Consolidated B-32 "Dominator" (30946 A.C.)

[chico]

Are are they all A-17 Ball Turrets? I've done quite a few searches and we asked the other people with them, and we've not come up with any additional Sperry A-17 turrets. If you can give more information, it would help us because one of the others may have manuals or extra parts.

I was specifically hunting for A-17 information when I found that one. I'll have to dig back to find my old links. Information on these things seems to be few and far between.

[CAPFlyer]

I was specifically hunting for A-17 information when I found that one. I'll have to dig back to find my old links. Information on these things seems to be few and far between.

Thanks!

[Mark Nankivil]

Hi Kevin -

The Privateer (in its later variants) is a single fin variant of the B-24 Liberator. There's some other differences but that's the key one in regards to your question. Since they're all from Consolidated, there's some family resemblance between the Privateer and the B-32 Dominator with the B-32 being larger and more in line sizewise with the B-29 - the B-32 being developed in case the B-29 program failed.

HTH! Mark

[Glen]

Greetings
I poise a ? to the group Had the B-29 program failed and the B-32 step up to the plate would it have been a powerful enough plane to handle the A-Bomb's ? Was the bomb bays large enough ? what about the range ? If not then, what Bomber would be left that could get the Job done ? The B-36 was still a few years away from it first flight.

[Steve Nelson]

The B-32 had the same power package as the B-29 (4X Wright R-3350) so without digging out my references I would assume performance was similar. The big problem with the Dominator vs. B-29 was pressurization. Of course the B-29 was pressurized, but Consildated could never get the bugs out of the system on the B-32, so it was deleted (hence the standard Martin upper turrets and sperry ball, rather than the Superfort's remote units.)

Speaking of tails, the B-32 prototype actually had twin fins. The switched to a single tail on the production models, but one of the early airframes actually had a B-29 tail fitted for test purposes.

SN


Here's the twin-tail prototype...






And the one with the B-29 tail (photos courtesy NMUSAF website.)

[Second Air Force]

Not only pressurization problems, but the B-32 also had a history of landing gear collapses that plagued the training program at Fort Worth AAF. Quality control was not good on the early aircraft, either. Many of the problems were worked out sufficiently (including abandoning the pressurization) and a few did see combat just at the end of the war.

On the subject of the Manhattan Project, notice in Martin's photo of the TB-32 how the bomb bays were laid out with the central keel beam and bulkhead between bays, just like the '24. The uranium bomb might have fit, though I think it was too long, but the plutonium device doesn't look like it would have been an option without MAJOR structural modifications.

Here are a couple more photos. The first is one of the combat test airplanes (42-108530) after the end of hostilities:


This is "The Lady Is Fresh" in the SWPA.



This is the second production airplane on the day it was delivered to the AAF at Fort Worth. Nose gear collapse started this mess--it's not hard to see who designed the airframe is it?


Matt Gunsch has an informative thread in the Modellers Gallery/Forum of his B-32 construction in 1/72nd scale.

Scott

[Matt Gunsch]

I would like to know where you all are finding these pictures. The one that Swiss Mustang posted I had not seen before. I signed up on Footnote, but there is only 1 picture there.

[Second Air Force]

Matt,

Do you have the book "DOMINATOR-The Story of the Consolidated B-32 Bomber" by Stephen Harding and James I. Long? Though not a huge book, it has lots of information and a fair number of photos of the whole program. A new book has just been published recently, but I haven't been able to afford a copy yet--the title is "ECHOES OF THE DOMINATOR (The Tales and the Men Who Flew the B-32) The author has provided a website:http://www.lulu.com/content/1066776. I've found a lot of my B-32 pictures by having too darned much B-24 and B-29 stuff in my library pile. There are pictures of the fleet awaiting scrapping at Walnut Ridge and Kingman as well.

Hope this helps,
Scott

[Matt Gunsch]

I have the book Consolidated B-32 Dominator, the ultimate Look, by William Wolf, who I have exchanged a few Emails with, it is 272 pages with alot of reprints from the pilots and maint manuals. The First book you mentioned I have around here somewhere, but most of my books are still in boxes and I have not been able to find it. I have not seen the other book you mentioned, I will have to look for it.

[Paul Krumrei]

With the twin tail, she looks like a half-breed of a B-29 for a mother and a B-24 for the father.

Really, and ugly aricraft IMHO.

[Steve Nelson]

I've always thought the B-32 looked a bit awkward. It just doesn't have the easthetic lines of the B-29. The aft fuselage seems to sort of "droop," due to the symetrical taper. The high wing and nacelles also make it look a little gawky.

Of course, I have a soft spot for ugly airplanes, so I still plan to eventually build MY vacuform Dominator kit.

SN