Flying mainly from bases in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, aircraft conducted bombing raids against Japanese positions, ships and strategic targets in New Guinea, Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies. 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]. The B-24 variants made by each company differed slightly, so repair depots had to stock many different parts to support various models. The book. Designed to help the U.S. and allies leverage emerging technologies to create a resilient multi-domain network. These aircraft were redesignated LB-30A. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. Liberators remained in service until 1948, when they were replaced by Avro Lincolns. Both the B-17 and the B-24 came out of an early 1930s philosophy that long-range bombers could be used to defend the continental United States against a foreign enemy by finding and sinking an invasion fleet while it was still several hundred miles from American shores. "Warplane Classic: Consolidated B-24 Liberator: Part 1". B-1B Lancer. WAR DEPARTMENT AIR CORPS, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941. 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. [13], The first B-24 loss over German territory occurred on 26 February 1943. The B-24D was the Liberator III in British service. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. 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. 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. 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. ", Winchester, Jim. Also like the B-17, it carried the Norden bombsight. Some RAAF aircrew were given operational experience in Liberators while attached to USAAF squadrons. 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. Its lower altitude made it more vulnerable to flak. Helicopter widths include main rotor diameter. 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. Alternate titles: Boeing B-17 bomber, Flying Fortress, Associate Professor of History, Ohio State University, Columbus. Fortunately, this problem was eased in the summer of 1944, when North American, Douglas and Consolidated Aircraft at Fort Worth stopped making B-24s, leaving only the Consolidated plant in San Diego and the Ford plant in Willow Run. And then, suddenly, the whole wing broke off. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. 2023 Lockheed Martin Corporation. 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. [19] When France fell in 1940, their aircraft were re-directed to the RAF. The Lib was faster: 215 mph cruising speed for the B-24J, for example, versus 182 for the B-17G. 1939 bomber aircraft family by Consolidated Aircraft, "B-24" redirects here. The Liberators made a significant contribution to Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic against German U-boats. Within weeks, the First Provisional Bombardment Group formed from the remnants of the Halverson and China detachments. Aircraft had the ability to undertake surprise air attacks against surfaced submarines. 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. During the bomb run, the sight was slaved to the automatic pilot to guide the aircraft to the precise release point. The B-17s actually delivered more bombs to the target than B-24s. We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. 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. [43] The regiment concerned appears to have been the 890th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and then Kazan. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. 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. Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. Shores, Christopher, "History of the Royal Canadian Air Force", Toronto, Royce Publications, 1984, Taylor, John W. R. "Consolidated B-24/PB4 Y Liberator. While RAF Bomber Command did not use B-24s as strategic bombers over mainland North West Europe, No. The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Following the Japanese surrender, the RAAF's Liberators participated in flying former prisoners of war and other personnel back to Australia. 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-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). 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 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]. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. The wing gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. The Davis wing made the B-24 sensitive to weight distribution. 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. Also, most naval aircraft had an Erco ball turret installed in the nose position, replacing the glass nose and other styles of turret. Why would bomber command and the combined airforces have not used the Mosquito . This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. Although retired by the end of the war, B-24s saw service in every theater of the conflict, from Africa to Germany and India to the Pacific Islands. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. This was the B-24's most costly mission. [48] The aircraft was also built at North American plant B in the city of Grand Prairie, Texas having only starting production of the B-24G in 1943. By the end of World War II, the technological breakthroughs of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and other modern types had surpassed the bombers that served from the start of the war. Also: B-24 has greater bombload and can cruise faster. [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. 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. No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. B-24s leaked fuel. [20] Hendrix preferred the B-24 to the B-17. In the period between 7 November 1942 and 8 March 1943, the 44th Bomb Group lost 13 of its original 27 B-24s. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. As built, the XB-24 top speed was only 273mph instead of the specified 311mph. 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. A heavily loaded B-24 was difficult to fly at speeds of less than 160mph (260 km/h). Being on long-distance patrols, they generally flew outside the range of enemy fighters. 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. For much of 1944, the B-24 was the predominant bomber of U.S. Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) formerly the Eighth Air Force in the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany, forming nearly half of its heavy bomber strength in the ETO prior to August and most of the Italian-based force. And that was even if the US had bases nearby! Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin oxygen and heating system. Naval B-24s were redesignated PB4Y-1, meaning the fourth patrol bomber design built by Consolidated Aircraft. Three more 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns brought the defensive armament up to 10 machine guns. Reply. A payload range diagram (also known as the elbow chart) illustrates the trade-off between payload and 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? 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. Only 218 C-109s were actually converted. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. [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]. On 12 June 1942, 13 B-24s of the Halverson Project (HALPRO) flying from Egypt attacked the Axis-controlled oil fields and refineries around Ploieti, Romania. The definitive version of the B-17 was the G model, which entered service in the summer of 1943. We have invested in developing and demonstrating hypersonic technology for over 30 years. 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.
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