This was the B-24's most costly mission. BY ba97 - Sat May 15, 2004 9:04 pm. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. In some groups an observer officer flew in the tail position to monitor the formation. The U.S. Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 Liberator, and along with maritime patrol B-24s used by RAF Coastal Command this type of patrol plane had been quite successful. This gave the B-24 a 35-percent higher wing loading. The U.S. Navy received 977 PB4Y-1s (Liberators originally ordered by the USAAF) and 739 PB4Y-2 Privateers, derived from the B-24. 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. Cost: $276,000 Serial Number: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE Maximum speed: 300 mph. Radar Counter Measures (RCM) was code-named CARPET, however, this should not be confused with agent and supply drops, code-named "Carpetbaggers". The 859 BS was converted from day bombardment to these operations and then transferred to the 15th Air Force. The Lib had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range. 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? Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. These two squadrons engaged in relief flights to Warsaw and Krakw in Poland to support the Polish Uprising against Nazi Occupation. More B-24's were built than any other American airplane. 37 to Bremen, Germany. The aircraft were all modified for logistic use in Montreal. [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. 'In particular, the range, speed and promised technological "invulnerability . 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. Some were fitted with a belly pack containing fixed, forward-facing cannon. 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. 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. Initially, these aircraft were to be given USAAC serials 39681 to 39-687. 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]. 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. 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. 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. Twelve thousand saw service with the USAAF, with a peak inventory in September 1944 of 6,043. 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. B-17s couldn't carry as heavy a payload as the B-24, nor fly as far or as fast. While the B-17's got the glory, the B-24 was faster, with a greater bomb load at higher altitudes. And that was even if the US had bases nearby! A payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take . 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. 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. Learn how we are strengthening the economies, industries and communities of our global partner nations. 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. (1978). [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. 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. 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 book. . Helicopter widths include main rotor diameter. 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 the RAF purchased the first six YB-24 aircraft, the serial numbers were reassigned to an early batch of B-24D funded by the deferment. In the Pacific, to simplify logistics and to take advantage of its longer range, the B-24 (and its twin, the U.S. Navy PB4Y) was the chosen standard heavy bomber. Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. [citation needed]. Production of B-24s increased at an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation. The B-24D initially featured upper, belly and tail turrets, plus swiveling single guns in the waist and on either side of the nose. The Davis wing made the B-24 sensitive to weight distribution. From August 1943 until the end of the war in Europe, specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. 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. 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. Liberators were also used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft by RAF Coastal Command. Byrne, John A., The Whiz Kids: The Founding Fathers of American Business and the Legacy They Left Us, Currency Doubleday, Page 50. ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). [citation needed], In all, 18,482 B-24s were built by September 1945. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. 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. Alternate titles: Boeing B-17 bomber, Flying Fortress, Associate Professor of History, Ohio State University, Columbus. The added advantage was the American types could be assessed in the European war zone earlier. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. 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. [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. Early versions were fitted with a single .50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning machine gun in their tails, and a XC-87B version proposed two .50 caliber (12.7mm) fixed machine guns for the nose, operable by the pilot, though these were eventually removed. In addition, 73 Liberators of various models that had force-landed on European airfields were recovered and 30 of them were repaired and used by the 45th Bomber Aviation Division. So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. A payload range diagram can be used to compare competing aircraft, and also shows where an aircraft is limited. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. Author of. All Rights Reserved. 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 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The wing gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. Liberators remained in service until 1948, when they were replaced by Avro Lincolns. 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. Intercepted just short of the target, the B-24 came under attack from JG1's Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. [13] Of the 177 B-24s that were dispatched on this operation, 54 were lost.[13]. MEMORANDUM REPORT ON Boeing B-17E Airplane, A.C. No. 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. 200 Flight played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the Allied Intelligence Bureau; and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. 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. [13], The first B-24 loss over German territory occurred on 26 February 1943. Other C-87 designations were the U.S. Navy designation RY and Lend Lease Liberator Cargo VII. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. The tail gunner's powered twin-gun turret was located at the end of the tail, behind the tailplane. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. Although the B-24 did not meet Project A goals, it was a step in that direction. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. Also, the necessity of range increased the importance of weight and aerodynamic efficiency. By 1941, B-24s were being shipped to Great Britain, where they were given the name Liberator and adapted for a variety of purposes, including coastal patrol, protecting critical Atlantic cargo ship convoy crossings. [8], The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. As a result, the mechanically supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-33s were replaced with the turbo-supercharged R-1830s. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. [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. 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. The VLR Liberators sacrificed some armor and often gun turrets to save weight, while carrying extra aviation gasoline in their bomb-bay tanks. Consolidated, Douglas and Ford all manufactured the B-24H, while North American made the slightly different B-24G. Corrections? [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]. [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. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease. The B-24N was intended as a major production variant featuring a single tail. 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. It was operated by a crew of 10, including the pilot, copilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and gunners. [9] The wing was also more susceptible to damage than the B-17's wing, making the aircraft less able to absorb battle damage. In the hands of a skilled bombardier, the Norden was a remarkably accurate sight. pp. Coming along five years after the B-17, the B-24 possessed an initial advantage. No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. If any dimensional values are "NA" in the database then the presented shapes may appear skewed. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. [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. B-24 bombers were also extensively used in the Pacific area after the end of World War II to transport cargo and supplies during the rebuilding of Japan, China, and the Philippines. The ball turret was required to be retractable for ground clearance when preparing to land as well as for greater aerodynamic efficiency. It is limited structurally by maximum zero fuel weight ( M Z F W) of the aircraft. The bombsight was located below the turret. ", https://web.archive.org/web/20090304014706/http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b24_27.html, "Indian Ocean New Guinea Kangaroo Service 19501946. One major failure of the prototype was that it failed to meet the top speed requirements specified in the contract. 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. 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. Subject: Acceptance Performance Tests Section: Flying Branch . The bomber had disintegrated. (Later versions were fitted with a powered twin-.50 caliber (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine gun nose turret.) Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. Hendrix did not permit smoking on his B-24, even though he was a smoker. 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. 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]. Two RAF bomber squadrons with Liberators were deployed to the Middle East in early 1942. 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. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the missionLt. 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 payloads for the B-52H and B-2 are usually given as about 70,000 lbs. Three more 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns brought the defensive armament up to 10 machine guns. Ferry Command's Atlantic Return Ferry Service flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to the UK, back to North America. Indigenous Fort Worth C-87 and AT-22 production began with the FY 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 4330627. Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. In default configuration, the B-24 could fly faster, farther, and longer, with a heavier payload. 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 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took delivery of its first B-24As in mid-1941. 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. The XC-87B also designated a resurrected crash victim B-24D (42-40355) fitted with low altitude power packages and a forward fuselage extension. 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. 29th Apr 2007, 21:34. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. 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. Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. 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. 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. 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. Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin oxygen and heating system. The later B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight versions and differed mainly in defensive armament. Liberators were equipped with ASV Mk. Robert B. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Armament: Thirteen .50-cal. 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. Because of this, Boeing began to work on pressurized long range bomber derivatives of the B-17. BOAC also flew trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range air transportation routes. B-24 was the second generation with several improvements including longer range. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. [43] The regiment concerned appears to have been the 890th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and then Kazan. 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 program was run under the umbrella group, "Project A", an Air Corps requirement for an intercontinental bomber that had been conceived in the mid-1930s. The Liberators were later replaced by Avro Lancastrians. Just fewer of them. 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]. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Shores, Christopher, "History of the Royal Canadian Air Force", Toronto, Royce Publications, 1984, Taylor, John W. R. "Consolidated B-24/PB4 Y Liberator. 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