The B-29 was designed to be the replacement for the B-17. However, WWII saw both bombers be used on a mass scale, often alongside one another, often not. Since then, people have often wondered which aircraft was better!
Whenever it comes to the best WWII aircraft, or those WWII aircraft that made a large impact, both the B-17 and B-29 are often featured on them!
You’d be hard pressed to find another WWII-era bomber that made a similar-sized impact on the aviation industry as either the B-17 or B-29. The only real contender might be the British-made Avro Lancaster!
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: What is a Heavy Bomber?
Both the B-17 and B-29 are a type of bomber called a “Heavy bomber”. To many, even those familiar with the roles of aircraft in WWII, they may get confused by the concept of a “Heavy bomber”.
Generally this is because we tend to focus of the fast and nimble WWII fighters like the Yak-3, P-51, Bf 109, Spitfire and Hurricane. As a result, we tend to focus less on other types of aircraft such as those cumbersome bombers.
During WWII, the role of a heavy bomber was simple: Carry as many bombs as physically possible.
These aircraft would then be escorted by hundreds of smaller, more nimble fighters, all headed for the enemy heartland. Upon arriving, the bombers would target strategic targets such as factories, military bases, dams etc.
Once they had completed their mission, those fighters that remained would head back to friendly territory.
Heavy bombers differ from light bombers (such as the B-26 Marauder, Ju 88, A-26 Invader etc.) mostly due to their size and the number of bombs they carried. Typically, light bombers would only carry less than one ton of bombs.
They also differed from fighter bombers (such as the P-47 Thunderbolt, Fw 190, P-38 Lightning etc.) in the sense of their design. Fighter bombers looked like fighters but carried bombs, whilst heavy bombers are much larger.
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: The Basics
Before we can compare both the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress, we first need to know some background on both bombers. Not just the why, but also what purpose they were initially intended to serve.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
In 1934, the US Army Air Corps began re-evaluating much of its fleet. Here, it found that their Martin B-10 bomber was incapable or reinforcing its fleets in Hawaii, Alaska and Panama. As such, it began to look for a replacement.
Both Douglas and Boeing produced prototypes for the USAAC. Douglas’ design was designated as the YB-18, whilst the Boeing design was designated as the YB-17.
Ultimately, Douglas’ design was chosen by the USAAC to fulfill their requirements. However, impressed by the YB-17’s performance, the USAAC ordered 13 more YB-17 for them to evaluate further.
After receiving them, the USAAC redesignated the YB-17 as the Y1B-17. Here, the Y1B-17 would be tested by the USAAC, who would determine that it did in fact need the Y1B-17 to enter USAAC service as a heavy bomber.
The B-17 Super Fortress as it would later be known, would first fly in late July 1935. After their first flight, the USAAC would continue to test the B-17 until it entered service in April 1938.
Following the aircraft’s introduction into USAAC, Boeing developed the B-17 into a commercial airliner, which it called the Boeing 307 Stratoliner. Here, they’d be used by Pan Am as their large, long range airliners.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
As early as 1938, the US Army Air Corps realized that if it went to war with another world power, the B-17 was be too small for long range bombing missions. And that was even if the US had bases nearby!
Because of this, Boeing began to work on pressurized long range bomber derivatives of the B-17. However, the USAAC cut funding to the project, causing Boeing to fund the project privately.
With this, famed aviator Charles Lindbergh convinced General Henry H. Arnold to fund a new, large bomber. As such, General Arnold convinced the USAAC to fund the development of a new bomber.
The USAAC contacted Boeing about procuring a new bomber. However, for Boeing and the USAAC, it was far easier and cheaper to develop an all-new bomber, which it did in the form of the YB-29.
Boeing had completed the YB-29 prototypes by mid-1942, where it would first fly in September 1942. The USAAC would test them until 1944, where it would be introduced into service in May 1944, with the newly formed USAAF.
During the war, Boeing developed the B-29 into the C-97 Stratofreighter. Once the war had ended, Boeing developed the C-97 into the Boeing 377, which was the largest aircraft in history for many years.
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: Specs
Over the course of the war, Boeing produced thousands of B-17s and B-29s. To cope with the ever-changing nature of the war, the US military ordered new variants of the B-17 and B-29.
Boeing complied with this and produced a number of different variants of the B-17 and B-29.
