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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists World War Two Veteran Signatures United States Surname A  Anderson, Bill |
[UP] - Adams, Milton - Adrianse, Lyle - Aines, Howard - Alcorn, Lavern - Allen, Bill - Allen, Luke - Altman, Robert - Ames, Roger - Ananian, Stephen - Anderson, Bill - Anderson, C - Ardery, Philip - Arreola, Albert - Arthur, Robert - Ash, William - Asmussen, John - Atwood, Lee |
Bill Anderson
Crew, B-29 Superfortress The Texas Doll
| Bill Anderson - Signed Aviation Art |
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| Text for the above items : |
Pacific Dolls by Stan Stokes. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was undoubtedly the best all-around strategic bomber of WW 11. Because of its fairly late deployment in the War, fewer (3,970) Superfortesses were built than any other U.S. strategic bomber. Because of its large payload, and incredible range, a decision was made to utilize the B-29 exclusively in the Pacific and production models began to arrive in India and China in the spring of 1944. By mid 1945 the B-29 was being operated from bases established in the Mariana Islands, and devastating bombing raids were being flown against Japan on a regular basis. The Texas Doll was a Saipan-based B29 of the 497th Bomb Group, which was under the command of Col. Edward Cutler in 1944 & 1945. In a soon to be published book entitled Flying the Red Carpet, Lt. Col. Don Julin, Cutlers navigator, chronicles in both words and photographs his experiences flying out of Saipan in 1945. The Texas Doll participated in the massive fire bombing raid on Tokyo on March 10, 1945. General Lemay insisted on an all-out low level attack and the Doll was stripped of armor plate and left two of its gunners at home for that mission. Follow-up raids on Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe followed within days, and it was clear from that point on that Imperial Japans days were numbered. These missions were not without risk. On his first mission with the Doll, Julin recounts how the bomb bay was hit with a 20mm round from a Japanese twin-engine fighter. The concussion from this shell distorted the shape of one of the Dolls fuel tanks, leading to some harrowing fuel shortages on future flights. On Julins first mission from Saipan his B-29 depressurized over Japan. One of the crew members flak jacket, oxygen mask, and shirt were stripped from him, and the pilot was forced to make a emergency dive to 10,000 feet. Returning to Saipan on another mission Cutler and his crewmates watched a B-29 ditch 100 miles short of making it back. In June of 1945 the Dolls crew witnessed two B-29s collide at only 1000 feet in altitude. On April 1, 1945 Cutlers crew watched in terror as the aircraft just ahead of them crashed into the Pacific and exploded upon takeoff. On March 25, 1945 Cutler and his crew flew their final mission with the Doll painted on the nose of their aircraft. It appears that a number of people back at the Pentagon were giving in to pressure, and all the voluptuous nose art which was so inspirational to the crews which risked their lives on each mission, was now deemed inappropriate. In his nostalgic painting entitled Pacific Dolls, award-winning aviation artist Stan Stokes depicts the Texas Doll at Salpan following a mission in March of 1945. This painting is dedicated to all the courageous crews which both flew and serviced all those Pacific Dolls during the War, and is a tribute to this great aircraft which explicitly helped America win the War in the Pacific. |
| Bill Anderson Aircraft details |
 Superfortress | Superfortress The largest and most powerful bomber of WW II, the Boeing B-29 Super Fortress, played a major role in bringing about the defeat of Japan. In addition to accelerating Japans surrender following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, thousands of B-29 crews flew tens of thousands of bombing missions against Japan from bases in China, India, and later in the War from recaptured islands in the Pacific. B-29s entered service in 1943 following a lengthy, problem-filled, development process of three years in response to the governments request for a long range strategic bomber. Only Boeing and Douglas (the B-32 Dominator) responded to the governments requests, and the B-32 had even greater development problems than the B-29. Powered by four giant Wright R-3350-23 radial engines generating a total horsepower of 8,924, the Super Fortresses typically carried crews of ten. They were capable of a top speed of 357-MPH, and at slower cruising speeds had a range of more than 3,200 miles. The B-29 was a large aircraft for its time with a wingspan in excess of 140 feet and a length of just under 100 feet. The Super Forts also had pressurized forward and aft hulls, which made the long distance missions a bit more comfortable for the flight crews. B-29s typically carried defensive armament which included ten machine guns and a single tail-mounted canon. Because of the pressurized hull, the guns were operated by remote control. The first operational B-29 wing was the 58th which flew out of the China-Burma-India theater. On March 9, 1945 General Curtis LeMay ordered an unusual low altitude attack on Tokyo by hundreds of B-29s carrying incendiary bombs. Five such low level missions were scheduled over a ten-day period, and the combined destruction of these missions exceeded that of either of the atomic bomb missions. B-29s were also effectively used to mine Japanese ports and shipping lanes. |
| Bill Anderson Squadron details |
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