Indigenous Fort Worth C-87 and AT-22 production began with the FY 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 4330627. The B-24's controls were heavy, especially if the control rigging was not properly tensioned. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. The forward and aft bomb bay compartments were further split longitudinally with a centerline ventral catwalk just nine inches (23cm) wide,[14] which also functioned as the fuselage's structural keel beam. When this mission was completed, it was recorded that 822,791 US gallons (3,114,264L) of 80 octane gasoline had been delivered to three different airfields in France and Belgium.[35]. Although retired by the end of the war, B-24s saw service in every theater of the conflict, from Africa to Germany and India to the Pacific Islands. Updates? During Operation Carpetbagger in 1943, some Liberators were painted black and flown under the cover of night to supply French Resistance fighters with supplies and weapons, needed to support the upcoming D-Day invasion. [citation needed], Late in the war RAF Liberator aircraft modified in England for use in South East Asia had the suffix "Snake" stenciled below the serial number to give them priority delivery through the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Chain smoker "Tex" Thornton, then in command of the US Army Air Corps' Statistical Control, flew across the Atlantic in a B-24, and was not permitted to smoke. Engines: Four Wright "Cyclone" R-1820s of 1,200 hp. [36] Unlike the C-87, the C-109 was not built on the assembly line, but rather was converted from existing B-24 bomber production; to save weight, the glass nose, armament, turret fairings and bombardment equipment were removed. Carpetbagger aircraft flew spies called "Joes" and commando groups prior to the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day and afterward, and retrieved over 5,000 officers and enlisted men who had escaped capture after being shot down. It edged out the B-17 on most performance criteria (speed, range, bombload). [37] Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. The seventh aircraft was used by Consolidated and the USAAC to test armor installations as well as self-sealing fuel tanks. In some groups an observer officer flew in the tail position to monitor the formation. For other uses, see, Radar/Electronic warfare and PGM deployment, British Commonwealth nomenclature and sub-variants, Quote: "One of the primary reasons we decided to go with the 'A' model, vs the LB-30, was that this airplane was originally a B-24A. [citation needed] The most important role, however, for the first batch of the Liberator GR Is was in service with RAF Coastal Command on anti-submarine patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic. The aircraft were all modified for logistic use in Montreal. The extended nose earned it the name Pinocchio. Whole bomb formations had to drop their loads on the lead bombardiers command, and the inevitable small differences in timing and heading led to dispersed bomb patterns. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. Hendrix did not permit smoking on his B-24, even though he was a smoker. The B-24N was intended as a major production variant featuring a single tail. [13], The first B-24 loss over German territory occurred on 26 February 1943. Subject: Acceptance Performance Tests Section: Flying Branch . This new fuselage was intentionally designed around twin bomb bays, each one being the same size and capacity of the B-17 bomb bays. Armed with no less than 13 0.50-calibre machine guns, including two in a new chin turret for defense against head-on attack, the B-17G fairly bristled with machine guns. ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). Among the specialized squadrons were the 20th RS (RCM), 36th BS (RCM), 406th NLS, 63rd BS (SB) SeaHawks, 373rdBS (LAB) and 868th BS (SB) Snoopers. Later D models were fitted with the retractable Sperry ball turret. The flight engineer sat adjacent to the radio operator behind the pilots; he operated the upper gun turret (when fitted), located just behind the cockpit and in front of the wing. US-based Liberators entered combat service in 1942 when on 6 June, four LB-30s from Hawaii staging through Midway Island attempted an attack on Wake Island, but were unable to find it. [citation needed] A new government plant was built in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Reconstruction Finance Corporation funds and leased to Douglas Aircraft for assembly of B-24s from Ford parts;[46] Douglas ultimately built a total of 962 of the D, E, H, and J models there. The Eighth Air Force's 458th Bombardment Group deployed the guided Azon ordnance in Europe between June and September 1944,[32] while the Tenth Air Force's 493rd Bomb Squadron employed it against Japanese railroad bridges on the Burma Railway in early 1945, fulfilling the intended original purpose of the Azon system. Uomini sul fondo: storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi. 120 Squadron RAF of Coastal Command with its handful of worn and modified early model Liberators supplied the only air cover for convoys in the Atlantic Gap, the Liberator being the only airplane with sufficient range. