bomber
5 aircraft
B-17 Flying Fortress
The B-17 Flying Fortress was the backbone of the American strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Crews gave them names, painted nose art, and flew them through flak that killed thousands. The aircraft earned its 'Fortress' name — stories abound of B-17s returning on one engine, with massive holes in the fuselage, bringing their crews home. The formation flying and daylight precision bombing that B-17s pioneered changed warfare forever.
B-2 Spirit
Jack Northrop spent his career chasing the flying wing. He saw the YB-49 canceled in 1949 and never recovered professionally. In 1980, at age 85 and confined to a wheelchair, Northrop was shown a classified briefing on the B-2 program. He reportedly wrote on a piece of paper: 'Now I know why God has kept me alive for 25 years.' The B-2 Spirit proved that a flying wing could be the most capable bomber ever built. Twenty-one aircraft, at $2.1 billion each, carrying 40,000 pounds of ordnance anywhere on Earth from a single base in Missouri. The most expensive aircraft ever built justified its cost by being essentially invisible to radar.
B-24 Liberator
The B-24 Liberator was the most-produced American military aircraft in history — over 18,000 built. It fought in every theater of WWII. The famous Ploesti oil refinery raids saw B-24s fly at treetop level into the heart of Nazi Europe's fuel supply. The Davis wing gave it longer range than the B-17, making it essential for Pacific operations. More men flew in B-24s than any other American bomber.
B-25 Mitchell
The B-25 Mitchell will forever be remembered for the Doolittle Raid — 16 bombers launched from the USS Hornet to strike Tokyo just four months after Pearl Harbor. It was a morale operation that changed the war. But the B-25 was far more than that single mission. It was the most versatile medium bomber of the war, modified into everything from strafers with 18 forward-firing guns to submarine hunters.
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress was the most technologically advanced aircraft of WWII — pressurized cabin, remote-controlled guns, central fire control. It was also the most expensive weapons program of the war, exceeding even the Manhattan Project. The Enola Gay and Bockscar, both B-29s, dropped the atomic bombs that ended WWII. No aircraft has ever carried more historic weight.