Development of the Boeing Superfortress "very heavy bomber" began late in 1939, and the first XB-29 made its initial flight on Sept. 21, 1942. In a bold wartime gamble, the AAF ordered the plane into quantity production months before that first flight. Among the B-29's new features were pressurized crew compartments and a central fire-control system with remotely controlled gun turrets. Flying combat missions first from India and China and later from the Marianas Islands, the Superfortress repea