B-29 Superfortress / Korean War

Boeing B-29 Superfortress Korean War airplane model. After World War Two the B-29 was re-classified as a medium bomber. At the start of the Korean War there were 22 operational B-29s serving with the two squadrons of the US Far East Air Forces 19th Bombardment Group. In addition, the Far East Air Force possessed 6 RB-29s for photoreconnaissance and 4 SB-29s for air-sea rescue. Four more groups of B-29s arrived in the theater during July and August 1950. After destroying most of the strategic targets in North Korea, two of the B-29 groups returned to the US during October and November 1950. For the rest of the Korean War the core of the Far East Air Forces Bomber Command consisted of three medium bombardment groups, the 19th, 98th, and 307th, each with an authorized strength of 33 B-29s.

B-29 losses were very light during the first year of the war. Only six were lost in action through September 1951. That changed in October 1951 when five B-29s were destroyed and eight were seriously damaged. In November 1951 B-29s were restricted to night-time operations for the rest of the war. During the Korean War B-29s flew 21,000 sorties and dropped 167,100 tons of bombs.

Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/72. Wingspan 22 inches, Length 15 inches.