Conceived as a backup to the mighty B-29 Superfortress, the Consolidated B-32 Dominator entered World War II too late to make a name for itself. With powerful engines, heavy armament, and sleek lines, it promised much — but history would remember it as the last American bomber to see combat in the Second World War.
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The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was the U.S. Army Air Forces’ lesser-known heavy bomber of World War II. Designed in parallel with the Boeing B-29, it was intended as an insurance policy in case the Superfortress failed. Work began in 1939, when Consolidated Aircraft set out to create a faster, higher-flying successor to its successful B-24 Liberator.
The Dominator featured a distinctive shoulder-mounted wing with high-aspect Davis airfoils, twin vertical tails (later replaced by a single large fin for stability), and a pressurized cockpit in early prototypes. It was powered by four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines, each rated at approximately 2,200 horsepower for takeoff. The same engine type was used in the B-29, and the B-32 Dominator could reach speeds of around 357 mph (575 km/h) with a range of about 3,000 miles (4,800 km). Its defensive armament included up to ten .50 caliber machine guns, and it could carry 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg) of bombs — matching the payload of the B-29.
However, the B-32’s development was plagued by delays, technical issues, and shifting priorities as the B-29 proved successful. The Dominator finally reached operational units in mid-1945, with the 386th and 312th Bomb Groups flying limited missions from the Philippines. It conducted a handful of raids over Japan and Formosa (Taiwan) in the final weeks of the war, even engaging in air combat with Japanese fighters after the official surrender — making it the last U.S. bomber to fight in WWII.
Only 118 B-32s were built before production ended in September 1945. Overshadowed by the Superfortress, the Dominator faded quickly into obscurity — remembered today as a capable but ill-fated giant that arrived just as the era of propeller-driven bombers came to a close.
