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Boeing B-29 Superfortress Essay

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Boeing B-29 Superfortress Essay
Boeing B-29 Supperfortress
Though it was conceived of before World War II, its impact was not felt until the war was close to an end. However, in this short amount of time, you could argue it had a greater impact on the pacific theater than any other weapon. Without the capabilities of the B-29 Supperfortress there is no doubt the war in the pacific would have carried on for years past its actual end date, and would have resulted in the loss of countless more American lives. The effect of the Superfortress were not just felt during World War II but were felt in every war thereafter, either directly or indirectly. If there ever was necessity, and invention thereof, the B-29 was it.
Developing the Future
Just over a week since American forces had surrendered at Bataan, and with the fear of a Japanese invasion of the western states, Americans needed a win. From the deck of the USS Hornet, sixteen B-25 bombers attacked the nerve center of Japan. Despite the small amount of damage imposed during the raid, it showed both America and Japan that Tokyo was vulnerable to air attack. The Doolittle
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This journey resulted in the loose of five aircraft and eight men due to continuing engine over heating problems and crew inexperience and weather related factors. Less than one month after the first combat mission, General Wolf had been fired. His replacement was General LeMay. Upon arrival, LeMay found a unit that had flow very little and failed to achieve any real results. In a letter penned to General Norstad, he expressed his disappointment in the unit. He found a unit that lacked combat experience, and was learning by trial and error. The impact on the war effort, given the expenses to maintain a supply chain that stretched half way around the world, was deemed inadequate. Flying out of bases in China and India was difficult, expensive and ineffective. (Werrell,

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