WWII Art I.D. needed

The airplane shown would have to be a B-29. The serial number indicates 1942 contract. I can't figure the letter on the tail except for a stateside training number perhaps. I'll try to do some digging.

 

Bob- That serial number belongs to a C-47/RAF Dakota III. There were not too many B-29s in 1942 and likely no B-29 production orders that early and the painting is from 1945 or 1946.

93637 (MSN 13571) to USAAF Jun 15, 1944. To RAF as Dakota III KG704 via RAF Montreal Jun 21, 1944.
RAF Middle ast Jul 27, 1944. 44 Sqdn SAAF. Returned to USAAF Jul 26, 1946. In 1946 to TC-BEY of
Devlet Hava Yollari. To N16893 Jan 22, 1972. WFU. Seen derelict at Istanbul/Yesilkoy Jun 1971.

 

Thanks, terry. I haven't had time to research that serial or anything else. I know that there weren't a lot of B-29's in 1942 but that serial simply indicates when a contract has been let. I know that Boeing was working on the B-29 in 1941 because the B-17E had the horizontal tail of the B-29 as a test item and it stayed with the airplane until the G. The airfoil of the B-29 had an inverted section because of the strong nose down pitching moment of the Davis airfoil. The B-17 with a symmetrical section had no problem with that so the tail section was also symmetrical . Planform and structure were the same , however. Interesting picture.

 

First flight of the B-29 was in 1942 and it was all down hill after that.

 

Bob- Affirmative, stuff happened fast in WW-II. From fixed landing gear fighters in some air forces early on to turbojet and rocket fighters near the end. There were still P-26s in the Philippines in 1942.

 

The Brits were still using fixed gear biplanes into '45, also... Swordfish.

 

Affirmative, and the Russians were using biplanes, too, deep into the war. The Night Witches' exploits were quite famous.

 

Heck, they were bothering allied air bases with Po-2 biplanes in the Korean conflict!

 

Not much radar signature from a fabric biplane, mostly just the engine.