HealzDevo
Staff Sergeant
One thing you don't understand, is that I believe that in the event of what you were talking about, a project for a bomber like the B-36 Peacemaker would have been given a very high priority. The fact that it was even on the drawing board was a preparation for circumstances which didn't eventuate. I am suggesting that if circumstances demanded it, its priority would have increased up the list. The B-36 Peacemaker was started in 1941 and flew in 1946. I am saying that this time could have been reduced if there had been a need for the aircraft. The B-29 first flew in 1942 and was in squadron operation in 1943. Therefore, there is no reason to suggest that if necessary the B-36 Peacemaker could not have been produced in a shorter period of time than it was in this reality if there was a need for it. The B-29 was considered a very complex aircraft when it was first produced. And yet, two years from first flight to squadron service. The B-36 Peacemaker took 3 ending up in squadron service in 1949. This is a well-reasoned argument on my part as the USAF considered its projects on the basis of what it needed at the time. At the time, the US had the power to seize those islands at great cost due to their air power and naval power. Therefore the suggestion is that after Coral Sea and Midway the project for the B-36 Peacemaker perhaps didn't seem as important for Consolidated and thus was perhaps partially shelved.
