Boeing B-29 Superfortress 'Bockscar'- Interior Views at the National Museum of the USAF
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2022
- The B-29 on display, Bockscar, dropped the Fat Man atomic bomb on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic attack against Hiroshima. Bockscar was one of 15 specially modified "Silverplate" B-29s assigned to the 509th Composite Group. Most B-29s carried eight .50-cal. machine guns in remote controlled turrets, two .50-cal. machine guns and one 20mm cannon in a tail turret, and up to 20,000 pounds of bombs. Silverplate B-29s, however, retained only the tail turret and had their armor removed to save weight so that the heavy atomic bombs of the time could be carried over a longer distance.
Designed in 1940 as an eventual replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the first B-29 made its maiden flight on Sept. 21, 1942. In December 1943 U.S. Army Air Forces leadership committed the Superfortress to Asia, where its great range made it particularly suited for the long over-water flights against 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. With the advent of the conflict in Korea in June 1950, the B-29 returned to combat. Although vulnerable to MiG-15 jet fighter attacks, the Superfortress remained effective against several types of targets throughout the Korean War.
Bockscar was flown to the museum on Sept. 26, 1961.
A "Fat Man" bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, 1945, near the end of World War II. Released by the B-29 Bockscar, the 10,000-pound weapon was detonated at an altitude of approximately 1,800 feet over the city. The bomb had an explosive force (yield) of about 20,000 tons of TNT, about the same as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Because of Nagasaki's hilly terrain, however, the damage was somewhat less extensive than of the relatively flat Hiroshima.
"Fat Man" was an implosion-type weapon using plutonium. A subcritical sphere of plutonium was placed in the center of a hollow sphere of high explosive (HE). Numerous detonators located on the surface of the HE were fired simultaneously to produce a powerful inward pressure on the capsule, squeezing it and increasing its density. This resulted in a supercritical condition and a nuclear explosion.
I climbed up into Bockscar about 20 years ago & sat in the cockpit. Years ago my Dad was a volunteer at the US Air Force Museum & once a year they had an Employee Appreciation Dinner & would open up many of the planes that you could climb into. I also sat in the ME262, Lockheed P-38, B-17 & B-24 bombers, B-36, P47 & lots of others.
My grandad flew on the 29 and 17. He was my hero. TSGT Glen Dame, 2nd USAAF.
I can just see the young men they once were... my jr high math teacher operating the radios or my high school history teacher as a bombardier and my former church pastor from when he was a flight engineer. Rest well long gone but not forgotten humble American air warriors.
The entire display surrounding Bockscar is a terrific learning tool.
I was able to stand in the bomb bay of Enola Gay when she was being restored, similarly to your shots here. A pretty profound place to be in, in either case, when you think of it.
I was able to stand in the bomb bay of Bockscar one time back in the '90s when she wasn't roped off for a function. I had the same feeling. I was like "Right above my head is were it(Fat Man)sat... Sent chills down my spine.
Impressive! I’ve met a few that flew and fought in B29s during WW2 and Korea. It’s good to see where these quiet and humble men fought from.
Such an impressive video. I've walked around this historic airplane several times and always wondered about the human factor inside. Thanks for showing us the goods!
Quite the step up from the 17...
The emperor looks out of his palace window on March 10, 1945 to see sixteen square miles of his capital city in flames. Almost 400 B-29's have just paid you and the residents of Tokyo a visit last night. What do you have to counter an overwhelming force as this? Yet, you fight on. Well done video, I remember touching Bocks Car so many years ago when it was permitted to get close to her. Remember the lives lost to get the bases close enough to Japan to allow these planes and crews complete their assignments.
Wow, great video!
Can you imagine the tension in the plane as their fuel situation became more and more critical?
Both Enola Gay and Bock’s car were built at the Martin Bomber Plant in Bellevue, Nebraska. The plant, which still standing, is on the grounds of Offfutt Air Force base.
There are no words to describe this video.Well done doesnt seem to be enough.A piece of history only second to Enola Gay itselfi
There is not much time between a B-29 and the recently delivered KC-135, that Tanker was fairly new and the B-29 was delivered to the museum in 1961.
Not much time? Meaning????
There's only a gap of just a few years (less than 5) between the first batch of KC-135s being delivered and Bockscar being brought over to the museum.
Thank you for doing this. Our late father was a photo technician for the 509th at Wendover, Tinian and Roswell. We grew up with the bomb. To follow in his footsteps, my brother and I were sworn in 55 years and 2 days ago Flt 757 3702 BMTS.
Im shocked how few gauges the pilots had. I guess when you have a Navigator, Flight engineer and a person to operate the bomb site , all they have to worry about is flying to your target and getting home.
Actually, the flight engineer had more gauges to look at than the pilot!
