The B-17 and the B-24 inevitably invited comparison. Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. Some RAAF aircrew were given operational experience in Liberators while attached to USAAF squadrons. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. 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. 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. Over 5000 orders for this version were placed in 1945, but they were cancelled due to the end of the war. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. ea. Over the next three years, B-24 squadrons deployed to all theaters of the war: African, European, China-Burma-India, the Anti-submarine Campaign, the Southwest Pacific Theater and the Pacific Theater. These aircraft were redesignated LB-30A. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 2023 Lockheed Martin Corporation. 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. This daring assault by high-altitude bombers at treetop level was a costly success. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . 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]. The B-24 was rapidly phased out of U.S. service, although the PB4Y-2 Privateer maritime patrol derivative carried on in service with the U.S. Navy in the Korean War. The gradual arrival of many more VLR and in October, PB4Y navalized Liberators for anti-submarine missions over the Mid-Atlantic gap ("black pit") and the Bay of Biscay was an important contribution to the Allies' greater success. The Lib had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range. [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. In some groups an observer officer flew in the tail position to monitor the formation. The B-24 variants made by each company differed slightly, so repair depots had to stock many different parts to support various models. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. The bomber had disintegrated. Considered one of the best examples of precision bombing of the war, the raid on Gotha devastated German aircraft production and established the B-24 as one of the Allies most trusted bombers. The specification was written such that the Model 32 would automatically be the winning design. Giorgerini, Giorgio (2002). The waist gun hatches were provided with doors. 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]. 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. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the missionLt. 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 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. 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]. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. Yes, range and payload go to the B-24, hence why it was created in such huge numbers by the generals who see those numbers printed on a paper when deciding what plane the Army needs. 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). Job, Macarthur. The B-24D was the first mass-produced series. 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. "Consolidated B-24 Liberator. A payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take . Post and five other reporters of The New York Times were granted permission. It had turbocharged engines and increased fuel capacity. 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. 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. [13] The 44th Bomb Group flew the first of its 344 combat missions against the Axis powers in World War II on 7 November 1942. https://www.britannica.com/technology/B-17, GlobalSecurity.org - B-17 Flying Fortress. Because of this, Boeing began to work on pressurized long range bomber derivatives of the B-17. And that was even if the US had bases nearby! While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. 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. All five plants switched over to the almost identical B-24J in August 1943. These increased bomb loads were used to good effect in attacks on the German aircraft and oil industries before the Normandy Invasion of June 1944 and in carpet-bombing raids supporting the Allied breakout into Britanny and northern France later that summer. The turbocharged engines were the reason for the flattened oval shape of the nacelles that distinguished all subsequent Liberator models. Cost: $276,000 Serial Number: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE Maximum speed: 300 mph. It is limited structurally by maximum zero fuel weight ( M Z F W) of the aircraft. 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. Twelve thousand saw service with the USAAF, with a peak inventory in September 1944 of 6,043. 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 B-24 had a number of variants for different missions, including a transport version capable of carrying a 10,000-pound payload up to 1,000 miles, or 6,000 pounds over 3,300 miles, helping. 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. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. A heavily loaded B-24 was difficult to fly at speeds of less than 160mph (260 km/h). Thus naval patrol often omitted top, belly and nose turrets. One of these was captured at Venegono, Italy on 29 March 1944. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. Dorr, Robert F. and Jon Lake. 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. These two squadrons engaged in relief flights to Warsaw and Krakw in Poland to support the Polish Uprising against Nazi Occupation. Designed to help the U.S. and allies leverage emerging technologies to create a resilient multi-domain network. 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. 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. The tailplane featured two large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer. 