mike siggins
Airman
yes every body has a diferent opinion but what happens when u lose cabin pressure
B-29s over Germany
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FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
You put on an oxygen mask and keep flying, just like you would in any other type of pressurized aircraft that looses cabin pressure. A pressurized aircraft will only maintain cabin pressue to a 10 - 12,000 foot environment anyway.
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fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Did they lower the cabin pressure when they got near the combat area.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
I don't think so. Even with some small punctures through the "pressure vessel," cabin pressure will still be maintained.
Matt308
Glock Perfection
Yeah you would be surprised how large the outflow valve is on a modern airplane and they are only pressurized to about 6000ft. I've been in the forward E/E bay of a 747-400 and witnessed the outflow valve in action and it is quite the hole!! 
In wartime, the B-29 was capable of flight up to 31,850 feet (9,710 m),[20] at speeds of up to 350 mph (560 km/h) (true airspeed). This was its best defense, because Japanese fighters of that day could barely get that high, and few could catch the B-29, even if they were at altitude and waiting. Only the heaviest of anti-aircraft weapons could reach it, and since the Axis forces did not have proximity fuzes, hitting or damaging the aircraft from the ground in combat was next to impossible.[citation needed]
The B-29's revolutionary Central Fire Control system included four remotely controlled turrets armed with two .50 Browning M2 machine guns each.[N 2] All weapons were aimed electronically from five sighting stations located in the nose and tail positions and three Perspex blisters in the central fuselage.[N 3] Five General Electric analog computers (one dedicated to each sight) increased the weapons' accuracy by compensating for factors such as airspeed, lead, gravity, temperature and humidity. The computers also allowed a single gunner to operate two or more turrets (including tail guns) simultaneously. The gunner in the upper position acted as fire control officer, managing the distribution of turrets among the other gunners during combat.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The B-29 was quiet fast. I think the Antons would sweat to catch it. Bombing from 30,000 was not much of a problem in the ETO, isn't?
The B-29's revolutionary Central Fire Control system included four remotely controlled turrets armed with two .50 Browning M2 machine guns each.[N 2] All weapons were aimed electronically from five sighting stations located in the nose and tail positions and three Perspex blisters in the central fuselage.[N 3] Five General Electric analog computers (one dedicated to each sight) increased the weapons' accuracy by compensating for factors such as airspeed, lead, gravity, temperature and humidity. The computers also allowed a single gunner to operate two or more turrets (including tail guns) simultaneously. The gunner in the upper position acted as fire control officer, managing the distribution of turrets among the other gunners during combat.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The B-29 was quiet fast. I think the Antons would sweat to catch it. Bombing from 30,000 was not much of a problem in the ETO, isn't?
In terms of aircraft with high altitude capabilities the Luftwaffe was in a better position than the Japanese services.
Especially from early 1944 onwards the DB605AS with an oversized supercharger was available for the Me 109G5AS whie cryogenic nitrous oxide (GM1) was available around 2 years earlier and usable on both FW190 and Me 109. These were field retrofits in most instances.
Some of the more advanced two stage supercharger types were retarded from production to allow greater overall production of simpler types with improved supercharger hydrodynamics but one can immagine these types being advanced if the need to deal with the B-29 arose. No doubt the B29 is a harder aircraft to deal with but also twice as expensive as the B17.
For the record a Me 109G5ASM with 3 x 20mm guns and 2 x 13.2mm guns could do 390 mph at 9000m/30,000ft at which point the MW50 has switched of. The Me 109G5AS is available from about March 1944. The B29 is capable of 350mph at this altitude. Top speed of the Me 109G5ASM was about 405mph at a slightly lower altitude. The MW50 tank was meant to also function as a armoured cryogenic GM1 tank and it is likely this would be carried instead to offer a significantly higher speed. The Me 109K4 was capable of speeds of 444mph from about October 1944.
http://kurfurst.org/Performance_tests/109G14_PBLeistungen/files/PBG14_LS_SNplusMW50.jpg
So the Luftwaffe would be getting intercepts though it would be tougher and at altitudes favourable to allied types.
I can also see the Wasserfall SAM receiving priority over the V2/A4. It was test launching at the end of the war but might have seen service if it rather than the V2 received resources. It was designed to engage a 2g target at over 15000m/50,000ft.
