[DuncanWaring]

And where would those bombers have taken off from?

Probably Alaska.

These were built to attack Germany from the mainland US, designed when it was not a sure thing that England would stay free:

[dancusa]

Thanks for the picture of the B-36. My dad served as a crew member on one of those big birds in early 50’s(largest bomber ever built). He had a stopover in Midway on TDY Pacific duty around 1952. I have pictures that he took. The beach was still full of debris 10 years after battle. Another picture was aerial view of Midway. Basically the island was so small it only could fit an airfield. He also mentioned the Gooney birds there.