One of the galleries in the National Museum of the United States Air Force is dedicated to World War II. Shown below are some of the bombers which were displayed.
Note: the Memphis Belle, Bockscar, and the B-25 Mitchell used in the Doolittle raid on Tokyo have their own diaries.
Douglas B-18 Bolo
According to the museum:
The Douglas Aircraft Co. developed the B-18 to replace the Martin B-10 as the U.S. Army Air Corps' standard bomber. Based on the Douglas DC-2 commercial transport, the prototype B-18 competed with the Martin 146 (an improved B-10) and the four-engine Boeing 299, forerunner of the B-17, at the Air Corps bombing trials at Wright Field in 1935. Although many Air Corps officers judged the Boeing design superior, the Army General Staff preferred the less costly Bolo (along with 13 operational test YB-17s). The Air Corps later ordered 217 more as B-18As with the bombardier's position extended forward over the nose gunner's station.
Though equipped with inadequate defensive armament and underpowered, the Bolo remained the Air Corps' primary bomber into 1941, and the Japanese destroyed some B-18s during the surprise attacks on Dec. 7. By early 1942, improved bombers like the B-17 replaced the Bolo as first-line bombardment aircraft. Many B-18s were then used as transports, or modified as B-18Bs for anti-submarine duty.
This aircraft carried a crew of six. Powered by two Wright R-1820-53s engines is has a top speed of 215 mph, a cruising speed of 167 mph, a range of 2,100 miles, and a ceiling of 23,900 feet.
Consolidated B-24D Liberator
According to the Museum:
The B-24 was employed in operations in every combat theater during World War II. Because of its great range, it was particularly suited for such missions as the famous raid from North Africa against the oil industry at Ploesti, Rumania, on Aug. 1, 1943. This feature also made the airplane suitable for long over-water missions in the Pacific Theater. More than 18,000 Liberators were produced.
Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1830s of 1,200 hp each, this aircraft had a top speed of 303 mph, a cruising speed of 175 mph, a range of 2,850 miles, and a ceiling of 28,000 feet.
Martin B-26G Marauder
According to the Museum:
Although the Marauder did not make its first flight until Nov. 25, 1940, its design showed such promise that the Air Corps ordered 1,131 B-26s in September 1940. The B-26 began flying combat missions in the Southwest Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most were subsequently assigned to Europe and the Mediterranean.
Bombing from medium altitudes of 10,000 to 15,000 feet, the Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any Allied bomber -- less than one-half of one percent. U.S., British, Free French, Australian, South African and Canadian aircrews all flew the B-26 in combat. By the end of World War II, B-26 crews had flown more than 110,000 sorties and had dropped 150,000 tons of bombs.
In 1945, when B-26 production was halted, 5,266 had been built.
Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2830s of 2,000 hp each, this aircraft had a top speed of 285 mph, a cruising speed of 190 mph, a range of 1,100 miles, and a ceiling of 19,800 feet.
M29 Cluster Bomb
According to the Museum:
The 415-pound M29 cluster bomb was used during World War II against enemy troops, unarmored vehicles and artillery. Typically carried by fighters and medium bombers, the M29 was dropped from between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. After release, the outer seal separated to dispense 90 4-pound fragmentation bomblets over a relatively wide area.
Mk XIII Aerial Torpedo
According to the Museum:
Developed by the U.S. Navy weapons station at Newport, Rhode Island, the Mk XIII served as the United States' standard aerial torpedo in World War II. Thirteen feet long and 22.4 inches in diameter, a combat-ready Mk XIII weighed about 2,200 lbs, including 600 lbs of Torpex high explosive. In the water, it traveled at 33.5 knots (39 mph) to a maximum distance of 6,300 yards, and the flow of water turned an impeller beneath the nose (seen in the mirror beneath the nose), which armed the firing mechanism. Other countries' aerial torpedoes tended to be smaller and lighter than the Mk XIII, allowing them to be dropped at a higher altitude and airspeed. If dropped from a height of greater than 50 feet or at an airspeed faster than 110 knots (126 mph), the early versions of the Mk XIII tended to break up..
Although primarily used by the U.S. Navy, Mk XIII torpedoes were also used the U.S. Army Air Forces. On June 4, 1942, six Navy TBF-1 Avenger torpedo planes and four modified USAAF B-26 Marauders launched from Midway Island to attack the Japanese aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway. Only one TBF-1 and two B-26s survived, and none of their torpedoes hit a Japanese ship.
When other B-26 units in the Aleutian Islands, the Southwest Pacific, North Africa, and the Mediterranean achieved little operational success against enemy shipping with Mk XIIIs, the USAAF abandoned aerial torpedoes in favor of the highly successful "skip bombing" technique.
More World War II airplane photo diaries
Air Force Museum: World War II German Planes (photo diary)
Air Force Museum: World War II Japanese planes (photo diary)
Planes of Fame: P-38 Lightning (Photo Diary)
Planes of Fame: World War II American Fighters (Photo Diary)
Yanks Air Museum: World War II Bombers (Photo Diary)
Historic Flight: Grumpy (photo diary)
Historic Flight: Grasshopper, Texan, Spitfire (photo diary)
Museum of Flight: World War II American fighters (photo diary)