Was Superfortress used in Europe?

The intended use of Superfortresses in WWII was to bomb Japan, but the first B-29 was deployed to England in March 1944. It was sent to the European theater to trick the Germans into thinking that B-29s were to be based in England, and to disguise the concentrated use of Superfortresses against Japan.

How many B-29s were lost over Japan?

On March 10, 1945, flying in darkness at low altitudes, more than 300 B-29s dropped close to a quarter of a million incendiary bombs over Tokyo. LeMay’s gamble was successful. Perhaps as many as 100,000 Japanese were dead, almost 16 square miles of the city destroyed, and a million people homeless.

Did any B-29s fly in Europe?

The primary reason that B-29s were not deployed to Europe was the inertia in the logistics pipeline.

Were any b29s used in Europe?

B-29s were developed while World War II was in progress and only used near the end of the war in the Pacific theater. They were not available for use in the European theater before the air war there was essentially completed.

Were b17s used in the Pacific?

While the B-17s were used in the Pacific, by 1944 the B-29 had replaced the B-17 for use in the Pacific Theater. B-17s were initially intended as a fast, land-based bomber, which could patrol at sea and intercept naval vessels. B-17Cs were the first of the series to see action.

What replaced the B-29?

A strategic reconnaissance version of the B-50B, the RB-50, was developed in 1949 to replace the aging RB-29s used by SAC in its intelligence gathering operations against the Soviet Union. In 1953 the Air Force started replacing its aging WB-29 weather reconnaissance aircraft with modified B-50Ds.

Why didn’t the B-29 bomber fly over Europe?

By the time the B-29 was ready for combat, there was no need for it in Europe. The B-17s and B-24 were in service in such abundance that their formations over Europe were called aluminum overcast. The B-29 was developed with its great range to bomb Japan, not Germany.

What is the difference between a B-17 and a b 29?

Their bomb-carrying capacity (B-17: range-limited, with 4,000 to 8,000 pounds of bombs depending on the distance to the target; B-29: 20,000 pound standard load). The US started sending B-17s to England in the spring of 1942.

Why did the B-17 fly in the Pacific Theater of Operation?

Particularly in the European Theater of Operation where it had bases within range of Germany, thus enabling it to perform the strategic bombing mission for which it had been designed. In the PTO, there were no bases from which B-17s could mount a strategic bombing campaign against Japan.

When did the US start sending B-17s to England?

The US started sending B-17s to England in the spring of 1942. Production had been ongoing for several years, and B-17E model aircraft started being delivered in large quantities within weeks of the Pearl Harbor attack and subsequent declaration of war.