Strange Cargo (B-29)
Encyclopedia
Strange Cargo was the name of a B-29 Superfortress
(B-29-36-MO 44-27300, victor number 73) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
.
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
B-29s used by the 509th on Tinian, Strange Cargo 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 April 2, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to Crew A-4 (Capt. Joseph E. Westover), aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
. It left Wendover on June 5, 1945, for Tinian and arrived June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 3 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 73 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Strange Cargo and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, Westover and crew A-4 flew Strange Cargo on 11 practice bombing missions and three combat pumpkin bomb
missions against Japanese industrial targets at Nagasaki, Tsuruga, and Toyoda
. The plane flew one other pumpkin bomb mission to Fukushima
under Capt. Frederick C. Bock
and crew C-13.
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 June 1949 Strange Cargo was transferred to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
, then sent to McClellan Air Force Base
in August 1949 for modification to WB-29 specifications at the Sacramento Air Materiel Area.
Subsequent assignments as a WB-29 were to:
Strange Cargo was modified again in August 1954, this time as a TB-29 trainer at Tinker AFB and at the Mobile Air Materiel Area, Nashville
, Tennessee
. It was then assigned to:
Its last assignment was to RAF Brize Norton
, United Kingdom
, where it was scrapped after an unspecified accident in August 1957.
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 44-27300, victor number 73) 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, Strange Cargo 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 April 2, 1945, to the USAAF, it was assigned to Crew A-4 (Capt. Joseph E. Westover), 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 5, 1945, for Tinian and arrived June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 3 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 73 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Strange Cargo and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, Westover and crew A-4 flew Strange Cargo on 11 practice bombing missions and three combat 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 Nagasaki, Tsuruga, and Toyoda
Toyoda
- Locations and buildings :*Toyoda, Shizuoka, a town located in Iwata District, Shizuoka, Japan- People :*Sakichi Toyoda , a Japanese inventor and the founder of Toyota Industries Corporation Co., Ltd....
. The plane flew one other pumpkin bomb mission to Fukushima
Fukushima, Fukushima
is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. As of May 2011 the city has an estimated population of 290,064 and an area of 746.43 km².It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai.-History:...
under Capt. Frederick C. Bock
Frederick C. Bock
Frederick C. Bock was a World War II pilot who took part in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, flying the B-29 bomber The Great Artiste, which was used for scientific measurements of the effects caused by the nuclear weapon. The bomber which actually dropped Fat Man was called Bockscar as it...
and crew C-13.
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 June 1949 Strange Cargo 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...
, then sent to McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California...
in August 1949 for modification to WB-29 specifications at the Sacramento Air Materiel Area.
Subsequent assignments as a WB-29 were to:
- 513th Reconnaissance Squadron, Tinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force BaseTinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(December 1950), - 374th Reconnaissance Squadron, McClellan AFB, January 1951 ;
- 57th Strategic weather Squadron at Hickam Air Force BaseHickam Air Force BaseHickam Field, re-named Hickam Air Force Base in 1948, was a United States Air Force facility now part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lt Col Horace Meek Hickam.- History :...
, HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
(February 1951), with forward deployments to Kwajalein Atoll. - Warner Robins Air Materiel Area, Robins Air Force BaseRobins Air Force BaseRobins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
(May 1952), - 58th Strategic Weather Squadron, Eielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force BaseEielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska....
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
(September 1952).
Strange Cargo was modified again in August 1954, this time as a TB-29 trainer at Tinker AFB and at the Mobile Air Materiel Area, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It was then assigned to:
- 5th Tow Target Squadron at Wheelus Air BaseWheelus Air Base-See also:*List of airports in Libya-External links:*****...
, LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(June 1955), - 7280th Maintenance Group, Nouasseur Air BaseNouasseur Air BaseNouasseur Air Base near Casablanca, French Morocco is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers.Today, Nouasseur AB is known as Mohammed V International Airport.-Origins:...
, MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
(October 1955); - 3150th Maintenance Group, Nouasseur AB (January 1956); and
- 7235th Support Squadron, Wheelus AB (March 1956).
Its last assignment was to RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the settlements of Brize Norton, Carterton and Witney....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it was scrapped after an unspecified accident in August 1957.
Other aircraft named Strange Cargo
An FB-111A strategic bomber of the USAF, serial 69-6508, carried the name and nose art of Strange Cargo on its nosewheel doors during its service with the 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....
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