Consolidated B-24

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Consolidated B-24 Liberator
Consolidated B-24M-20-CO "Liberator"
Consolidated B-24M-20-CO "Liberator"
Type: Strategic bomber
Design country:

United StatesUnited States United States

Manufacturer:

Consolidated Aircraft

First flight:

December 29, 1939

Commissioning:

June 1941

Production time:

1940 to May 31, 1945

Number of pieces:

18,482

Manufacture of the B-24 in Ford's Willow Run manufacturing complex near Ypsilanti (Michigan)
B-24E "Liberator"

The Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" was a four-engine heavy bomber made by the US manufacturer Consolidated Aircraft (from 1943: Consolidated Vultee ).

The B-24 was the most popular American aircraft type in World War II . From 1940 to May 1945 Consolidated and licensees Douglas , North American and Ford built over 18,482 machines. The wing monoplane with twin vertical tail was next to the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" is the most important level bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in the European theater of war.

In addition to its role as a bomber, the model was used for weather observation and as a maritime patrol aircraft and for fighting submarines both in the European theater of war and in the Pacific War. Under the designation C-87 , a modified variant was used as a passenger and cargo aircraft. The version C-109 was used to transport aviation fuel .

history

According to the US Army , Consolidated Aircraft should also produce B-17 bombers. Consolidated, on the other hand, offered a machine with better performance, whereupon the US Marine Corps ordered a machine in March 1939 on the condition that it was completed and ready for testing by the end of 1939. In the tender of the United States Army Air Corps , an aircraft with even better performance than that of the B-17 was required. The prototype of the B -24 called XB-24 did not reach the service ceiling of the B-17, but actually had a higher range and payload. This was thanks to its double tail unit in combination with the so-called Davis profile of the wings, developed by engineer David Davis, with high aspect ratio , short profile chord and large curvature. On the one hand, this wing profile ensured sufficient lift even at high angles of attack , but on the other hand it also ensured that the slow flight and control properties left a lot to be desired. The B-24 was therefore more difficult to fly in the narrow formations that are important for mutual fire protection than the B-17.

Consolidated XB-24
The most popular version was the B-24J

Just in time for the end of 1939, the XB-24 took off on December 29th from Lindbergh Field with test pilot William Whetley on its maiden flight. As early as April 1939, the French Armée de l'air ordered 175 aircraft, some of which were delivered to Great Britain after their surrender in June 1940 . On July 26, 1940, the Air Corps requested that the machine be equipped with turbochargers and self-sealing tanks . The converted prototype and one of seven YB-24 pre-series machines (the rest went directly to Great Britain) were used for further testing. This was followed by 36 B-24A series samples. The first use took place at the beginning of the Pacific War against Japan in January 1942 during the attack on Sulawesi, the first major operations with B-24D in February 1943 in New Guinea.

A 464th Bomb Group B-24L shot down near Lugo (Italy) on April 10, 1945

The B-17 had the reputation of withstanding combat damage far better than the B-24, and the German Air Force fighter pilots also considered the B-24 to be comparatively easy to shoot down, as it tended to catch fire more easily.

“The B-24 was a little more difficult to fly than the B-17. The B-17 was trimmed out and she went on almost alone. Even if a crew member moved on the B-24, the aircraft had to be trimmed continuously. In the B-17 you could really do a close formation flight, while in the B-24 you had to work hard to get it done. "

- Captain Downey Thomas (448th Bombardment Group)

The crews of the B-17 said with a touch of black humor that they did not need an escort as long as the B-24 were nearby - all the hunters then rushed on the easier prey.

An analysis of the bomber losses suffered by the 8th Air Force in Europe shows, however, that the loss rates of the B-24 were even slightly lower than those of the B-17. However, this result must be viewed from the perspective of the different operating conditions. Since the B-17 had been in service over Europe since August 1942 and no long-range escort was available in the early days, many B-17s had been shot down by the time the B-24s were also used in combat. In the later phase of the war, when B-17 and B-24 were used simultaneously and long-range escort fighters were also available, more B-24s than B-17s were shot down. Still, the total number of B-24 casualties remained lower than that of the B-17.

