Most powerful pre-atomic bomb?

Anyone know what was the most powerful bomb in any countries arsenal pre-atomic age?

I'm assuming there must have been some pretty powerful conventional bombs developed during WW2 prior to the Atomic Bombs. Anyone know what it was are how it stacked up to let's say Little Boy at 16 kilotons?
 
the "Grand Slam" (22,000 pounds) in World War II

now its the various thermobaric bombs.. the Russian version equal to 44 tons of TNT is the most powerful at present. The GBU57 (30,000 pounds) which is a deep penetrator is probably the most practical (if you happen to have Cold War era heavy bombers around)

If you don't, or want to use the bigger thermobarics, then you parachute them out the back of the largest transport aircraft you have available

Which is great if you have air superiority, not so great if you don't

Although none of them compare to a really large industrial accident like the Texas City Disaster, or the Halifax disaster or the potential effect of a large LPG carrier exploding. All of those are basically nuclear sized blasts
 
T The Convair B-36 Peacemaker, the largest combat aircraft ever built, was originally designed to carry the Cloudmaker.
Actually the B-36 was developed in case the Americans had no European or North African base from which to bomb Germany. I can understand though that the T-12 Cloudmaker would have been designed to fit its bomb bay. You don't design a bomb that you can not deliver.;)
 

Delta Force

Banned
Actually the B-36 was developed in case the Americans had no European or North African base from which to bomb Germany. I can understand though that the T-12 Cloudmaker would have been designed to fit its bomb bay. You don't design a bomb that you can not deliver.;)

That's true. I think the provision to carry the Cloudmaker came later in the development of the B-36.
 
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