468th BG, 792nd BS B-29 42-24494 “Mary Ann” attacking Hatto Formosa 18 October 1944
B-29 42-24494, assigned to the 792nd Bomb Squadron, 468th Bomb Group, at Kharagpur, India in July 1944, was named Mary Ann. On January 17, 1945, the aircraft experienced a propeller failure, which caused it to overshoot the runway. After undergoing repairs, the bomber was dispatched from Chengtu to attack Shinchiku Airfield on Formosa (modern-day Taiwan).
However, shortly after takeoff, the number three oil cooler shutter malfunctioned, forcing the crew to return to base. While attempting to land at Pengshan airfield, the B-29 began losing altitude. In a desperate attempt to lighten the aircraft, the crew dropped their bombs from just 300 feet. Unfortunately, the bomb blast was far more powerful than anticipated, causing fire to engulf the aircraft. The explosion blew out the front bomb bay bulkhead door, and shrapnel riddled the airframe, ultimately leading to the bomber’s crash.