The most common variant of the B-17 was the B-17G Flying Fortress, used by the USAAF, RAF and RAAF among others. The most common variant of the B-29 was the standard B-29 Superfortress used by USAAF, USAF and RAF among others.
| Specifications | B-17G Flying Fortress | B-29 Superfortress |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m) | 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m) |
| Wingspan | 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m) | 141 ft 3 in (43.05 m) |
| Length | 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m) | 99 ft (30.18 m) |
| Crew | 10 | 11 |
| Cruise Speed | 182 mph (293 km/h, 158 kn) | 220 mph (350 km/h, 190 kn) |
| Aspect Ratio | 7.57 | 11.5 |
| Range | 2,000 mi (3,219 km, 1,738 nmi) | 3,250 mi (5,230 km, 2,820 nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 35,600 ft (10,850 m) | 31,850 ft (9,710 m) |
| MTOW | 65,500 lb (29,700 kg) | 133,500 lb (60,555 kg) |
| Rate of Climb | 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s) | 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s) |
| Armament | 13 × .50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns; 4,500 lbs. of bombs | 10 x .50-cal. machine guns; 1 x 20mm cannon; 20,000 lbs. of bombs |
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: Costs
After looking at the specs of both the B-17 and the B-29, you may be tempted to prematurely declare a winner. However, as with everything in life, we also need to look at costs…
One bomber could be incredibly weak, but if you could produce millions of them, they may overwhelm the stronger bomber.
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
In 1945, the price for a brand new B-17 purchased directly from Boeing cost around $238,329. Today, this $238,329 is the equivalent of roughly $3.45 million when adjusted for inflation.
However, there was issue with this. Unless you were a military brand of the military of a US Allied nation, you would never get Congressional Approval. As such, it would’ve been impossible to own a B-17 during the war.
Following the war, a number of B-17s were stored by Allied Forces, whilst many more were sold. Many of these were sold back to the crews who had operated them during the war.
Although many of these contracts were confidential, a few have been obtained through Freedom of Information Acts. Here, the prices for a relatively new B-17 ranged from $25,000 to about $75,000.
Today, there are about 50 B-17s used as museum displays, and nine in operable condition. Whenever one of these comes up for sale, it often goes for several million dollars in museum condition.
For those two in operable condition? They are arguably priceless! If any of them were to ever go to market, chances are that they could fetch well over $5 million, perhaps even as much as $10 million!
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
In 1945, the price for a brand new B-29 purchased directly from Boeing would’ve cost around $639,188. Today, when adjusted for inflation, this $639,188 would be the equivalent of roughly of $9.25 million.
As with the B-17, it would’ve been nion impossible to have purchased a brand new B-29 from Boeing during the war. However after the war, purchasing a B-29 used during the war would’ve been quite possible!
Similarly to the B-17, following WWII, and later, Korea, B-29s were placed into storage. Many more were sold back to the crews who had operated them during WWII or the Korean War.
Just as with the B-17, the overwhelming majority of the sales contracts for the B-29s are still confidential. A few of them have been made available to the public in recent years, with the prices ranging from $50,000 to $125,000.
As of the time of writing, there are around 20 B-29s in museum display condition. In terms of those B-29s still in operational condition, there only two known in the world.
Due to the history, whenever B-29s come up for sale, they tend to go for a lot. Those in museum display condition, could fetch around $1 million, however, those in working condition could fetch as much as $20 million!
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: Operations
The B-17 and B-29 both had an incredibly eventful service lives. Both bombers were extensively used during WWII, where both bombers became quite famous.
Whilst WWII was arguably both bombers’ high points, they would be used in subsequent conflicts throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, as well as in non-military capacities, lasting up until today in some aspects!
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The first B-29s entered service with the USAAF in 1938, becoming the USAAF’s main bomber. Here, they would serve alongside the Douglas B-18 Bolo and Consolidated B-24 Liberator among others.
Following the onset of WWII, the British had no heavy bomber. With this, the RAF began to look for an American-made bomber they could acquire easily. The RAF subsequently settled on the B-17.
Boeing would deliver the RAF’s B-17s in 1941, where they would serve alongside Vickers Wellington and Handley Page Halifax bombers. Here, RAF B-17s would be used on the missions other bombers couldn’t.
Once the US entered the war in 1941, USAAF B-17s were deployed to air bases in the UK. Here, they would serve as one of the primary bombers for the American forces in Europe.
Upon entering the war in Europe, the US also began the War in the Pacific. Here, American B-17s would also be deployed to bomb strategic targets on Japanese-occupied islands.
As of the time of writing, there are currently around 50 B-17s used as static displays at aviation museums all around the world. Currently, only nine are in airworthy condition, although none of them served in WWII.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 was first introduced in May 1944. Here, half were sent to Europe to fight the Nazis, and the other half were sent to the Western Seaboard, Hawaii and captured Pacific Islands, to fight the Japanese.
Perhaps the most famous mission of the B-29 was in 1945. Famously, two B-29s, the Enola Gay and Bockscar, were deployed from the island of Tinian and flew to the Japanese heartland.
