Crew of 468th BG, 793rd BS India 1944
Arrival of B-29 Units in India
- The 58th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) was the first B-29 unit to deploy overseas.
- The first B-29s of this unit arrived in India on April 2, 1944, marking the beginning of the Superfortress’s operational history in the China-Burma-India Theater.
- The arrival was part of Operation Matterhorn, a strategic plan to use B-29s based in China to bomb targets in Japan and Southeast Asia.
- The B-29s flew from the east coast of the US to South America, then across the Atlantic Ocean, refueling in North Africa before continuing to India. This long and arduous journey resulted in the loss of five out of 150 bombers due to engine failures and other mechanical issues.
- The main bases for the four groups that composed the 20th Bomber Command were in India, with advance bases in China from where the strikes on Japan would originate.
- The arrival of the B-29s in India was a significant event that alerted the Japanese to the potential threat posed by these new bombers.
- Despite efforts to maintain secrecy, the Japanese intelligence network was aware of the B-29’s presence and its intended role in the Pacific theater.
- The arrival of the B-29s coincided with Japan’s Ichi-Go ground offensive in China, which aimed to capture Allied airbases and prevent the bombing of the Japanese homeland.