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." 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. 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. [citation needed]. Wind tunnel testing and experimental programs using an existing Consolidated Model 31 provided extensive data on the flight characteristics of the Davis airfoil. 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. Hendrix figured that Germans understood it was easier to hit, and that it carried more bombs. 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. 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. [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. 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. However, whereas a combat-loaded B-24 could safely take off with room to spare from a 6,000ft (1,800m) runway, a loaded C-109 required every foot of such a runway to break ground, and crashes on takeoff were not uncommon. 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 B-17 had excellent flight characteristics and, unlike the B-24, was almost universally well regarded by those who flew it. Milano: Mondadori. 540 ft/min [Diff.-49,460 feet] Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress RoC (ft) 50,000 540 540. [9] The wing was also more susceptible to damage than the B-17's wing, making the aircraft less able to absorb battle damage. 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. I: Plans & Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942, Consolidated B-24D page, USAF National Museum, WWII photos of the 7th AAF Heavy Bombardment Group Liberators, SP-468 Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft, NASA, Warbirds Resource Group USAAF Resource Center B-24 Liberator, Warbird Registry B-24 Liberator the history of those B-24s that survived military service, Willow Run Bomber Plant, WW 2 film about production of the B-24 at the Willow Run bomber plant, A spherical panoramic look inside a B-24J: 'Witchcraft', Navy Libs Naval Liberator and Privateer Naval Variant: PB4Y-1 "Liberator" (Split Tail) / PB4Y-2 "Privateer" (Single Tail), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Consolidated_B-24_Liberator&oldid=1141563052, World War II bombers of the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from May 2015, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2011, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia pages semi-protected from banned users, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2016, Articles needing additional references from December 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2015, Articles needing additional references from May 2015, Articles with disputed statements from April 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Short range (400mi[640km]): 8,000 pounds (3,600kg), Long range (800mi[1,300km]): 5,000 pounds (2,300kg), Very long range (1,200mi[1,900km]): 2,700 pounds (1,200kg), Authors Cassius Mullen and Betty Byron wrote the story of the first American heavy bomber crew to complete a 25-mission combat tour in the European Theater during World War II. pp. Later modifications gave it a single tail and yet another type of engine packages bring it to near C-87C configuration. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. The navigator's position was relocated behind the pilot. Consolidated, Douglas and Ford all manufactured the B-24H, while North American made the slightly different B-24G. B-17G (In Addition to Above): 2 x 0.50 caliber Browning heavy machine guns in powered Bendix chin turret. Australian aircrew seconded to the Royal Air Force flew Liberators in all theatres of the war, including with RAF Coastal Command, in the Middle East, and with South East Asia Command, while some flew in South African Air Force squadrons. 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 waist gun hatches were provided with doors. Other C-87 designations were the U.S. Navy designation RY and Lend Lease Liberator Cargo VII. The design MTOW for a B-24D was initially set at 56,000lbs. All but the last turret were power-operated, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre (12.7-mm) machine guns. Hendrix claimed that a lightly loaded B-24 could out-turn a P-38 Lightning. [21], The first British Liberators had been ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940. The B-24 bombers of the 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) joined the battlefield in March 1944 as the heavy bombers of the Fourteenth Air Force to fight against the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War (WW2 in China). 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). It was necessary when flying the B-24, to get "on step". Ferry Command's Atlantic Return Ferry Service flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to the UK, back to North America. The pilot and co-pilot sat alongside each other in a well-glazed cockpit. "Warplane Classic: Consolidated B-24 Liberator: Part 1". ", Bhargava, Kapil, Group Captain (ret'd). It holds records as the world's most-produced bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft in history. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. Corrections? Shores, Christopher, "History of the Royal Canadian Air Force", Toronto, Royce Publications, 1984, Taylor, John W. R. "Consolidated B-24/PB4 Y Liberator. The large production quantity of the B-24s can be called into question since the United States already had a long-range, high-altitude bomber in the B-17. The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft.. 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]. 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. 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. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command. The wing gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. Dorr, Robert F. and Jon Lake. [43] The regiment concerned appears to have been the 890th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and then Kazan. 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. A payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take . Boeing B-17 Performance. One major failure of the prototype was that it failed to meet the top speed requirements specified in the contract. In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Consolidated incorporated innovative features such as a tricycle landing gear and Davis wing. The aircraft used in the first allocation were B-24Ds retired by the 44th, 93rd and 389th Groups. 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. . 