Consolidated B-32 Dominator
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B-32 Dominator | |
---|---|
Consolidated B-32-1-CF, the first B-32 built after modification to Block 20 standard. | |
Role | Heavy strategic bomber |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
First flight | 7 September 1942 |
Introduction | 27 January 1945 |
Retired | 30 August 1945 |
Status | Retired |
Primary user | United States Army Air Forces |
Produced | 1944–1945 |
Number built | 118 |
Developed from | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was an American heavy
Design and development
The engineering development of the B-29 had been underway since mid-1938 when, in June 1940, the United States Army Air Corps requested a similar design from the Consolidated Aircraft Company in case of development difficulties with the B-29.
The Model 33 on which Consolidated based its proposal was similar to the
The first XB-32-CO, AAF s/n 41-141, was constructed next to the Army Air Forces (AAF) Base Tarrant Field Airdrome at the AAF Aircraft Plant No. 4 just west of Fort Worth, Texas along the south side of Lake Worth. The Consolidated Vultee Bomber Plant assembly line was six months behind schedule, the aircraft making its first flight on 7 September 1942. Due to 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, with all four powerplants driving three-bladed propellers. The XB-32 had persistent problems with engine oil leaks and poor cooling, but the B-29 also had similar engine problems. The inboard propellers' pitch could be reversed to shorten the landing roll or to roll back in ground maneuvers.[1]
The first XB-32 was armed with eight
On 17 March 1943, the initial contract was signed for 300 B-32-CFs but development problems continued. On 10 May 1943, the first XB-32 crashed on takeoff after making a total of 30 flights before the second XB-32, s/n 41-142, finally flew on 2 July 1943. This aircraft had a traditional stepped cockpit canopy. Upon examination and testing, the USAAF recommended a large number of changes that included more conventional gun stations.
The pressurization system had problems which were never solved and so the role of the aircraft was changed to operating at low to medium altitude. This decision meant that the pressurization system was easily eliminated from production aircraft. Problems with the remote-controlled gun turrets were never solved and the armament on production aircraft was changed to 10 .50 caliber machine guns in manually operated turrets: Sperry A-17 turrets in the nose and tail, two Martin A-3F-A dorsal turrets, and one Sperry A-13-A ball turret. The bomb load was increased by 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg) to 20,000 pounds (9,100 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 ft (5.9 m) vertical tail was added and first flown on the third XB-32, s/n 41-18336 on 3 November 1943. The first production aircraft was fitted with a B-29 vertical tail until the new Consolidated tail was available for installation.
By 1944 testing of the three prototypes permitted the AAF to place orders for over 1,500 B-32s. The first production aircraft was delivered on 19 September 1944, by which time the B-29 was in combat in China. The first B-32 crashed on the same day it was delivered when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. Beginning on 27 January 1945, 40 B-32A-5, -10 and -15 aircraft were delivered as unarmed TB-32-CF crew trainers.
Originally, the Army Air Forces intended the B-32 as a "fallback" design to be used only if the B-29 program fell significantly behind in its development schedule. As development of the B-32 became seriously delayed this plan became unnecessary due to the success of the B-29. Initial plans to use the B-32 to supplement the B-29 in re-equipping B-17 and B-24 groups before redeployment of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces to the Pacific were stymied when only five production models had been delivered by the end of 1944, by which time B-29 operations were underway in the Twentieth Air Force.[citation needed]
Operational history
The first assignment of the B-32 began when General
Following a demonstration, the Army General Staff agreed that Kenney could conduct a combat evaluation, and a test schedule of 11 missions was set up, followed by a plan to re-equip two of the
The three test B-32s were assigned to the 312th BG's
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 a number of faults: the cockpit was noisy and had a poor instrument layout, the bombardier's vision was limited, the aircraft was overweight, and the nacelle design resulted in frequent engine fires (a deficiency shared with the B-29 Superfortress). However, the testing missions were mostly successful.
In July 1945, the 386th Bomb Squadron completed its transition to the B-32, flying six more combat missions before the war ended. On 13 August, the 386th BS moved from Luzon to Yontan Airfield on
On 18 August 1945, four Dominators were given the task of photographing many of the targets covered on the previous day; however, mechanical problems caused two to be pulled from the flight.
