Boeing B-29 Superfortress WWII Bomber Disc 2 DVD

The B-29 WWII Bomber Disc 2 DVD is a collection of five B-29 documentary films on the Boeing B29 bomber.

Film #1 - AAF B-29 Superfort - B-29 activities in the CBI Theater are shown between August 1943 and June 1944. The huge B-29 factory back in the US is pumping out great quantities of B-29s. AAF B-29 airbases in Chengdu China are built using the labor of thousands of Chinese who provide their muscle power as a substitute for mechanized construction equipment. When the base is ready to accept aircraft, 130 B-29s from the 20th Air Force are sent.

The first B-29 bombing raid on Japan is on Yawata which contains Japan's steel-making factories. (68) B-29s from Chengdu were sent on this bombing mission.

Runtime is about 14 minutes.

Film #2 - B-29 Flight Engineer - A USAAF training film for B-29 flight engineers. Narrated by Ronald Reagan, the film shows the complex systems of the B-29 and details the responsibilities of the flight engineer. From a detailed pre-flight check to managing the engines in-flight for the most efficient operation, the flight engineer is expected to get the maximum performance out of those four engines. On the ground, he also ensures that all repairs are performed correctly. Runtime is about 36 minutes.

Film #3 - Target Tokyo - A documentary of the first B-29 bombing mission to Tokyo on the Nakajima aircraft factory. The film begins with the training of air crews in Grand Island, Nebraska. Then onto Bakersfield, California where the unit is formed into the 21st Bomber Command . Then continuing to Pearl Harbor and finally to Saipan Island.

There's great footage of B-29s taking off and landing on Saipan. It is stressed that Saipan to Tokyo is 3000 miles round trip - much longer than any previous bombing mission such as London to Berlin. You can see the construction of the airfield as well as Japanese raids on the island. Also, witness the aircrew briefing before the mission, maintenance and arming of the B-29s.

Ronald Reagan narrates this film and the runtime is about 22 minutes.

Film #4 - USAAF B-29 Newsreels - This is a great collection of B-29 newsreels:

• Overview of the B-29 Bomber
• B-29s bomb Tokyo
• B29 bomber crash in China
• Activities on Iwo Jima
• Expand Marianas Air Bases
• Leaflets dropped by B-29s
• Jet-Propelled small plane carried by B-29 aircraft
• B 29 Guided Missile
• Experimental plane released by B 29 bomber

Runtime of about 14 minutes.

Film #5 - B-29 War Against Japan - A film made by the USAAF and covering the period between October 1944 and August 1945. The 21st Bomber Command of the 20th Air Force is formed. B-29s fly from San Francisco to Saipan Island. On 24 November 1944, B-29s made the first high-altitude bombing mission to the Nakajima Aircraft plant in Tokyo. This mission as well as subsequent high altitude bomb raids did not cause much damage to the enemy.

The War Department then replaced the current XXI commander, General Hansell, with General Curtis Lemay. Lemay decides to switch to low-level incendiary bombs in order to destroy Japanese structures built of wood and paper. (100-800) B-29s were used to implement the new tactics with devastating effect on the Japanese.

The film ends with the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by two B-29s. Runtime is about 14 minutes.

Total runtime for the WWII B-29 movies Disc 2 DVD is about 100 minutes. Format is NTSC DVD and region-free.