6th Bomb Group

Iwo Jima

How the Superfortress Paced the Attack Against Japan

The Superfortress B-29 Story. Twenty years ago this fall the first B-29s, operating from the newly captured Marianas, struck the Japanese home islands. It was the first blow in an aerial campaign that, in the next nine months, was to reduce Japan’s war industry to rubble and so lower the morale of the Japanese people that, many say, the war in the Pacific could shortly have been ended without either atomic bombs or the scheduled land invasion.

2024-04-10T16:50:43+00:00May 25, 2020|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The 6th Bomb Group Association

The 6th Bomb Group was formed in 1984 by officers of the Army Air Corp 6th Bomb Group to annually reunite its veterans who served during the Pacific War – War Over Japan of 1944-45.

We are self-funded association of veterans. Wish to become involved or assist in some way? Please email us.

ADDRESS:
6th Bomb Group Education Association
501 Stonecliff Lane
Butler, PA 16001 USA

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Donations help fund the costs to maintain and expand this website. Donations can be made easily by credit card & you will receive an IRS-compliant donation receipt. Learn More

(FEIN 84-4713001)

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B-29 Aircraft Commander Ralph C. Wilson soloed early in flight school when his instructor fell out of their PT-19 open cockpit trainer during a practice barrel roll. See story: https://6thbombgroup.com/path-to-becoming-a-b29-pilot/ (LINK IN BIO) #the6thbombgroup #ww2 #ww2history #B29
𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗻 Following the devastating Pearl Harbor attack, the joint military leadership of General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz developed a Pacific War Strategy to defeat Japan that became known as "island-hopping". The goal was to seize and establish a chain of Pacific Island bases across thousands of miles of open ocean to bridge and provide defended supply lines to bring U.S. forces within B-29 bomber and land assault range of the geographically isolated Japanese islands. It took over two years and the transformation of America's overwhelming industrial output to the war to reach, capture and establish B-29 bases on the Mariana Islands that would bring an end to the war. This new article published by the 6th Bomb Group tells the incredible island-hopping story, including the importance of key battles, and how a country caught unprepared and militarily vulnerable at Pearl Harbor ended in the U.S. emerging as the world's economic and military super power: https://6thbombgroup.com/pacific-war-strategy-the-advance-to-japan/ (LINK IN BIO) #the6thbombgroup #PacificWar #ww2history #ww2
𝗪𝗪𝗜𝗜 𝗕-𝟮𝟵 𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 Here's a very interesting first-hand account of the B-29 bombing mission flight procedures from briefing, pre-flight, taxi and take-off to formation assembly and landing by WWII B-29 Flight Engineer Lawrence Stewart: https://6thbombgroup.com/flight-procedures/ (LINK IN BIO) #B29 #ww2 #ww2history #the6thbombgroup #PacificWar
𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗕-𝟮𝟵 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝟴𝟰 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 84 years ago this week on Sept 21, 1942 Boeing test flew its first B-29 prototype, the XB-29. Boeing had submitted the best proposal for the long range bomber and was awarded a defense contract for two prototypes in November 1940. In the two years the development required, the Army Air Forces made 1300 specification changes based on lessons learned from aerial warfare in the early months of WWII and available new technology. By the time of the first test flight Boeing had orders for 1664 B-29s despite the great development work still to be done and problems to be solved. The story behind the development is told by then B-29 CFC Gunner Lawrence S. Smith in an article published by the 6th Bomb Group: https://6thbombgroup.com/b-29-development/ (LINK IN BIO) #B29 #the6thbombgroup #ww2 #usairforce #boeing
𝗪𝗪𝗜𝗜'𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗕-𝟮𝟵 𝗕𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 America's disruptive Boeing B-29 Bomber was decisive in ending the Pacific War 81 years ago this month in 1945. It was the only bomber capable of reaching the highly isolated Japanese mainland from Ally bases (3000 miles, 14-15 hour non-stop missions round trip) and it was the only aircraft capable of carrying and delivering the massive atomic bombs. Then B-29 flight engineer Lawrence Stewart gives a tour of the B-29 and its many advanced features in an article published by the 6th Bomb Group: https://6thbombgroup.com/the-b-29-bomber/ (LINK IN BIO) #the6thbombgroup #ww2history #ww2 #B29
𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗪𝗜𝗜 𝗕-𝟮𝟵 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝟴𝟭 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 U.S. military forces liberated American and Allied prisoners held in Japanese POW camps 81 years ago this month directly following Japan's surrender. Among these were captured American B-29 crewmen who were not treated as POWs by the Japanese but as sub-human war criminals incarcerated in notorious Kempei Tai Military Police prisons. There they were severely beaten, speared, starved, poisoned, beheaded, vivisectioned, burnt alive and imprisoned under unimaginably horrific conditions. Less than 3 in 5 survived their capture. Most survivors lost half their body weight. Many, if not most, were immediately taken by landing craft to the USS Benevolence hospital ship anchored in Tokyo Bay when liberated. See story of the B-29 POWs and the Kempei Tai atrocities: https://6thbombgroup.com/b-29-pows-kempei-tai-atrocities/ (LINK IN BIO) #WWIIHistory #pacificwar #the6thbombgroup #USHistory

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