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FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
All good provided the LW "would have" been able to produce the number of aircraft and more importantly the fuel to deal with B-29.
TheMustangRider
Senior Airman
I do not have further information at the moment making this just a claim, but I remember reading that the decision to deploy the B-29 to India and China was at least partly politically motivated as President Roosevelt wanted to involve china more actively in the Allied effort to defeat Imperial Japan.
Anyone feel free to confirm or refute my claim.
Anyone feel free to confirm or refute my claim.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
From Wiki..
" Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time full B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force."
"The Army Air Forces wanted to begin replacing B-17s and B-24s with B-32s in the summer of 1944. The plan called for Mediterranean-based B-24 bomb groups to transition first, followed by other groups in the 15th Air Force and finally 8th Air Force groups. Because the B-32 test program was so far behind schedule, however, not a single B-32 was ever sent to the Mediterranean or European Theaters of Operation."
Factsheets : Consolidated B-32
" Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time full B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force."
"The Army Air Forces wanted to begin replacing B-17s and B-24s with B-32s in the summer of 1944. The plan called for Mediterranean-based B-24 bomb groups to transition first, followed by other groups in the 15th Air Force and finally 8th Air Force groups. Because the B-32 test program was so far behind schedule, however, not a single B-32 was ever sent to the Mediterranean or European Theaters of Operation."
Factsheets : Consolidated B-32
syscom3
Pacific Historian
The B29 crewman reported that most flak and bullet/cannon holes were not catastrophic to the airframe and the air pressure drop could often take some time to effect complete depressurization.
Theres a picture of a B29 with a complete side blister blowout at high altitude. And the B29 kept formation with no problem. The crew just put on the heated flying suits and air masks.
syscom3
Pacific Historian
The B29's were based in China simply because the Mariana's werent even taken yet. After operations started from the Mariana's, the superior logistical situation meant the China Based bomb groups became less and less relevant.
model299
Airman 1st Class
Before it closed in the winter of '97. I volunteered at the Planes Of Fame museum at Flying Cloud Airport here in Eden Prairie, Mn.
I had the chance on one weekend during a group reunion to talk to several former B-29 pilots about this very thing. They said standard proceedure for their group was to don hardhats, oxygen masks, and goggles when approaching the combat area. The goggles were in case any part of the glazing was destroyed during action. They never mentioned reducing the cabin pressure while in combat. That doesn't mean they didn't do it. They just never said anything to me about it.
They said when fully (over) loaded, the plane could be a real handful, and they used every inch of the runway before lifting the nose up. Once rid of the bombs and fuel load, they said the plane was a delight to fly, with light and responsive controls.
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The Basket
Senior Master Sergeant
- 3,712
- Jun 27, 2007
There was the case of the 737 which lost part of its roof structure and a flight attendant was blown out but the aircraft survived to land safely.
On mythbusters they pressured an aircraft and shot bullet holes in it and even small explosive charges and the explosive decompression didn't happen.
Explosive decompression probably only occurs with catastrophic failure of the aircraft which meant the aircraft was probably in such a bad way that it was going down anyways.
On mythbusters they pressured an aircraft and shot bullet holes in it and even small explosive charges and the explosive decompression didn't happen.
Explosive decompression probably only occurs with catastrophic failure of the aircraft which meant the aircraft was probably in such a bad way that it was going down anyways.
Explosive decompression happens in Hollywood...
There are number of circumstances in which the Luftwaffe is well suplied with fuel:
1 Field Marshall Halder gets his way and Army group North take Moscow leading to total collapse of the Soviet Union
2 Operation case blue is effective and the Germans take the strategic Oil fields of the Caucuses and Baku.
3 Erwin Rommel smashes his way through the middle East Up through Iraq and takes the Caucasian oil fields.
(Just having secure enigma codes might have done that)
4 Albert Speer authorises greater precautions to be taken in hardening and dispersing synthetic oil refineries.
All of these nearly succeeded, having oil fields of such a scale would have revolutionised German supply logistics and tank warfare.
Please , Siegfried, let's not start with this nonsense again.
Anyway, with Hitler and his right brain thinking making most of the decisions, the only chance the 3rd Reich had of coming out of WW2 with anything better than just a cease fire was is some brave individual put a bullet in Hitler's head before 1941.
