In the 1900s, transportation and weapons became important to the several wars in which the United States was involved. Airplanes were one of the most significant inventions of the 20th century. Being able to fly from place to place was a new way of life for the US military. In World War II, military aircraft were an important part of the war and without them many things would not have happened. As America became involved with Japan, it needed a more powerful aircraft. The plane they needed was known as the B-29 Superfortress. The B-29 had a greater impact on Japan than any other aircraft due to the amount of assets destroyed in Japan, the most destructive firebomb in history, and the dropping of the first atomic bomb. The United States needed a huge bomber plane that could carry out the plans wanted by the Air Force. There were two main objectives for sending B-29s to the Pacific. Author James Lee Cate said, "...the plan aimed at two objectives currently sponsored by President Roosevelt: accelerating the war against Japan and strengthening Chinese morale." The airline, Boeing and the US Air Force designed the B-29 Superfortress in 1939. Boeing had come up with a huge project to make these large bombers. The new bomber aircraft was unlike any other aircraft of the time. With a length of 99 feet and a wingspan of 141 feet, the B-29 had a maximum speed of 365 miles per hour. Its range was approximately 5,830 miles and it could hold a crew of ten men. The B-29 had high speed, good range and carried large bombs. The Air Corps needed a plane exactly like this. This bomber was also the heaviest aircraft to date because it was equipped with bombs and defensive weapons. Being able to contain many bombs thanks to its...... middle of paper......October 2010. Accessed 20 May 2014.http://www.airforcemag.com/magazinearchive/pages/2010/october %202010/1010atomic.aspx.Keith, Wheeler. Bomber over Japan. Alexandria: Time Life Books, ndKennedy, Hickman “World War II: Boeing B-29 Superfortress.” Military history. Accessed May 18, 2014. http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/militaryaircraft/p/b29.htm.The History Channel. “Tokyo firebombing”. Accessed May 20, 2014. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/firebombing-of-tokyo.“The Story of the “Billy Mitchell Group” 468 H-Bomb Group – from the CBI to the Marianas." Accessed May 18, 2014. http://www.468thbombgroup.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=6E13hH%2B%2Bd2E%3D&tabid=95&mid=490.Thomas, Searle. "'It made a lot of sense to kill the skilled workers': the bombing of Tokyo in March 1945." The Journal of Military History 66, No. 1 (January. 2002): 113,114.