A payload range diagram can be used to compare competing aircraft, and also shows where an aircraft is limited. Consolidated incorporated innovative features such as a tricycle landing gear and Davis wing. 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. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin oxygen and heating system. ", "Old China Hands, Tales & Stories The Azon Bomb. 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. 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. B-17 wing . 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. BOAC also flew trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range air transportation routes. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The 36th Bombardment Squadron was the Eighth Air Force's only electronic warfare squadron using specially equipped B-24s to jam German VHF communications during large Eighth Air Force daylight raids. Alternate titles: Boeing B-17 bomber, Flying Fortress, Associate Professor of History, Ohio State University, Columbus. The tailplane featured two large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer. Intercepted just short of the target, the B-24 came under attack from JG1's Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The introduction of Very Long Range (VLR) Liberators vastly increased the reach of the UK's maritime reconnaissance force, closing the Mid Atlantic Gap where a lack of air cover had allowed U-boats to operate without risk of aerial attack. All but the last turret were power-operated, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns. 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. 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). 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. 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. It was necessary when flying the B-24, to get "on step". (Later versions were fitted with a powered twin-.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine gun nose turret.) 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. Liberators were equipped with ASV Mk. [13] Of the 177 B-24s that were dispatched on this operation, 54 were lost.[13]. The sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The Liberator carried a crew of up to ten. Though produced in smaller numbers than its partner the B-24 Liberator, the B-17, with superior high-altitude performance and greater resistance to battle damage, was the mainstay of the strategic bombing campaign. During the bomb run, the sight was slaved to the automatic pilot to guide the aircraft to the precise release point. 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. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. That would make the total payload capability 134,000 lbs.! Plans originally called for 2,000 C-109s to support 10 groups of B-29s (approximately 400) in China, but the capture of the Mariana Islands provided a far more easily resupplied location for raids on mainland Japan, and the plans were greatly scaled back. They also bombed German oil refineries and attacked critical targets in Italy, changing the tide of the Allies Mediterranean campaign. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. [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. In addition, the 36th BS flew night missions with the RAF Bomber Command 100 Group at RAF Sculthorpe. The B-17 had a higher cruising altitude, lower landing speed, better durability, and was easier to escape from in the case that the aircraft was going down. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. 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. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. 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. 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). 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] 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. 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. It used differential braking and differential thrust for ground steering, which made taxiing difficult.[16]. Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. 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. Additionally, the tail span was widened by 2ft (0.61m) and the pitot-static probes were relocated from the wings to the fuselage. The radio/radar operator sat behind the pilots, facing sideways and sometimes doubled as a waist gunner. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. 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. Radar Counter Measures (RCM) was code-named CARPET, however, this should not be confused with agent and supply drops, code-named "Carpetbaggers". The bomber had disintegrated. Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. [21], The first British Liberators had been ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940. 3. Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned daylight bombing raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. Production of B-24s increased at an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943. 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. [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). 29th Apr 2007, 21:34. The aircraft were stripped of most armaments to allow for fuel for up to 26-hour return flights such as Jessore to Singapore.[23]. 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. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s. The 44th Bombardment Group was one of the first two heavy bombardment groups flying the B-24 with the 8th Air Force in the fall/winter air campaigns in the European Theater of Operations. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. 41-2399 . [20] Hendrix preferred the B-24 to the B-17. While RAF Bomber Command did not use B-24s as strategic bombers over mainland North West Europe, No. [47] Bell Aircraft built the B-24 under license at a factory near Marietta, Georgia, just northwest of Atlanta. Mission. This was a major component of the USSTAF and took a major role in strategic bombing. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. 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. Milano: Mondadori. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. We have invested in developing and demonstrating hypersonic technology for over 30 years. Although the B-24 did not meet Project A goals, it was a step in that direction. Thus naval patrol often omitted top, belly and nose turrets. 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. Pair of 0.50-calibre ( 12.7-mm ) machine guns lost. [ 13 ] automatic! This was a major role in strategic bombing American entry into World II. Aircraft built the B-24 increased we do not sell any of the 177 that. 100 Group at RAF Sculthorpe Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December. Professor of History, Ohio State University, Columbus strategic bombers over mainland North West Europe, No Liberators! 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