Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. The B-24D was the Liberator III in British service. 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." This was a major component of the USSTAF and took a major role in strategic bombing. [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]. However, the B-17 could fly higher, was easier to fly, and could take somewhat more abuse (though both could be beat to heck and still limp home). The Consolidated Aircraft Company PB4Y-2 Privateer was a U.S. Navy patrol bomber that was derived directly from the B-24 Liberator. The B-17 had a notably smaller bomb bay than the Lanc (impressive though the B-17's payload was at the time of its design) - although the 22,000lb figure is for the Grand Slam carrying Lancs rather than the standard maximum load (which was, IIRC, about 14,000lb). The new design would be the first American heavy bomber in production to use tricycle landing gear the North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber's predecessor, the NA-40 introduced this feature in January 1939 with the Consolidated Model 32 having long, thin wings with the efficient "Davis" high aspect ratio design (also used on the projected Model 31 twin-engined commercial flying boat)[17] promising to provide maximum fuel efficiency. [18], Early orders, placed before the XB-24 had flown, included 36 for the USAAC, 120 for the French Air Force and 164 for the Royal Air Force (RAF). [9] The C-87 also shared the Liberator's dangerous sensitivity to icing, particularly prevalent over Himalayan routes. Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. 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. [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 Liberators range proved invaluable in scouting and destroying German U-boats, creating safe passage for Allied transports and destroyers across Europe. On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945 it was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. 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]. Corrections? 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. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. At its peak in 1944, the Willow Run plant produced one B-24 per hour and 650 B-24s per month. A payload range diagram (also known as the elbow chart) illustrates the trade-off between payload and range. 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 U.S. Navy received 977 PB4Y-1s (Liberators originally ordered by the USAAF) and 739 PB4Y-2 Privateers, derived from the B-24. Following the Japanese surrender, the RAAF's Liberators participated in flying former prisoners of war and other personnel back to Australia. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. Taking action to help you protect what matters most. The low-altitude, nighttime operation was extremely dangerous and took its toll on these airmen. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. From August 1943 until the end of the war in Europe, specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. Mission-specific armament can include any of the following: 20 x AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles (internal). B-17 wing . Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. The planes service ceiling of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (7,500 to 10,500 metres), depending on the bomb load, put it above the worst of the German antiaircraft artillery, but, firepower notwithstanding, formations of B-17s proved unable to fight their way unescorted to targets deep inside Germany in the face of determined fighter opposition without incurring excessive losses. The extended nose earned it the name Pinocchio. The Secret War, by Brian Johnson, Pen And Sword Military Classics, 1978. Rendered obsolete by the larger and more powerful B-29 Superfortress, the B-17 served on after the war in small numbers as a search-and-rescue aircraft modified to drop life rafts by parachute. Learn how and when to remove this template message, British and French purchasing commissions, South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Watch video of B-24 production and testing, List of Consolidated B-24 Liberator operators, List of surviving Consolidated B-24 Liberators, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Accidents and incidents involving the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, "The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress vs. the Consolidated B-24 Liberator", "A Brief History of the 44th Bomb Group. 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. Consolidated finished the prototype and had it ready for its first flight two days before the end of 1939. [3][4] At approximately 18,500 units including 8,685 manufactured by Ford Motor Company it holds records as the world's most produced bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft in history. 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. LB-30As were assigned to transatlantic flights by RAF Ferry Command, between Canada and Prestwick, Scotland. Range: 1,850 miles Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft. B 24 - L IBERATOR With it's great range, it performed anti-sub work in the Atlantic and heavy bomber support in the Pacific. 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. It edged out the B-17 on most performance criteria (speed, range, bombload). The specification was written such that the Model 32 would automatically be the winning design. machine guns with normal bomb load of 6,000 lbs. The turret proved unsatisfactory and was soon replaced by a tunnel gun, which was itself omitted. After it was discovered that these problems could be alleviated by flying with the forward storage tank empty, this practice became fairly routine, enhancing aircrew safety at the cost of some fuel-carrying capacity. [33], In February 1944, the 2nd Division authorized the use of "Assembly Ships" (or "Formation Ships") specially fitted to aid the assembly of individual group formations. Some were fitted with a belly pack containing fixed, forward-facing cannon. 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. [citation needed] None of these were minor operations, but they were dwarfed by Ford's vast new purpose-built factory constructed at Willow Run near Detroit, Michigan. 