World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe B-32 Dominator bombers started out as Consolidated Aircraft's Model 34, designed to back up Boeing's B-29 Superfortress bombers, in case the latter failed. The design process began in Jun 1940, two years after Boeing began the B-29 project, and the first contract for two prototype aircraft was issued on 6 Sep 1940. The first prototype rolled off the assembly line six months behind schedule; this aircraft crashed on take off on 10 Mar 1943. On 17 Mar 1943, a contract was signed for 300 units despite problems with the prototype aircraft. In 1944, after testing the third prototype, the United States Army Air Forces ordered over 1,500 B-32 Dominator bombers from Consolidated. The first production aircraft was delivered on 19 Sep 1944, which crashed upon its first landing on the same day. As a result, the initial 40 aircraft delivered were used only as trainers starting on 27 Sep 1945.

ww2dbaseThe first assignment for B-32 Dominator bombers began after General George Kenney requested them for field evaluation in mid-1945. The 312th Bomb Group were given the task for the testing; the pilots were impressed with the unique reversible-pitch inboard propellers and the Davis wing, but they also found the cockpit noisy, the instrumentation layout very poor, and the rate of engine fire a bit higher than what they were comfortable with. The first combat missions they flew was on 29 May 1945 against a Japanese supply depot at Antatet in the Philippine Islands, and the second against a sugar mill at Taito, Taiwan on 15 Jun. On 22 Jun, B-32 Dominator bombers attacked an alcohol plant at Heito, southern Taiwan. The final test mission was flown on 25 Jun against bridge near Kiirun (now Keelung), Taiwan.

ww2dbaseUpon the successful field tests by the 312th Bomb Group, B-32 Dominator bombers began to enter the USAAF. Near the end of the Pacific War, they flew combat and reconnaissance missions over the Japanese home islands. The last confirmed Allied casualty of the Pacific War (and of WW2) were injured aboard B-32 Dominator bombers.

ww2dbaseProduction of B-32 Dominator bombers ceased on 12 Oct 1945 after 118 units were built. Most of them were scrapped shortly after the end of WW2.

SPECIFICATIONS

B-32

Machinery	Four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone supercharged, air-cooled radial engines rated at 2,200hp each
Armament	10x12.7mm machine guns, 9,100kg of bombs
Crew	10
Span	41.16 m
Length	25.03 m
Height	9.81 m
Wing Area	132.20 m²
Weight, Empty	27,000 kg
Weight, Loaded	45,000 kg
Weight, Maximum	50,580 kg
Speed, Maximum	575 km/h
Speed, Cruising	467 km/h
Rate of Climb	3.40 m/s
Service Ceiling	11,000 m
Range, Normal	4,815 km

Photographs

Visitor Submitted Comments

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1.  Alan Chanter says:
7 Jan 2008 02:54:38 AM

Only fifteen of these aircraft became operational before VJ-Day. These equipped the 386th Bombardment Squadron based on Okinawa. Some forty others, designated TB-32, were also produced for Training purposes.