This was a major component of the USSTAF and took a major role in strategic bombing. 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 turbocharged engines were the reason for the flattened oval shape of the nacelles that distinguished all subsequent Liberator models. [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. So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. 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. 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. 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. Reply. While RAF Bomber Command did not use B-24s as strategic bombers over mainland North West Europe, No. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. [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. 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. Some RAAF aircrew were given operational experience in Liberators while attached to USAAF squadrons. 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. 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 Lib was faster: 215 mph cruising speed for the B-24J, for example, versus 182 for the B-17G. The ordnance of 1,000lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the CBI theaters. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s. At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. 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. It's crewmen claimed 2,600 enemy aircraft shot down. [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 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. Just fewer of them. 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 tail gunner's powered twin-gun turret was located at the end of the tail, behind the tailplane. 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. Naval B-24s were redesignated PB4Y-1, meaning the fourth patrol bomber design built by Consolidated Aircraft. 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. In January 1939, the USAAC, under Specification C-212, formally invited Consolidated[7] to submit a design study for a bomber with longer range, higher speed and greater ceiling than the B-17. 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. 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. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. 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. Some were fitted with a belly pack containing fixed, forward-facing cannon. This daring assault by high-altitude bombers at treetop level was a costly success. 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. 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. ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). 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. Long-range anti-submarine Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. Consolidated, Douglas and Ford all manufactured the B-24H, while North American made the slightly different B-24G. The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the 11th Bombardment Squadron (7th Bombardment Group) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. The design MTOW for a B-24D was initially set at 56,000lbs. Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. ", "Old China Hands, Tales & Stories The Azon Bomb. Being on long-distance patrols, they generally flew outside the range of enemy fighters. The first aircrews chosen for this operation came from the anti-submarine bomb groups because of their special training in low altitude flying and pinpoint navigation skills. Later versions started at 60,000lbs and by the end of the war, using special flying techniques that had been developed they were being flown at up to 67,000lbs. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. II radar, which together with the Leigh light, gave them the ability to hunt U-boats by day and by night. 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." [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. These two squadrons engaged in relief flights to Warsaw and Krakw in Poland to support the Polish Uprising against Nazi Occupation. 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. 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. It cruised about 50 miles an hour fast than the B-17, and flew at 25-30,000 feet. With it's great range, it performed anti-sub work in the Atlantic and heavy bomber support in the Pacific. In a joint venture between the Army Air Forces and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) code-named Operation Carpetbagger, pilots and crews flew specially modified B-24Ds painted with a glossy black anti-searchlight paint to supply friendly underground forces throughout German-occupied Europe. Maximum payload is the difference between maximum zero-fuel Weight and operational empty weight . OPTIONAL: Maximum internal bombload of 7,983 kg (17,600 lb). The pilot and co-pilot sat alongside each other in a well-glazed cockpit. The payloads for the B-52H and B-2 are usually given as about 70,000 lbs. Hendrix did not permit smoking on his B-24, even though he was a smoker. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. After the Fall of France the French orders were in most cases transferred to the United Kingdom. Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the US strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater. ", https://web.archive.org/web/20090304014706/http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b24_27.html, "Indian Ocean New Guinea Kangaroo Service 19501946. The B-24 variants made by each company differed slightly, so repair depots had to stock many different parts to support various models. 540 ft/min [Diff.-49,460 feet] Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress RoC (ft) 50,000 540 540. We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. The B-24D was the Liberator III in British service. Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. 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. Cruising speed: 170 mph. 29th Apr 2007, 21:34. If any dimensional values are "NA" in the database then the presented shapes may appear skewed. [8], The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. 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. It edged out the B-17 on most performance criteria (speed, range, bombload). We have invested in developing and demonstrating hypersonic technology for over 30 years. Also like the B-17, it carried the Norden bombsight. 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. Thornton's Statistical Control group demonstrated that Eighth Air force B-24s were taking lower casualties than B-17s because they were being given shorter, safer missions. The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. It carried a larger bomb load than the B-17, and. 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]. The B-17s actually delivered more bombs to the target than B-24s. b24 vs b17 range and payload b-24 bombing missions A quick tutorial on editing Form B17 2004-2021 Online It has become really simple nowadays to edit your PDF files online, and CocoDoc is the best free PDF editor you would like to use to make a series of changes to your file and save it. LB-30As were assigned to transatlantic flights by RAF Ferry Command, between Canada and Prestwick, Scotland. Cost: $276,000 Serial Number: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE Maximum speed: 300 mph. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. [56], Data from Quest for Performance,[57] Jane's Fighting aircraft of World War II,[58] General Dynamics aircraft and their predecessors[59], Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era. The navigator's position was relocated behind the pilot. Due to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, including the bombing of Japan. 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). Online by mid-1943, the new plant produced hundreds of B-24 Liberator bombers. Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned daylight bombing raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. Only 218 C-109s were actually converted. Three more 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns brought the defensive armament up to 10 machine guns. 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. The bombsight was located below the turret. Knoke reported: "The fire spread out along the right wing. 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. Leutnant Heinz Knoke (who finished the war with 31 kills) shot down the Liberator. 120 Squadron RAF of Coastal Command with its handful of worn and modified early model Liberators supplied the only air cover for convoys in the Atlantic Gap, the Liberator being the only airplane with sufficient range. The B-24D was the first mass-produced series. Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. 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. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. The waist gun hatches were provided with doors. Its lower altitude made it more vulnerable to flak. Hendrix, Lindell ("Lin"), "Requiem for a Heavyweight", Wings, February 1978, A Sentry Magazine, page 20. [13] For some time, newspapers had been requesting permission for a reporter to go on one of the missions. 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). By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . 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]. Indigenous Fort Worth C-87 and AT-22 production began with the FY 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 4330627. 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. Thus naval patrol often omitted top, belly and nose turrets. Strategic bombing campaign in the database then the presented shapes may appear skewed appear skewed in closing Mid-Atlantic... 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