On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945 it was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. The aircraft had the distressing habit of losing all cockpit electrical power on takeoff or at landings, its engine power and reliability with the less-powerful superchargers also often left much to be desired. Conceived in 1938 by Consolidated Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin legacy company, the original B-24 prototype was designed to fly faster and carry a larger payload than the US Army Air Corpss B-17 Flying Fortress. 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. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It's crewmen claimed 2,600 enemy aircraft shot down. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. At Willow Run, Ford produced half of 18,000 total B-24s alone. At its peak in 1944, the Willow Run plant produced one B-24 per hour and 650 B-24s per month. The 859 BS was converted from day bombardment to these operations and then transferred to the 15th Air Force. These Liberators operated from both sides of the Atlantic with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command and later, the US Navy conducting patrols along all three American coasts and the Canal Zone. Follow our simple tutorial and start! The wing carried four supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp engines mounted in cowlings borrowed from the PBY Catalina (similar except for being oval in cross-section allowing for oil coolers mounted on each side of the engine) that turned 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers. Whereas the B-17 used 9-cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, the Consolidated design used twin-row, 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radials of 1,000hp (750kW). If any dimensional values are "NA" in the database then the presented shapes may appear skewed. A B-24 could reach 290 miles per hour and carry a 5,000-pound bomb load for 1,700 miles, giving it a longer range, greater speed, and a bigger payload than its B-17 cousin." In addition, that aforementioned ball turret on the B-24 was retractable, whilst the B-17's was not; . An American B-24 Liberator in flight. 223 Squadron RAF, one of Bomber Command's 100 (Bomber Support) Group squadrons, used 20 Liberator VIs to carry electronic jamming equipment to counter German radar. The book. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease. ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). 200 Flight played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the Allied Intelligence Bureau; and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. The conversion had a hinged cargo door at the nose eliminating transparent nose and large cargo doors installed in the waist area. 540 ft/min [Diff.-49,460 feet] Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress RoC (ft) 50,000 540 540. The aircraft were stripped of most armaments to allow for fuel for up to 26-hour return flights such as Jessore to Singapore.[23]. The seventh aircraft was used by Consolidated and the USAAC to test armor installations as well as self-sealing fuel tanks. Thus naval patrol often omitted top, belly and nose turrets. This role was dangerous, especially after many U-boats were armed with extra anti-aircraft guns, some adopting the policy of staying on the surface to fight, rather than submerging and risking being sunk by aerial weapons such as rockets, gunfire, torpedoes and depth charges from the bombers. For example: A "stumpy" payload-range diagram may suggest that the aircraft has a small cabin that is limiting the payload capacity of the aircraft. They were equipped with signal lighting, provision for quantity discharge of pyrotechnics, and were painted with distinctive group-specific high-contrast patterns of stripes, checkers or polka dots to enable easy recognition by their flock of bombers. A B-24 could reach 290 miles per hour and carry a 5,000-pound bomb load for 1,700 miles, giving it a longer range, greater speed, and a bigger payload than its B-17 cousin." Aircraft had the ability to undertake surprise air attacks against surfaced submarines. Job, Macarthur. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category. Failing to do this meant that the B-24 flew slightly nose high, and it used more fuel. The C-87 transport derivative served as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Wind tunnel testing and experimental programs using an existing Consolidated Model 31 provided extensive data on the flight characteristics of the Davis airfoil. . The XB-24 was then re-designated XB-24Bthese changes became standard on all B-24s built starting with the B-24C model. 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]. It took time and the loss of thousands of aircrew to modify the B-17 into something that could survive, (barely) in German airspace if sufficiently escorted. Corrections? The B-24H saw the replacement of the glazed 'green house' nose with a nose turret, which reduced the B-24s vulnerability to head-on attacks. 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. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. The success of the Mosquito as a pathfinder or tactical bomber is without challenge. 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. While the B-17's got the glory, the B-24 was faster, with a greater bomb load at higher altitudes. The design was simple in concept but, nevertheless, advanced for its time. The B-24H was 10 inches (25cm) longer, had a powered gun turret in the upper nose to reduce vulnerability to head-on attack, and was fitted with an improved bomb sight (behind a simpler, three-panel glazed lower nose), autopilot, and fuel transfer system. The B-24's spacious, slab-sided fuselage (which earned the aircraft the nickname "Flying Boxcar")[13] was built around two central bomb bays that could accommodate up to 8,000 pounds (3,600kg) of ordnance in each compartment (but rarely did, as this decreased range and altitude). 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. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . Just fewer of them. Milano: Mondadori. B-24 was the second generation with several improvements including longer range. The tail gunner's powered twin-gun turret was located at the end of the tail, behind the tailplane. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The B-24 was used extensively in World War II where it served in every branch of the American armed forces, as well as several Allied air forces and navies. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. The name "Liberator" was originally given to it by the RAF, and subsequently adopted by the USAAF as the official name for the Model 24. Deep raids were called off in mid-October 1943 and were not resumed until February 1944, when long-range escort fighters such as the P-51 Mustang became available. It could manage an altitude of no more than 25,000ft (7600m), three or four thousand feet less than a B-17, but it flew 10-15mph (16-24 km/h) faster. Both BOAC and the RAF used converted Liberator IIs as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. Carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1 is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force. As soon as more dependable Douglas C-54 Skymaster and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transports became available in large numbers, C-87s were rapidly phased out of combat zone service, with some later used as VIP transports or B-24 flight crew trainers. Autry, Gene with Herskowitz, Mickey. 