Editing Boeing B-29 Superfortress (section)

====Forward base in China====
On 5 June 1944, B-29s raided [[Bombing of Bangkok in World War II|Bangkok]], in what is reported as a test before being deployed against the [[Japanese home islands]]. Sources do not report from where they launched and vary as to the numbers involved—77, 98, and 114 being claimed. Targets were [[Memorial Bridge, Bangkok|Bangkok's Memorial Bridge]] and a major power plant. Bombs fell over two kilometers away, damaged no civilian structures, but destroyed some [[tram]] lines, and destroyed both a Japanese military hospital and the [[Japanese secret police]] headquarters.<ref name="Duncan Stearn">Stearn, Duncan. [http://www.pattayamail.com/513/columns.shtml#hd6 "The air war over Thailand, 1941–1945; Part Two, The Allies attack Thailand, 1942–1945"]. ''Pattaya Mail''. Volume XI, Issue 21, 30 May – 5 June 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2012.</ref> On 15 June 1944, 68 B-29s took off from bases around Chengdu, 47 B-29s [[Bombing of Yawata (June 1944)|bombed the Imperial Iron and Steel Works]] at [[Yahata, Fukuoka|Yawata]], [[Fukuoka Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. This was the first attack on Japanese islands since the [[Doolittle raid]] in April 1942.<ref name="AAFWW2 v5p100">Craven and Cate Vol. 5 1983, p. 100.</ref> The first B-29 combat losses occurred during this raid, with one B-29 destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters after an emergency landing in China,<ref name="AAFWW2 v5 p101">Craven and Cate Vol. 5 1983, p. 101.</ref> one lost to anti-aircraft fire over Yawata, and another, the ''Stockett's Rocket'' (after Capt. Marvin M. Stockett, Aircraft Commander) B-29-1-BW 42-6261,{{efn|reference=The suffix −1-BW indicates that this B-29 was from the first production batch of B-29s manufactured at the Boeing, Wichita plant. Other suffixes are BA = Bell, [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]; BN = Boeing, [[Renton, Washington]]; MO = Martin, [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>[http://www.warbird-central.com/american/bombers/B-29/B-29_serials.html "List of B-29 and B-50 production"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723185246/http://www.warbird-central.com/american/bombers/B-29/B-29_serials.html |date=23 July 2008 }} ''warbird-central.com''. Retrieved: 16 June 2008.</ref>}} disappeared after takeoff from Chakulia, India, over the Himalayas (12 KIA, 11 crew and one passenger).<ref>Source: 20th Bomb Group Assn</ref> This raid, which did little damage to the target, with only one bomb striking the target factory complex,<ref name="iapr22 p145">Willis 2007, p. 145.</ref> nearly exhausted fuel stocks at the Chengdu B-29 bases, resulting in a slow-down of operations until the fuel stockpiles could be replenished.<ref name="AAFWW2 v5p101,3">Craven and Cate Vol. 5 1983, pp. 101, 103.</ref> Starting in July, the raids against Japan from Chinese airfields continued at relatively low intensity. Japan was bombed on:
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* 7 July 1944 (14 B-29s)
* 29 July (70+)
* 10 August (24)
* 20 August (61)<ref>The tactic of using aircraft to ram American B-29s was first recorded on the raid of 20 August 1944 on the steel factories at Yawata. Sergeant Shigeo Nobe of the 4th ''Sentai'' intentionally flew his [[Kawasaki Ki-45]] into a B-29. Debris from the explosion severely damaged another B-29, which also went down. Lost were Colonel Robert Clinksale's B-29-10-BW 42-6334 ''Gertrude C'' and Captain Ornell Stauffer's B-29-15-BW 42-6368 ''Calamity Sue'', both from the 486th BG. See: [http://home.att.net/~sallyann6/b29/56years-4408.html "Pacific War Chronology: August 1944"]. ''att.net''. Retrieved: 12 June 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402225313/http://home.att.net/~sallyann6/b29/56years-4408.html |date=2 April 2010 }}. Several B-29s were destroyed in this manner in the ensuing months. Although the term "[[Kamikaze]]" is often used to refer to the pilots conducting these attacks, the word was not used by the Japanese military. See: [http://www.tokkotai.or.jp/ "Japanese website dedicated to the ''Tokkotai'' JAAF and JNAF"]. ''tokkotai.or.jp''. Retrieved 7 June 2008.</ref>
* 8 September (90)
* 26 September (83)
* 25 October (59)
* 12 November (29)
* 21 November (61)
* 19 December (36)
* 6 January 1945 (49)
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B-29s were withdrawn from airfields in China by the end of January 1945. Throughout the prior period, B-29 raids were also launched from China and India against many other targets throughout [[Southeast Asia]], including a [[Bombing of Singapore (1944–1945)|series of raids on Singapore]] and Thailand. On 2 November 1944, 55 B-29s raided Bangkok's [[Bang Sue District|Bang Sue]] marshaling yards in the largest raid of the war. Seven [[Royal Thai Air Force|RTAF]] [[Nakajima Ki-43]] ''Hayabusa''s from Foong Bin (Air Group) 16 and 14 IJAAF Ki-43s attempted intercept. RTAF Flt Lt Therdsak Worrasap attacked a B-29, damaging it, but was shot down by return fire. One B-29 was lost, possibly the one damaged by Flt Lt Therdsak.{{efn|The biggest raid on Bangkok during the war occurred on 2 November 1944, when the marshaling yards at Bang Sue were raided by 55 B-29s ...<ref>Forsgren, Jan. [http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/jan_forsgren/j-aircraft_royal_thai.htm "Japanese Aircraft In Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Navy Service During WWII"]. ''Japanese Aircraft, Ships, & Historical Research'', 21 July 2004. Retrieved: 18 February 2012.</ref>}} On 14 April 1945, a second B-29 raid on Bangkok destroyed two key power plants and was the last major attack conducted against Thai targets.<ref name="Duncan Stearn"/> The B-29 effort was gradually shifted to the new bases in the [[Mariana Islands]] in the [[Central Pacific Area|Central Pacific]], with the last B-29 combat mission from India flown on 29 March 1945.

[[File:B-29 Bomber on a long range mission in late 1945.jpg|thumb|B-29A-30-BN, ''42-94106'', on a long-range mission]]