US Heavy Bombers In World War II

“Never before had so much brain-power been focused on a single problem.”(Laurence qtd. in “Eyewitness”). Many inventions can be said to have changed the world, and the way it worked. Only a core few of these many inventions can be said to change air warfare, and few of those are as game-changing as the B-29 Superfortress by Boeing. The B-29 was the plane that dropped the atomic bombs in World War Two (“bomber”). The plane by Boeing was used most in World War Two as a strategic long-range bomber. This invention revolutionized the concept of war, and war is a factor in all life on planet earth. The B-29 bomber changed warfare by sparking the innovation of aircraft technology, saving lives, and allowing more power to be carried by the means

Have you ever wondered about the aircraft from World War Two? Or how aircrafts operated, or what materials they used to operate and win in dogfights? The WWII era was one of the first time that airplanes were used to fight in wars on such a large scale and with such a large impact. Aircraft was extremely beneficial in this war. Airplanes were a huge advantage in WWII because of all the ammunition they carried, and they used a lot of resources to help fight during WWII for their country.

It influenced future generations of soldiers and equipment to advance both tactically and technically, greatly increasing the multi-role diversity and capabilities of the Air Defense Artillery systems of today’s United States Army. Compared to the Patriot Launcher Missile system, it showed that Air Defense units could be multifaceted. Like the M42 Duster (SPAAG), the Patriot system demonstrated excellent destruction ratio for aircraft but the system also worked well in defense of TBM’s (Tactical Ballistic

     The name General Carl ‘Tooey’ Andrew Spaatz has become synonymous with the phrase air power and strategist. Air power has come along way since Wilbur and Orville launched the first airplane in 1902 in the city of Kitty Hawk. Famous engineers have taken the Wright-Brothers design and made great improvements to them while slowly integrating these new powerful means of transportation, weaponry and communication aids into the military. Since the onset of World War I there has been a debate on how to most effectively use these new airplanes in the Army’s collection. Most individuals believed that airplanes should be under control of the Army theater commander, while very

The first flight occurred in 1903 when the Wright brothers famously took their airplane for a final test flight in December. In the years after this historic flight many people start to see the potential for airplanes in war, transportation, and shipping. Other builders disregarded previous doubt about flying and began to replicate the ideas of the Wright brothers in creating planes with three axes. In addition, the approach of WWI prompted military personnel to pursue uses of airplanes as a war machine. The airplane influenced many aspects of American culture after it’s invention including civilian life, war technology, and individual possibility.

B. Discussion of mode #2 Hillenbrand defines the B-24 bomber as a poorly built, dangerous aircraft that airmen are wary of. It is cramped, ugly, and unsafe. Flying it was similar to “wrestling a bear,” and “there were several incidents in which B-24 tails dropped off in midair” (64). By defining the B-24 from the point of view of airmen, Hillenbrand emphasizes that it is not the preferred aircraft for the soldiers for the reasons listed.

"World War 2 was a war fought in two distinct phases. The first was the last war of a new generation. The second was emphatically the first of a new era" . <br><br>"The British strategic bomber campaign was of doubtful cost effectiveness" . Bomber Command was by far the largest claimant on labour and factory space within the armed forces. Relative to their size they suffered more casualties than any other sector. <br><br>The Anglo-American bomber force was divided in terms of strategy. Bomber Command believed it was too risky to bomb by day, while the Americans believed it was too difficult to bomb by night. Initially both forces lacked accurate navigational equipment, which deterred them from precision bombing. <br><br>Germany developed a

Before and during the Second World War people were fascinated with flight, the speed and the idea of flying high in the sky has kept people interested. Bombers and fighters alike both change dramatically in the twenty years after the Great War. From cloth wings to metal wings planes became bigger, faster, agile, and can hold a lot more fire power. The air war has changes significantly since the First World War. During the First World War bombers played a big role in the air war and after it left many questions whether it is the way to win wars. There has been speculation that future wars would be won by bombers and it can crush and the enemies at home and also the soldiers. Both book, Wartime by Fusslle and Why the Allies Won by Overy explain in depth what was the actual outcome of bombers and their roles before and after the war.

