Slideshow: American air arsenal of 1941

Douglas B-18 Bolo

The Army Air Corps was already looking ahead for a future upgrade for the B-10 in 1934. They wanted a bomber that could carry double the load of the B-10, but also with a range of 2,000 miles and a top speed of 250 m.p.h.. Boeing built a four-engine prototype that a reporter dubbed a “15-ton flying fortress” which the Air Corps clearly favored over the competition. But a deadly crash knocks out what will become the legendary B-17 out of the competition and Douglas’ B-18 enters production. Surprise attacks on 7 and 8 December 1941 virtually wipe out the entire B-18 fleet on the ground in Hawaii and the Philippines. What few air frames survive are relegated to support and training roles. In 1942, a B-18A flown by Capt. Howard Burhanna Jr. of the 99th Bomb Squadron did sink the German U-boat U-512 off the coast of French Guiana.