B-32 Dominator

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Image:B-32 Dominator.jpg The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Model 34) was a heavy bomber made for United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War, and has the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat during WWII. Developed in parallel with the B-29 Superfortress as a fallback design should the Superfortress prove unsuccessful, it only reached units in the Pacific during the summer of 1945, and thus saw only a very few combat operations against Japanese targets before the atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war. Most of the extant orders of the B-32 were cancelled shortly thereafter, as the aircraft was considered inferior to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress already in production. Only 118 B-32s (of all types) were built.

1 Development
2 Operational History
3 Survivors
4 Units Using the B-32
- 4.1 United States Army Air Forces
5 Aircraft Built
6 Specifications (B-32)
7 External links
8 Related content

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Development

The Consolidated Model 33 was similar to their B-24. Like the B-24 it was originally designed with twin fins, and a large Davis-type wing, but with a longer, rounder fuselage and a rounded nose. The powerplants were to be four 2,200 hp Wright R-3350s. The aircraft was designed to be pressurized, and have remote controlled retractable gun turrets with fourteen 50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns. It was to have an estimated gross weight of 101,000 lbs (45,814 kg). The first contract for 2 XB-32-CO's, AC-15549, was signed on the 6th of September, 1940. (The first contract for the Boeing XB-29, AC-15429, was also signed on the same day.)

The first XB-32-CO, AAF s/n 41-141, rolled off the assembly line six months behind schedule, making it's first flight on the 7th of September, 1942. Because of problems with the pressurization system, the gun turrets and landing gear doors these items were omitted on the first prototype. The aircraft had R-3350-13 engines inboard and R-3350-21s outboard driving three-bladed props. The prototype was to have persistent problems with engine oil leaks and poor cooling which delayed its first flight (The first flight of the Boeing XB-29 would be on the 29th of September, 1942).

On the 17th of March, 1943 contract AC-37856 was signed for 300 B-32-CFs. On the 10th of May 1943, the first XB-32 crashed on takeoff after making a total of 30 flights. On the 2nd of July, 1943 the second XB-32, s/n 41-142, finally flew. This aircraft had a traditional stepped cockpit canopy. Upon examination and testing the USAAF recommended a large number of changes.

The second XB-32 was equipped with eight 50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns in dorsal and ventral turrets, two 50 caliber and one 20 mm cannon in each outboard engine nacelle firing rearwards and controlled by aiming stations in the aircraft plus two 50 caliber machine guns in the wings outboard of the propellers. The pressurization system problems were never solved and this was abandoned on production aircraft. The remote controlled gun turret problems were also never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to ten 50 caliber machine guns in the nose, dorsal, ventral and tail positions. The bomb load was increased by 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg) to 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg).

The second XB-32 continued to have stability problems. In an attempt to resolve this a B-29 style tail was fitted to the aircraft after its 25th flight but this did not resolve the problem and a Consolidated-designed 19.5 foot (5.9 m) vertical tail was added and first flown on the third XB-32, s/n 41-18336 on the 3rd of November, 1943. The first production aircraft was fitted with the B-29 vertical tail initially before a new tail was eventually substituted.

By 1944, the AAF had placed orders for over 1,500 B-32s. The first production aircraft was delivered on the 19th of September, 1944 by which time the B-29 was already in combat in India. The first aircraft crashed on the same day it was delivered when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. By December 1944 only five B-32s had been successfully delivered, and by this time the B-29s were flying combat missions over Japan from the Mariana Islands. Starting on the 27th of January 1945 40 B-32A-5, -10 and -15 aircraft were delivered as unarmed TB-32-CF crew trainers.

Originally, the Army Air Force intended to use the B-32 as a ‘fallback’ design to be used only if the B-29 programme failed. As development of the B-32 became delayed this plan became largely unnecessary due to the success of the B-29. In fact, the Army Air Force attempted to cancel the B-32 contract several times during its development. Consolidated Aircraft was able to intervene, and with the help of powerful state representatives from Consolidated's home districts in southern California they were able to force the B-32 into production. Eventually, Army Air Force leadership decided that the B-32 could replace the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator beginning in mid-1944. In this plan B-24 bomb groups in the Mediterranean would be the first to transition into the new bomber. Once they completed the transition, other groups in the 15th Air Force, and then 8th Air Force would transition. This plan was never fulfilled, however, because the B-32 development continued to be plagued with problems, and was significantly behind schedule when the deadline for this transition was reached. Though the XB-32 would fly first, it was quickly surpassed by the relatively smooth development of the B-29.

