# \[Best\] bomber ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869 "2014-01-27T18:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/21 "2014-01-28T11:08:04Z")
I was passing the RAF museum in North London the other week, and i managed to dive in for an hour. I hadn’t realised because it looks kinda’ fighter shaped so I subconciously thought of it at that size, but the Vulcan bomber is _huge_. Most of the exhibits, are roped off, you walk around. You can stroll around underneath the Vulcan bomber. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/22 "2014-01-28T13:13:34Z")
> [@DeptfordX](#): > > I was passing the RAF museum in North London the other week, and i managed to dive in for an hour. > > I hadn’t realised because it looks kinda’ fighter shaped so I subconciously thought of it at that size, but the Vulcan bomber is _huge_. Most of the exhibits, are roped off, you walk around. You can stroll around underneath the Vulcan bomber. I had the great pleasure of seeing that big bugger fly at the Manston airshow last year. Full afterburner…wow! One that never got into service was the [TSR2](http://plane-crazy.k-hosting.co.uk/Aircraft/Jets/TSR2/TSR2-Duxford%2B1.jpg), lovely plane but who knows how “good” it would have been. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/23 "2014-01-28T14:04:15Z")
> [@DeptfordX](#): > > I was passing the RAF museum in North London the other week, and i managed to dive in for an hour. > > I hadn’t realised because it looks kinda’ fighter shaped so I subconciously thought of it at that size, but the Vulcan bomber is _huge_. Most of the exhibits, are roped off, you walk around. You can stroll around underneath the Vulcan bomber. I can’t believe I didn’t think of the Vulcan. It’s even louder than it is big - I saw one at an airshow once and even at three or four hundred yards off the ground every single person in the crowd was covering their ears with the engines at full chat. It actually _hurt_. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/24 "2014-01-28T14:13:13Z")
> [@echo7tango](#): > > Maybe not the best, but to me one of the prettiest is the light attack bomber, the B-26 Invader ([images](https://www.google.com/search?q=b26+invader&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=31fnUvjZE4m0sQTVg4HIAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=648)). I should clarify that’s the Douglas B-26/A-26 Invader, and not the Martin B-26 Marauder (ucking fugly thing; [images](https://www.google.com/search?q=Martin+B-26+Marauder&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=XbrnUsy_MYbKsQS1hYLQAg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=768&bih=904)). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/25 "2014-01-28T14:37:47Z")
My strong bias towards the allied forces, and American planes, is reflected in this list of My Top Five: B-17 Flying Fortress B-29 Super Fortress B-24 Liberator B-52 BUFF B-2 Stealth Bomber That’s in no particular order but my #1 best bomber of all time has got to be the B-17 Flying Fortress because it helped establish air superiority at a time when that was still in question, not like the B-29 that came into widespread usage when the war’s outcome was pretty much decided, save for time remaining, and lives lost. Curious – where is there a list of bombers and total tonnage ever drooped by plane? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/26 "2014-01-28T14:53:43Z")
Wherever the list is, I strongly suspect the B-52 has dropped a greater total payload than all other bombers combined (possibly excluding fighter-bombers.) ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/27 "2014-01-28T14:56:11Z")
The B-29 called the Enola Gay made more 80,000 people disappear in roughly 30 seconds, so that may be a candidate for “greatest bomber ever.” Unless, of course, mass murder really disturbs you. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/28 "2014-01-28T15:03:05Z")
It was war. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/29 "2014-01-28T16:06:48Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > The B-29 called the Enola Gay made more 80,000 people disappear in roughly 30 seconds, so that may be a candidate for “greatest bomber ever.” > > Unless, of course, mass murder really disturbs you. Not as much as allowing a war to continue and kill even more people does, no. I suspect you’d pick the B-36, since that one deterred war so effectively, never mind its endless mechanical reliability issues. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/30 "2014-01-28T16:39:12Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Unless, of course, mass murder really disturbs you. > [@echo7tango](#): > > It was war. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not as much as allowing a war to continue and kill even more people does, no. **Moderator Note** Let’s not get into a debate about the morality of a bombing campaign. No warnings issued, but let’s stick to military capabilities. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/31 "2014-01-28T17:25:51Z")
