Boeing B-29 Superfortress in loose formation (b/w photo)

Boeing's B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theatre, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons. This photograph shows a loose formation of sixteen B-29s in flight with the "circle-arrow" tail markings of the 509th Composite Group (Operation Silverplate).