Boeing B-29 Superfortress Designed in 1940 as an eventual replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the first B-29 made its maiden flight on Sept. 21, 1942. In December 1943 U.S. Army Air Forces leadership committed the Superfortress to Asia, where its great range made it particularly suited for the long over-water flights against the Japanese homeland from bases in China. | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Original footage from around 1944 showing the starting procedures and checks needed to fly the B-29 Superfortress. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during WWII. | War History Online