Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Wed Mar 23, 2016 11:05 am
http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingd ... Report.pdf
See page 8 for the article on the 1,000th Wichita built B-29. The employees pasted it with dollar bills to donate to the cause of infantile paralysis (Polio).
See page 8 for the article on the 1,000th Wichita built B-29. The employees pasted it with dollar bills to donate to the cause of infantile paralysis (Polio).
Re: Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Wed Mar 23, 2016 2:07 pm
Something went south with your link.
Below the 1000th B-29 delivery ceremony at Boeing Wichita plant in February 1945.
Below the 1000th B-29 delivery ceremony at Boeing Wichita plant in February 1945.
Re: Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Wed Mar 23, 2016 6:40 pm
Here's the story on that, from the employee news:
As World War II drew to a close in 1945, a polio epidemic broke out across the U.S. — and Boeing employees stepped up to combat the scourge.
Polio, also called infantile paralysis, struck thousands of Americans that year, most of them children, causing deaths or paralysis and forcing many to hospitals where "iron lung” machines breathed oxygen into their lungs.
Employees in Boeing's Wichita, Kan., facility resolved to do something to address the epidemic. One by one, employees stepped up and taped dimes, quarters and dollar bills to the 1,000th Wichita-built B-29 Superfortress as it moved along the assembly line. By the time it was finished, the aircraft had acquired a "coat of money" totaling $10,562.
“One of my children was stricken with infantile paralysis — I’ll never forget the terror and feeling of helplessness that I had,” said an employee who contributed to the effort, according to the Boeing Archives. “This idea of taping money on the B-29 gave us an opportunity to do more than would be expected of us, and I jumped at the chance.”
The money was donated to the Infantile Paralysis Fund — later known as the March of Dimes — to help treat polio patients and fund vaccine research. To put this donation in perspective, $10,562 in 1945 had the same buying power as nearly $140,000 today.
The U.S. War Department that year said the 1,000th Superfortress had a national impact because the aircraft "carried on the glistening skin of its sleek sides and wings many thousands of dollars in currency and coins fastened there spontaneously by employees."
By JoAnn Houlihan and Geoffrey Potter
As World War II drew to a close in 1945, a polio epidemic broke out across the U.S. — and Boeing employees stepped up to combat the scourge.
Polio, also called infantile paralysis, struck thousands of Americans that year, most of them children, causing deaths or paralysis and forcing many to hospitals where "iron lung” machines breathed oxygen into their lungs.
Employees in Boeing's Wichita, Kan., facility resolved to do something to address the epidemic. One by one, employees stepped up and taped dimes, quarters and dollar bills to the 1,000th Wichita-built B-29 Superfortress as it moved along the assembly line. By the time it was finished, the aircraft had acquired a "coat of money" totaling $10,562.
“One of my children was stricken with infantile paralysis — I’ll never forget the terror and feeling of helplessness that I had,” said an employee who contributed to the effort, according to the Boeing Archives. “This idea of taping money on the B-29 gave us an opportunity to do more than would be expected of us, and I jumped at the chance.”
The money was donated to the Infantile Paralysis Fund — later known as the March of Dimes — to help treat polio patients and fund vaccine research. To put this donation in perspective, $10,562 in 1945 had the same buying power as nearly $140,000 today.
The U.S. War Department that year said the 1,000th Superfortress had a national impact because the aircraft "carried on the glistening skin of its sleek sides and wings many thousands of dollars in currency and coins fastened there spontaneously by employees."
By JoAnn Houlihan and Geoffrey Potter
Re: Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:42 pm
Too bad they don't show the serial. Taking a fairly educated (by the Baugher listings) - guess: B-29-BW MSNs began with 3325 and seem to be consecutive. Including ten B-29s built by Bell-Atlanta and Martin-Omaha which were in the same count, the 1,000th Wichita Superfortress would be MSN #4335, 42-24674:
Can anyone verify whether '674 was indeed counted as the 1,000th Wichita B-29? (Edit: it wasn't - see below)
Joe Baugher wrote:24674 (499th BG, 878th BS) shot down by Ki-46 over Chiba, Japan Apr 7, 1945 while on mission to Nakajima aircraft factory at Tokyo, Japan. MACR 13625. 7 crew KIA, 4 bailed out and became POW.
Can anyone verify whether '674 was indeed counted as the 1,000th Wichita B-29? (Edit: it wasn't - see below)
Last edited by Chris Brame on Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Tue Mar 29, 2016 9:02 am
Mark Allen M wrote:Something went south with your link.
Please try again, it seems to work fine on my iPad. Perhaps it was temporarily unavailable.
Re: Boeing B-29 "Polio Bomber"
Tue Mar 29, 2016 12:17 pm
Got a PM on the correct serial:
The 1000th Wichita airplane was actually 44-69890 and served with the 39th Bomb Group for 33 missions. She was named "The Antagonizer" and survived the war. The airplane was eventually scrapped at Tinker in '54. Here's a link to a cool photo of her in wartime service: http://www.39th.org/39th/aerial/61st/cr ... dcrew.html