft such as the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 88, and Dornier Do 17 bombers were all factors in the victory. Just as important, however, was the network linking radar stations to command centers that plotted the position of German aircraft and guided British fighter pilots toward their targets by radio. Electronic weaponry had emerged as a major factor in aerial warfare.
The high losses resulting from early raids on Germany convinced the leaders of RAF Bomber Command to discontinue daylight precision attacks on specific targets in favor of night raids conducted against the industrial centers of German cities. The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) began a daylight precision bombing campaign from Britain against Germany with Boeing B-17 and Consolidated B-24 aircraft in 1943, but by the fall of that year, German fighters and antiaircraft guns had brought the offensive to the edge of collapse. The appearance of long-range escort fighters like the Republic P-47, North American P-51, and Lockheed P-38 helped turn the tide in favor of the U.S. bombers. During 1944 and early 1945, the USAAF struck Germany during the day, while the RAF attacked at night. One by one, Germany's cities were reduced to rubble.
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