Too Little, Too Late - The B-32 Dominator

[SM79Sparviero]

The B-36 did not have a cruising speed much faster than the B-17/B-24.

Cruising speed - 218 mph

Combat ceiling - 35,800 feet

Combat radius - 3880 miles with 10,000 pound bombload. New York to Berlin - 3975 miles

B-17s/B-24s would have dropped the same tonnage since they would fly more missions for every B-36 mission.

During post-war years Mig15 had troubles when they tried to intercept a B36 in "classified" recon missions .The pilots report that that the jet couldn't simply follow their "large veerage manoeuvres" at high altitude, where a jet angine of the first generations, also a good one such RR "Nene" couldn't compare the performances of a turbocharged huge radial yet.
If I had to face a swarm of Me-262s over Germany in 1945 I would prefer a single B36 with its 6 engines and 16 20 MM guns over a "box" of B17 or, worse, B24.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I too have heard that the B-36 was very maneuverable especially for a plane of its size.

 

[SM79Sparviero]

B36 's wing was very long and, consequently, not very charged , it contributes to explain the phenomenal ceiling quote of the bomber and its performances at such an altitude......USAF openly supported the rumours about the "transitional bomber" role of the Peacemaker just to hide its real performances and first to protect its future clandestine reconeissance missions.

It is not so easy to defeat huge aircrafts.
B 52 had to face Mig21 in Vietnam, in theory no match, 980 km/h vs Mach2, the Russian up-to-date excellent interceptor caused troubles to F4 Phantoms but on the battlefield no B52 was lost cause attacks from Migs.
On the contrary, at least two Mig 21s were surely shot down by the tail gunners of BUFFs

 

[KraziKanuK]

The first B-36s , the A, had no guns fitted and these would be the ones flying to Germany initially.

These early B-36A/Bs also had NO jet engines and were underpowered.

At a weight of 212,800lb , the B-36A did 345mph @ 31,600ft. For comparison, the B-50, also delivered in 1948, did 391mph @ 30,000ft.

Sparviero, your recon bird is a RB-36D/E which had 4 J-47 jet engines totaling almost 21,000lb of thrust.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yeap and they flew several aknoledged recon missions over China and Russia. The camaras were so good that photos taken of Golf Courses showed golf balls on the green. It was used because until the U-2 it was the only aircraft that could fly into Asia from bases in the United States.

 

[Smokey]

The North Vietnamese air force claimed that a MiG 21 flown by Pham Tuan shot down a B52 on the 27th of December 1972

http://www.stratofortress.org/hanoi.htm

Special attention is given to the Hero Pilot Pham Tuan, who on 27/12/72 shot down a B-52 over Hoa Binh. The museum contains both the helmet he wore that night, and his MiG-21. (See photos)

Surely the only way the B36 would have seen action is if the war in Europe went into 1946 - then we are into Luft 46 territory; guided surface to air missiles, jet and rocket fighters in theory much better than the Me 262

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That is debatable though.

 

[Smokey]

Yeah, but both sides make claims. Even gun camera film is only conclusive if the vehicle is seen to disintegrate.
This may have happened.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It might have. Here are the B-52's lost and claimed by the USAF.

Here is Department of Defence B-52 claims for Vietnam:

A total of 10 B-52s went down inside the borders of North Vietnam. 61 total crewmembers. 33 survivors became POWs and were released at the end of the war. 28 of the downed 61 warriors perished. (Information is listed above).



Fourteen other B52s went down outside of North Vietnam. Seven were due to combat. Seven were "operational losses," which occurred while B52s were enroute to combat areas in Vietnam.
http://www.nampows.org/B-52.html

 

[FLYBOYJ]

The first B-36s , the A, had no guns fitted and these would be the ones flying to Germany initially.

These early B-36A/Bs also had NO jet engines and were underpowered.

At a weight of 212,800lb , the B-36A did 345mph @ 31,600ft. For comparison, the B-50, also delivered in 1948, did 391mph @ 30,000ft.

Sparviero, your recon bird is a RB-36D/E which had 4 J-47 jet engines totaling almost 21,000lb of thrust.

There were only 21 built - all but one were later modified.....

There were plans to arm them from the get-go. Had the war lasted longer I doubt the USAAF would of sent the B-36 out unarmed.

 

[plan_D]

I've heard 15 B-52s were lost while attacking Hanoi during the 11 day long attack over Christmas 1973 (I think) but I also read it was due to SAMs.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I've heard 15 B-52s were lost while attacking Hanoi during the 11 day long attack over Christmas 1973 (I think) but I also read it was due to SAMs.

Dec. 72 - Jan 73, I remember that time well. I was 13 years old and really followed the war. You were right about the B-52s. The Mig kill has always been controversial, and the USAF stated that the B-52 in question was actually brought down by a SAM. An interesting note - during the same period B-52s claimed Mig-21 kills......

 

[plan_D]

11 days of constant bombardment, the most brutal bombardment in history. I knew it was 72 or 73, I couldn't remember.

 

[syscom3]

If the B32 was deployed a several months earlier, it might have made a good sub hunter.

It was designed as a backup to the B29, and when that plane was proven to work as designed, then the navy might have had interest in using it.

 

[SM79Sparviero]

B32 , the cheap alternative to B29 had a too limited use for a good judgement about its operational validity-I personally think that its simpler electronic and hydraulic systems and the absence of a pressurization system as in B-29 would have made it less subjective to failures-

Anyway also B32 showed to be "die hard": in august ,17 1945 4 Dominators during a recon mission over Tokio vere intercepted by 10 Ki-44 and Ki-61 ( on breach of the surrending orders):futile damages for the bomber, 1 fighter surely shot down and two more probable.
On the following day two dominators had to face still over Tokio 14 Zero and Ki.44: one of the B32 had an engine destroyed and 3 gunners injured but it could come back home , two fighters were shot down surely, two more probably.
I could mistake , but this must have been the last air fight of WW2.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The last known air battle of World War 2 was fought by Saburo Sakai and several B-32 on Aug. 18, 1945.

On 18 August 1945, shortly before Japan's surrender aboard the USS Missouri, Sakai led the final aerial battle of World War II when his flight intercepted two B-32 reconnaissance bombers over the home islands.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebios/83bios/sakai83.htm

 

[cheddar cheese]

Interesting. Sakai is, IMHO, one of the greatest aces ever.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

He is. The funny thing is after the war his wife died and he lived in poverty and sickness and later found a good living opening a company (i think it was a textile company) with widows of down aviators from his unit. He later even made friendships with several allied pilots that he fought against. He was a honorable man and very good fighter pilot.

 

[steveharding]

I'm heartened by the continuing interest in the B-32, and I'm flattered that much of the information about the aircraft on the web is drawn (often verbatim) from the book I wrote (with Jim Long's illustrations) in 1982. I would only ask that if folks are going to present information drawn directly from the book, that they'd give me credit. The book might not exactly be "War and Peace," but it took a lot of research and effort to write.
Thanks,
Steve Harding

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I'm heartened by the continuing interest in the B-32, and I'm flattered that much of the information about the aircraft on the web is drawn (often verbatim) from the book I wrote (with Jim Long's illustrations) in 1982. I would only ask that if folks are going to present information drawn directly from the book, that they'd give me credit. The book might not exactly be "War and Peace," but it took a lot of research and effort to write.
Thanks,
Steve Harding

That is respectable and hopefully people will do that more often now.