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Interesting article on B-29

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Gliderman8

Gliderman8

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Imagine the most complex American military aircraft ever built in its time, with a completely new computer controlled armament system and CW 3350 turbo-supercharged engines, being designed and built "in pieces" all over the USA (to prevent destruction by bombing of a single facility), then sub-assemblies carried over highways and rail lines for assembly in different plants - and it worked (sorta).

As the Superforts were being put into use beginning in late '43, changes were still being made, and continued all the way through production. The E&Ms and POHs were constantly being updated. A friend who flew them called the Superfortress the SNAFUperfortress.

Thanks Elliot.
Tom M.
 
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OK, I am confused. What are CW 3350's and what are E&M's and POHs?
 
oops - sorry 'bout that.

CW 3350 is the Curtiss-Wright 3350 engine and its variants, an incredibly powerful, but problem laden, engine.

POH = Pilot Operating Handbook
E&M = Erection and Maintenance manual (how to put the plane together)
 
Another thing about the B-29. Tupolev, a Russian builder, was tasked by Stalin with building exact replicas of the B-29 for the Soviet air force. They used a couple of aircraft interned at Vladivostok the flew there after being damaged over Japan and the crews didn't think they could get back to their home base. Stalin ordered that the aircraft built would be exact copies so the initial ones built were copies down to the patches and other repairs to battle damage. However, the engines proved too complex for building copies within the period he wanted them to be done and flying so they used a Russian design. This resulted in the TU-4 that faced the west in the early post war period.
 
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