Strategic bombing was sustained aerial attack on railways, harbours, cities, workers' housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory The United States and Britain had justified reasons for the aerial bombings of German and Japanese cities as they were trying to protect their people from a ruthless dictator. Before the British began bombing the Germans

The impact that aviation had on the bombing campaigns of the Great War was rather miniscule. For example, C. G. Grey, an aviation historian, wrote: “During 1914-18 the damage done in England by [aerial] bombing was practically negligible. A few houses were damaged in a few English towns. About 1,500 people altogether were killed. No armament factory of any importance was destroyed.” Germany –considering her geographic location was closer to the war epicenter- was slightly more prone to bombings than Great Britain was but it was still a minute threat when factored into the whole grand scheme of war-induced devastation. Nevertheless, aerial forces did play an ample role as support units during land and sea battles. For example, during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the RFC played a substantial part in providing support for the British and French troops on the ground. The Luftstreitkräfte was also present at the battle, but the British, with the assistance of the French Armée de l'Air (Army of the air), had the strength in numbers. Tactics would comprise of bombing and gunning the enemy trenches as a means of cover for advancing infantry and patrolling the skies for enemy aircraft. However, reconnaissance and observation was undoubtedly the most useful role conducted by the aerial forces of WWI and probably the way in which it made the greatest strategic impact. Artillery was arguably the

The First area of strategic bombing to be assessed is the effect it had on scattering the German military from their posted Fronts and the destruction of the Luftwaffe. The bombing raids on Germany drew defenses that were positioned on the Eastern Front and in other areas to try and counter the incoming Allie aircraft. German anti-tank defenses

Over the four decades of service the B-25 Mitchell came across many new and improved models such as the B-25A - B-25H. The B-25 is one of the most well known bombers during World War II and is a symbol of just how powerful America was in the war. In the year of 1938 the Army Air Corp was looking for a new type of medium sized bomber. The Army Air Corp was looking for a bomber that could meet their

This essay is intended to evaluate to what extent was the Japanese kamikaze aircrafts an effective offensive strategy against the Allied Powers during World War II. During the war, the Japanese were in a difficult situation with the Allied Powers, including the Big Four composed of the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. The Japanese were trying to reach their superior supremacy in the Eastern Hemisphere, but came to a halt when the United States would no longer trade oil with them. In panic and running out of fuel, the Japanese used the tactic of suicide bombing on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, after which, the US Congress declared war on Japan a day later. The Japanese, during World War II, resorted to the usage of Kamikazes as an offensive strategy to defeat their enemies; kamikazes were aircrafts with suicide bombers attached to them. The Japanese’s mindsets were focused on pleasing their emperor, allowing the kamikazes to continue, however with poorly trained pilots. The strategy proved to be effective short term, since the aircrafts did a lot of damage at the Battle for Leyte Gulf destroying many Allied Power’s ships, continuing to the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Iwo Jima, however, the kamikazes were not enough to defeat their opponents, as new advancements and technologies on the Allied side caused greater damage and resistance towards the kamikaze threats.

Northrop met this challenge, when in 1947 he introduced his new YB-49. Powered by eight jet engines, this one hundred and seventy-two feet wingspan monster was capable of flying at over five hundred miles per hour, at a ceiling of over forty thousand feet. Jack had taken the American flying wing off the design boards, and into the air. Unfortunately it was incredibly difficult to fly, and the air force felt that as a bomber it was too unstable and dangerous. In late 1949, in an unprecedented decision, the U.S. government ordered that all Northrop's YB-49s were to be destroyed. After the destruction of the 1st flying wing, came a perilous time in history. Relationships between the East and West were rapidly deteriorating, and the Cold War was heating up. The world was entering a new era of nuclear power.

Towards the end of the War the airplane becomes a practical device of war being able to carry weapons. Anthony Fokker and Louis Bleriot create the most successful of early modern biplanes known as the D-VII and D-VIII. Biplanes are eventually taken over by the monoplane, or one wing. This new design allowed for faster flight and better visibility for the pilot. Air-cooled engines lead the way for commercial aircraft, and Boeing introduces the first modern airliner the 247. Airplanes are effected the greatest by supply and demand of war. New styles of war begun to emerge so did new and improved types of aircraft. The population of the U.S. also begun to grow which leads to the modern most sophisticated commercial airliner the 777. Most aircraft improvements are found in the military and intelligence field. The most high tech aircraft known today for such things as spying are the SR-71 Blackbird, and the U-2 Spy plane. The most complicated and best aircraft performance is still held by the space shuttle and probably always will be. The last 200 years have seen incredible changes in aircraft from the man with wings to heavier than air flying machines that can travel at supersonic speeds.