Best Allied Bombers of World War II
The best British bomber by far. Could carry a huge bomb load and could be adapted for various roles (e.g., the amazing dam buster raids). It could not absorb the punishment of the American B-17 and had to bomb by night, spreading its bombs over large cities.
By far the best bomber of the war. It carried a comparable bomb load to the B-29 years earlier. It took more than two B-17s to carry a comparable load into Germany.
The most versatile heavy bomber of the war. Truly an outstanding bomber.
Could fly higher than the Lancaster and was responsible for shooting down a huge number of enemy fighters. It led daylight raids that focused on bombing the enemy's industries and infrastructure. Its ability to withstand incredible battle damage and still get home made it a legend.
I have been fascinated by this aircraft since I was 9 years old. It is my favorite airplane!
The B-17 Flying Fortress was a well-known bomber that helped bring an end to WWII.
Astonishing how underestimated this aircraft was!
A truly great aircraft! Versatile, adaptable, faster than any other bomber, and it established "pathfinding" for the bigger bombers with their blanket bombing.
The Brits should've made more of these aircraft for greater accuracy in bombing and other duties. At the time, however, mass numbers of British, Commonwealth, and US heavy bombers were seen as more feasible and more destructive.
The bomb load was almost identical to the Flying Fortress, but it was not until later on that pathfinding started to be used and proved to be so effective.
In my view, this is the greatest bomber, but there are others that can be held in high esteem:
Lancaster (adaptable, surprisingly agile, and with a greater bomb load)
Flying Fortress (took so much punishment and still flew)
Superfortress (later in the war, it was ahead of its time)
Could carry more bombs and fly farther than the B-17. However, it was not able to take nearly the same amount of punishment as the B-17.
A workhorse medium bomber that did almost anything asked of it. Doolittle's raid using these bombers flying from the aircraft carrier Hornet in early 1942 attests to its versatility.
Durable, fast, and reliable, this plane made history and harried the Axis forces in all theaters of the war.
Tough, versatile, and popular with pilots. This plane did so well at Midway that it soon became the defining symbol of the war against Japan. Unlike the Stuka and Val dive bombers, the SBD could perform well even when the Americans did not have air superiority, as evidenced by its successes in early 1942 and at Guadalcanal.
Okay, the Stuka had the loud dive brakes and the 37mm cannon, but the SBD had the bomb load, defensive armament, range, and aircrew to cripple the Japanese Navy. Both the Stuka and the Val were torn to shreds by RAF and USN fighters, but the SBD performed well against the Zero fighter and was even used against torpedo bombers early in the war.
Pilots loved the SBD so much that they had to be coerced into switching to the SB2C.
My favorite bomber of the war, the Wellington, was a great torpedo bomber, though it lacked the ability to carry heavy bombs and was viewed as outdated as soon as the Lancaster and Halifax were released.
They're all great bombers, but only one ended the war for America: the Superfortress. It was also one of the first aircraft to feature primitive computers and pressurization and was capable of delivering the A-bomb.
This plane almost single-handedly ended the war in the Pacific. It had a range, speed, armament, ceiling, and size that surpassed everything else.
The B-29 was the most advanced WWII bomber. Rugged, armed to the teeth, and deadly.
A medium-sized bomber that was fast and could take a lot of damage. It was actually built at the point that America entered the war. Plus, my grandfather flew 67 missions over occupied France, including 2 missions on D-Day in the Marauder.
The lowest operational losses of any bomber in the most difficult theaters of the war says it all. Present for the entire conflict - should be rated #1.
This giant flying boat was an awesome maritime patroller and was also a good bomber!
This was a great seaplane that bombed German supply ships and U-boats.
Like the Martin Maryland/Baltimore, this aircraft was built in the US but only used in lend-lease. The Allies wanted an equivalent of the terrifying Ju 87 Stuka, so they got the Vultee A-31 Vengeance two-seat dive-bomber. For the French and Americans, it was only found useful for training purposes, while the RAF, RAAF, and RAIF used it effectively in Burma and New Guinea. There were four British squadrons, five Australian, and two Indian.
This airplane remains one of the most successful but unsung heroes of the Second World War.
Pug-ugly but devastatingly effective in low-level interdiction raids, the Beaufighter was the last thing German and Italian shipping wanted to see, as it was often the last.