Too Little, Too Late - The B-32 Dominator

Smokey · 08-10-2005, 03:24 PM

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

Quote:

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 · 08-10-2005, 03:33 PM

That is debatable though.

Smokey · 08-10-2005, 03:40 PM

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 · 08-10-2005, 03:48 PM

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 · 08-10-2005, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 08-10-2005, 07:26 PM

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 · 08-10-2005, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 08-10-2005, 10:54 PM

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

syscom3 · 08-10-2005, 11:26 PM

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 · 08-11-2005, 12:33 AM

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 · 08-11-2005, 11:57 AM

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/eaglebio...os/sakai83.htm

cheddar cheese · 08-12-2005, 07:07 AM

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

DerAdlerIstGelandet · 08-12-2005, 07:45 AM

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 · 03-27-2006, 02:05 PM

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 · 03-27-2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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