WarbirdsNews has another great piece from Matt Jolley and Warbird Radio that we thought we would share with you this morning in our new segment Warbird Radio Favorite Friday! This week Matt Jolley will discuss his research into the mysterious past of Boeing B-29B Superfortress 44-84053 currently on display at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia.
Matt Jolley:
Of all the stories I’ve covered, this one has it all: mystery, intrigue and a grand ole’ lady as the star of the show. There’s a Boeing B-29 Superfortress at the museum in Warner Robins, Georgia that clearly has a past cast in shadows. The aft fuselage has been re-configured with strange seats. Not only does it have strange seats but there are oxygen lines behind them and a bizarre looking door where the lower gun turret should be. And oh yeah, the US Air Force and Smithsonian say all of the records are missing. After seeing the rear fuselage for first time in 2009 and learning about the records being out of sight, I knew I had to dig deeper into her past.
Like any good mystery there were lots of dead ends and false leads. With no stories from crew members and all of the records MIA (or still classified), there really wasn’t a trail to follow. Thanks to a good friend and retired USAF Colonel, we came across a book that provided some good hints about her past life. Click on the link below for lots of pictures of ‘053 and the updated evidence we have gathered since the original broadcast. While we don’t have any proof linking ‘053 to a particular squadron, I feel we’ve come extremely close to solving the mystery. Judging by the missions she most likely flew, I highly doubt we’ll ever hear from a crew member.
Till next week,
Matt Jolley
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
I believe this may have been one of the B-29s used by the 581 Air Resupply and Communications Wing during the Korean War. I have seen a black and white photo of another B-29 (tail number 462204) in the same markings which was confirmed as being assigned to this unit. This unit was actually a special operations wing which flew missions behind the enemy lines inserting spies by parachute and resupplying them as well by parachute. You can see the photo in the book “Apollo’s Warriors” by Michael Haas.
I found this:http://warbirds.wikia.com/wiki/B-29_(Big_Red)_44-84053