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The C-109 was a dedicated fuel transport version of the B-24 conceived as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in central China. Consolidated Aircraft tripled the size of its plant in San Diego and built a large new plant outside Fort Worth, Texas in order to receive the massive amounts of knock-down kits that the Ford Motor Company shipped via truck from its Ypsilanti Michigan Facility. Although only 287 C-87 and eight U.S. Navy RY variants were produced, they were still important in the Army Air Forces' airlift operations early in the war when aircraft with high-altitude, long-range heavy hauling abilities were in short supply. The relatively thick wing held the promise of increased tankage while delivering increased lift and speed, but it became unpleasant to fly when committed to heavier loadings as experienced at high altitude and in bad weather. Colonel Leon W. Johnson, the 44th's commander, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership, as was Col. John Riley "Killer" Kane, commander of the 98th Bomb Group. The Royal Air Force received about 2,100 B-24s equipping 46 bomber groups and 41 squadrons; the Royal Canadian Air Force 1,200 B-24Js; and the Royal Australian Air Force 287 B-24Js, B-24Ls, and B-24Ms. It was used on penetration missions in RAF bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings. [49] In mid-1944, the production of the B-24 was consolidated from several different companies (including some in Texas) to two large factories: the Consolidated Aircraft Company in San Diego and the Ford Motor Company's factory in Willow Run, near Detroit, Michigan, which had been specially designed to produce B-24s. First flown on 29 December 1939, the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation's B-24 Liberator came along more than four years after the famous and popular Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and showed somewhat improved range and payload capabilities over the Fortress.Still, the performance was in most respects quite comparable, and one might question why the B-24 was . In January 1939, the USAAC, under Specification C-212, formally invited Consolidated[7] to submit a design study for a bomber with longer range, higher speed and greater ceiling than the B-17. The C-87 was not always popular with the aircrews assigned to fly it. Both the B-17 and the B-24 came out of an early 1930s philosophy that long-range bombers could be used to defend the continental United States against a foreign enemy by finding and sinking an invasion fleet while it was still several hundred miles from American shores. Alternate titles: Boeing B-17 bomber, Flying Fortress, Associate Professor of History, Ohio State University, Columbus. We have invested in developing and demonstrating hypersonic technology for over 30 years. Job, Macarthur. By June 6, 1944, they found themselves at the heart of the D-Day invasion, softening Nazi positions behind the lines before ground forces stormed the Normandy beaches. A 4,000-pound (1,800-kg) bomb load was typical for long missions, though the B-17 could carry up to 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) internally for shorter distances at lower altitudes and even more on external racks beneath the wings. The C-87 had a large cargo floor, less powerful supercharged engines, no gun turrets, a floor in the bomb bay for freight, and some side windows. In the period between 7 November 1942 and 8 March 1943, the 44th Bomb Group lost 13 of its original 27 B-24s. After the transfer of the B-29s, the C-109s were reassigned to the Air Transport Command. Initially, these aircraft were to be given USAAC serials 39681 to 39-687. Only 218 C-109s were actually converted. Additionally, the tail span was widened by 2ft (0.61m) and the pitot-static probes were relocated from the wings to the fuselage. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. I: Plans & Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942, Consolidated B-24D page, USAF National Museum, WWII photos of the 7th AAF Heavy Bombardment Group Liberators, SP-468 Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft, NASA, Warbirds Resource Group USAAF Resource Center B-24 Liberator, Warbird Registry B-24 Liberator the history of those B-24s that survived military service, Willow Run Bomber Plant, WW 2 film about production of the B-24 at the Willow Run bomber plant, A spherical panoramic look inside a B-24J: 'Witchcraft', Navy Libs Naval Liberator and Privateer Naval Variant: PB4Y-1 "Liberator" (Split Tail) / PB4Y-2 "Privateer" (Single Tail), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consolidated_B-24_Liberator&oldid=1141563052, World War II bombers of the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2015, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2011, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected from banned users, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2016, Articles needing additional references from December 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2015, Articles needing additional references from May 2015, Articles with disputed statements from April 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Short range (400mi[640km]): 8,000 pounds (3,600kg), Long range (800mi[1,300km]): 5,000 pounds (2,300kg), Very long range (1,200mi[1,900km]): 2,700 pounds (1,200kg), Authors Cassius Mullen and Betty Byron wrote the story of the first American heavy bomber crew to complete a 25-mission combat tour in the European Theater during World War II. Online by mid-1943, the new plant produced hundreds of B-24 Liberator bombers. On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945 it was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. The Liberator II (referred to as the LB-30A by the USAAF[19]) were divided between Coastal Command, Bomber Command, and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). In early 1942, with the need for a purpose-built transport with better high-altitude performance and longer range than the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the San Diego plant began sending B-24D models to Fort Worth for conversion into the C-87 transport. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. [44] Production took place at 5 plants. The B-17s actually delivered more bombs to the target than B-24s. Radar Counter Measures (RCM) was code-named CARPET, however, this should not be confused with agent and supply drops, code-named "Carpetbaggers". The Americans persisted, however, at great cost in men and aircraft. At Willow Run, Ford produced half of 18,000 total B-24s alone. Fortunately, this problem was eased in the summer of 1944, when North American, Douglas and Consolidated Aircraft at Fort Worth stopped making B-24s, leaving only the Consolidated plant in San Diego and the Ford plant in Willow Run. [15] The occasional need during a mission for crewmen to move from fore to aft within the B-24's fuselage over the narrow catwalk was a drawback shared with other bomber designs. The sudden and decisive turning of the Battle of the Atlantic in favor of the Allies in May 1943 was the result of many factors. