The role of strategic bombing in war was heavily emphasized by airpower theorists during the time between the First World War and WWII. People such as Giulio Douhet and Billy Mitchell, observing how aviation was used during the First World War, were convinced that aircraft would be critical in future wars. Douhet asserted that civilian morale was fragile, and that bombings would make any country want to surrender almost immediately. He also insisted that heavy bombers would almost always be able to punch through enemy air defenses. Mitchell emphasized the necessity of using bombs to target enemy industry, particularly aircraft production plants.

Many predictions of airpower theorists turned out to be wrong, but the armies of World War II kept in principle with the emphasis of heavy bombers. The B-17 and B-24 served that purpose primarily in Europe, the pacific needed more. The B-29 Superfortress was a heavier, more powerful, and longer-flying beast of engineering beauty that ended up being a critical and worthy return on a risky investment by the US. As mass production began before testing was complete, the US Army Air Forces were hoping that the aircraft had no major design flaws and that it could be used immediately.

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1. A B-29 in flight, seen from the side. 2. A Pilot's view of Mount Fuji in Japan, through the nose of a B-29. 3. A B-29 landing at Kadena, Japan. Images via US National Archives.

One of the primary factors barring the effectiveness of bombers was their lack of accurate navigation and targeting systems. In order for a bombing to do the most damage, the bombs need to hit where you intend them to. The B-29 improved on this issue by implementing its own stand-alone systems. The B-29 was almost twice as heavy as the B-17, and its maximum range was over 2,000 miles more. The B-29 features better gunnery, well increased bomb loads, and a pressurized cabin. It could also fly much faster than the B-17.

These features made the B-29 important in the Pacific, where aircraft needed to fly very long distances to reach Japan, with few Allied bases within combat range. In fact, the role of the B-29 was almost exclusively aimed towards Japan. The B-29 was used extensively in bombing Tokyo, where they were able to wreak havoc on Tokyo's industry with minimal losses. Their strategy of using B-29s with explosive incendiary bombs was expanded throughout Japan. On March 9, 1945, 330 B-29s bombed Tokyo in what turned out to be the deadliest air raid of WWII.