"McIntyre recounts the stories of many airmen who did not return, which are undeniably touching, as are the photographs he includes. Because of their size, the B-29s were able to drop the atomic bombs that ended the war. But it is the human stories that resonate the most... A heartfelt account of the men who flew the combat airplane known as the Superfortress." — Kirkus ReviewsDuring World War II, there were many ways that a B-29er could be killed: a ruthless enemy, an unforgiving ocean that stretched for thousands of miles, or the faulty engines of their own airplanes. But they all volunteered for it, and they continued flying – and dying – until they brought the war to an early end and saved hundreds of thousands of American lives. They were The Heroes We Needed.In this riveting saga of sacrifice and salvation, Trevor McIntyre brings to life the courageous American airmen who brought the Japanese Empire to its knees and ended World War II with the greatest bombers the world had ever seen, the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, and his fight 70 years later to save their stories from being forgotten.