Aircraft History
Built by Consolidated-Vultee at Fort Worth, Texas during January 1945. Ferried to Clark Field by Col Frank R. Cook, arriving on May 24, 1945. Cook nicknamed "Hobo Queen II" with a seated nude figure, because Cook's previous aircraft was a B-29 "Hobo Queen".

One of nine B-32s assigned to the 312th Bombardment Group, 386th Bombardment Squadron for combat tests.

Flew its first combat mission on May 29 armed with nine 1,000 lbs bombs, piloted by Col. Cook departing Clark Field at 10:30am with B-32 "The Lady is Fresh" 42-108529 bombing troop concentrations at noon at Antatet in the Cagayen Valley, ahead of Filipino guerrillas. Both B-32s made separate bombing runs from 10,000' damaging buildings, then returned to base at 13:05.

Next, flew two combat missions against China piloted by Cook. June 18 against Hoi How on Hainan Island. Next on June 24 against San Chau Island.

On August 18, 1945 took off from Yontan Airfield at 0655 piloted by Captain James F. Klein, along with #578 and F7B Liberator on a mission to photograph the Tokyo area from Chiba to Kido and Higurashi to Iwabe. Although the war had ended, the bombers encountered anti-aircraft fire from Miyakawa Airfield and were intercepted by fourteen Japanese fighters over Chosi, including an A6M5 Zero piloted by Saburo Sakai. The fighters made ten firing passes singularly, without causing damage or pressing their attacks. Returned to base at 1830. This was the last aerial combat of World War II.

On August 28, 1945 flew a mission over Atsugi Airfield to observe if terms of surrender were being observed, and propellers removed from Japanese aircraft. Unable to tell for sure, they returned to base, suffering an electrical fire in the bomb bay tank, causing smoke, but successfully landed back at base.

On September 9, 1945 this B-32 was damaged when the nose wheel was accidentally retracted on the ground. Two days later, a hoist lifting the B-32 dropped it twice. Since the war ended, it was not repaired at the airfield until disassembled and during May 1946.

References
Rampage of the Roarin' 20s pages 201 (color photo), 305 (photo), 307(photo) 306-309, 330-334, 356, 396 (profile #36)
Air Force Magazine, 1980
Dominator pages 40, 42, 43, 46 49 (photos)

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Last Updated
March 5, 2013