Some Punkins
Encyclopedia
Some Punkins was the name of a B-29 Superfortress
(B-29-36-MO 44-27296, victor number 84) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
.
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
B-29s used by the 509th on Tinian, Some Punkins 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 19, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to Crew B-7 (Capt. James N. Price, Jr., aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
.
It left Wendover on June 8, 1945 for Tinian and arrived June 14. It was originally assigned the victor number 4 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 84 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Some Punkins and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions. While a number of sources attribute the name to a 1930's comic strip, the nose art suggests a possible reference to the "pumpkin bomb
" missions the 509th Composite Group flew as combat rehearsal for the atomic bomb operations.
While on Tinian it was used on 13 training and practice missions and five combat missions to drop pumpkin bomb
s on industrial targets on Toyama
, Ōgaki
, Shimoda
, Yokkaichi
, and Nagoya. Some Punkins was the only B-29 of the 393rd BS flown exclusively by its assigned crew on all operational missions.
In November 1945 it returned with the 509th to Roswell Army Air Field
, New Mexico
. On March 1, 1946, while at Kirtland Army Air Field
in preparation for assignment to Operation Crossroads
, it was struck while parked by a taxiing B-29, incurring severe damage to its forward fuselage. The airplane was transferred to the 428th Base Unit at Kirtland in April 1946 and declared damaged beyond economical repair. In August it was deliberately set afire as part of firefighting training and totally destroyed.
, serials 68-0241 and 68-0246, carried the name and original nose art of Some Punkins on their nosewheel doors 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 44-27296, victor number 84) 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, Some Punkins 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 19, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to Crew B-7 (Capt. James N. Price, Jr., 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 8, 1945 for Tinian and arrived June 14. It was originally assigned the victor number 4 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 84 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Some Punkins and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions. While a number of sources attribute the name to a 1930's comic strip, the nose art suggests a possible reference to the "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 the 509th Composite Group flew as combat rehearsal for the atomic bomb operations.
While on Tinian it was used on 13 training and practice missions and five combat missions to drop 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...
s on industrial targets on 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....
, Ōgaki
Ogaki, Gifu
is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1918. As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 160,999 and a total area of .Ōgaki was the final destination for the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō...
, Shimoda
Shimoda, Shizuoka
is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...
, Yokkaichi
Yokkaichi, Mie
is a city located in Mie, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 314,393. The total area is 205.53 km².The closest major city is Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture....
, and Nagoya. Some Punkins was the only B-29 of the 393rd BS flown exclusively by its assigned crew on all operational missions.
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...
. On March 1, 1946, while at Kirtland Army Air Field
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy C. Kirtland...
in preparation for assignment to 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...
, it was struck while parked by a taxiing B-29, incurring severe damage to its forward fuselage. The airplane was transferred to the 428th Base Unit at Kirtland in April 1946 and declared damaged beyond economical repair. In August it was deliberately set afire as part of firefighting training and totally destroyed.
Other aircraft named Some Punkins
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 68-0241 and 68-0246, carried the name and original nose art of Some Punkins on their nosewheel doors 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.
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