Wait a minute. Why the hell is the A-6 an “honorable mention”? ---
**Author:** ![Dave.B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9f8e36/32.png) [@Dave.B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave.B)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/32 "2014-01-29T14:19:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I had the great pleasure of seeing that big bugger fly at the Manston airshow last year. Full afterburner…wow! Nitpick: The Vulcan was/is not equipped with afterburners. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/33 "2014-01-29T14:30:49Z")
That’s a frequent point of confusion. Most people assume the Vulcan had afterburners because it used the Rolls-Royce Olympus engines that would later power the Concorde, but the engines had reheat added for the Concorde. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/34 "2014-01-29T15:16:03Z")
I will chime in with Sailboat that making strategic capabilities a requirement is nonsense. Tactical and strategic bombers require different qualities. Might as well make dive bombing capability a requirement as well, in which case the Mosquito and Ju-88 would be the only ones on the list. One missing from this list is the Pe-2; fast, nimble, well armed, 11,500 produced. Just because it was Russian is not a reason to ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/35 "2014-01-29T16:50:11Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s a frequent point of confusion. Most people assume the Vulcan had afterburners because it used the Rolls-Royce Olympus engines that would later power the Concorde, but the engines had reheat added for the Concorde. Ha! well you learn something new every day, that was always my assumption. No matter, close up that thing was _ripping_ the sky apart, wonderful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/36 "2014-01-29T17:15:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thanks to **DeptfordX** in the thread [Worst air fighter ever?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=713451) I’m starting a new one, where it can be discussed without confusion. > > According to this guy [here](http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-five-best-bombers-all-time-9764), using the following evaluations: > [ul] > [li] Did the bomber serve the strategic purpose envisioned by its developers?[/li] > [li] Was the bomber a sufficiently flexible platform to perform other missions, and to persist in service?[/li] > [li] How did the bomber compare with its contemporaries in terms of price, capability, and effectiveness?[/li][/ul] > > [LIST=1] > [li] Handley Page Type O 40[/li][li] Junkers JU-88[/li][li] De Havilland Mosquito[/li][li] Avro Lancaster[/li][li] Boeing B-52[/li] For the first three, the answers are no. Heavy Bombers in WWI were a joke. The JU88 was a decent attack plane, but a horrible bomber. And the lack of either the B17 or B24 complete invalidates the list. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/37 "2015-11-04T06:11:42Z")
Beautiful footage, details in 12 minute film of Valkyrie flight testing: [XB-70 Valkyrie Supersonic Bomber Flight Test Program Restored Color -1966 - YouTube](http://youtu.be/KMbOl6Hn0yQ) Damn. Doubly folding wing tips, Mach 3 at 70,000. 1966. What a plane. I don’t where they’d put the bombs. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/38 "2015-11-04T08:09:52Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > The B-52 is the standout in one imporant respect, at least: it’s been operational for about the same span of time as separates Kitty Hawk Flats from the Sea of Tranquillity…! Plus, its expected service life will last well into the 2040’s, the same span of time as the Sopwith Camel to HAL. Based on sheer utility and length of service, it’s gotta be the B-52, hands down – just think of all those billions of dollars spent on potential replacements, which went nowhere or became major boondoggles. On the other hand, the B-17 can sometimes feature [zombie pilots.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELUP-oZQKM4) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/39 "2015-11-04T08:19:24Z")
I’m a fan of the EE Canberra, but possibly only because it’s the only bomber I’ve actually sat in. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869/40 "2015-11-04T09:14:45Z")
Chauvinism maybe creeping in here… I nominate the Vulcan because it looked so impressive. I was once driving down the A15 where it was re-routed to go round RAF Scampton, when one took off right over me. I was driving a van at the time and I thought it was going to blow me over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bomber-ever/679869.md?page=3)