Defining B-29 Airscapes in the Archaeological Record as a Predictive Model for Site Location

Abstract

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress made history when it dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, bringing an end to World War II. Based on a small island in the central Pacific Ocean, this colossal aircraft left a permanent mark on the history of the world. The strategic movements of the United States armed forces in the Pacific Theater were conducted with the capabilities of this aircraft in mind. The islands of Saipan and Tinian in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands were ideal locations for a forward operating base for this new aircraft, lying within the aircraft's range of Japan, while safely outside of the range of Japanese aircraft. Visiting sites related to B-29 aircraft, and employing concepts from GIS theory, battlefield archaeology and cultural landscapes, this thesis seeks to construct an aviation landscape or "airscape". This airscape concept will then be applied to an unidentified B-29 aircraft wreck site on Saipan as a model for understanding site formation.