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. In 1943, the model of Liberator considered by many the "definitive" version was introduced. We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. The first prototype bomber flew in mid-1935, and the B-17 entered small-scale production in 1937. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. 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. Such were the production numbers it has been said that more aluminum, aircrew, and effort went into the B-24 than any other aircraft in history.[45]. At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing. Several storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to carry 2,900gal (11,000L) of fuel weighing over 22,000 pounds (10,000kg). However, all Liberators were produced with twin oval fins, with the exception of eight preproduction B-24N aircraft. Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. It proved to be quite vulnerable to icing conditions, and was prone to fall into a spin with even small amounts of ice accumulated onto its Davis wing. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. The cargo versions, C-87 and C-109 tanker, further increased its overseas presence, especially in Asia in support of the XX Bomber Command air offensive against Japan. Consequently, it was relatively easy for a poorly trained ground crew to load a C-87 with its center of gravity too far forward or aft, rendering the aircraft difficult to control due to inadequate or excessive longitudinal stability. 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 . [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]. Arrangements for signal lighting varied from group to group, but generally consisted of white flashing lamps on both sides of the fuselage arranged to form the identification letter of the group. [8], The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Compared to the B-17, the proposed Model 32 had a shorter fuselage and 25% less wing area, but had a 6ft (1.8m) greater wingspan and a substantially larger carrying capacity, as well as a distinctive twin tail. The RAF found, as did the US, that global war increased the need for air transports and early-type bombers and seaplanes were converted or completed as cargo carriers and transports. According to the Willow Run Reference Book published 1 February 1945, Ford broke ground on Willow Run on 18 April 1941, with the first plane coming off the line on 10 September 1942. Hendrix figured that Germans understood it was easier to hit, and that it carried more bombs. The first aircrews chosen for this operation came from the anti-submarine bomb groups because of their special training in low altitude flying and pinpoint navigation skills. The B-24 was the platform for the pioneering use of the Americans' Azon laterally-guidable precision-guided munition ordnance design, a pioneering Allied radio-guided munition system during World War II. 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. For its actions on the Ploieti mission, the 44th was awarded its second Distinguished Unit Citation. B-17G - Range vs Bomb Load; B-17G - Service Ceiling; B-17G Standard Aircraft Characteristics; A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. 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. Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. [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. From August 1943 until the end of the war in Europe, specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. It used differential braking and differential thrust for ground steering, which made taxiing difficult.[16]. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. Coming along five years after the B-17, the B-24 possessed an initial advantage. In addition, the 36th BS flew night missions with the RAF Bomber Command 100 Group at RAF Sculthorpe. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. Design and Development - Early B-24's Continued development work by Consolidated produced a handful of transitional B-24Cs with turbocharged instead of supercharged engines. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. About 48 B-24Ms were provided by the U.S. to the Chinese Nationalist Air Force after WW2 and were used during the Chinese Civil War. The blazing wreckage landed just outside Bad Zwischenahn airfield. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. [citation needed], In all, 18,482 B-24s were built by September 1945. Crashed B-24s were the source of the landing gear units for the strictly experimental Junkers Ju 287 V1 first prototype jet bomber airframe in 1945. Later versions started at 60,000lbs and by the end of the war, using special flying techniques that had been developed they were being flown at up to 67,000lbs. Project A led to the development of the Boeing B-29 and Consolidated's own B-32 and B-36. The maximum takeoff weight was one of the highest of the period. The Liberator peak overseas deployment was 45.5 bomb groups in June 1944. Dorr, Robert F. and Jon Lake. [21], The first British Liberators had been ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940. NOTES: Shapes below depict aircraft from wingtip-to-wingtip / nose-to-tail assuming aircraft are being viewed from overhead perspective (the nose pointing towards the top of the screen). In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In a joint venture between the Army Air Forces and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) code-named Operation Carpetbagger, pilots and crews flew specially modified B-24Ds painted with a glossy black anti-searchlight paint to supply friendly underground forces throughout German-occupied Europe. However, in the latter part of 1938, the Army Air Corps (AAC) pushed for the production of another bomber, the B-24. The pilot and co-pilot sat alongside each other in a well-glazed cockpit. It was used on penetration missions in RAF bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings. Twelve thousand saw service with the USAAF, with a peak inventory in September 1944 of 6,043. Hendrix did not permit smoking on his B-24, even though he was a smoker. But it could take enemy flak, and its grateful crews returned safely to the ground after absorbing punishment that would send a B-24 into a nosedive. The belly turret was a periscopically sighted Bendix model. Early versions proved to be more vulnerable to fighter attack than anticipated, but, by the time the B-17E version began to go into service shortly before the United States entered the war in 1941, the plane was equipped with turrets in the upper fuselage, belly, and tail. . In late June 1943, the three B-24 Liberator groups of the 8th Air Force were sent to North Africa on temporary duty with the 9th Air Force:[13] the 44th Bomb Group joined the 93rd and the 389th Bomb Groups. Robert B. 51820. Up to four crew members could be located in the waist, operating waist guns, a retractable lower ball turret gun, and a tail gun turret matching the nose turret. The Liberator carried a crew of up to ten. 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