Unlike the B-17 with its conventional landing gear with tail wheel , the B-24 had a modern nose wheel landing gear . Due to the design as a shoulder- wing aircraft , the ground clearance was so tight that the spherical machine-gun turret on the underside of the fuselage (“ Sperry Ballturret”) was “hidden” in the fuselage during take-off and landing, and then lowered into its operational position during flight and to be visible as a hemisphere on the belly of the machine.

" Leigh Light " for submarine hunting on a Liberator

With much greater success than the B-17, the B-24 was used in naval warfare for submarine hunting . The decisive factor was the greater range compared to the B-17, which also allowed operations over the mid-Atlantic and Pacific. The B-24 was used from 1942 by the Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force and technically modernized over the years; With radar devices , the aircraft were able to locate submarines over long distances, illuminate them at night with the headlight system known as Leigh Light and fight with depth charges , on-board weapons and, at the end of the war, even with acoustically guided torpedoes . In addition, the disadvantages compared to other bombers did not have such a serious impact on the open sea, as there was no danger from enemy fighters. Aircraft of the type Liberator were significantly involved in the fact that the German submarine fleet suffered heavy losses from 1943 and that from May 1943 the "air hole" over the Atlantic, in which the German submarines could only be attacked by carrier aircraft , was completely closed.

B-24 during the bombing of Naples on December 4, 1942 (excerpt from OWI propaganda newsreel )

A reconnaissance version was delivered to the USAAF under the designation F-7 . With the PB4Y-2 Privateer developed on the basis of the XB-24N , the US Navy received an aircraft optimized for use as a maritime patrol aircraft.

The attack by 177 Liberators on the oil fields of Ploesti on August 1, 1943 became particularly well known , although 57 bombers were shot down and others were damaged.

Names and variants

After the end of the Model 31 (as a prototype XP4Y , later called "Corregidor"), a flying boat developed as a successor to the Patrol bomber "Catalina" , this series was called the Model 32 in the factory .

US Army Air Forces

  • XB-24 (Consolidated Model 32): Prototype with Pratt & Whitney R-1830-33 radial engines with 1,000 HP (746 kW) each, one built.
  • YB-24 / LB-30A: Pre-production aircraft, six were delivered to the UK as LB-30A.
  • B-24: second pre-production version, which was ordered 30 days after the XB-24, seven built.
  • B-24A / LB-30B: aerodynamically refined production version, 38 built.
  • XB-24B: Prototype with R-1830-41 radial engines with turbocharger, each with 1,200 PS (895 kW) and elliptical engine fairings. Conversion from the XB-24.
  • B-24C: nine converted B-24A with R-1830-41 engines and Emerson A-6 turret in the stern and Martin rear turret.
B-24D
  • B-24D: B-24C with R-1830-43 engines. The armament was improved during construction by installing a Bendix turret in the lower hull (later by Sperry), 2,696 built from January 1942.
  • SB-24D: ten B-24D were converted for use as "night bombers". Equipped with a bomb-dropping radar target, they were used with some success in the Pacific theater against Japan.
  • B-24E: B-24D from Ford with R-1830-65 engines but without a lower hull turret, built 801.
  • XB-24F: a converted B-24D with heated wing leading edges.
  • B-24G: B-24D with Sperry ball turret on the underside of the fuselage and three cal .50 machine guns in the aircraft nose, 25 built.
  • B-24G-1: Version with improved Emerson A-6 turret in the stern, 405 built.
  • B-24H: Ford / Emerson-A-6 tower in the aircraft nose, which required 50 changes to the airframe, 3,100 built.
  • B-24J: B-24H with improved Sperry C-1 autopilot, 6,678 built.
  • XB-24K: Conversion of a B-24D by Ford. The stern of a Douglas B-23 was attached to the fuselage . The XB-24K had better flight characteristics than the B-24D, but for cost and time reasons, the design was not taken over into series production. The XB-24K, however, provided the basis for the United States Navy's PB4Y-2 Privateer .
  • B-24L: Light version without turrets in the lower hull (therefor two machine guns without turrets) and rear. The rear tower, however, was retrofitted by the front units, 1,667 built.
Ford B-24M-1-FO
  • B-24M: B-24L with a lighter A-6B stern tower and open side stands as well as a more aerodynamic cockpit glazing, built 2,593.
  • XB-24N: a prototype B-24J with a single tail fin similar to the XB-24K and improved turrets. 5,168 B-24Ns were canceled at the end of the war.
  • YB-24N: Pre-production version of the B-24N, seven built.
  • XB-24P: Modification of a B-24D by the Sperry Gyroscope Company to test new fire extinguishing systems.
  • XB-24Q: General Electric converts a B-24L with radar-controlled towers.
  • XB-41: Conversion of a B-24D 1942, which was to serve as an escort bomber with 14 MGs. The high aerodynamic drag of the additional towers, however, caused flight performance to drop to such an extent that series production was not carried out.
  • AT-22 / TB-24: C-87 flight engineer trainer.
  • RB-24L: B-24L with towers of the Boeing B-29 to train their crews.
  • TB-24L: RB-24L with radar.
USAAF C-87
  • C-87 Liberator Express: Transport machine with R-1830-43 engines for 20 passengers.
  • C-87A: VIP transporter with R-1830-45 engines and 16 beds.
  • C-87B: armed C-87, not built.
  • C-87C: USAAF designation of the US Navy RY-3.
  • XC-109 / C-109: Aviation fuel transporter to supply the B-29 in China from India. Transport capacity 2100 gal. (7600 l / 5.57 t)
  • XF-7: Conversion of a B-24D as a reconnaissance aircraft.
  • F-7: B-24H-FO as a reconnaissance aircraft.
  • F-7A: B-24J as a reconnaissance aircraft (three cameras in the aircraft nose, three in the bomb bay).
  • F-7B: B-24J as a reconnaissance aircraft (six cameras in the bomb bay).

