World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe B-24 Liberator heavy bombers were the response to the United States Army Air Corps' 1938 request for production expansion of the B-17 bombers, but it later evolved into a project of its own. The contract was awarded in Mar 1939, and the prototype took flight before the end of that year. As seven more development aircraft were being tested, orders were already flowing in from the air forces in the US, Britain, and France. Most of the first production B-24 bombers went to the Royal Air Force, including those ordered by France but did not take delivery due to German occupation. The British named the design Liberator, which was adopted by the USAAC as well.

ww2dbaseThe B-24 design was fairly simple, and the fuel consumption was highly efficient, although the narrow interior due to the positioning of the bomb racks limited movement within the aircraft, which led to the nickname "the Flying Coffins".

ww2dbaseBy Mar 1941, over 200 Liberator bombers were in service in Britain. Many of them served as personnel transports at first, but their capability as effective submarine hunters was quickly recognized. Converted versions for this duty sacrificed armor and sometimes even turrets for the additional fuel tanks that extended range. Operating by the British and Canadians on the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean, B-24 bombers made significant contributions in the Battle of the Atlantic. Nicknamed "VLR" for "Very Long Range", these converted Liberator bombers were involved with 72 U-boat sinkings.

ww2dbaseConsolidated Aircraft was by then manufacturing one B-24 bomber a day, but it was not enough. In Apr 1941, Ford Motor Company unveiled US' largest assembly line at Willow Run and began producing B-24 bombers, promising dramatic increase in supply for the British Allies.

ww2dbaseIn late 1941, Consolidated introduced the new variant labeled II, featuring self-sealing fuel tanks and powered gun turrets. It was around that time the USAAC began taking delivery of these bombers, first using them as transports just like the British did. Although the British had already been using them in Europe and the Middle East, the first American Liberator bombers did not see action until Jun 1942 due to US' late entrance into the war; during that mission, American B-24 bombers attacked the Romanian oilfields at Ploieşti, and later made a return visit to the same target during Operation Tidal Wave in Aug 1943.

ww2dbaseBetween the two raids, the production numbers grew dramatically with the joint production effort by Consolidated Aircraft, Douglas Aircraft Company, North American Aviation, and Ford Motor Company; they were being mass produced so efficiently that B-24 crews were being sent to sleep outside Willow Run facility on cots, so that as soon as a B-24 bomber is completed, they could get in, get oriented in the new craft, and take off. More variants were also being produced. In Apr 1942, the C-87 Liberator Express and C-109 tanker variants of the B-24 design began production at Consolidated's Fort Worth facility; that design featured a large cargo hold in lieu of the bomb bay and gun turrets, which was quickly recognized as a transport that could make a difference to help China's supply situation. Later in the war, one of the B-24 variants, LB-30, was furnished for Winston Churchill as his personal transport. In summer 1944, only Consolidated and Ford continued to manufacture these bombers, thus reducing the production numbers but it also made the warehousing of standard replacement parts a bit easier for bomber squadrons.

ww2dbaseBy the end of the war, a stunning 18,482 aircraft were built, making them the most produced Allied aircraft in the war. They were used by every Allied service in every theater. 2,100 of them served in with the British, 1,200 with the Canadians, 287 with the Australians, a few served in the Mediterranean Sea with the South Africans, while the vast majority served with the American forces.

B-24 Liberator Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

B-24J

Machinery	Four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-43 14-cyl turbocharged radial engines rated at 1,200hp each
Armament	10x12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns, bomb load of 1,200kg for very long range missions, 2,300kg for long range, and 3,600kg for short range
Crew	11
Span	33.50 m
Length	20.60 m
Height	5.49 m
Wing Area	97.40 m²
Weight, Empty	16,590 kg
Weight, Loaded	25,000 kg
Weight, Maximum	29,500 kg
Speed, Maximum	470 km/h
Speed, Cruising	346 km/h
Rate of Climb	5.20 m/s
Service Ceiling	8,540 m
Range, Normal	3,540 km
Range, Maximum	6,000 km

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7.  Bill says:
16 Apr 2015 01:36:05 PM

LADY BE GOOD:

One of the most famous B-24 Liberators of WWII
was the "Lady Be Good". She was part of a formation of twenty-five B-24s to bomb Naples, Italy on April 4, 1943. All aircraft except the Lady Be Good returned from that mission.

VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE:

Bomber and crew reported as missing, or was she lost to enemy action? reports list the sound of an aircraft flying over its base at Soluch, Libya
were heard.

MYSTERY SOLVED: SIXTEEN YEARS LATER

November 9, 1958 the Lady was found by accident in the desert 400 miles from its wartime base
no trace of crew was found. Ground party reached the crash site March 1959.
After searching for remains of the crew some were found 190 miles from crash site, five more crew remains found 80 miles from crash and one man's
remains were never found. Remains of crew found, were returned to United States for burial.

MOVIES OF INTEREST:

Twilight Zone:

Fans will remember Episode 37, Season 1: Titled
"King Nine Will Not Return" aired 1960

Made For TV Movie:

Sole Survivor 1970

Both film were similar in story lines after the discovery of the Lady Be Good.