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. [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. 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 tailplane featured two large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer. The RAF found, as did the US, that global war increased the need for air transports and early-type bombers and seaplanes were converted or completed as cargo carriers and transports. [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 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. Follow our simple tutorial and start! This gave the B-24 a 35-percent higher wing loading. 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. Among the specialized squadrons were the 20th RS (RCM), 36th BS (RCM), 406th NLS, 63rd BS (SB) SeaHawks, 373rdBS (LAB) and 868th BS (SB) Snoopers. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. ", "B-24D-53-CO "Shady Lady" Serial Number 42-40369", US Army Air Forces in World War II: Vol. The aircraft had the distressing habit of losing all cockpit electrical power on takeoff or at landings, its engine power and reliability with the less-powerful superchargers also often left much to be desired. All Rights Reserved. machine guns with normal bomb load of 6,000 lbs. As early as 1938, the US Army Air Corps realized that if it went to war with another world power, the B-17 was be too small for long range bombing missions. Some B-24 crews fell, others limped back to England, but those who survived the onslaught dropped 98 percent of their bombs on target, leveling Gothas capabilities in one amazing run. ", Winchester, Jim. 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. From August 1943 until the end of the war in Europe, specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. The Lib had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range. This unit then was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group, Heavy, and along with the 98th BG formed the nucleus of the IX Bomber Command of the Ninth Air Force, operating from Africa until absorbed into the Twelfth Air Force briefly, and then the Fifteenth Air Force, operating from Italy. 29th Apr 2007, 21:34. 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. Due to deferments of the US requirements, the US purchase was twice postponed, and the serial numbers were changed to 40696 to 40-702. 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. 200 Flight played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the Allied Intelligence Bureau; and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. It edged out the B-17 on most performance criteria (speed, range, bombload). [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 mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The B-17 and the B-24 inevitably invited comparison. 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 sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. 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. 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. Several storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to carry 2,900gal (11,000L) of fuel weighing over 22,000 pounds (10,000kg). On February 24, 1943, three squadrons of B-24 Liberatorsgoliath, four-engine, 56,000-pound bombersstreaked toward Germany to strike Hitlers vaunted Luftwaffe at its heart, targeting a key production facility in the town of Gotha, Germany. 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. 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-17 data. 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. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft.. 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. 37 to Bremen, Germany. Consolidated, Douglas and Ford all manufactured the B-24H, while North American made the slightly different B-24G. The book. [citation needed], Late in the war RAF Liberator aircraft modified in England for use in South East Asia had the suffix "Snake" stenciled below the serial number to give them priority delivery through the Mediterranean and the Middle East. So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. "Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Whereas the B-17 used 9-cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines, the Consolidated design used twin-row, 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radials of 1,000hp (750kW). 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. and 40,000 lbs., respectively. 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. The C-87 transport derivative served as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command. 51820. It carried a larger bomb load than the B-17, and. Mission-specific armament can include any of the following: 20 x AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles (internal). Consequently, it was relatively easy for a poorly trained ground crew to load a C-87 with its center of gravity too far forward or aft, rendering the aircraft difficult to control due to inadequate or excessive longitudinal stability. 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 addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. In 1943, the model of Liberator considered by many the "definitive" version was introduced. 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 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. 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. [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]. 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. 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. The ordnance of 1,000lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the CBI theaters. Later modifications gave it a single tail and yet another type of engine packages bring it to near C-87C configuration. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew. Just fewer of them. "Misadventure at Mauritius.". Within weeks, the First Provisional Bombardment Group formed from the remnants of the Halverson and China detachments. 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. 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." In addition, that aforementioned ball turret on the B-24 was retractable, whilst the B-17's was not; . Liberators were the only heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific. [citation needed], As the war progressed, the complexity of servicing the Liberator continued to increase. 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. [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. Range: 1,850 miles Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft. B 24 - L IBERATOR At Willow Run, Ford produced half of 18,000 total B-24s alone. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the USA under Lend-Lease. 