US Navy

US Navy PB4Y-1.
  • PB4Y-1 : 977 B-24D / G / J / M that were supplied to the US Navy. All were equipped with radar.
  • PB4Y-1P: Conversion of some PB4Y-1 to reconnaissance aircraft.
  • PB4Y-2 Privateer : Maritime patrol aircraft similar to the B-24N, but without a turbocharger, 736 built.
  • RY-1: three US Navy C-87A.
  • RY-2: five US Navy C-87s.
  • RY-3: Transport variant of the PB4Y-2, 39 built.

Royal Air Force

Liberator B Mk II of the RAF.
  • Consolidated LB-30A, s / n AM260, Atlantic Ferry Command RAF
    Liberator B Mk I: B-24A delivered to the RAF Costal Command, 20.
  • Liberator B Mk II: B-24 with widened and approx. 1 m lengthened fuselage as well as enlarged tail unit (LB-30 of the USAAF), 165 built.
  • Liberator B Mk III: B-24D with 7.62 mm Browning machine guns in the aircraft nose, two on the sides, four in the Boulton-Paul tail tower (similar to the Avro Lancaster ) and the American Martin tail tower, 156 built .
  • Liberator B Mk IIIA: B-24D of the RAF.
  • Liberator B Mk IV: B-24E of the RAF, none delivered.
  • Liberator B Mk V: B-24D with increased fuel supply and armament of the Liberator Mk III .
  • Liberator B Mk VI: B-24H with Boulton-Paul rear tower.
  • Liberator B Mk VIII: B-24J of the RAF.
  • Liberator GR Mk V: B-24D with “Leigh Light” searchlight and radar for submarine hunting.
  • Liberator GR Mk VI: B-24G / H / J of the RAF Coastal Command.
  • Liberator GR Mk VIII: B-24J with anti-submarine equipment.
  • Liberator C Mk VI: Liberator B Mk VIII converted into transport aircraft .
  • Liberator C Mk VII: C-87 of the RAF.
  • Liberator C Mk VIII: Liberator GR Mk VIII converted into transport aircraft .
  • Liberator C Mk IX: RY-3 / C-87C of the RAF.

production

Acceptance of the B-24 / C-87 by the USAAF:

