A highly modern aircraft for its day, it first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. One of these was captured at Venegono, Italy on 29 March 1944. On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945 it was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. The Liberator II (referred to as the LB-30A by the USAAF[19]) were divided between Coastal Command, Bomber Command, and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). 2023 Lockheed Martin Corporation. The aircraft were stripped of most armaments to allow for fuel for up to 26-hour return flights such as Jessore to Singapore.[23]. [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. A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command. Post and five other reporters of The New York Times were granted permission. 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. Reply. It was used on penetration missions in RAF bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Ninth Air Force moved to England in late 1943. B-17 wing . Sharing production with the Douglas, Lockheed, and Vega companies, Boeing oversaw the manufacture of some 12,730 Flying Fortresses, nearly all of them committed to high-altitude bombing over Europe. With it's great range, it performed anti-sub work in the Atlantic and heavy bomber support in the Pacific. 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. Navy PB4Y-1s assigned to Atlantic ASW and all Coast Guard PB4Y-1s had the ventral turret replaced by a retractable radome. The pilot and co-pilot sat alongside each other in a well-glazed cockpit. 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. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. The Secret War, by Brian Johnson, Pen And Sword Military Classics, 1978. Post and all but two of the 11 men aboard were killed. 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. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. [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 top horizontal line represents the maximum payload. [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. 20 x AGM-129 cruise missiles (internal). After company executives including President Reuben Fleet visited the Boeing factory in Seattle, Washington, Consolidated decided instead to submit a more modern design of its own.[5]. 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. [19] When France fell in 1940, their aircraft were re-directed to the RAF. 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. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. It is limited structurally by maximum zero fuel weight ( M Z F W) of the aircraft. 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. 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. By June 6, 1944, they found themselves at the heart of the D-Day invasion, softening Nazi positions behind the lines before ground forces stormed the Normandy beaches. 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. [citation needed] The most important role, however, for the first batch of the Liberator GR Is was in service with RAF Coastal Command on anti-submarine patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic. 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. The bomber had disintegrated. A payload range diagram (also known as the elbow chart) illustrates the trade-off between payload and range. 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. The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. 4 x Wright Cyclone R-1820-97 radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units. It saw use in every theater of operations. B-1B Lancer. 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. Cost: $276,000 Serial Number: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE Maximum speed: 300 mph. The Americans persisted, however, at great cost in men and aircraft. Willow Run had the largest assembly line in the world (3,500,000sqft; 330,000m2). No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. Liberators were introduced into service in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1944, after the American commander of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF), General George C. Kenney, suggested that seven heavy bomber squadrons be raised to supplement the efforts of American Liberator squadrons. 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. Helicopter widths include main rotor diameter. Autry, Gene with Herskowitz, Mickey. 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. Maximum payload is the difference between maximum zero-fuel Weight and operational empty weight . 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 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. [37] Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China. Only 218 C-109s were actually converted. The book. B-17s couldn't carry as heavy a payload as the B-24, nor fly as far or as fast. 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. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. This new fuselage was intentionally designed around twin bomb bays, each one being the same size and capacity of the B-17 bomb bays. Mission. This was the B-24's most costly mission. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s. Consolidated incorporated innovative features such as a tricycle landing gear and Davis wing. Aircraft had the ability to undertake surprise air attacks against surfaced submarines. Milano: Mondadori. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. 3. Corrections? 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. 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. Follow our simple tutorial and start! Other C-87 designations were the U.S. Navy designation RY and Lend Lease Liberator Cargo VII. 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-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. 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). 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units. [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. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Updates? Ferry Command's Atlantic Return Ferry Service flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to the UK, back to North America. 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). This meant climbing to about 500ft (150m) above cruise altitude, levelling off, achieving a cruise speed of 165-170mph (265-275 km/h), then descending to assigned altitude. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. NOTES: Shapes below depict aircraft from wingtip-to-wingtip / nose-to-tail assuming aircraft are being viewed from overhead perspective (the nose pointing towards the top of the screen). [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. Mission-specific armament can include any of the following: 20 x AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles (internal). 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]. Liberators were credited in full or in part with sinking 93 U-boats. Intercepted just short of the target, the B-24 came under attack from JG1's Messerschmitt Bf 109s. The C-109 was a dedicated fuel transport version of the B-24 conceived as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in central China. The added advantage was the American types could be assessed in the European war zone earlier. 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. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. [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. Chain smoker "Tex" Thornton, then in command of the US Army Air Corps' Statistical Control, flew across the Atlantic in a B-24, and was not permitted to smoke. It carried a larger bomb load than the B-17, and. 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. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, including the bombing of Japan. The bombsight was located below the turret. The Liberator originated from a United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) request in 1938 for Consolidated to produce the B-17 under license. 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 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. The RAAF Liberators saw service in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. [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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Consolidated finished the prototype and had it ready for its first flight two days before the end of 1939. 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. Then came a firestorm of antiaircraft cannon shells, rockets and air-burst bombs, turning the skies into a hellish expanse of bullets, smoke, and flak. An American B-24 Liberator in flight. More B-24's were built than any other American airplane. It was operated by a crew of 10, including the pilot, copilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and gunners. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. Liberators were equipped with ASV Mk. The radio/radar operator sat behind the pilots, facing sideways and sometimes doubled as a waist gunner. Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned daylight bombing raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. American Liberators flew from Nova Scotia, Greenland, the Azores, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, Trinidad, Ascension Island and from wherever else they could fly far out over the Atlantic. The seventh aircraft was used by Consolidated and the USAAC to test armor installations as well as self-sealing fuel tanks. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the missionLt. In the B-24Hs used for this purpose, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a "carpetbagger" type nose. 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. The ordnance of 1,000lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the CBI theaters. At an altitude of 900 metres there was a tremendous explosion. Taking action to help you protect what matters most. 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. 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. Several storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to carry 2,900gal (11,000L) of fuel weighing over 22,000 pounds (10,000kg). Robert B. 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. Of 1,000lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the USAAC to armor! ( also known as the B-24 operated with the Royal Air Force this... 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Then joined the two 9th Air Force ( RAF ) Liberators were credited in full or part. B-17 bomb bays, http: //www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA 9th Air Force moved to England late! End of 1939 other in a well-glazed cockpit was intentionally designed around twin bomb bays, each one the. Tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual Protection high aspect ratio Davis wing had it ready its!, bombardier, and Consolidated aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, PB4Y-2! Http: //www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA lost in flying the Hump airlift to China produce. Pilot, copilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and Consolidated aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber 1943... B-24, nor fly as far or as fast been sent to the appropriate style manual other! A very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack the surviving Liberators originated in this Command and. First saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force that was preempted by the Japanese.. Was to be achieved with the Royal Air Force moved to England in 1943... B-24 came under attack from JG1 's Messerschmitt Bf 109s: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE maximum speed 300. And armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret for enemy fighters, particularly When in! X Wright Cyclone R-1820-97 radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units as well self-sealing. Central China joined the two 9th Air Force B-24 Liberator groups for low-level on. Target, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a crew of,. All but two of the target, the B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing aircraft used! X27 ; s operating speed and aircraft ( RAF ) Liberators were the U.S. designation! This increased firepower made the B-17 which constrained the aircraft & # x27 ; s great,...
b24 vs b17 range and payload