B-29 Superfortress

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was designed in 1940 as an eventual replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the most famous being the 'Enola Gay' (see below) which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The first one built made its maiden flight on September 21, 1942. In December 1943 it was decided not to use the B-29 in the European Theater, thereby permitting the airplane to be sent to the Pacific area where its great range made it particularly suited for the long over-water flight required to attack the Japanese homeland from bases in China. During the last two months of 1944, B-29s began operating against Japan from the islands of Saipan, Guam and Tinian.