The following parts are needed to restore this turret: Elevation Drive Motor, Azimuth Drive Assembly, Feed Rollers, Movable Chute for spent ammunition, Stationary Chute for spent ammunition, (2) Azimuth Limit Switches, (2) Elevation Limit Switches, (2) Ammunition Booster Motors with Feed Track, Turret Cover and Tail Sighting Station Type 2CSR3B3. |
United States Boeing B-29 "Super Fortress" Bomber Aircraft A.A.F. Serial Number B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 |
History of B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 "Miss Liberty Belle": "Body, Installation - Tail" ASSY 3-14335-13 UNIT 998. During World War Two the B-29 Super Fortress bombers were built by three different companies: The Boeing Aircraft Company, Bell Aviation Company and Glenn L. Martin. The aircraft that this tail section came from was built by Boeing under contract W33-038-19673-32-48 under block of production B-29-65-BW, Army Air Force Serial Numbers: 44-69805 through 44-69904 (100 aircraft produced and delivered) Each aircraft under this contract cost $618,045.00 to include the engines, propellers and radio equipment. B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 was manufactured by Boeing Aircraft, Renton WA, accepted August 31st 1945 and delivered to the USAAF on September 4th 1945. In September 1945, she went to Oklahoma Air Depot, Tinker AAF OK, October 1945 to 488th AAF Base Unit (Fourth Air Force), Chico AAF CA; January 1946, to the 482nd AAFBU (4th AF), Merced AAF CA; March 1946 to the 4136th AAFBU (Air Materiel Command), Hill AAF UT (storage); October 1947, to the 92nd Bombardment Group [Very Heavy] (Strategic Air Command), Spokane AFB WA; August 1948 the 92nd Bombardment Wing [Medium] (SAC), Spokane AFB (deployments to Yokota AB Japan and Kadena AB Japan); June 1951 assigned to the To 92nd Bombardment Wing [M] (SAC), Fairchild AFB WA; July 1952 to the 106th Bombardment Wing [M] (SAC), March AFB CA; December 1952 with the 320th Bombardment Wing [M] (SAC), March AFB; May 1953, to the 307th Bombardment Wing [M] (Far East Air Forces), Kadena AB; November 1954, to the 3040th Aircraft Storage Depot (AMC), Davis-Monthan AFB AZ; April 1955, to the AMC, Nashville TN; as a converted TB-29A in July 1955, to the 15th Tow Target Squadron (Alaskan Air Command), Elmendorf AFB AK; October 1955, to Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area, Tinker AFB OK; January 1956, to the 3510th Combat Crew Training Wing (Air Training Command), Randolph AFB TX (deployment to Tyndall AFB FL) and then finally November 1956 - Dropped from inventory by transferred to US Navy to be used as a ground target. During her service with the 92nd Bomb Group, 326th Bomb Squadron, 307th Bomb Wing she was painted with the nose art "Miss Liberty Belle", during the Korean War, with her Pilot: Tebbs. This TB-29 would be later taken to China Lake Naval Weapons Station, California and used as a ground target for decades. The TB-29 would eventually be cut apart for her precious scrap metal. This TB-29 tail section would be saved from the aluminum scrapper in the 1980s. QuestMasters acquired this tail in April of 2010 from the warbird historian and author Nick Veronico. |
B-29 Gunner Compartment, starboard side, left photo. Port side, right photo. This tail section was painted black prior to being modified as a TB-29, as indicated by the black paint between the tow target chutes that have been added to the bottom of the tail. The tail turret was removed during the modification to a TB-29 tow target, aircraft. |
"Body, Installation - Tail", left photo. This tail section has ASSY 3-14335-13 UNIT 998 stamped above the pressurized hatch opening on the frame, above right photo. |
B-29 Gunner Compartment, view looking forward, above left photo. Modifications when converted to a TB-29 were the removal of the tail turret, the adding of aluminum plate to the bottom of the compartment and the addition of two grab handles on each side of the inside tail. The two grab handles have been removed from this tail section. |
The inside of this tail has been painted with the serial number 4462208. Boeing B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 is not known to have been disposed of at China Lake Naval Weapons Station. |
Tail turret top mounting bracket area, left photo. The tail turret mounting bracket has been covered with a section of aluminum skin when converted to a TB-29. Inside gunner's compartment, right photo. |
Gunner's compartment floor, above left and right photo. |
"Body, Installation - Tail" nomenclature plate, above photo. This nomenclature plate is constructed from phenolic material with a paper label attached to the face. The markings and serial number are no longer visible. It is mounted on the center frame just before the pressurized hatch for the gunner's compartment. |
Gunsight mount, above left and right photo. On the gunsight mount is the hand inscribed name "Chuck". |
Inside of gunner's compartment, above left and right photo. |
B-29 Super Fortress Tail Mount, Tail Turret or "Stinger" |
The Tail Mount or "Stinger" used on the B-29A Super Fortress was furnished by Boeing Aircraft, Renton Washington. One 20mm Cannon and two ANM2 .50 caliber machine guns were supplied as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). The turret used a 2CSR3B3 Tail Sighting Station that remotely controlled the elevation, transverse and firing of the weapons. During World War Two, it was very common for the 20mm cannon to be removed during combat flights as the trio of weapons were difficult to fire. The illustrations shown above were taken from Technical Order T.O. 11-70A-1 "EQUIPMENT USED IN THE TYPE 2CFR55B1 CENTRAL-STATION FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM ON THE B-29 AIRPLANE", section 1, paragraph 4. |
