THE ARRIVAL OF THE B-29 AND THE PRESSURE ON HAYWOOD HANSEL Colleague James M. Scott. In November 1944, Brigadier General Haywood Hansel arrived in the Pacific with a mission to destroy Japan's ability to wage war using the B-29 bomber. Hansel, a pioneer of air strategy, was a staunch believer in high-altitude daylight precision bombing, a tactic designed to collapse an enemy economy by targeting specific industries like oil refineries. However, the B-29 was an expensive and technically "buggy" aircraft that faced immediate challenges. Hansel operated under immense pressure from Air Force commander Hap Arnold, who was suffering from heart attacks while fighting for the Air Force's independence against the Army and Navy. NUMBER 1
1945 OKINAWA