The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is famous for it’s combat missions during world war 2. When B-29’s flew bombing missions against the Japanese home islands. The B-29 is also famous for it’s bombing missions during the Korean war yet, I feel the B-29 is forgotten, because its post war military service is largely forgotten and is never talked about.
The B-29 Superfortress was still used in large quantities up until the late 1950s. After WW2 the USAF was created and in tern the USAF created the Strategic Air Command-the “USAF’s globel bombing outfit”. The B-29 filled many strategic bombing and reconnaissance squadrons during the late 1940s. The B-29 was also important in that many were converted into reconnaissance aircraft, like the RB-29A. The RB-29’s flew thousands of missions up into the 1950s. Many B-29s were also converted to weather reconnaissance aircraft. These WB-29 aircraft carried gear that could detect radioactive material in the air. It was a WB-29 that discovered the Soviet Unions first attomic bomb test in late 1949. The B-29, the RB-29, and the WB-29’s played a huge part in post war USAF operations and these aircraft filled many strategic and tactical squadrons of the USAF.
The B-29 was also made into the USAF’s first strategic air refueling tanker. This was a huge leap in air power, as the USAF now had means to refuel aircraft in the air, these aircraft could now fly farther without needing to land to refuel. The KB-29’s and it’s many varients paved the way for global air domination.
The B-29 was also used as a training aircraft, known as the TB-29. Providing valuable training to many needed airmen.
The B-29 also was used for hundreds of air testing of experiments and other aircraft testing.
And lets not forget the B-29 Superfortress was still being used as a strategic bomber into the early 1950s. The B-29 was so useful that and filled so many important jobs that the USAF did not stop using them until the early 1960’s!
Much is forgotten about the B-29’s post war use. It’s my hope this article opens a door to allow others to study and research this interesting but forgotten part of B-29 Superfortress aviation history.