The B-32 Dominator Hobo Queen II (s/n 42-108532) was flying at 20,000 ft (6,100 m) when the Japanese fighters took off[6] and received no significant damage.[7] Hobo Queen II claimed two Zeros destroyed in the action as well as a probable Shiden-Kai. Japanese records show that no aircraft were lost.[citation needed] The other Dominator was flying 10,000 ft (3,000 m) below Hobo Queen II when the fighters took off.[6] The fighters heavily damaged that Dominator, initially wounding the dorsal gunner and then seriously wounding two other members. Photographer Staff Sergeant Joseph Lacharite was wounded in the legs (his recovery spanned several years).[7] Sergeant Anthony Marchione, a photographer's assistant, helped Lacharite and then was fatally wounded himself.[7] Marchione was the last American to die in air combat in World War II.[7] Despite the damage, the Dominator returned to Okinawa. However, the incident precipitated the removal of propellers from all Japanese fighters as per the terms of the ceasefire agreement, beginning 19 August 1945. The last B-32 combat photo reconnaissance mission was completed on 28 August, during which two B-32s were destroyed in separate accidents, with 15 of the 26 crewmen killed. On 30 August, the 386th Bomb Squadron stood down from operations.[8]
Production contracts of the B-32 were cancelled on 8 September 1945, with production ceased by 12 October. Many B-32s ended up being salvaged at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas with a total of 38 flown to
Variants
- XB-32
- Company Designation Model 33, three built, on first aircraft: Wright R-3350-13 (inboard) and Wright R-3350-21 (outboard) engines, three-bladed propeller, rounded, glassed nose, first two aircraft had a twin tail configuration. Second prototype was pressurized and had remotely controlled retractable gun turrets in the dorsal ventral positions, with a manned tail "stinger". Second and third prototypes had numerous tail variations installed, including a B-29 tail installation. First flown 7 September 1942.
- B-32-1-CF
- Model 34 flight testing aircraft first flown 5 August 1944. Wright R-3350-23 engines. First two aircraft initially had modified B-29 tails installed. Installation of armament, single rudder tabs, radar bombing equipment (AN/APQ-5B and AN/APQ-13) and long range navigation equipment, 10 built.
- B-32-5-CF
- Twin rudder tabs made standard. Last 11 aircraft converted to TB-32-5CF with deletion of all armament (openings faired over), deletion of radar bombing equipment, and deletion of long range navigation equipment, 15 built.
- TB-32-10-CF
- Redesigned bombardier's entrance door, replacement of SCR-269-G Radio compass with AN/ARN-7 set, installation of engine fire extinguishers, 25 built.
- TB-32-15-CF
- Empennage de-icer boots, four built.
- B-32-20-CF
- Combat equipped aircraft. Pressurization system removed, scanning blister installed in rear fuselage, 21 built.
- B-32-21-CF
- One B-32-20-CF converted to paratroop conversion. All bombing equipment removed and benches installed in rear bomb bay and rear fuselage.
- B-32-25-CF
- Modified fuel system to allow auxiliary tanks in the bomb bay. AN/APN-9 LORAN, 25 built.
- B-32-30-CF
- Variant with a stabilized Sperry A-17A nose turret, installation of countermeasure equipment (AN/APQ-2, AN/APT-1 and AN/APT-2) and improved APQ-13A radar bombing equipment. Seven built, last three aircraft flown directly to storage and scrapped.
- B-32-35-CF
- Seven produced with increased ammunition; flown directly to storage and scrapped.
- B-32-40-CF
- A total of ten were built and flown directly to storage and then scrapped
- B-32-45/50-CF
- A total of 37 under construction. Partially assembled machines were stripped of all their government-furnished equipment and engines and were scrapped on site by the contractor.
- B-32-1-CO
- Three aircraft the same as the B-32-20-CF but assembled by Consolidated – San Diego. One aircraft accepted with the remaining two units flown directly to storage and scrapped.
