As the preparations for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki escalated, Paul Tibbets was assigned the responsibility of training pilots to operate the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. A big challenge soon arose: many pilots were hesitant to fly the bomber due to its considerable size and the relatively limited testing it had undergone compared to other World War II aircraft.
To address their concerns, Tibbets devised an unconventional solution. He arranged flight demonstrations of the B-29 by two female aviators, specifically aimed at the male pilots. This approach effectively eased their reservations and increased their confidence in piloting the aircraft.
Problems with the B-29 Superfortress’ engines
After serving in both the European and Pacific Theaters, Paul Tibbets returned to the United States in 1943 to assist in the development of the B-29 Superfortress. Following the completion of testing, he became the director of operations for the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Very Heavy), where he oversaw pilot training for the new bomber.
This training presented major challenges. Pilots had legitimate concerns about the aircraft’s history of engine problems and frequent fires, as well as its relatively limited testing compared to other planes. Additionally, the B-29’s much larger size represented a major shift from the smaller bombers previously flown by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF).
The women who flew the B-29 Superfortress
To address the apprehension surrounding the B-29, Tibbets decided to train female pilots on the bomber to alleviate the concerns of their male counterparts. He enlisted the help of two Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), Dora Dougherty Strother and Dorothea Johnson “Didi” Moorman, deliberately withholding information about previous issues to prevent any worries about the aircraft.
Interestingly, both Strother and Moorman encountered no difficulties during their training.
Chosen specifically because they had no prior experience flying a four-engine aircraft, Strother and Moorman were intended to demonstrate that mastering the B-29 was easily achievable. After just three days of training, Tibbets deemed them ready to conduct demonstrations for the male aviators. They performed various flights from the base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with different aircrews onboard for each demonstration.
Reception as demonstration pilots
Strother and Moorman successfully persuaded the male aviators to pilot the B-29. In a maintenance bulletin, Maj. Harry Shilling commended the duo’s expertise and thorough knowledge of the aircraft, urging other male personnel to seek their advice on handling the bombers and to replicate their flawless takeoffs.
Despite their accomplishments, Strother and Moorman’s role as demonstration pilots was brief. When Tibbets’ superiors learned that women were flying B-29s, they ordered the program to be shut down.
Maj. General Barney Giles of the Air Staff noted that the women were “putting the big football players to shame.”
Remembering their role
While their role as demonstration pilots might appear insignificant, it carried significant weight for the men who observed them. On August 2, 1995, Harry McKeown, a retired lieutenant colonel with the US Air Force, wrote a letter to Strother concerning her piloting of the B-29s. Their paths had crossed in 1944 at Clovis Army Airfield, where McKeown served as Director of Maintenance & Supply and a test pilot.
He recounted that following 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 World War II
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.