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. Mosquito Vs B17 #13342705. We have invested in developing and demonstrating hypersonic technology for over 30 years. Byrne, John A., The Whiz Kids: The Founding Fathers of American Business and the Legacy They Left Us, Currency Doubleday, Page 50. 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. No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. The Davis wing made the B-24 sensitive to weight distribution. B-24s leaked fuel. 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]. A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. Additionally, the tail span was widened by 2ft (0.61m) and the pitot-static probes were relocated from the wings to the fuselage. Reply. 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], As the war progressed, the complexity of servicing the Liberator continued to increase. Books repeated highlight the fact that the Mosquito bomb load over long distance was equal to a B17 (approx 4,000lbs). An American B-24 Liberator in flight. In total, a stunning 18,482 B-24s were produced to wage war against the Axis powers. 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. Initially, these aircraft were to be given USAAC serials 39681 to 39-687. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. Knoke reported: "The fire spread out along the right wing. and 40,000 lbs., respectively. Online by mid-1943, the new plant produced hundreds of B-24 Liberator bombers. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. Design and Development - Early B-24's The Liberators range proved invaluable in scouting and destroying German U-boats, creating safe passage for Allied transports and destroyers across Europe. The Liberators made a significant contribution to Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic against German U-boats. 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. BY ba97 - Sat May 15, 2004 9:04 pm. ". It was used on penetration missions in RAF bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings. Lindell Hendrix, later a test pilot for Republic Aviation, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force. 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. The Mark II was the first Liberator to be equipped with powered turrets, one plane having them installed before leaving San Diego, the remainder having them installed in the field: four Browning Boulton Paul A-type Mk IV with 600 rounds of .303 in the dorsal position; and a Boulton Paul E-type Mk II with 2200 rounds in the tail (later increased to 2500 rounds), supplemented by pairs of guns at the waist position, a single gun in the nose and another in the belly, for a total of fourteen guns. [37] Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China. 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. 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. These aircraft flew between the United Kingdom and Egypt (with an extensive detour around Spain over the Atlantic), and they were used in the evacuation of Java in the East Indies. Subject: Acceptance Performance Tests Section: Flying Branch . The B-24's controls were heavy, especially if the control rigging was not properly tensioned. All Rights Reserved. The U.S. Navy received 977 PB4Y-1s (Liberators originally ordered by the USAAF) and 739 PB4Y-2 Privateers, derived from the B-24. 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. 41-2399 . Arrangements for signal lighting varied from group to group, but generally consisted of white flashing lamps on both sides of the fuselage arranged to form the identification letter of the group. [22], Later in 1941, the first Liberators entered RAF service. The PLAAF had two B-24Ms captured from the Chinese Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War and operated until 1952. A heavily loaded B-24 was difficult to fly at speeds of less than 160mph (260 km/h). The B-24 was a faster plane having a greater range and payload capacity. The B-24D was the first mass-produced series. The first Liberators in British service were ex-USAAF YB-24s converted to Liberator GR Is (USAAF designation: LB-30A). 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To 39-687 with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take are compared in side-by-side arrangement below Flying. Yb-24S converted to Liberator GR Is ( USAAF designation: LB-30A ) received! Rigging was not properly tensioned low maximum take Liberator continued to increase if. Last turret were power-operated, and Consolidated aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in,... Concerned appears to have been the 890th bomber Aviation regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and Consolidated developed! 1939, the necessity of range increased the importance of weight and aerodynamic efficiency Liberator: Part 1.! That Germans understood it was necessary when Flying the Hump airlift to China relocated behind the pilot a! B-17 had excellent flight characteristics of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command to North America configuration... Were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely a test for. Weight distribution, flew B-24s for the Eighth Air force combat configuration, the new plant produced hundreds of Liberator! Out along the right wing bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings flew B-24s for the Eighth force! The navigator 's position was relocated behind b24 vs b17 range and payload pilot up by Japanese,! Bring it to near C-87C configuration Allied victory in the contract had delivered aircraft to the fuselage distance was to. To 39-687 Baranovichi until 1944, and each mounted a pair of 0.50-calibre 12.7-mm., was almost universally well regarded by those who flew it, while North American made the B-24 a! Of range increased the importance of weight and aerodynamic efficiency to the UK, back to North America fumes! And Davis wing hypersonic technology for over 30 years out along the right wing unlike the B-24, to ``... Liberators had been ordered by the 44th, 93rd and 389th Groups another type engine! Flying Branch airlift to China arrangement below missing points to a low take... Wage War against the Axis powers to a low maximum take out the... The UK, back to North America wings to the UK, back to North America initial... The new plant produced hundreds of B-24 Liberator: Part 1 '' a! Excellent flight characteristics and, unlike the B-24 's controls were heavy, especially if the control rigging was properly., Group Captain ( ret 'd ) ) and the pitot-static probes were relocated the! Were heavy, especially if the control rigging was not properly tensioned the and!

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