With 1944 looming, the USAAF moved ahead with an order for 1,500 of the bombers under the B-32 "Dominator" designation . The first of these was not delivered until September of that year to which the B-29 had already been in combat service for nearly half the year. By December, additional B-32 deliveries were limited while B-29s were being received in useful numbers and proving a successful design over Japan. Official service introduction of B-32s was not until late January 1945 and the line was eventually operated through the 312th Bombardment Group and the 386th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy).
Mechanical issues dogged much of the short-lived career of the Dominator - there were unresolved issues with its engines which led to in-flight fires and undercarriage weaknesses led to collapsed landing gears. Despite the deficiencies, the aircraft was pressed into action and saw first combat on May 29th, 1945 in an attack against Japanese supply stores at Luzon. The airframe proved adept as a bombing platform and crews enjoyed the modern onboard accommodations - though there were noted complaints about engine noise in the cockpit and critique of the instrument panel layout. Defensive armament was hailed as very good and the aircraft's major systems were easily accessible by ground personnel for repairs in-the-field.
Regardless, with the need for a fall-back heavy bomber no longer apparent, the B-32 was procured in just 118 total examples - a far cry from the 1,500 originally envisioned. Production ceased in 1945 and, with the Japanese surrender forthcoming by the middle of August, the B-32 line was officially retired as soon as August 30th of that year - becoming nothing more than a footnote in American military aviation history. It was never exported nor passed on to second-line roles like other large aircraft of the period were and only a few notable variants were developed that included the "TB-32" crew trainer and this line produced several sub-variants in time. Active B-32 crews were transferred to B-29s once the Boeing product became available in the numbers required for the USAAF and many under-construction B-32s were simply scrapped at war's end - leaving none under the protection of museums or private owners today.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.