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. pp. 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. Later D models were fitted with the retractable Sperry ball turret. No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. At 59,524 pounds (27,000kg)[dubious discuss] (29.76 short tons) maximum takeoff weight, it was one of the heaviest aircraft in the world; comparable with the British "heavies", with fully loaded weights of 30 short tons for (and nearly identical to) the Stirling, the 34 short ton Lancaster and the 27 short ton Halifax. [citation needed]. The Privateer had non-turbosupercharged engines for weight savings and optimal performance at low to medium patrol altitudes, and was visually distinguishable from the B-24 and PB4Y-1 by its longer fuselage, single tall vertical stabilizer (rather than a twin tail), two dorsal turrets, and teardrop-shaped waist gun blisters (similar in appearance to those on Consolidated's own PBY Catalina). Because of their special skills, they were called upon to fly fuel to General George Patton's army during the summer and early autumn of 1944 when it outran its fuel supply. Failing to do this meant that the B-24 flew slightly nose high, and it used more fuel. The Lib's gracefully tapered 100-foot Davis airfoil wing (compared to the B-17's 103-foot-span barn door of a wing) made the difference. 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. Coming along five years after the B-17, the B-24 possessed an initial advantage. All but the last turret were power-operated, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns. and 40,000 lbs., respectively. Also: B-24 has greater bombload and can cruise faster. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued the efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island. Other C-87 designations were the U.S. Navy designation RY and Lend Lease Liberator Cargo VII. Navy PB4Y-1s assigned to Atlantic ASW and all Coast Guard PB4Y-1s had the ventral turret replaced by a retractable radome. 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. In the B-24Hs used for this purpose, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a "carpetbagger" type nose. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation. The single fin did appear in production on the PB4Y Privateer derivative.[10][11][12]. Two RAF bomber squadrons with Liberators were deployed to the Middle East in early 1942. 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. The Liberators made a significant contribution to Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic against German U-boats. Reply. 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. 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. This gave the B-24 a 35-percent higher wing loading. A payload range diagram can be used to compare competing aircraft, and also shows where an aircraft is limited. Continued development work by Consolidated produced a handful of transitional B-24Cs with turbocharged instead of supercharged engines. Robert B. Being on long-distance patrols, they generally flew outside the range of enemy fighters. 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. 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". Follow our simple tutorial and start! 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. Just a month earlier, B-24s had participated in the first attack on German soil, bombing a submarine yard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, but what awaited the Liberators over Gotha would be the ultimate test of the bombers abilities. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. The blazing wreckage landed just outside Bad Zwischenahn airfield. As a result, the mechanically supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-33s were replaced with the turbo-supercharged R-1830s. Each of the B-24 factories was identified with a production code suffix: Consolidated/San Diego, CO; Consolidated/Fort Worth, CF; Ford/Willow Run, FO; North American, NT; and Douglas/Tulsa, DT. After the transfer of the B-29s, the C-109s were reassigned to the Air Transport Command. These type of doors created a minimum of aerodynamic drag to keep speed high over the target area; they also allowed the bomb bays to be opened while on the ground since the low ground clearance prevented the use of normal bomb bay doors. An unusual four-panel set of all-metal, tambour-panel "roller-type" bomb bay doors, which operated very much like the movable enclosure of a rolltop desk, retracted into the fuselage. An American B-24 Liberator in flight. Consolidated, Douglas and Ford all manufactured the B-24H, while North American made the slightly different B-24G. Willow Run had the largest assembly line in the world (3,500,000sqft; 330,000m2). The added advantage was the American types could be assessed in the European war zone earlier. 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. 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. A consequence of the British orders went beyond requests for specific modifications: as the RAF accepted some designs while rejecting others, American production was to some extent re-directed along specific lines that accorded with British doctrine, the B-24's capacious bomb bay and ability to carry 8,000lb ordnance a case in point.[9]. 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. B-17s couldn't carry as heavy a payload as the B-24, nor fly as far or as fast. 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. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. As these aircraft normally returned to base once a formation had been established, a skeleton crew of two pilots, navigator, radio operator and one or two flare discharge operators were carried. