Superfortress fuel tanker India 1944
B-29s Modified as Tankers for the Hump
- Using combat-equipped B-29s to ferry gasoline was essential to the war effort in 1944, but highly inefficient, as it took seven gallons of fuel for the B-29 to deliver one gallon to China.
- To address this, B-29-1-BW 42-6254 was stripped of all its armor and armament, except for its tail guns. Even the sighting blisters were removed and covered over.
- With four bomb bay tanks, 42-6254 could carry 8,050 gallons of fuel.
- Its reduced weight allowed it to carry more fuel and only use 2.25 gallons of fuel per gallon delivered to China.
- This dedicated tanker typically delivered 2,410 gallons of gasoline, 100 gallons of oil, and 3,290 pounds of dry cargo.
- The success of 42-6254 led to several other B-29s being stripped down to serve as dedicated tankers.
Other instances of B-29s carrying fuel:
- Some B-29s used for training in the US carried 2,400 gallons of 120-octane fuel in bomb bay auxiliary tanks in addition to the 5,400 gallons in their wing tanks.
- B-29s could carry a maximum of 9,000 gallons, or 27 tons, of 130-octane gasoline if they utilized three bomb bay tanks.
- During ferry flights overseas, B-29s only carried two bomb bay tanks in the forward bay, along with a large water tank in the aft bay.
- YB-29 41-36963, nicknamed “Hobo Queen,” was used as a tanker to transport fuel over the Hump to China. Its crew loaded it with six bomb bay tanks, 60 five-gallon cans of fuel in the tail, seven crew members, and a ton of cargo, for a total weight of approximately 137,000 pounds. “Hobo Queen” set a record by delivering over 4,000 gallons of gasoline to China.