This B-29 called Flak Magnet flew with the 40th Bomb Group's 44th Bomb Squadron while based on Tinian Atoll in 1945. It survived the war and was flown back to the USA by its regular crew, headed by pilot 1st Lt Tom McCosker. The 40th Bomb Group was one of the first to train on the at first highly unreliable new B-29 bomber in 1943. They eventually deployed to India in 1944 from where they attacked targets as far afield as China, Thailand and the Philippines. They moved to Tinian Atoll in April 1945 and from there took part in the fire bombing campaign that destroyed many of Japan's cities.