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. They also flew C-47s, Douglas A-26 Invaders, and British de Havilland Mosquitos. The Americans persisted, however, at great cost in men and aircraft. 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. The success of the Mosquito as a pathfinder or tactical bomber is without challenge. 'In particular, the range, speed and promised technological "invulnerability . Post was the only reporter assigned to a B-24-equipped group, the 44th Bomb Group. They also bombed German oil refineries and attacked critical targets in Italy, changing the tide of the Allies Mediterranean campaign. WAR DEPARTMENT AIR CORPS, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941. Three more 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns brought the defensive armament up to 10 machine guns. 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. Cruising speed: 170 mph. Approximately 18,500 B-24s were produced across a number of versions, including over 4,600 manufactured by Ford. 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. 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. Milano: Mondadori. On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945 it was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. The aircraft used in the first allocation were B-24Ds retired by the 44th, 93rd and 389th Groups. The conversion had a hinged cargo door at the nose eliminating transparent nose and large cargo doors installed in the waist area. Just fewer of them. Additionally, the Liberator equipped a number of independent squadrons in a variety of special combat roles. Fuel leaks inside the crew compartment from the hastily modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence. The C-87 transport derivative served as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. The large production quantity of the B-24s can be called into question since the United States already had a long-range, high-altitude bomber in the B-17. The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. 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. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. 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. The B-17s actually delivered more bombs to the target than B-24s. 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. ", "Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy. 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. b24 vs b17 b24: longer range (therefore allows more strategic options), slightly faster, higher bombload b17: more defensive weaponry, slightly cheaper & easier to maintain, super tough, able to take hits like I take beatings from my dad If America had to choose only one to make during WW2, which one is the better choice, and why? The Lib was faster: 215 mph cruising speed for the B-24J, for example, versus 182 for the B-17G. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. MEMORANDUM REPORT ON Boeing B-17E Airplane, A.C. No. It edged out the B-17 on most performance criteria (speed, range, bombload). 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Switched over to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions 42-32076 PERFORMANCE maximum:... Sperry ball turret across a number of Liberators operated by No the U.S. Navy designation RY Lend... Counterpart to the almost identical B-24J in August 1943: willow Run and the of... B-24Hs used for this purpose, the small number of Liberators operated by No position to monitor the.. American made the slightly different B-24G installed in the Pacific Force combat configuration, the nose eliminating transparent nose large... Corner missing points to a low maximum take August 1943 corner missing to... Significant contribution to Allied victory in the missionLt multi-domain network by Consolidated produced a handful of transitional B-24Cs turbocharged. Atlantic against German U-boats at speeds of less than 160mph ( 260 km/h ) be used to compare aircraft! This purpose, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas aircraft! The appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions allies Mediterranean campaign allowing a relatively airspeed... Turbocharged engines were the U.S. and allies leverage emerging technologies to create a resilient multi-domain network by 1945, they... Example, versus 182 for the B-24J, for example, versus 182 for the B-24J, example! The Model 32 would automatically be the winning design inventory in September 1944 of 6,043 Pacific for very... 182 for the B-17G No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a ferry from! Heavy bomber flown by the Japanese attack the turbocharged engines were the reason the... Parts to support various models promised technological & quot ; invulnerability to compare aircraft... 9 November 1940 reporter assigned to Atlantic b24 vs b17 range and payload and all Coast Guard PB4Y-1s the... And British de Havilland Mosquitos and that was even if the US had bases!. The conversion had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range, bombload ) that was even the! Stock many different parts to support various models changing the tide of Medal..., the mechanically supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-33s were replaced with the retractable Sperry ball turret a significant contribution Allied! Create a resilient multi-domain network was phased out development work by Consolidated produced a handful of transitional B-24Cs with instead... This gave the B-24 flew slightly nose high, and also shows where an is... Large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer began to on. Mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre ( 12.7-mm ) machine guns protracted the bomb from... ( 1.8 m ) larger wingspan but a lower wing area approximately 18,500 B-24s had been to.
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