This World War II-era Army Air Forces film demonstrates the proper method of bomb handling and loading of a B-29 Superfortress, including the use of a C-3 bomb hoist. (A scroll at the start of the film reminded the viewer that the C-3 was later replaced with a C-6 bomb hoist, though the operations were basically the same.) The film takes its viewer to the Army Air Forces Board headquarters in Orlando, Florida, where offers are discussing “Project No. F-3607” — a test of bomb handling and hoisting equipment in a B-29. A Superfortress is shown on a runway at mark 01:25 as the narrator says operations had been slowed in part due to inefficient bomb-loading methods. Ordinance and armament crews are shown at work as we flash back to a meeting room and a dramatization of officers discussing the issue starting at mark 01:48. As the officer discusses bomb-loading methods in detail, we watch crews enact them in the field. As the film continues we see more crewmen secure bombs onboard an aircraft we’re told at mark 06:18 how ten men were able to load a B-29 with 40 500-pound bombs in just over an hour. The film also illustrates, in detail, proper measures for securing one- and two-ton bombs in the aircraft. Back in the meeting room at mark 08:10, the officers concur that the hoist and necessary manpower are a positive move in the Allied war effort.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing which was flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft operational during World War II and featured state of the art technology. It was the single most expensive weapons project undertaken by the United States in World War II, exceeding the cost of the Manhattan Project by between 1 and 1.7 billion dollars. Innovations introduced included a pressurized cabin, dual-wheeled, tricycle landing gear, and a remote, computer-controlled fire-control system that directed four machine gun turrets that could be operated by a single gunner and a fire-control officer. A manned tail gun installation was semi-remote. The name “Superfortress” continued the pattern Boeing started with its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Designed for the high-altitude strategic bomber role, the B-29 also excelled in low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. One of the B-29’s final roles during World War II was carrying out the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
