Dominator crews fought the last U.S. air battle of World War II — tragically, after the war had ended. The B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber achieved fame — and infamy — for its role in the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Developing the huge bombers, which could lug heavy bomb loads over long distances at high altitudes and speeds, amounted to the most expensive weapons program undertaken by the United States during World War II — more expensive even the Manhattan Project. However, Boeing’s Superfortress had a little-known rival developed by the manufacturer Consolidated, better known for its mass-production of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. Had the Superfortress failed to perform as expected, the so-called B-32 Dominator was to be the fallback option.