Let a woman do it …

How women pilots saved the day in the development of the B-29 during World War II by Don Sefton -- “WASPs” (Women’s Air Service Pilots) played in the development and deployment of the B-29 bomber.  Dora Dougherty and Dorothea (Didi) Moorman here with Colonel Paul Tibbets During World War II, the B-29 Superfortress became the most sophisticated bomber in the world.  It had a number of innovations that were firsts among bombers including full pressurization of the cockpit, dual wheel tricycle landing gear and an analog computer remote fire control system that allowed two gunners to control four separate guns.  The B-29 was rushed into production to fill the “super bomber” niche desperately needed against the Axis.  As is often the case with rushed development, the initial B-29s were plagued with problems, particularly with the Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone engines. On 18 February 1943, primary test pilot Edmund T. Allen and a crew of 10 were killed in the YB-29 prototype, along with 20 civilians and a firefighter in the Frye Meat Packing plant on the ground in Seattle.  Needless to say, the B-29 had a “reputation” and was labeled by pilots as a “widow maker”.  As initial deliveries were being made to squadrons staging for deployment in the Pacific, critical changes were being made on the fly and flight crews were balking at flying the new plane at a rate that approached near mutiny. Colonel Paul Tibbets (who is most famous for dropping the first atomic weapon on Hiroshima from his B-29, “Enola Gay”) had been called back from Europe to oversee the plagued B-29 program. By the way, this program ultimately produced more than 2,500 B-29s during the war at a total cost of $3,000,000,000, or more than 50% more than the development of the atomic bomb.  Tibbets thought about how to solve the problem of nervous flight crews who had theretofore primarily been a macho group, many who’d played football in college.  He decided the trick would be to appeal to their machoism. Tibbets, was by then, the most experienced B-29 pilot with the most hours in the airplane.  He trained two female pilots, Dora Dougherty and Dorothea (Didi) Moorman, to fly the B-29 as demonstration pilots.  He then challenged the balking male pilots by saying he wasn’t sure what the problem was, he himself had flown the plane and these two girls didn’t seem to have a problem with it. That was all that was needed.  The B-29 proceeded in full scale production at two Boeing facilities, a Bell facility and a Martin facility.  The B-29 went on to fame and due credit for its role in ending the war with Japan. Dora Dougherty survived the B-29, continuing in the WASPs (Women’s Air Force Service Pilots) as a ferry pilot moving aircraft around the country.  She commanded no fewer than 23 different aircraft types during that service.  She ultimately served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force and obtained her PhD in 1955.   She became an accomplished helicopter pilot and worked as instructor and test pilot for Bell Helicopter, setting a number of flight records in the Bell 47G-3.  Dora, winner of the Amelia Earhart Award and inducted into the Military Aviation Hall of Fame and the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.  She died in November of 2013 at the age of 91 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Dorothea (Didi) Moorman stayed working with Tibbets and helped fly test missions for the impending Atomic weapon attack.  After the war, Moorman rejoined her husband, an Air Force Pilot and they raised 5 children in North Carolina.  She had her first reunion with General Tibbets in 1997.  He introduced her at a speech he gave and recounted the story of how these “girls” made brave men brave enough to fly the feared B-29.  She continued to maintain contact with Tibbets thereafter until her death in 2005. General Tibbets retired in 1966 after a distinguished career in the Air Force that saw him win the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Purple Heart and four Air Medals.  After retiring from the Air Force, Tibbets joined Executive Jet Aviation (now NetJets) and served in various roles until his retirement in 1986.  Subsequently he spoke frequently at military reunions and served as a consultant. My father, Lt. Roy A. Sefton, was a First Lieutenant World War II B-29 Navigator who flew 35 combat missions from Tinian Island and won the Distinguished Flying Cross.  He saw Tibbets’ Enola Gay take off and land.  Later he heard him speak (and tell the story related herein) at the 50-year anniversary of the B-29 generously sponsored by Boeing in Seattle in 1992. Don Sefton owns Systems Consultants, located in Fallon, Nevada, which provides custom programming and systems design for companies across the country. He enjoys history and we look forward to more stories from him.        Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page.