As preparations for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki intensified, Paul Tibbets faced a critical obstacle: many U.S. pilots were reluctant to fly the Boeing B-29 Superfortress due to its limited testing and complex controls. To overcome this resistance, Tibbets employed an unexpected strategy—he enlisted two female pilots to take the controls and fly demonstration runs.
Their confident, skillful handling of the massive aircraft sent a powerful message. If these women could master the B-29, it challenged the doubts of the hesitant male pilots. The tactic worked: morale improved, skepticism faded, and more pilots became willing to fly the bomber at the heart of the most consequential missions of the war.
Problems with the B-29 Superfortress’ engines
After serving in both the European and Pacific Theaters, Paul Tibbets returned to the U.S. in 1943 to help with the development of the B-29 Superfortress. Once testing was complete, he became director of operations for the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Very Heavy), where he was in charge of training pilots to fly the new bomber.
This training wasn’t easy. Pilots were genuinely worried about the B-29 because it had a track record of engine problems and catching fire. On top of that, the aircraft was much larger than the bombers they were used to flying, which made the transition difficult. And since the B-29 hadn’t been tested as thoroughly as other planes, those concerns only grew.
The women who flew the B-29 Superfortress
To address the growing unease about flying the B-29, Paul Tibbets made the bold decision to train female pilots on the aircraft in hopes of calming the nerves of their male counterparts. He recruited two Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), Dora Dougherty Strother and Dorothea Johnson “Didi” Moorman, and intentionally didn’t inform them of the B-29’s troubled history to prevent any unnecessary worry.
Both Strother and Moorman adapted quickly, experiencing no issues during their training.
In fact, Tibbets specifically chose them because they had no prior experience flying four-engine aircraft. This was done to show that even pilots unfamiliar with such large bombers could successfully learn to handle the B-29. After just three days of training, Tibbets declared them ready for demonstration flights. The two pilots conducted several flights from the base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, with different aircrews aboard each time—effectively boosting morale and proving the aircraft could be flown with confidence and control.
Reception as demonstration pilots
Strother and Moorman successfully convinced the male aviators to fly the B-29. In a maintenance bulletin, Maj. Harry Shilling praised the pair’s expertise and in-depth knowledge of the aircraft, encouraging other male personnel to consult them for guidance on operating the bombers and to emulate their flawless takeoffs.
Despite their achievements, Strother and Moorman’s time as demonstration pilots was short-lived. When Tibbets’ superiors discovered women were flying B-29s, they ordered the program to be shut down.
Maj. General Barney Giles of the Air Staff remarked that the women were “putting the big football players to shame.”
Remembering their role
While their role as demonstration pilots may have seemed minor, it had a profound impact on the men who watched them. On August 2, 1995, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Harry McKeown wrote a letter to Strother about her experience flying the B-29s. Their paths had crossed in 1944 at Clovis Army Airfield, where McKeown served as Director of Maintenance & Supply and worked as a test pilot.
He recalled that after their demonstration, “we never had a pilot who didn’t want to fly the B-29.” He ended his letter on a personal note, writing, “I still want to thank you for helping me that day at Clovis. I will admit that I was scared… You made the difference in my flying from then on. I wasn’t the only pilot that felt this way, and I am sure that they would thank you too if they knew where you were.”
Life after World War II
Both women continued serving with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) until the program was disbanded in 1944. Dora Dougherty Strother later earned a PhD from New York University and built a long career with Bell Helicopters, working there from 1962 to 1986. She remained in contact with fellow pilot Joe McKeown and married him decades later in 2002. Dorothea Moorman, meanwhile, settled in North Carolina after the war, where she raised five children and kept a lifelong friendship with Paul Tibbets until her passing in 2005.
In 1977, decades after their wartime contributions, Strother, Moorman, and their fellow WASPs finally received long-overdue recognition. That year, Congress passed legislation granting them military veteran status—acknowledging their service and extending to them the honors and benefits previously denied.