Next Objective (B-29)
Encyclopedia
Next Objective was the name of a B-29 Superfortress
(B-29-36-MO 44-27299, victor number 86) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
.
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
B-29s used by the 509th on Tinian. Next Objective was built at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Plant
at Omaha, Nebraska
, as a Block 35 aircraft. It was one of 10 modified as a Silverplate and re-designated "Block 36". Delivered on March 20, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to crew A-3 (Capt. Ralph N. Devore, aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
. It left Wendover on June 11, 1945 for Tinian and arrived June 17.
It was originally assigned the victor number 6 but on August 1 was given the triangle N tail markings of the 444th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 86 to avoid misidentification with actual 444th BG aircraft. It was named Next Objective and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, Devore and crew A-3 flew Next Objective on 12 practice bombing missions and three pumpkin bomb
missions against Japanese industrial targets at Toyama
, Niihama, and Nagoya, and one which was aborted. Major Charles Sweeney
, commanding officer of the 393rd BS, used the bomber to rehearse procedures using a dummy "Little Boy
" test assembly on July 26 and 29. On the latter mission Next Objective landed on Iwo Jima
where the inert bomb was unloaded, then reloaded to practice a contingency in which a spare aircraft would take over the mission. Charles Schwab was the flight engineer on Tinian.
In November 1945 it returned with the 509th to Roswell Army Air Field
, New Mexico
. From March to August 1946 it was assigned to the Operation Crossroads
task force, then rejoined the 509th BG at Roswell. In April 1949 Next Objective was transferred to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
.
On May 25, 1949, 44-27299 was assigned to a navigation training mission. Shortly after takeoff an engine fire broke out in the right outboard engine, resulting in a crew bailout. The navigator assigned struck his head on the machinery that operated the nose landing gear as he exited the aircraft and was killed when his parachute did not deploy. The pilotless Next Objective circled in a two-mile orbit before crashing 35 miles northeast of El Paso
, where it exploded on impact.
, serials 68-0257 and 68-0284, carried the name Next Objective on their nosewheel doors, and 68-0257 carried the B-29 nose art, while based at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
, in the 1970s and 1980s.
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
(B-29-36-MO 44-27299, victor number 86) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Airplane history
Assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group509th Operations Group
The 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
Silverplate
Silverplate was the code reference for the United States Army Air Forces participation in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Originally the name for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 Superfortress to enable it to drop an atomic weapon, Silverplate eventually came to identify...
B-29s used by the 509th on Tinian. Next Objective was built at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Plant
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
at Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, as a Block 35 aircraft. It was one of 10 modified as a Silverplate and re-designated "Block 36". Delivered on March 20, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to crew A-3 (Capt. Ralph N. Devore, aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It left Wendover on June 11, 1945 for Tinian and arrived June 17.
It was originally assigned the victor number 6 but on August 1 was given the triangle N tail markings of the 444th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 86 to avoid misidentification with actual 444th BG aircraft. It was named Next Objective and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, Devore and crew A-3 flew Next Objective on 12 practice bombing missions and three pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
missions against Japanese industrial targets at Toyama
Toyama, Toyama
is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
, Niihama, and Nagoya, and one which was aborted. Major Charles Sweeney
Charles Sweeney
Major General Charles W. Sweeney was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew the "Fat Man" atomic bomb to Nagasaki on August 9, 1945...
, commanding officer of the 393rd BS, used the bomber to rehearse procedures using a dummy "Little Boy
Little Boy
"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
" test assembly on July 26 and 29. On the latter mission Next Objective landed on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
where the inert bomb was unloaded, then reloaded to practice a contingency in which a spare aircraft would take over the mission. Charles Schwab was the flight engineer on Tinian.
In November 1945 it returned with the 509th to Roswell Army Air Field
Walker Air Force Base
Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles south of the central business district of Roswell, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico, US...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. From March to August 1946 it was assigned to the Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
task force, then rejoined the 509th BG at Roswell. In April 1949 Next Objective was transferred to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
On May 25, 1949, 44-27299 was assigned to a navigation training mission. Shortly after takeoff an engine fire broke out in the right outboard engine, resulting in a crew bailout. The navigator assigned struck his head on the machinery that operated the nose landing gear as he exited the aircraft and was killed when his parachute did not deploy. The pilotless Next Objective circled in a two-mile orbit before crashing 35 miles northeast of El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, where it exploded on impact.
Other aircraft named Next Objective
Two FB-111A strategic bombers of the USAF 509th Bomb Wing509th Bomb Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....
, serials 68-0257 and 68-0284, carried the name Next Objective on their nosewheel doors, and 68-0257 carried the B-29 nose art, while based at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, in the 1970s and 1980s.
External links
Sources
- Campbell, Richard H., The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs (2005), ISBN 0-7864-2139-8
- 509th CG Aircraft Page, MPHPA