I have flown many types of aircraft. One common element with all of them is that I could fly an approach to landing while controlling the "wheel & power levers". Some of the bombers (as with the B29) require (as you can see) the pilot to control the plane's attitude while the flight engineer controls the power via oral directions from the pilot. I would find this extremely difficult. I would think the "feel" would be greatly diminished.
Ken keep up the great work you do. Was glad to meet you back in May. Hopefully get to see you again sometime in the near future.
Sounds great Antonio!!!
Silverplate!!!!
Nice video and tour of a historic b29. I've gone through a b29 in greenville sc. Interesting plane to crawl through. I've been in the fifi
Marvelous video, and thank you for the verbose description. Having been assigned to WPAFB, and seen some of the aircraft flown to the museum (B-1A and Mosquito were two), I can imagine the flight of Bockscar. Thank you !
Great video, great museum keep em coming!
Awesome place!!
Beautiful video
THATS HOW THIS VIDEO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE!
WELL DONE
I never expected the cockpit instrumentation to be so basic and sparse looking. Obviously its because of those 3 other guys, the Flight Engineer, Navigator, and Radioman.....But still, the simplicity of the pilot's and co-pilot's positions surprised me a bit.
What a beautiful airplane. Will always be one of my favorites. Maybe one day they'll turn the lights on in those buildings so they can be seen.
Amazing Thank,s.
Assuming it is the original unit, if you stop and think about it, at 8:06 in the video is literally the bomb sight that ended WWII. After all, it was the SECOND nuke that hit Nagasaki that finally convinced the emperor to throw in the towel.
I wish you could go inside theese it would make me wanna go there all the time
What was the music used for this? Very moving.
Great work as usual Ken. We went for the Da Vinci show few months back and got a VIP C-130 cockpit tour for its rescue exhibit. Please relay our heart felt thanks to Director Dave! BTW, What’s that orchestral music anyway ?
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Did anybody notice the date of "AUG 61" on the pilot's seat belt?
I’ve been to see this beautiful aircraft in Ohio
I have to profess my ignorance here - in the bomb bay does anyone know why there’s no A-bomb rack, and why there are two regular bomb racks?
Did it do it's last flight there? was any restoration done to it or was it left alone after the bomb was dropped?
From the pictures I seen online. It was left in the desert when the war ended. It had a sign next to it. So people could see it. But I doubt Any real restoration happened until the air force got it flying again for its final trip
@@timmanboy1Thanks.
What is the events timeline for this B-29 between Aug 9, 1945 and Sep 26, 1961? I doubt it was used in active service long after the Nagasaki bombing, but I know not.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bockscar
What is the “Turbo Amplifier”?
At 5:20
Silver plate B - 2 9 👍
It would be cool if you used better lighting instead of the light on the camera. A fill light instead of that lighting.
I'll never understand why the second bombing was done with a totally different type bomb. Why didn't they drop another Little Boy type device that they knew would work? And didn't the lights come on Fat Man during flight. If it had gone off or was a dud the Japanese might have been energized to stay in the war.
Hey only had one each, no other atomic bombs were in existence at the time.
@@jamesnelson7415 A third bomb core existed at that time, and expedited work was being done to build more bombs should they have been needed. Fortunately for both Imperial Japan as well as the United States and its allies, the Emperor and others realized the futility of continuing the war.
Stalins Soviet Union had just declared war on Japan and the Red Army was attacking parts of China still under Japanese control
The third core was used in a bomb test in the Pacific shortly after the war.
The third B-29 to drop an atomic device was "Daves Dream", I never learned what happened to that aircraft.
Could have done without the lame music. Otherwise, a good video.
It looks so primitive, some of the stuff looks homemade, my 172 instrument panel looks more sophisticated.
Yet, it cost as much or more than the Manhattan Project did to design and build the B-29. Understand that the technology in that aircraft is 80 years old.
One B-29 was actually sent to Britain and parked at an airfield there, knowing German reconnaissance missions would see it in order to freak out the Nazis into thinking it was going to be used against the Third Reich.
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Wonderful plane. But a little odd celebrating a plane that was complicit in the deaths thousands on non combatants. I've seen the plane at the USAF museum. And it is worthy of it's place there. But, it is a killing machine of horrendous horror.
It prevented the land invasion.
Had the bombs not been used, it was estimated that it would have cost one million Allied casualties (mostly American) to invade and conquer Japan. Moreover, Japanese casualties were estimated to be several million.
More importantly, all Japanese citizens were militarized by an edict issued by Hirohito, emperor of Japan, when it became obvious Japan was going to lose the war.
The bombs and the aircraft that delivered them actually saved millions of lives.
@@donreinke5863 if your neighbor supported that war I'd don't think you'd support that weapon being dropped on you
@@petezereeeah What kind of irrelevant comment is that? Makes zero sense.