Best Bomber of ww2

[the lancaster kicks ass]

If you had read Gemhorse's post you would have found out...

well guess what, i didn't...............

[cheddar cheese]

Yeah I kinda guessed that...

[the lancaster kicks ass]

very good CC..............

[cheddar cheese]

DO I get a gold star?

[wmaxt]

Originally Posted by the lancaster kicks ass

question, when did the B-29 withdraw from service??

Actualy the B-29s were given uprated engines and some other mods, to become the B-50. Some of these were converted to tankers and retired in the late 50/early 60s. The Super Guppies an outsized cargo plane based on the B-29 is still in limited use today.

[Gemhorse]

Another disconcerting fact about the B-29 was on July 29th 1944, one of these aircraft was hit by Jap flak attacking Anshan, Manchuria, which started a chain of events that ultimately lead to the 'cocky stance' of Russia with the start of the Cold War, and cost to the N.American taxpayers of billions of dollars....

This aircraft, followed by two others at later dates, were to be forced-down on entering Soviet Airspace, and became destined to provide Russia with ALL that fantastic, sophisticated technology that embodied the B-29, to be copied into the Tupelov Tu-4, followed by the Tu-20, which was the only Soviet bomber capable of performing strikes across the Polar regions....

This sole factor was to cost Billion$ in creating immense chains of radar installations and interceptor bases, intended to shield the North American continent from potential manned air attack......it afforded the Soviet Union a major economic victory - a few hundred aircraft demanding a totally disproportionate counter-effort, on the part of the USA and Canada.....

We all love America, but sometimes it just can't seem to 'see the wood from the trees....'
From before the start of WWII, Russia being run by a meglamanic dictator, not unlike Hitler [but unfortunately worse], had an ambivelant attitude to Hitler's expansionist program in Europe, and the Allies [proper] should've realised when Russia and Germany made their non-aggression pact, that Russia wasn't chummy with the Allies....When Hitler reneged and attacked Russia, why oh why did we all rush in to help ?? - Anyone with a focus on history could see Hitler opening another front, like Napoleon, and without our help, Russia should've been left to lie in the bed they'd made with Germany.....All the Allied [proper] lives lost trying to supply Russia were wasted, we should have left them to their Isolationist attitude to duke it out with Germany, it would have saved millions of Allied lives....

The B-29 wasn't to blame as such, nor the unfortunately misplaced trust of their crews in an alleged Ally, but all the crews that perished getting this aircraft successfully operational paid with their blood, and although it finished-off Japan, there can't be any other aircraft that can be this controversial in what it took and what it gave......

[plan_D]

Do you write articles for magazines or something? That writing is brilliant.

And, yes the Bull. Complete copy of the B-29 but with 23mm cannons instead of .50cals. It was the later Soviet bombers like the Tu-95 that were testing British airspace everyday!

[Lightning Guy]

Interesting that the Soviets never invested billions in espionage and engineering to produce a carbon copy of a Lancaster . . .

[plan_D]

Dig at Lanc there...and it wouldn't have been THAT much to copy the B-29 seeing as they had a nice collection in Russia.

[Lightning Guy]

It still required a fair amount of work to reverse engineer the design. But the point remains valid that the B-29 was the only bomber of WWII that was able to function in the postwar world.

[plan_D]

Well, there's no denying that.

[cheddar cheese]

Knowing the lanc he'll say otherwise

[plan_D]

Then we can all gather today and give him a hefty back hand.

[cheddar cheese]

Nah I gots the feeling he'd enjoy having that done to him

[plan_D]

I see... ...we'll avoid that then...and eeewww.