B-29 Tail Mount or "Stinger", above two photos. The B-29 Turret shown above was acquired by QuestMasters for the restoration of this Super Fortress tail section. The turret was recovered from a post-war scrapping operation in Macon, Georgia. The steel ring support on both sides have been cut with an oxygen/acetylene torch for demilitarization and reclamation of the aluminum, magnesium and steel. The aluminum/magnesium Saddle is marked: BOEING-F 15-8457-2 9S29H. The steel Ring Support is marked: ASSEM 15-10248 SC-FD-2. Note that both mounts for the ANM2 .50 caliber machine guns are present, but the mount and saddle for the 20mm cannon has been removed. |
B-29 Tail Mount Dome Support, above left photo. Elevation Drive Assembly, above right photo. The Dome Support is marked: FLY LITE, 4422 1?NAD8H, BOEING-F 15-10191-2, 15-10191-5 and is mounted to the rear of the Ring Support. The Dome Support was used to support the Elevation and Azimuth Drive Assemblies. Both of these assemblies were remote controlled. The Elevation Drive Assembly show above is marked: GENERAL ELECTRIC 8258807G1 SER 3326862 with GENERAL ELECTRIC SELSYN CONTROL TRANSFORMER MODEL 211G1. It is missing the motor assembly used to elevate the saddle that held the cannon and machine guns. |
B-29 Tail Mount Parts, above photo. The following parts have been obtained for the restoration of this B-29 Tail Mount: General Electric Clutch for Elevation Drive Assembly, part number 5095817, left photo; Elevation Drive Assembly bearings, top left photo; Azimuth Gear Sector, part number 3-19084-37, center top photo; 20mm Cannon Rear Mount, part number 3-14377-4, center photo; Azimuth Limit Switch Stops, part number 3-28586-1, center bottom of photo; Azimuth Limit Cams, part number 3-28588-3 and 3-28589, center bottom of photo and New Old Stock (NOS) Connector Assembly For Selsyn, part number 6994185 G1, left photo. |
B-29 Tail Fire Control System, above photo. This control box was mounted on the inside starboard side of the tail for the gunner to control all of the equipment to operate the tail turret. This box is marked: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, CENTRAL STATION FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM, TYPE 2CFR55, ORDER NUMBER W535ac32077, SPEC NO GO-18393-B-1 with a cardstock tag marked BOX 300 7-12-45 "Darley". |
B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 during her service with the 92nd Bomb Group, 326th Bomb Squadron, 307th Bomb Wing painted with the nose art "Miss Liberty Belle", during the Korean War, with her Pilot: Tebbs. Although the picture has been cropped, the aircraft appears to have at least 15 bombing missions over Korea. Carl Vest photo submitted by Wayne Reece |
B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 "Miss Liberty Belle", converted to TB-29A, as seen today: |
B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 "Miss Liberty Belle" was converted to TB-29A tow target aircraft during the 1950's. QuestMasters is restoring the tail gunner enclosure as she would have been delivered from the Boeing Renton, Washington factory, August 31st 1945 and as she would have served during the Korean War. |
B-29 Tail Turret Ring support, left photo and saddle right photo. Questmasters has welded the turret ring support back together and replaced several of the turret dome dzus mounts that had been damaged. The saddle in the right photo has been crushed glass blasted to bare metal. Both pieces have been painted in yellow zinc oxide primer. |
B-29 Tail Turret Saddle with original WWII ANM2 Browning .50 caliber aircraft machine guns (BATFE compliant, dummy guns with 1/2" right side plate and no internal parts). In this photo, the saddle has been stripped down and crushed glass blasted to bare metal. |
In 2017, QuestMasters was able to identify the hand inscribed name "Chuck" in the tail section of B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 in the QuestMasters Museum collection, above photo. "Chuck" is Chuck Chenock. He was deployed to England in B-29A-65-BN 44-62208 with the 92nd Bomb Group in mid February of 1949. He, as well of the rest of the crew, returned in the middle of May that same year. They were stationed at Skulthorpe Air Base, Kings Lynn, Fakenham, and Norwich - England. In this photo of B-29A-65-BN 44-62208, back row left to right: Lt. Cecil Aldridge, Aircraft Commander; Lt. Pomeranie, bombadier; Lt. Ball, co-pilot; unknown, navigator; Lt. Hadley, radar operator. Front row, left to right: Stan Cwick, CFC; John Lloyd, left gunner; Terry Jones, radio operator; Chuck Chehock, right gunner; Bill Hull, engineer; Howie Mahar, tail gunner. |
TB-29 Manual, above two photos. Shown here are Figure 4-7, page 22 and 23 of T.O. 1B-29(T)-1, the Partial Flight Handbook for USAF Series TB-29 Aircraft. These illustrations show the conversion that was done to the B-29 to convert it to a TB-29, or Two Target Tug B-29. The Tow Target was released from the rear of the converted TB-29 for aerial gunner. This program only last a few years before it was disbanded. |
TB-29 CONVERSION: |
B-29 Tail Azimuth and Elevation Motors, above two photos. These General Electric Direct Current Aircraft Motors, Model 5BC31NJ65, were used to control the azimuth and elevation for the B-29 tail gun. |
Original Form RR 1103 for B-29A-65-BN 44-62208, from production in 1945 to 1955, above four photos. These aircraft data cards were obtained and scanned by QuestMasters directly from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, in March 2018. |