Manufacturer version 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 TOTAL
Consolidated, San Diego XB-24 1             1
Consolidated, San Diego YB-24   1           1
Consolidated, San Diego LB-30A   6th           6th
Consolidated, San Diego LB-30B     20th         20th
Consolidated, San Diego Liberator Mk. II     140         140
Consolidated, San Diego B-24A     9         9
Consolidated, San Diego B-24C       9       9
Douglas, Tulsa B-24D       8th 2     10
Consolidated, Fort Worth B-24D       9 294     303
Consolidated, San Diego B-24D       1,114 1,301     2,415
Douglas, Tulsa B-24E         167     167
Consolidated, Fort Worth B-24E         144     144
Ford, Willow Run B-24E       24 466     490
North American, Dallas B-24G         61 369   430
Douglas, Tulsa B-24H         225 357   582
Consolidated, Fort Worth B-24H         685 53   738
Ford, Willow Run B-24H         825 955   1,780
Douglas, Tulsa B-24J           205   205
Consolidated, Fort Worth B-24J           1,558   1,558
North American, Dallas B-24J           536   536
Consolidated, San Diego B-24J         1,044 1,748   2,792
Ford, Willow Run B-24J           1,587   1,587
Consolidated, San Diego B-24L           417   417
Ford, Willow Run B-24L           1,250   1,250
Consolidated, San Diego B-24M           285 631 916
Ford, Willow Run B-24M           198 1,479 1,677
Ford, Willow Run XB-24N           1   1
Ford, Willow Run YB-24N             7th 7th
Consolidated, Fort Worth C-87       38 102 140   280
Consolidated, Fort Worth C-87A       3 3     6th
Consolidated, Fort Worth AT-22         5     5
TOTAL   1 7th 169 1,205 5,324 9,691 2,321 18,482

Users

Incidents (civil)

After the end of the war, numerous Liberators were used by civil airlines, mainly for cargo flights. This also resulted in accidents and total losses.

  • On October 13, 1948, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator II of Scottish Airlines ( aircraft registration G-AHZP ) was approached too low at Liverpool-Speke Airport (Great Britain) and grazed street lights outside the airport. The aircraft was irreparably damaged in the subsequent crash landing. All 4 crew members of the cargo flight survived.

Technical specifications

Consolidated B-24
Cockpit of a Consolidated B-24
Parameter Data from the B-24J
crew 10-12
length 21.16 m
span 33.55 m
height 5.49 m
Empty mass 17,250 kg
Takeoff mass 26,000 kg
drive four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65-Twin Wasp -
double radial engines with 1,200 HP each
Top speed 480 km / h at 9,150 m altitude
Service ceiling 8,550 m
Normal range 3,360 km
Armament ten Browning M2 MGs, cal. 50 BMG (12.7 mm)
max. 8,000 lbs (3.6 t) bomb load

See also

literature

  • Olaf Groehler : History of the Air War 1910 to 1980. Military publishing house of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1981.
  • Friedrich König: The History of the Air Force. Rastatt 1980.
  • Kenneth Munson: Bombers, patrol and transport aircraft 1939–1945. Orell Füssli Verlag, 3rd edition, Zurich 1977.

Web links

Commons : Consolidated B-24  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. According to Olaf Groehler and Kenneth Munson, 18,188 pieces were produced
  2. ^ John W. Morrison: The Mystery Aerofoil . On July 18, 1940 in Flight and The Aircraft Engineer , No. 1647, Vol. 38. pp. 50–51 (online as PDF : p. 50 , p. 51 )
  3. FlugRevue December 2009, pp. 90-93, Schattenspieler - Consolidated B-24 Liberator
  4. Target Berlin. Motorbuch Verlag, ISBN 3-87943-895-1 , 1st edition 1982, p. 24.
  5. Larry Dwyer: Consolidated (Model 31) XP4Y-1 Corregidor . On October 13, 2013 at: aviation-history.com
  6. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator ( Memento of September 8, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  7. Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 100 ff .; www.uswarplanes.net
  8. INDIA'S RECLAIMED B-24 BOMBERS ( Memento from June 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  9. aviation in Iceland , Interavia 12/1964, page 1799
  10. Hans-Joachim Mau, Hans Heiri Stapfer: Under the Red Star - Lend Lease Aircraft for the Soviet Union 1941-1945. Transpress, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-344-70710-8 , pp. 119-121.
  11. ^ Accident report B-24 Liberator G-AHZP , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on October 27, 2019.