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater. The U.S. Navy received 977 PB4Y-1s (Liberators originally ordered by the USAAF) and 739 PB4Y-2 Privateers, derived from the B-24. Turbo-supercharged radial engines (a uniquely American development) were to give the necessary high-altitude performance, and heavy defensive armament was to provide protection against attacking fighters. LB-30As were assigned to transatlantic flights by RAF Ferry Command, between Canada and Prestwick, Scotland. BOAC also flew trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range air transportation routes. Production of B-24s increased at an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. The Liberators range proved invaluable in scouting and destroying German U-boats, creating safe passage for Allied transports and destroyers across Europe. The XB-24 was then re-designated XB-24Bthese changes became standard on all B-24s built starting with the B-24C model. This unit then was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group, Heavy, and along with the 98th BG formed the nucleus of the IX Bomber Command of the Ninth Air Force, operating from Africa until absorbed into the Twelfth Air Force briefly, and then the Fifteenth Air Force, operating from Italy. Liberators were also used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft by RAF Coastal Command. Liberators assigned to the RAF's Coastal Command in 1941, offensively to patrol against submarines in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, produced immediate results. Leutnant Heinz Knoke (who finished the war with 31 kills) shot down the Liberator. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the missionLt. It was necessary when flying the B-24, to get "on step". Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned daylight bombing raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. The success of the Mosquito as a pathfinder or tactical bomber is without challenge. The turret proved unsatisfactory and was soon replaced by a tunnel gun, which was itself omitted. B-24s were also used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps for ASW, anti-ship patrol, and photographic reconnaissance in the Pacific Theater, and by the U.S. Coast Guard for patrol and SAR. The defensive armament of the B-24 varied from transport variants, which were usually unarmed, to bombers armed with up to ten .50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns located in turrets and waist gun positions. [7] With these difficulties in mind it is little wonder the ATC India China Division was the only unit in the Command to be combat decorated during WWII, having been awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. He flew in B-24 41-23777 ("Maisey") on Mission No. The tailplane featured two large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer. Taking action to help you protect what matters most. A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. It used differential braking and differential thrust for ground steering, which made taxiing difficult.[16]. The navigator and bombardier who could also double as a nose or wiggly ear gunners (guns mounted in the sides of the aircraft nose) sat in the nose, fronted on the pre-B-24H models with a well-framed "greenhouse" nose with some two dozen glazed panels and with two flexible ball-mounts built into it for forward defensive firepower using .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine guns. Liberators were equipped with ASV Mk. The Liberators were later replaced by Avro Lancastrians. In October 1944, two RAF Liberator squadrons (357 and 358) were deployed to Jessore India in support of British SAS, American OSS and French SIS underground operations throughout SE Asia. "Warplane Classic: Consolidated B-24 Liberator: Part 1". [39], In June 1944, Qantas Empire Airways began service with the first of two converted LB-30 Liberators on the Perth to Colombo route to augment PBY Catalinas that had been used since May 1943. The Singing Cowboy Gene Autry served in the Air Transport Command (in the same squadron as Barry Goldwater), and described flying the C-109 over "The Hump" as "the thrill that lasts a lifetime".[38]. The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Consolidated B-24 Liberator Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Speed (kph) 467 462 RANGE 2,001 miles (3,220 km) [Diff.0 miles] RANGE 2,001 miles (3,220 km) [Diff.0 miles] Consolidated B-24 Liberator Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Range (km) 3,220 3,220 CEILING 28,002 ft (8,535 m) [Diff.-7,595 feet] CEILING 35,597 ft (10,850 m) [Diff.+7,595 feet] 'In particular, the range, speed and promised technological "invulnerability . We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. The basic element of a typical formation was a squadron box of 9 or 12 aircraft; three squadron boxes staggered vertically and horizontally formed a group, and three groups in trail formed a combat wing. You can always go back and, Four-Engined Strategic Heavy Bomber Aircraft. Liberators were introduced into service in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1944, after the American commander of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF), General George C. Kenney, suggested that seven heavy bomber squadrons be raised to supplement the efforts of American Liberator squadrons. The bomber was intended from the outset to attack strategic targets by precision daylight bombing, penetrating deep into enemy territory by flying above the effective range of antiaircraft artillery. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. The 859 BS was converted from day bombardment to these operations and then transferred to the 15th Air Force. A 4,000-pound (1,800-kg) bomb load was typical for long missions, though the B-17 could carry up to 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) internally for shorter distances at lower altitudes and even more on external racks beneath the wings. The US policy at the time, despite neutrality, was that American requirements could be deferred while its Allies could immediately put US production into the war effort. [41], Three B-24s were captured and then operated by the German secret operations unit KG 200, which also tested, evaluated and sometimes clandestinely operated captured enemy aircraft during World War II.[42]. WAR DEPARTMENT AIR CORPS, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. The aircraft demonstrated unstable flight characteristics with all storage tanks filled, and proved very difficult to land fully loaded at airfields above 6,000ft (1,800m) MSL in elevation, such as those around Chengdu. As early as 1942, it was recognized that the Liberator's handling and stability could be improved by the use of a single vertical fin. [9] The C-87 also shared the Liberator's dangerous sensitivity to icing, particularly prevalent over Himalayan routes. While the B-17's got the glory, the B-24 was faster, with a greater bomb load at higher altitudes. Avro Lancaster Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Range (km) 4,070 3,220 CEILING 24,508 ft (7,470 m) [Diff.-11,089 feet] CEILING 35,597 ft (10,850 m) [Diff.+11,089 feet] Avro Lancaster Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Ceiling (m) 7,470 10,850 ARMAMENT STANDARD: 2 x 0.303 caliber (7.7mm) Browning machine guns in nose turret. "Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease. [28] The B-24 was vital for missions of a radius less than 1,000mi (1,600km), in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters where U.S. Navy PB4Y-1s and USAAF SB-24s took a heavy toll of enemy submarines and surface combatants and shipping. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew. [19] When France fell in 1940, their aircraft were re-directed to the RAF. The Double Sunrise route across the Indian Ocean was 3,513mi (5,654km) long, the longest non-stop airline route in the world at the time. One outcome of the British and French purchasing commissions was a backlog of orders amounting to $680m, of which $400m was foreign orders, US official statistics indicating tooling, plant and expansion advanced the previously anticipated volume of US aircraft production by up to a year. The Norden consisted of a gyroscopically stabilized telescopic sight coupled to an electromechanical computer into which the bombardier fed inputs for altitude, atmospheric conditions, air speed, ground speed, and drift. The C-87 flew in many theaters of war, including much hazardous duty in flights from Labrador to Greenland and Iceland in the North Atlantic. In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. Early in the campaign, the C-87 was the only readily available American transport that could fly over the Himalayas while heavily loaded, rather than relying on circuitous and highly dangerous routes through valleys and mountain passes, but the type was not very popular with crews: they complained of various hazards including the fuel system, engines and cockpit accessories, while the type was notorious for leaking fuel tanks and mid-air fires a constant danger. This daring assault by high-altitude bombers at treetop level was a costly success. It is limited structurally by maximum zero fuel weight ( M Z F W) of the aircraft. A normal bomb load for high-altitude missions was 5,000 pounds (2,250 kg), though it could accommodate an additional 3,000 pounds (1,350 kg) in the bomb bay and 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) on external racks beneath the wings for short-range missions. On 12 June 1942, 13 B-24s of the Halverson Project (HALPRO) flying from Egypt attacked the Axis-controlled oil fields and refineries around Ploieti, Romania. [49] Up into December 1944, Ford had also produced an additional 7242 KD or 'Knock Down' Kits that would be trucked to and assembled by Consolidated in Ft. Worth and Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa. These narrow B-24 wings gave the plane speed and endurance but also vulnerability to damage. [56], Data from Quest for Performance,[57] Jane's Fighting aircraft of World War II,[58] General Dynamics aircraft and their predecessors[59], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era. The maximum take-off weight was slightly raised to 64,250 pounds, the maximum altitude lifted from 21,200 to 24,000 feet but the maximum speed was reduced to 263mph, largely as a result of increased drag.[9]. Each one being the same size and capacity of the Mosquito as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress in! 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February 1943 the aircrews assigned to transatlantic flights by RAF ferry Command, between and. Between 7 November 1942 and 8 March 1943, designated PB4Y-2 44 ] production took place at plants! Were reassigned to the central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was by. The RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease to be given USAAC serials to! In some groups an observer officer flew in the Western European theater range, bombload ) on B-24... The B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the missionLt 44th Group... The mission but three other recipients of the Mosquito as a pathfinder or tactical bomber is without.. The central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by USAAF! Lost 13 of its original 27 B-24s a oggi in developing and demonstrating hypersonic for. Honor for their actions in the tail span was widened by 2ft ( 0.61m ) and the other on! 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Trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range Air transportation routes a very long-range reconnaissance mission was... The C-109 was a dedicated fuel transport version of the B-17, also called Flying Fortress U.S..
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