First Combat Mission of the B-32 Dominator (May 29, 1945)
On May 29, 1945, the Consolidated B-32 Dominator flew its first combat mission of World War II, striking Japanese targets in the Philippines theater. Developed as insurance in case the more famous B-29 Superfortress failed to meet expectations, the Dominator entered combat late in the war and would fly for only a few months before Japan's surrender ended its brief operational career. Despite its short service, the B-32 left a lasting mark on history, including involvement in the final aerial combat of World War II.
A Backup to the B-29
The Consolidated B-32 Dominator originated from a 1940 U.S. Army Air Corps requirement for a new generation of very heavy bombers capable of striking targets at extreme range. Consolidated Aircraft designed the B-32 alongside Boeing's B-29 Superfortress as a parallel, lower-risk program, since the B-29's advanced pressurized cabin and remote-controlled gun turrets posed significant engineering risks. As the B-29 program matured faster than expected, the Army Air Forces scaled back B-32 production, but continued development as insurance against possible B-29 failures. The Dominator shared the B-29's massive four-engine layout and long range, but ultimately used a simpler, unpressurized design with manned gun turrets. By early 1945, with the B-29 already proving itself in combat over Japan, the B-32 program had been reduced substantially, yet a small number of aircraft were rushed into operational testing in the Pacific to validate the type before any potential large-scale deployment. This decision placed the Dominator in the unusual position of entering combat late in the war primarily to prove it could work, rather than to fill an urgent tactical need.
Did You Know?
The B-32 Dominator's combat career ended almost as dramatically as it began: on August 18, 1945, days after Japan's surrender announcement, B-32s over Tokyo were attacked by holdout Japanese fighters, and gunner Sergeant Anthony Marchione was killed—making him the last American airman lost in aerial combat during World War II.
The May 29, 1945 Mission
The B-32's combat debut came on May 29, 1945, when aircraft assigned to the 312th Bombardment Group, flying from Clark Field on Luzon in the Philippines, took off to strike Japanese-held positions in the region. The mission targeted enemy supply and logistics facilities as part of the broader Allied campaign to isolate and weaken Japanese forces still holding out in the Philippines and nearby island chains following the liberation of Manila earlier that year. Crews flying the untested bomber faced the ordinary hazards of combat missions in 1945—anti-aircraft fire and the possibility of fighter interception—compounded by the fact that the B-32 was still being evaluated for reliability and combat performance. The mission proceeded largely as planned, providing valuable operational data on the aircraft's handling, bombing accuracy, and mechanical performance under real combat conditions. This first mission marked the beginning of an evaluation period in which the 312th Bombardment Group would fly a limited but growing number of Dominator sorties over the following months, gradually expanding the aircraft's combat record even as the Pacific War moved toward its climax with the fighting on Okinawa and preparations for further operations against the Japanese home islands.
A Short but Notable Combat Record
Following its May 29 debut, the B-32 flew a limited number of combat missions—only a few dozen in total—before Japan's surrender in August 1945 brought the Pacific War to a close. The Dominator's most famous moment came on August 18, 1945, days after Japan's announced surrender, when B-32s flying reconnaissance over Tokyo were attacked by Japanese fighters who had not yet stood down. In that engagement, gunner Sergeant Anthony Marchione was killed, becoming the last American airman killed in aerial combat during World War II. With the war's end, the Army Air Forces quickly canceled further B-32 production, having built only about 118 aircraft compared to nearly 4,000 B-29s. The Dominator never received the chance to prove itself on a large scale, and most surviving airframes were scrapped within months. Today, no complete B-32 survives, making it one of the rarest major American bomber types of the war. Its brief combat history, bookended by its first mission on May 29, 1945, and the deadly skirmish over Tokyo three months later, stands as a footnote to the B-29's dominant legacy—yet it remains a compelling story of a warplane that arrived just as its moment in history was closing.