Unlike most other B-29s, the Enola Gay and Bockscar weren’t carrying regular bombs. Instead, they were carrying the first atomic bombs, which they would drop on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Following the war, all USAF B-29s were used during the Korean War. Here, the introduction of jet fighters relegated the piston B-29 to night missions only. After Korea, the B-29s would be slowly phased out.
Here, the B-29 would be phased out in favor of the jet-powered B-47 and B-52. Following Korea, the B-29 would be used as an air-to-air refueler, cargo and weather reconnaissance aircraft among other roles.
As of the time of writing, there are roughly 20 B-29s used as static displays in aviation museums all around the world. Currently, there are only two B-29s are still airworthy, Fifi and Doc, both of which serve as warbirds.
Boeing B-17 vs B-29: Opinions
As usual, I had the good fortune of interviewing a number people in number of different aviation-related groups about their opinions on the matter of “B-17 vs B-29?”
Pilots
Sadly, the number of B-17 and B-29 pilots is diminishing with each passing week. The vast majority are well into their 90’s, with many being in their 100’s. With this, many have sadly passed away from old age.
Luckily, I was able to interview a number of B-17 and B-29 pilots about their experiences with both aircraft. Luckily, I was able to interview a WWII and Korean War veteran who’d flown the B-17 in WWII and the B-29 in Korea.
All in all, he said that he preferred the B-29. According to him, the B-29 was far easier to fly than the B-17, even when it was falling to pieces from the amount of damage, the B-29 was far easier to control than the B-17 was.
However, he did mention that when he flew on the B-17, there were often more B-17s flying, and as such, more fighters to protect them. He did also admit that this was mostly due to the reduced payload of the B-17.
Crew
As bombers, both the B-17 and B-29 had very large crews. The B-17 required a crew of 10, whilst the B-29 required a crew of 11. Naturally, these crews have their own opinions on both bombers too!
On top of interviewing their pilots, I was fortunate to interview several crew members (bombardiers, flight engineers, navigators etc.) two of whom flew multiple missions on both the B-17 and B-29.
When I interviewed both of them, I explicitly asked both of them which aircraft they preferred. Their answer was almost immediate: B-29. When I asked for why they gave quite a few reasons as to why they preffered the B-29.
For the most part, it was down to the fact that the B-29 could take more punishment. The B-29 could be damaged far more without crashing, than the B-17 could.
Avgeeks
As per usual, I asked a group of American, Australian, British, Kiwi and Canadian avgeeks about which heavy bomber they preferred. As per usual, there was a 50-50 split with some preferring one over the other.
Some preferred the B-17 citing the fact that it made up the bulk of the RAF and USAAF heavy bombing missions at the start of the war. Arguably, without the B-17, there would’ve been no need for the B-29!
For others, they preferred the B-29, reminding other avgeeks that it was the first and only aircraft to have ever dropped an atomic or nuclear bomb on an enemy nation during combat!
Me
Personally, before I sat down to write this article, I had never really given much thought to which aircraft I preferred. However, over the course of writing this article, I have begun to prefer one bomber over the other.
Writing this article has brought back memories of when I visited the Central Air Force Museum, in Monino with my Dad when I was a child. Here, my favorite aircraft was the Tupolev Tu-4.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Tu-4, it was a Soviet, reverse engineered version of the B-29. It was my favorite because it looked so cool, and was instrumental during the Cold War.
Without the B-29, the Soviets would’ve had nothing to reverse engineer, and I, in turn, would’ve never had the Tu-4 for a favorite aircraft.
The Soviets never wanted to reverse engineer the B-17!
Summary
When it all boils down, the B-29 is noticeably larger than the B-17. The B-29 is much longer than the B-17 is, by almost five times as much! On top of this, the B-29 has a much longer wingspan, by almost 50%!
Boeing also designed the B-29 to have a much larger bomb bay. Incidentally, the B-29 was designed to sit higher of the ground, with it sitting much higher off the ground than the B-17.
Due to all of this, the B-29 is much heavier than the B-17. As a result, Boeing was forced to use more powerful engines for the B-29. In turn, the B-29 had a much longer combat range than the B-17.
On top of the longer combat range, the B-29 also had a much faster cruising and max speed. Both bombers also had the same rate of climb, although the B-17 had to climb higher as its service ceiling was higher too.
In total, the B-17 had more guns placed on it, however the B-29’s were more spaced out, and had overlapping fields of fire, which negated the need for more guns.
All in all, Boeing produced almost 13,000 B-17s both prior and during the war. At the same time, Boeing produced almost 4,000 B-29s, giving the B-17 a clear advantage in terms of numbers.
B-17 vs B-29: Which is America’s best WWII heavy bomber? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Kool Cats Photography via Flickr.