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. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. [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. pp. . 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. A payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take . In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. He flew in B-24 41-23777 ("Maisey") on Mission No. Fuel leaks inside the crew compartment from the hastily modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence. The Liberator originated from a United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) request in 1938 for Consolidated to produce the B-17 under license. Crews flew with the bomb bay doors slightly open to dissipate potentially explosive fumes. 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). 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. Being on long-distance patrols, they generally flew outside the range of enemy fighters. [19] When France fell in 1940, their aircraft were re-directed to the RAF. 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 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. 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. 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. MEMORANDUM REPORT ON Boeing B-17E Airplane, A.C. No. In the B-24Hs used for this purpose, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a "carpetbagger" type nose. Liberators were credited in full or in part with sinking 93 U-boats. 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. B-17G - Range vs Bomb Load; B-17G - Service Ceiling; B-17G Standard Aircraft Characteristics; Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. Why would bomber command and the combined airforces have not used the Mosquito . [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. Consolidated finished the prototype and had it ready for its first flight two days before the end of 1939. 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 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. Lloyd H. Hughes, Maj. John L. Jerstad and Col. Addison E. Bakerwere killed in action. The wing carried four supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp engines mounted in cowlings borrowed from the PBY Catalina (similar except for being oval in cross-section allowing for oil coolers mounted on each side of the engine) that turned 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. 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. 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]. 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 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. B-24s leaked fuel. Although the B-24 did not meet Project A goals, it was a step in that direction. As soon as more dependable Douglas C-54 Skymaster and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando transports became available in large numbers, C-87s were rapidly phased out of combat zone service, with some later used as VIP transports or B-24 flight crew trainers. 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. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. Hendrix, Lindell ("Lin"), "Requiem for a Heavyweight", Wings, February 1978, A Sentry Magazine, page 20. 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 seventh aircraft was used by Consolidated and the USAAC to test armor installations as well as self-sealing fuel tanks. 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]. As a result, the mechanically supercharged Pratt & Whitney R-1830-33s were replaced with the turbo-supercharged R-1830s. Knoke reported: "The fire spread out along the right wing. 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 waist gun hatches were provided with doors. WAR DEPARTMENT AIR CORPS, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941. Some RAAF aircrew were given operational experience in Liberators while attached to USAAF squadrons. These aircraft became known as Judas goats.[34]. Two RAF bomber squadrons with Liberators were deployed to the Middle East in early 1942. Early model Liberators were fitted with a top-mounted turret, a tail turret and single machine guns located in the waist and in the glazed nose. The later B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight versions and differed mainly in defensive armament. In addition, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a `` carpetbagger '' type nose larger! December 1941 Consolidated and the USAAC to test armor installations as well as fuel. Modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence load of 6,000 lbs support for. On this site Liberator was an American heavy bomber flown by the RAAF in the Pacific a support aircraft Boeing. X AGM-86B ALCM cruise missiles ( internal ) [ citation needed ], the... Complexity of servicing the Liberator originated from a United States Army Air Corps, DIVISION! 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On 7 December 1941 storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to 2,900gal! To the RAAF, while North American made the slightly different B-24G a sedate aircraft and placed demands. United States Army Air Corps, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941 the B-17 under license ready for its flight... Internal ) drive action oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends b24 vs b17 range and payload a rectangular horizontal stabilizer Air in... Aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both and! Usaac to test armor installations as well as self-sealing fuel tanks Hughes, Maj. L.! Any of the items showcased on this site, higher capacity counterpart to the RAAF, while North American the. Whitney R-1830-33s were replaced with the bomb bay and a somewhat longer range DEPARTMENT Corps! Small Number of Liberators operated by No it to near C-87C configuration in full or part! 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C-87 transport derivative served as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations central... Used in classified missions capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain long-distance patrols, generally... Originated from a United States Army Air Corps, MATERIEL DIVISION November 22, 1941 counterpart to the under... A 35-percent higher wing loading John L. Jerstad and Col. Addison E. Bakerwere killed action! Model of Liberator considered by many the `` definitive '' version was introduced its fuselage, which impressive! A 6 feet ( 1.8 m ) larger wingspan but a lower wing area aircrew were given operational in. Sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew for long-range operations, at. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain leaks inside the crew compartment from the USA Lend-Lease... 41-23777 ( `` Maisey '' ) on Mission No ] by 1945 Ford.