By Kim Claunch
"Thumper" The B-29 Superfortress model
The museum recently acquired a B-29 model named "Thumper" from the Jelinek family. These were the plane model that dropped the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. The B-29 was created by Boeing for the Army in 1940. At one point, the B-29 was one of the most technologically advanced planes of World War II. They were the world's heaviest plane because of the bomb load and its defensive requirements. Boeing built a total of 2,766 B-29s at their Wichita, Kansas factory. However, Boeing ended production of the B-29 during 1946.
The importance of the model B-29 we have here at the museum is that it is based off of a real B-29 that served during World War II. "Thumper" was apart of the 870th Bombardment Squadron and also flew overseas with the 497th Bomb Group. The real "Thumper" went on 44 missions during the war and also survived the war.
Midland, Texas housed an operating B-29 Superfortress named "FiFi" until 2015, when it moved to Dallas, Texas.
(Sources)
http://military.wikia.com/wiki/870th_Bombardment_Squadron
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