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The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectations. Although Boeing lost the contract due to the prototype's crash, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they ordered 13 B-17s. The B-17 Flying Fortress went on to enter full-scale production and was considered the first truly mass-produced large aircraft, eventually evolving through numerous design advancements, from B-17A to G. The B-17 was primarily employed in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and civilian targets (such as Dresden). The United States Eight Air Force based in England and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in Operation Pointblank, to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord. The B-17 also participated, to a lesser extent, in the War in the Pacific. From its pre-war inception, the USAAC touted the aircraft as a strategic weapon; it was a potent, high-flying, long-ranging bomber capable of unleashing great destruction yet able to defend itself. With the ability to return home despite extensive battle damage, its durability, especially in belly-landings and ditchings, quickly took on mythic proportions. Stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage widely circulated, boosting its iconic status. Despite an inferior range and bombload compared to the more numerous B-24 Liberator, a survey of Eight Air Force crews showed a much higher rate of satisfaction in the B-17. With a service ceiling greater than any of its Allied contemporaries, the B-17 established itself as a superb weapons system, dropping more bombs than any other US aircraft in World War II. Of the 1.5 million tonnes of bombs dropped on Germany, 500,000 were dropped from B-17s. (Wikipedia)

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, built by Consolidated Aircraft. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft during World War II and still holds the record as the most produced U.S. military aircraft. It was used by many Allied air forces and every U.S. branch of service during the war, attaining a distinguished war record with its operations in the northern European, Pacific and Mediterranean theaters. Often compared to the better known B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed and greater range yet it had a similar bombload and massive defensive armament. Nevertheless, popular opinion among aircrews and general staff tended to favor the B-17's rugged qualities above all other considerations. The B-24 was notorious among American air crews for its tendency to catch fire from battle damage because of the placement of its fuel tanks throughout the upper fuselage and because of its lightweight construction, designed both to increase range and optimize assembly line mass production. The B-24 was more difficult to fly as well, with more instruments and switches facing the pilot and more training required before proficiency was reached. Where the B-24 excelled over other contemporary World War II heavy bombers was in its versatility. (Wikipedia)

The North American B-25 Mitchell (NA-62) was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used with devastating effect against German and Japanese targets in every combat theater of World War II. The aircraft was named the "Mitchell" in honor of General Billy Mitchell, an early air power pioneer and advocate of an independent United States Air Force. The B-25 Mitchell is the only American military aircraft named after a specific person. By the end of its production, nearly 10,000 B-25s in numerous models had been built. These included a few limited variations, such as the US Navy's PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the Army Air Forces' F-10 Photo Reconnaissance aircraft. (Wikipedia)

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. The name "Superfortress" was derived from its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress . The B-29 Boeing Model 345 (earlier models were not accepted) was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II. It was one of the most advanced bombers of its time, featuring innovations such as a pressurized cabin, a central fire-control system, and remote-controlled machine gun turrets. It was designed as a high-altitude daytime bomber, but flew more low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. It was the primary aircraft in the U.S. firebombing campaign against Japan in the final months of World War II, and B-29s carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unlike many other bombers, the B-29 remained in service long after the war ended, a few being employed as flying television transmitters for Stratovision. By the time it was retired in the 1960s, some 3,900 planes had been built. The airframe was further developed into the B-50 for the USAF, and the Soviet Union developed a virtual carbon copy Tupolev Tu-4 which was reverse engineered from confiscated B-29 airplanes. (Wikipedia)

The Northrop YB-35 (Northrop NS-9) was an experimental heavy bomber aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Forces during and shortly after World War II by the Northrop Corporation. It was the first bomber to use the radical and potentially very efficient flying wing design, in which the tail section and fuselage are eliminated and all payload is carried in a thick wing. Only prototype and pre-production machines were built, although interest remained strong enough to warrant further development of the aircraft as a jet bomber, under the designation YB-49. (Wikipedia)

Side Note: My father helped build and later destroy the YB-35 and YB-49 bombers.

The Convair B-36 was a Strategic bomber built by Convair for the United States Air Force , the first operational bomber to truly have intercontinental range. Unofficially nicknamed the "Peacemaker," the B-36 was the first thermonuclear weapon delivery vehicle. It was the largest piston engined aircraft ever to be mass-produced. The B-36 was also the largest combat aircraft ever built, although there have been larger military transports. With a range of over 6,000 miles and a maximum payload over 72,000 lbs, it set the benchmark for subsequent US long range bombers still in service such as the B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer.