Top Secret (B-29)
Encyclopedia
Top Secret was the name of a B-29 Superfortress
(B-29-36-MO 44-27302, victor number 72) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
.
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
SAAF, it was assigned to crew B-8 (Capt. Charles F. McKnight), aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
. It left Wendover on June 5, 1945, for Tinian and arrived June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 2 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 72 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Top Secret and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, McKnight and crew B-8 flew Top Secret on 13 practice bombing missions and four combat pumpkin bomb
missions against Japanese industrial targets at Otsu
, Yokkaichi, Ube
, and Toyoda
. The plane flew two other pumpkin bomb missions, to Taira (Capt. Joseph E. Westover and crew A-4) and Yokkaichi (Major Claude Eatherly
and crew C-11).
On August 6, 1945, it was assigned as the strike spare for the first atomic bomb mission but did not complete the mission, landing at Iwo Jima
as previously planned when the B-29 Enola Gay
was able to complete its assignment.
In November 1945 it returned with the 509th to Roswell Army Air Field
, New Mexico
. From March to August 1946 it was assigned to the Operation Crossroads
task force, then rejoined the 509th BG at Roswell. In June 1949 Top Secret was transferred to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
, then sent to Tinker Air Force Base
in April 1950 for modification to TB-29 specifications at the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area.
Subsequent assignments were to:
In September 1953 it was sent to the 3040th Aircraft Storage Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
, Arizona
, where it was scrapped in July 1954.
at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
, and the 380th Bomb Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base
, New York
, in the 1970s and 1980s.
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
(B-29-36-MO 44-27302, victor number 72) modified to carry the atomic bomb in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Airplane history
Assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group509th Operations Group
The 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
, it was one of 15 Silverplate
Silverplate
Silverplate was the code reference for the United States Army Air Forces participation in the Manhattan Project during World War II. Originally the name for the aircraft modification project for the B-29 Superfortress to enable it to drop an atomic weapon, Silverplate eventually came to identify...
SAAF, it was assigned to crew B-8 (Capt. Charles F. McKnight), aircraft commander) and flown to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. It left Wendover on June 5, 1945, for Tinian and arrived June 11.
It was originally assigned the victor number 2 but on August 1 was given the large 'A' tail markings of the 497th Bomb Group as a security measure and had its victor changed to 72 to avoid misidentification with actual 497th BG aircraft. It was named Top Secret and its nose art applied after the atomic bomb missions.
While at Tinian, McKnight and crew B-8 flew Top Secret on 13 practice bombing missions and four combat pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bomb
Pumpkin bombs were conventional high explosive aerial bombs developed by the Manhattan Project and used by the United States Army Air Forces against Japan during World War II...
missions against Japanese industrial targets at Otsu
Otsu
Ōtsu, or Otsu, may refer to:* Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan** Ōtsu Station, a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line ** Ōtsu incident, an assassination attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia...
, Yokkaichi, Ube
Ube, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 179,000 and the density of 622 persons per km². The total area is 287.69 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1921....
, and Toyoda
Toyoda
- Locations and buildings :*Toyoda, Shizuoka, a town located in Iwata District, Shizuoka, Japan- People :*Sakichi Toyoda , a Japanese inventor and the founder of Toyota Industries Corporation Co., Ltd....
. The plane flew two other pumpkin bomb missions, to Taira (Capt. Joseph E. Westover and crew A-4) and Yokkaichi (Major Claude Eatherly
Claude Eatherly
Claude Robert Eatherly was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, and the pilot of a weather reconnaissance aircraft Straight Flush that supported the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, August 6, 1945.-The bombing of Hiroshima:The Straight Flush was one of seven...
and crew C-11).
On August 6, 1945, it was assigned as the strike spare for the first atomic bomb mission but did not complete the mission, landing at Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
as previously planned when the B-29 Enola Gay
Enola Gay
Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of the pilot, then-Colonel Paul Tibbets. On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb as a weapon of war...
was able to complete its assignment.
In November 1945 it returned with the 509th to Roswell Army Air Field
Walker Air Force Base
Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles south of the central business district of Roswell, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico, US...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. From March to August 1946 it was assigned to the Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
task force, then rejoined the 509th BG at Roswell. In June 1949 Top Secret was transferred to the 97th Bombardment Group at Biggs Air Force Base, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, then sent to Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base
Tinker Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in the southeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma area, directly south of the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma.-Overview:...
in April 1950 for modification to TB-29 specifications at the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area.
Subsequent assignments were to:
- 2nd Radar Calibration Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force BaseElmendorf Air Force BaseJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
(March 1953), and the - 5025th Maintenance Group, Elmendorf AFB (August 1953).
In September 1953 it was sent to the 3040th Aircraft Storage Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, and approximately south-southeast of downtown, Tucson, Arizona....
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where it was scrapped in July 1954.
Hiroshima mission crew
Crew B-8 (regularly assigned to Top Secret)- Capt. Charles F. McKnight, airplane commander
- 2nd Lt. Jacob Y. Bontekoe, co-pilot
- 2nd Lt. Jack Widowsky, navigator
- 2nd Lt. Franklin H. MacGregor, bombardier
- 1st Lt. George H. Cohen, flight engineer
- Sgt. Lloyd J. Reeder, radio operator
- T/Sgt. William F. Orren, radar operator
- Sgt. Roderick E. Legg, tail gunner
- Cpl. Donald O. Cole, Assistant engineer, scanner
Other aircraft named Top Secret
An FB-111A strategic bomber of the USAF, serial 69-6513, carried the name Top Secret on its nosewheel doors, during its service with both the 509th Bomb Wing509th Bomb Wing
The 509th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command, Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri....
at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, and the 380th Bomb Wing at Plattsburgh Air Force Base
Plattsburgh Air Force Base
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base covering 3,447 acres in the extreme northeast corner of New York, 20 miles south of the Canadian border...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in the 1970s and 1980s.
External links
Sources
- Campbell, Richard H., The Silverplate Bombers: A History and Registry of the Enola Gay and Other B-29s Configured to Carry Atomic Bombs (2005), ISBN 0-7864-2139-8
- 509th CG Aircraft Page, MPHPA