I am writing a piece where the atomic bomb is ready earlier in WWII, but I have a question for the historians among you. Since the B-29 was not considered stable until late 1944, could the B-17 (or another bomber) have been able to deliver the atomic bomb(s) in 1942?
Thanks in advance.
The B-17 - no. It did not have the payload or bomb bay space to accommodate either Fat Man or Little Boy.
Another bomber? No bomber that was in service then could do it. (
Maybe the Lancaster.) Again, load and bomb bay restriction.
However - building a plane that could deliver an atomic bomb was not impossible in 1942. Indeed it would not be particularly difficult. There were aircraft in service with enough payload and internal space: the giant flying boats. Adapting one to drop an atomic bomb would be very awkward, but it could be made to work.
Yes, the B-29 was two years away or more - but "the B-29" was not "one plane that can deliver the Bomb", it was a design for mass production of planes with that bomb load and size. Getting that right was a lot harder than ginning up a few special purpose aircraft for one time usage.
There were also speed considerations: the Bomb-dropping plane had to be well away before the Bomb went off, to avoid being destroyed by the blast. Five miles or so was about the minimum. If the Bomb was dropped from 30,000 feet, it would hit the ground in about 45 seconds falling free; 50 miles in 45 seconds is 400 mph, much faster than any flying boat or large bomber.
But these are not killer difficulties; the Bomb could be rigged with parachutes to slow descent, for instance. Or the crew could leave the Bomb plane in a parasite aircraft just before it reaches the target. All these methods would greatly reduce accuracy, but with a Bomb one doesn't need precision.