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Operational History

The first assignment of the B-32 began when General George Kenney the commander of Allied air forces in the South West Pacific Area, and commander of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, travelled to Washington D.C. to request B-29s. Since needs were higher elsewhere in the Pacific Theatre, Kenney’s request was denied. After that, he requested the B-32. Following a demonstration, the Army General Staff agreed that he could conduct a combat evaluation, and a test schedule of eleven missions was set up. If successful, the B-32 would replace all B-24s in the Pacific. The plan was to convert the 312th Bombardment Group (Light), a Douglas A-20 Havoc outfit, to B-32s. Special crews took three B-32s to Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands in mid-May 1945, and after a month of minor shakedown flights, the test period was completed on the 17th of June. The test crews were impressed with its unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing which gave it excellent landing performance. However, they found the cockpit had an extremely high noise level, poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was poor, it was overweight and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires.

Three B-32s were assigned to the 386th Bomb Squadron of the 312th Bomb Group of the Kenney’s 5th Air Force. On 1945 May 29, the first mission was flown against a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines. On the 15th of June 1944 two B-32's dropped sixteen 2,000 pound (907 kg) bombs on a sugar mill at Taito, Formosa. On the 22nd of June 1944 one of two B-32s bombed an alcohol plant at Heito, Formsoa with 500 pound bombs (227 kg) but the second B-32 misses flak positions with 260-pound (118 kg) fragmentation bombs. The last mission was flown on June 25th against bridges near Kiirun in Taiwan. The testing missions were mostly successful, and the B-32 was set up to replace the B-24. In July the 386th Bomb Squadron completed the transition. It flew six combat missions using the B-32 before the war ended. On the 13th of August 1945 the 386th moved from Luzon to Yontan airstrip on Okinawa and flew mostly photographic reconnaissance missions. On August 17th the 386th Squadron conducted a mission over Japan, and was attacked by flak and fighters. Despite the Japanese surrender on August 15th, on August 18th a formation of 14 Imperial Navy A6M2 Zero's and Army Ki44 Tojo fighters attacked a pair of B-32's conducting aerial photography of the Japanese Islands. The B-32-CO Dominator "Hobo Queen II" (s/n 42-108532) suffered extensive damage during the attack. Three photographers in "Hobo Queen II", Sergeant Anthony J. Marchione, SSgt. Joseph M. Lacharite, and Sgt. John T. Houston were at the camera hatch at the rear of the aircraft when that section of the plane was riddled with gunfire. Despite his own wounds, SSgt. Lacharite began administering first aid to the badly wounded Sgt. Marchione, but a second fighter pass wounded Marchione again. Despite continuing efforts from his crewmates to keep him alive, Sgt. Marchione would die on the aircraft. This represents the last confirmed aerial engagement of the Second World War, and Sgt. Marchione would go down in history as the last confirmed Allied combat causality of the war. "Hobo Queen II" would claim two confirmed Zeros destroyed in the action as well as a probable Tojo. Following this incident U.S. servicemen would be ordered to cut the propellers off any Japanese aircraft they found.

The last combat mission for the 386th BS, another photo reconnaissance mission, was completed on August 28th. On August 30th the 386th Bomb Squadron ceased operations. Production of the B-32 was cancelled on September 8th 1945. All production was halted by October 12th.

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Survivors

Many of these aircraft were delivered from the factory incomplete and were flown directly to Davis-Monthan Field, Tucson, Arizona for storage. Many were offered for sale for prices that ranged from $10,000 to $32,500, though no buyers were found. By 1947, most had been scrapped. In June 1947, Milton J. Reynolds, a pen manufacturer, announced his intention to purchase a B-32 and fly it around the world over both Poles but nothing came of this. B-32-1-CF, s/n 42-108474, was intended for display at the Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio, but the paperwork for the aircraft's transfer to the Museum mysteriously disappeared and the aircraft was "accidentally" scrapped at Davis-Monthan AFB in August 1949. The only remnant of a B-32 left is a static test wing panel erected as a monument to aviation pioneer John J Montgomery mounted upright on a hill near San Diego, California.

A B-10 jacket belonging to member of the 386th BS, with a B-32 hand painted on the back is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio.

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