Men Were Too Scared to Fly B-29 Superfortresses – Until Two Women Did

Photo Credit: 1. Bettmann / Getty Images 2. U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Photo Credit: 1. Bettmann / Getty Images 2. U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

As the events leading up to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki unfolded, Paul Tibbets faced the task of instructing a group of pilots in the operation of the newly-manufactured Boeing B-29 Superfortress. However, he encountered a significant challenge: the aviators staunchly resisted boarding the aircraft. This resistance stemmed from the B-29’s substantial size and comparatively limited testing, in comparison to other aircraft deployed during World War II.

The pilots were apprehensive about the perceived risks associated with flying this unfamiliar bomber. Nonetheless, their refusal to utilize the B-29s wasn’t a viable option. In response, Tibbets devised a clever strategy – he trained two female pilots to conduct flight demonstrations for the male aviators. This innovative plan achieved resounding success.

Problems with the B-29’s engines

Military portrait of Paul Tibbets
Paul Tibbets, 1960. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

After Paul Tibbets had served in both the European and Pacific Theaters, he received orders to return to the US in 1943 to help with the development of the B-29 Superfortress. Following the completion of the bomber’s testing phase, he assumed the role of director of operations for the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Very Heavy). His primary responsibility was to train pilots in the operation of the new aircraft.

However, the task of instructing these aviators proved to be a formidable one. They had genuine reasons for their reluctance, given the B-29’s history of unreliable engines and frequent fires, as well as its relative lack of comprehensive testing compared to other aircraft. Furthermore, the bomber’s notably larger size posed a considerable departure from those previously flown by the US Army Air Forces.

The women who flew the B-29 Superfortress

Frances Green, Peg Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborne walking away from an aircraft
L to R: Frances Green, Peg Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborne, WASPs who were trained to ferry the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / Public Domain)

Tibbets thought that if he could get female pilots to train on the aircraft, the men might not be scared to fly the B-29. He recruited two Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) for the role. He didn’t disclose to Dora Dougherty Strother or Dorothea Johnson “Didi” Moorman that there had been issues with the aircraft, and the pair didn’t experience any problems when piloting them.

Neither woman had even flown a four-engine aircraft, which is why they were picked for the job – Tibbets wanted to show that anyone could fly a B-29. He trained Strother and Moorman for only three days before deciding they were ready to give demonstrations to the male pilots.

The pair flew various flights out of the base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with different aircrews onboard each time.

Reception as demonstration pilots

Dora Dougherty Strother standing around an aircraft with two other female pilots
Dora Dougherty Strother and two anonymous women (WASPs), who flew aircraft during the Second World War, 1943. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Strother and Moorman were successful in getting the male pilots to fly the B-29s. A maintenance bulletin written by Maj. Harry Shilling gave them praise for both their flying abilities and knowledge of the aircraft. He encouraged the men on the base to ask them questions about how to handle the bombers and emulate their impressive takeoffs.

Despite their success, Strother and Moorman didn’t have their jobs as demonstration pilots for long. When Tibbets’ superiors found out he was letting women fly the B-29s, they forced him to shut down the program. Air Staff Maj. Gen. Barney Giles told him that the women were “putting the big football players to shame.”

Remembering their role

Paul Tibbets, Dora Dougherty Strother and Dorothea Johnson "Didi" Moorman standing with crewmen in front of the "Ladybird"
Dora Dougherty Strother in front of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Ladybird” with Paul Tibbets, Dorothea Johnson “Didi” Moorman and its aircrew, 1943. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Although their role as demonstration pilots may seem small, it wasn’t viewed as such by the men who watched them. On August 2, 1995, Harry McKeown, a retired lieutenant colonel with the US Air Force, wrote a letter to Strother about her role flying the B-29s. He’d met her and Moorman in 1944 when they brought a B-29 to Clovis Army Airfield, where he served as the Director of Maintenance & Supply and a test pilot.

He said that after their demonstration “we never had a pilot who didn’t want to fly the B-29,” and ended his letter on a more personal note. “I still want to thank you for your helping me that day at Clovis,” he wrote. “I will admit that I was scared… You made the difference in my flying from then on. I wasn’t the only pilot that felt this way, and I am sure that they would thank you too if they knew where you were.”

Life after the war

Dora Dougherty Strother sitting in the cockpit of a helicopter while speaking with two men
Dora Dougherty Strother after having just broken a helicopter altitude record, 1961. (Photo Credit: Smithsonian Institution / Flickr / No Known Copyright Restrictions)

Both women carried on with the WASPs until the organization disbanded in 1944. Strother went on to earn her PhD from New York University and worked for Bell Helicopters from 1962-86. She kept in touch with McKeown and married him in 2002. Moorman raised five children in North Carolina after the war, and kept in close contact with Tibbets until her death in 2005.

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The WASPs, including Strother and Moorman, were denied military veteran status until 1977, when the US House and Senate voted to grant them what they had earned. This decision made them eligible for veterans benefits and also allowed the woman to commemorate their fallen sisters as veterans – something they hadn’t previously been able to do.

Rosemary Giles

Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department.

Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. With a passion for historical learning and historical education, her writing interests include social history, and war history, especially researching obscure facts about the Second World War. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book.

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