A total of 300 B-32s ordered, 118 delivered, 130 flyable, 170 cancelled, orders for a further 1,099 B-32-CFs and 499 B-32-COs were cancelled after VJ-Day.[9]
Operators
- United States Army Air Forces
- 386th Bombardment Squadron(Heavy)
- 312th Bombardment Group
Surviving aircraft
No examples of a B-32 remain today. The XB-32 (AAF Ser. No. 41-18336) was used as a ground instructional airframe for fire fighting training. Others were written off after suffering major damage in operational accidents. Excess inventories were flown either to
One of the few portions of a B-32 surviving is a wing panel removed from a static test model and erected at the
Several Sperry A-17 nose/tail turrets, unique to the B-32, survive in various U.S. locations. These included the
Specifications (B-32)
Data from General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors[11]
General characteristics
- Crew: 10
- Length: 82 ft 1 in (25.02 m)
- Wingspan: 135 ft 0 in (41.15 m)
- Height: 32 ft 2 in (9.80 m)
- Wing area: 1,422 sq ft (132.1 m2)
- Empty weight: 60,278 lb (27,342 kg)
- Gross weight: 100,800 lb (45,722 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 123,250 lb (55,905 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × radial piston engines, 2,200 hp (1,600 kW) each
- Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 357 mph (575 km/h, 310 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,144 m)
- Cruise speed: 290 mph (470 km/h, 250 kn) [12]
- Range: 3,800 mi (6,100 km, 3,300 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 30,700 ft (9,400 m) [12]
- Rate of climb: 1,050 ft/min (5.3 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: 10× .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns
- Bombs: 20,000 lb (9,100 kg)
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Avro Lincoln
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
- Douglas XB-31
- Lockheed XB-30
- Martin XB-33 Super Marauder
- Messerschmitt Me 264
- Tupolev Tu-4
Related lists
- List of aircraft of World War II
- List of military aircraft of the United States
- List of bomber aircraft
References
Notes
- ^ a b Jones 1974, p. 106.
- ^ Baugher, Joe "Consolidated B-32 Dominator." Consolidated B-32 Dominator: USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft-Third Series, (Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Aircraft), 12 September 2009. Retrieved: 3 July 2010.
- ^ a b c Harding 2008, p. 69.
- ISBN 978-4-06-256806-7.
- ^ a b Takeuchi, Hiroyuki. Saburo Sakai's Last Battle abstract description in English." j-aircraft.com, 1995. Retrieved: 17 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Harding 2008, p. 70.
- ^ a b c d Harding 2008, p. 71.
- Yahoo.com.
- ^ Andrade 1979, p. 51.
- ^ Baugher, Joe. "B-32 Dominator," USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bomber Aircraft-Third Series, 12 July 2009. Retrieved: 29 October 2010.
- ^ Wegg 1990, p. 93.
- ^ a b "Fact Sheets:Consolidated B-32." Archived November 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved: 29 October 2010.
Bibliography
- Andrade, John M. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
- Bowman, Martin W. USAAF Handbook 1939–1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-8117-1822-0.
- Harding, Stephen. "The Last to Die". Air & Space, Volume 23, no. 4, November 2008.
- Harding, Stephen. "The Reluctant Dominator - Part One" Aeroplane Monthly, Volume 17, no. 4, April 1989.
- Harding, Stephen and James I. Long. Dominator: The Story of the Consolidated B-32 Bomber. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1984. ISBN 0-933126-38-7.
- Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Bombers: B-1 1928 to B-1 1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1974. ISBN 0-8168-9126-5.
- Sinko, Benjamin A. Echoes of the Dominator: the Tales and the Men who flew the B-32. Blaine, Minnesota: Up North Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-615-15898-3.
- Wegg, John. General Dynamic Aircraft and their Predecessors. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-833-X.
- Wolf, William. Consolidated B-32 Dominator: The Ultimate Look, from Drawing Board to Scrapyard. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-7643-2451-9.
External links
- Fact Sheet on B-32 Dominator at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
- A photograph of the Consolidated 33 XB-32 Dominator 41-141 in flight
- Biography of Julie Kossor, 312th Bomb Group, B-32 ball gunner, with notes on his units time in the Dominator.
- Newsreel footage of B-32
- B-32 Dominator Relics