Customer Reviews

B-29 Superfortress Units of the Korean War (Combat Aircraft)

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Sent into combat once more - this time in 1950 over North Korea - Boeing's B-29 labored valiantly in support of the UN cause. Its crews, many of them retreads like their aircraft, pitted their lumbering craft against new and very deadly opponents, namely the swept-wing MiG-15. Forced to switch to night-time attacks because of losses due to the MiGs, the B-29s kept up their attacks till war's end. Their story is told by Robert Dorr in this Osprey 'Combat Aircraft' volume from 2003.

Superforts were committed to action early on in the conflict and logged their last missions a month before the cease-fire agreement was signed. By war's end, five bomb groups - the 19th, 22nd, 92nd, 98th and 307th - had seen action, dropping some 167,000 tons of bombs. Thirty-four B-29s had been lost to all causes.

Dorr does a nice job of relating the B-29 experience in Korea, charting how unprepared America was to fight that far-away conflict and how B-29 crews/units went about forging an effective weapon. The early daylight missions were successful but, by October 1951, unsupportable due to the MiG-15 threat. After that date, black-bellied B-29s logging night missions were the order of the day. Superforts also logged other missions (photo-recce, weather recce, ASR, etc.) and Dorr covers those activities as well. Many first-person reminiscences are included, a definite plus in my book.

Dozens of b&w photos and 16 pages of color profiles - including three pages of nose art close-ups - are included. The B-29 crews were wildly inventive in their markings and some of the nose artwork has to be seen to be believed.

All in all, B-29 SUPERFORTRESS UNITS OF THE KOREAN WAR is an excellent summary of the air war fought by that majestic bomber and its intrepid crews. Recommended.

He, Young Ki Moon, a Korean Militry Aviation Rrsearcher,sent me
the vauable Review on this book.
He is also eyewitness of 1st dogfighting between F-82G vs YAK-7U,
1st reconniaisance and demonsrating formation of low flying B-26 formation
1st low flying 4 B-29'S Bombing formation's bombing Seoul railway station,
under moderate AAA attacks explodiing exacyly near the B-29s durig 27,28,
June,1950, over the Seoul Sky.
During,first few days, duty of B-29 was mainly tactical delaying advance
of North Korean Armies , bombing railroad and Han River bridge neaqr Seoul
Later soon, Bombing Air Field, bridges and Installations on the basis of
Stratgic Bombings.In retospecing History, Already, Starlin prepared possile coming war with US !Duing WWII,he refused returning emergency landed 3 B-29 againt on US request.He copied B-29 almost same TU-4 attacing US mainland. He coul'd also get most advanced Btitih Rolls-Royce
Nene Jet engines as expression of goodwill. Later using these engies,
thet copyed and develoed russian engines later, they used engine for
MIG-15,using heavier armaments with Cannons,very effective shoot down
B-29 in Korean War !(what the this Irony is!)
On 1,Nov,1950,F-51 were engaged by 1st appered 6 swept-wing, MIG-15 near
Yalu River.a American F-80C pilot shot down a MIG-15 whih is the Worlds
1st Jet-versus-Jet aerial vitory(Quted from "Korean Air War" by
Robert E. Dorr & Warren Thompson,2003). cotrary Soviet claimed shooting
down one F-80C in 1st-ever dogfight between jet fighter(quoted from this
book). 7,April,one B-29 was shot down by MIG-15 whih was escorted by F-84,
and hih altirude ,top over F-86screning.Immediately, this episode, night
boming started without special measure.
On 23,Tuesday,1951.dramatic "Black Tuesday"--unthinkable number of B-29
losses by MIG-15 developed. This shocking resultmade complete ex clusion of daylight bombing of B-29.
More and more, Russian Air Units increased and expanded. also previously,
experiencd pilots,including many WWII experenced Aces ,fixed for obtains
new Skill exoerience with Americans,and Western Technology. Later exchange
rotation programs for inexprienced pilots also developed.
another horror for the B-29 crews were Enforced dispatches of well mechanized AAA with Rader operated Guns and Rader operated Searchlights
in MIG ALLEY and safty northern part of Noth Korea( Sovit always afraids
of Disclosure of systemic involvment of Sosiet).
Thre was many difficulties for effective night bombing,including incediary
bombing,incomplete radio controlled Tarzan bombs,underdevloped inssuficient Rader using B-29,ineffective .50 mahine guns operayrd with
WWII used Remote Control System due to fast MIG-15 and small caliberd
machine guns. Also covering night raiding B-29 with F-94B,F3D and F2H-2
Banshee.B-29 crew's Horror and depressed morals are anothervital factors
competing with enemys. I like add Frank "Bud' farrel(a B-29 waist gunner
who is one of B-29 Writer). on 3,4th,July, He was on night bombing mission
by his Flashlight, he found a MIG-15, flying with his B-29 formations,
extending both legs for decreasing his speed similar with speed of his
B-29, without shooting. this peculiar scene gave him strange fears.
Finally I like comare Killng Ratio,which is very difficut matters according to different reporters.some one said different rate ranging
50~100% error !
In this book clamed as following:34 B-29 had been lost in combat(16 to
fighters,4 to AAA,14 toother causes),and B-29gunners had been credited
with destroying 27 enemy fighters including 16 MI9G-15s.
On the otherhand, Soviet have been claimed by basis of Kills toindividual pilots,after all necessary confirmation,66 B-29,7 B-26,2 RB-45,1 RB-50,
2 F-47,28 F-51,123 F-80,181 F-84,574 F-86,11 F-94,1 F4U,3 F6F, and
26 Metere F.8 are risted(quoted from Ospry, "Sovirt MIG-15 Aces of the
Korean War- by leonid Krylov and Yuriy Tepsurkaev).

B-29,

very bood look at the B-29 and it's use in the korean war. With crew input and lots of war time photos and color art work. I give it 5 STARS!.