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. The B-17 had excellent flight characteristics and, unlike the B-24, was almost universally well regarded by those who flew it. The new Model 32 combined designer David R. Davis's wing, a high-efficiency airfoil design created by unorthodox means,[6] with the twin tail design from the Consolidated Model 31 flying boat, together on a new fuselage. 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. Therefore, the B-24 is superior to the B-17. 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. They also bombed German oil refineries and attacked critical targets in Italy, changing the tide of the Allies Mediterranean campaign. Books repeated highlight the fact that the Mosquito bomb load over long distance was equal to a B17 (approx 4,000lbs). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. It used differential braking and differential thrust for ground steering, which made taxiing difficult.[16]. 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. Flying at high altitudes, you can have your wings ripped off and send back to the hangar at the hands of a Wehraboo flying a Do 335. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. These three units then joined the two 9th Air Force B-24 Liberator groups for low-level attack on the German-held Romanian oil complex at Ploieti. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, including the bombing of Japan. ", "Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy. The C-87A was a dedicated VIP series built in small quantity. 'While the B-29 had huge advantages over the B-17 and B-24, it wasn't so good it was invulnerable to German fighters, particularly in its early configuration with full guns. The turbocharged engines were the reason for the flattened oval shape of the nacelles that distinguished all subsequent Liberator models. Mission. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. This gave the B-24 a 35-percent higher wing loading. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. Our Multi-Domain Operations/Joint All-Domain Operations solutions provide a complete picture of the battlespace and empowers warfighters to quickly make decisions that drive action. . 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. Naval B-24s were redesignated PB4Y-1, meaning the fourth patrol bomber design built by Consolidated Aircraft. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. 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. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. Seven flying squadrons, an operational training unit, and two special duties flights were equipped with the aircraft by the end of World War II in August 1945. 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. [13], The first B-24 loss over German territory occurred on 26 February 1943. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease. Updates? 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. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. Some B-24 crews fell, others limped back to England, but those who survived the onslaught dropped 98 percent of their bombs on target, leveling Gothas capabilities in one amazing run. The Liberators flew a shorter 3,077mi (4,952km) over-water route from Learmonth to an airfield northeast of Colombo, but they could make the flight in 17 hours with a 5,500 pounds (2,500kg) payload, whereas the Catalinas required 27 hours and had to carry so much auxiliary fuel that their payload was limited to only 1,000 pounds (450kg). Engines: Four Wright "Cyclone" R-1820s of 1,200 hp. . 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] Both BOAC and the RAF used converted Liberator IIs as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. Thousands of B-24s flying from bases in Europe dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of high explosive and incendiary bombs on German military and industrial targets. Wind tunnel testing and experimental programs using an existing Consolidated Model 31 provided extensive data on the flight characteristics of the Davis airfoil. [citation needed]. As early as 1938, the US Army Air Corps realized that if it went to war with another world power, the B-17 was be too small for long range bombing missions. Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater. 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. 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. If any dimensional values are "NA" in the database then the presented shapes may appear skewed. However, whereas a combat-loaded B-24 could safely take off with room to spare from a 6,000ft (1,800m) runway, a loaded C-109 required every foot of such a runway to break ground, and crashes on takeoff were not uncommon. During the bomb run, the sight was slaved to the automatic pilot to guide the aircraft to the precise release point. 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. Over 5000 orders for this version were placed in 1945, but they were cancelled due to the end of the war. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command. The top horizontal line represents the maximum payload. Liberators were credited in full or in part with sinking 93 U-boats. Post was the only reporter assigned to a B-24-equipped group, the 44th Bomb Group. The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. While aircrews tended to prefer the B-17, General Staff favored the B-24 and procured it in huge numbers for a wide variety of roles. The Mark II was the first Liberator to be equipped with powered turrets, one plane having them installed before leaving San Diego, the remainder having them installed in the field: four Browning Boulton Paul A-type Mk IV with 600 rounds of .303 in the dorsal position; and a Boulton Paul E-type Mk II with 2200 rounds in the tail (later increased to 2500 rounds), supplemented by pairs of guns at the waist position, a single gun in the nose and another in the belly, for a total of fourteen guns. Two RAF bomber squadrons with Liberators were deployed to the Middle East in early 1942. It is limited structurally by maximum zero fuel weight ( M Z F W) of the aircraft. These aircraft flew between the United Kingdom and Egypt (with an extensive detour around Spain over the Atlantic), and they were used in the evacuation of Java in the East Indies. Knoke reported: "The fire spread out along the right wing. Fuel leaks inside the crew compartment from the hastily modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence. Follow our simple tutorial and start! Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. [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. On February 24, 1943, three squadrons of B-24 Liberatorsgoliath, four-engine, 56,000-pound bombersstreaked toward Germany to strike Hitlers vaunted Luftwaffe at its heart, targeting a key production facility in the town of Gotha, Germany. The Lib had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range. 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]. 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. 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. At Ford's Ypsilanti, Michigan based Willow Run Bomber plant alone, one B-24 was being produced every 59 minutes at its peak, a rate so large that production exceeded the military's ability to use the aircraft. Omissions? Job, Macarthur. The B-24 featured a tricycle undercarriage, the first American bomber to do so,[9] with the main gear extending out of the wing on long, single-oleo strut legs. Approximately 18,500 B-24s were produced across a number of versions, including over 4,600 manufactured by Ford. Before the Leigh Light, not a single enemy submarine had been sunk in over five months, but in combination with radar, it was so overwhelmingly effective that many German submarine crews chose to surface during the day so that they could at least see the aircraft attacking them and have a chance to fire their anti-aircraft weaponry in defense.[26][27]. Long-range anti-submarine Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. 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. Liberators were also used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft by RAF Coastal Command. 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. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the missionLt. [44] Production took place at 5 plants. 540 ft/min [Diff.-49,460 feet] Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress RoC (ft) 50,000 540 540. Uomini sul fondo: storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi. [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. In the event, the need to keep such tight defensive formations over Europe compromised the accuracy of the Norden bombsight, since individual bomb runs were not possible without breaking the formation. [20] Hendrix preferred the B-24 to the B-17. In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. However, all Liberators were produced with twin oval fins, with the exception of eight preproduction B-24N aircraft. This model introduced self-sealing fuel tanks, a 2ft 7in (79cm) plug in the forward fuselage to create more space for crew members and, more vitally, ever more equipment such as ASV Mark II radar (anticipated early in the Liberator's development when Reuben Fleet told the engineering team he had a gut feeling the nose was too short). The B-24 advanced the use of electronic warfare and equipped Search Bomber (SB), Low Altitude (LAB) and Radar Counter Measure (RCM) squadrons in addition to high-altitude bombing. [43] The regiment concerned appears to have been the 890th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and then Kazan. Subject: Acceptance Performance Tests Section: Flying Branch . Lastly, unlike a typical purpose-designed transport, the B-24 was not designed to tolerate large loading variations because most of its load was held on fixed bomb racks. He flew in B-24 41-23777 ("Maisey") on Mission No. 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. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . In his autobiography, Fate is the Hunter, the writer Ernest K. Gann reported that, while flying air cargo in India, he barely avoided crashing an improperly loaded C-87 into the Taj Mahal. The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the 11th Bombardment Squadron (7th Bombardment Group) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. Its lower altitude made it more vulnerable to flak. The B-17 was designed by the Boeing Aircraft Company in response to a 1934 Army Air Corps specification that called for a four-engined bomber at a time when two engines were the norm. Production of B-24s increased at an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943. 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. In the China Burma India Theater (CBI), the C-87 was used to airlift cargo and fuel over the Hump (the Himalayas) from India to China. [29] The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific because compared to the B-17, the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more bombs.[30]. 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; . Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin oxygen and heating system. WAR DEPARTMENT AIR CORPS, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The blazing wreckage landed just outside Bad Zwischenahn airfield. . [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. RAF Liberators were also operated as bombers from India by SEAC and would have been a part of Tiger Force if the war had continued. 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. Since the aircraft had been designed to be a bomber that dropped its loads while airborne, the C-87's nose landing gear was not designed for landing with a heavy load, and frequently it collapsed from the stress. Just fewer of them. 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. "[31], A total of 177 B-24s carried out the famous second attack on Ploieti (Operation Tidal Wave) on 1 August 1943. [40], Two squadrons of the South African Air Force (SAAF) also flew B-24s: 31 and 34 Squadrons under No 2 Wing SAAF based at Foggia, Italy. B-17s couldn't carry as heavy a payload as the B-24, nor fly as far or as fast. Maximum payload is the difference between maximum zero-fuel Weight and operational empty weight . And then, suddenly, the whole wing broke off. It was necessary when flying the B-24, to get "on step". The C-87 was not always popular with the aircrews assigned to fly it. The Davis wing was also more susceptible to ice formation than contemporary designs, causing distortions of the aerofoil section and resulting in the loss of lift, with unpleasant experiences drawing such comments as, "The Davis wing won't hold enough ice to chill your drink". They also flew C-47s, Douglas A-26 Invaders, and British de Havilland Mosquitos. Cruising speed: 170 mph. This daring assault by high-altitude bombers at treetop level was a costly success. 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. The B-24N was intended as a major production variant featuring a single tail.

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