Flying from India, B-29s first saw combat on June 5, 1944, when 98 planes struck Bangkok. The first B-29s arrived at Allied airfields in India and China in April 1944. Army Air Forces leadership committed the Superfortress to Asia, where its great range made it particularly suited for the long over-water flights against the Japanese homeland from bases in China. Designed as a high-altitude daytime bomber, the B-29 flew more low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. In wartime, the B-29 was capable of flight up to 31,850 feet at speeds of 350 mph.
