The illustrated tail designation images below are courtesy of Mark Styling - Professional Avaiation Illustrator & Artist.
He has been kind enough to authorize the low resolution, copyrighted usage here.
Mark's work is awesome and unmatched. He is available for commision work of all kinds of aircraft, not just B-29's or the snippets of the tail sections seen below.
Please visit Mark's home page here: http://www.markstyling.com/index.htm
or direct link to the first of his six pages of completed B-29's here: http://www.markstyling.com/b29s_wwll_1.htm
He has been kind enough to authorize the low resolution, copyrighted usage here.
Mark's work is awesome and unmatched. He is available for commision work of all kinds of aircraft, not just B-29's or the snippets of the tail sections seen below.
Please visit Mark's home page here: http://www.markstyling.com/index.htm
or direct link to the first of his six pages of completed B-29's here: http://www.markstyling.com/b29s_wwll_1.htm
TAIL LETTERS/FIGURES/NUMBERS
Each B-29 in the Mariana Islands had it's own distinctive identification. Our Uncle Bob flew on Z Square 6 and
Z Square 8.
The Z was for the 500th Bomb Group, the Square was for the 73rd Bomb Wing, and the number 6 or number 8 was for that particular aircraft.
Each B-29 in the Mariana Islands had it's own distinctive identification. Our Uncle Bob flew on Z Square 6 and
Z Square 8.
The Z was for the 500th Bomb Group, the Square was for the 73rd Bomb Wing, and the number 6 or number 8 was for that particular aircraft.
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73RD BOMB WING: SQUARE, arrived Saipan October 1944
497th BG (pre- April 1945)
498th BG (pre- April 1945)
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497th BG (post- April 1945)
498th BG (post- April 1945)
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499th BG (pre- April 1945)
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499th BG (post- April 1945)
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500th BG (pre- April 1945)
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500th BG (post- April 1945)
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58TH BOMB WING: TRIANGLE, arrived Tinian from the CBI April 1945
40th BG
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444th BG
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462nd BG
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468th BG
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313TH BOMB WING: CIRCLE, arrived Tinian January 1945
6th BG
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9th BG
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504th BG
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505th BG
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314TH BOMB WING: SOLID BLACK SQUARE, arrived Guam January 1945
19th BG
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29th BG
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39th BG
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330th BG
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315TH BOMB WING: DIAMOND, arrived Guam May 1945
16th BG
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331st BG
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501st BG
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502nd BG
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In April 1945, the three-insignia tail markings such as Z Square 6 or Z Square 8 were eliminated on all B-29s of the 21st Air Force. They were replaced by one large distinctive letter, i.e. A,T, V, or Z, for ease of identification by the squadrons when they tried to form up off the Japanese coast for precision formation bomb runs.
General LeMay preferred 16 plane formations to increase the defensive fire power against enemy fighter attacks.
He did the same thing when he was with the 8th Air Force in England.
General LeMay preferred 16 plane formations to increase the defensive fire power against enemy fighter attacks.
He did the same thing when he was with the 8th Air Force in England.
58th and 73rd Bomb Wings tail markings
313, 314, 315, Bomb Wings tail markings