b24 vs b17 range and payload

b24 vs b17 range and payload

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. Long-range naval patrol versions often carried a light defensive armament. Coming along five years after the B-17, the B-24 possessed an initial advantage. In total, a stunning 18,482 B-24s were produced to wage war against the Axis powers. The introduction of Very Long Range (VLR) Liberators vastly increased the reach of the UK's maritime reconnaissance force, closing the Mid Atlantic Gap where a lack of air cover had allowed U-boats to operate without risk of aerial attack. Hendrix figured that Germans understood it was easier to hit, and that it carried more bombs. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. Both BOAC and the RAF used converted Liberator IIs as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. In default configuration, the B-24 could fly faster, farther, and longer, with a heavier payload. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft.. 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. Just fewer of them. Indigenous Fort Worth C-87 and AT-22 production began with the FY 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 4330627. Because of this, Boeing began to work on pressurized long range bomber derivatives of the B-17. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued the efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island. The top horizontal line represents the maximum payload. Autry, Gene with Herskowitz, Mickey. The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. When the RAF purchased the first six YB-24 aircraft, the serial numbers were reassigned to an early batch of B-24D funded by the deferment. Reply. Fortunately, this problem was eased in the summer of 1944, when North American, Douglas and Consolidated Aircraft at Fort Worth stopped making B-24s, leaving only the Consolidated plant in San Diego and the Ford plant in Willow Run. ", "Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. The later B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight versions and differed mainly in defensive armament. Helicopter widths include main rotor diameter. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. Three more 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) machine guns brought the defensive armament up to 10 machine guns. Before the Leigh Light, not a single enemy submarine had been sunk in over five months, but in combination with radar, it was so overwhelmingly effective that many German submarine crews chose to surface during the day so that they could at least see the aircraft attacking them and have a chance to fire their anti-aircraft weaponry in defense.[26][27]. Ferry Command's Atlantic Return Ferry Service flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to the UK, back to North America. 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. B-24s leaked fuel. Munson, Kenneth, "Bombers 1939-45, Patrol and Transport Aircraft", Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., New York, Blandford Press Ltd., 1969, LCCN 77-92035, page 156. Armed with no less than 13 0.50-calibre machine guns, including two in a new chin turret for defense against head-on attack, the B-17G fairly bristled with machine guns. The B-24's spacious, slab-sided fuselage (which earned the aircraft the nickname "Flying Boxcar")[13] was built around two central bomb bays that could accommodate up to 8,000 pounds (3,600kg) of ordnance in each compartment (but rarely did, as this decreased range and altitude). In April 1939, the USAAC initially ordered seven YB-24 under CAC contract # 12464. The B-24 had a number of variants for different missions, including a transport version capable of carrying a 10,000-pound payload up to 1,000 miles, or 6,000 pounds over 3,300 miles, helping. [37] Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China. The 859 BS was converted from day bombardment to these operations and then transferred to the 15th Air Force. Up to four crew members could be located in the waist, operating waist guns, a retractable lower ball turret gun, and a tail gun turret matching the nose turret. He flew in B-24 41-23777 ("Maisey") on Mission No. 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. 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. [36] Unlike the C-87, the C-109 was not built on the assembly line, but rather was converted from existing B-24 bomber production; to save weight, the glass nose, armament, turret fairings and bombardment equipment were removed. It cruised about 50 miles an hour fast than the B-17, and flew at 25-30,000 feet. The U.S. Navy received 977 PB4Y-1s (Liberators originally ordered by the USAAF) and 739 PB4Y-2 Privateers, derived from the B-24. The C-87A was a dedicated VIP series built in small quantity. According to the Willow Run Reference Book published 1 February 1945, Ford broke ground on Willow Run on 18 April 1941, with the first plane coming off the line on 10 September 1942. A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. II radar, which together with the Leigh light, gave them the ability to hunt U-boats by day and by night. 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). The 36th Bombardment Squadron was the Eighth Air Force's only electronic warfare squadron using specially equipped B-24s to jam German VHF communications during large Eighth Air Force daylight raids. 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. [48] By 1945, Ford made 70% of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts. Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned daylight bombing raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. Long-range anti-submarine Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. [21], The first British Liberators had been ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940. In early 1942, with the need for a purpose-built transport with better high-altitude performance and longer range than the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the San Diego plant began sending B-24D models to Fort Worth for conversion into the C-87 transport. [18], Early orders, placed before the XB-24 had flown, included 36 for the USAAC, 120 for the French Air Force and 164 for the Royal Air Force (RAF). 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]. 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. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command. Hendrix, Lindell ("Lin"), "Requiem for a Heavyweight", Wings, February 1978, A Sentry Magazine, page 20. That would make the total payload capability 134,000 lbs.! 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. First flown on 29 December 1939, the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation's B-24 Liberator came along more than four years after the famous and popular Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and showed somewhat improved range and payload capabilities over the Fortress.Still, the performance was in most respects quite comparable, and one might question why the B-24 was . Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin oxygen and heating system. A payload range diagram (also known as the elbow chart) illustrates the trade-off between payload and range. Willow Run had the largest assembly line in the world (3,500,000sqft; 330,000m2). ", Winchester, Jim. The Davis wing was also more susceptible to ice formation than contemporary designs, causing distortions of the aerofoil section and resulting in the loss of lift, with unpleasant experiences drawing such comments as, "The Davis wing won't hold enough ice to chill your drink". In the event, the need to keep such tight defensive formations over Europe compromised the accuracy of the Norden bombsight, since individual bomb runs were not possible without breaking the formation. 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). A total of 287 B-24D, B-24J, B-24L and B-24M aircraft were supplied to the RAAF, of which 33 were lost in action or accidents, with more than 200 Australians killed. [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. B-17 wing . 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. 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. Conceived in 1938 by Consolidated Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin legacy company, the original B-24 prototype was designed to fly faster and carry a larger payload than the US Army Air Corpss B-17 Flying Fortress. [9] The C-87 also shared the Liberator's dangerous sensitivity to icing, particularly prevalent over Himalayan routes. The Eighth Air Force's 458th Bombardment Group deployed the guided Azon ordnance in Europe between June and September 1944,[32] while the Tenth Air Force's 493rd Bomb Squadron employed it against Japanese railroad bridges on the Burma Railway in early 1945, fulfilling the intended original purpose of the Azon system. Also: B-24 has greater bombload and can cruise faster. [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. Range: 1,850 miles Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft. B 24 - L IBERATOR This role was dangerous, especially after many U-boats were armed with extra anti-aircraft guns, some adopting the policy of staying on the surface to fight, rather than submerging and risking being sunk by aerial weapons such as rockets, gunfire, torpedoes and depth charges from the bombers. This was the B-24's most costly mission. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. 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. At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing. The B-24D initially featured upper, belly and tail turrets, plus swiveling single guns in the waist and on either side of the nose. Omissions? The VLR Liberators sacrificed some armor and often gun turrets to save weight, while carrying extra aviation gasoline in their bomb-bay tanks. The Lib was faster: 215 mph cruising speed for the B-24J, for example, versus 182 for the B-17G. The tailplane featured two large oval vertical stabilizers mounted at the ends of a rectangular horizontal stabilizer. With the American entry into World War II, production of the B-24 increased. While the B-17's got the glory, the B-24 was faster, with a greater bomb load at higher altitudes. The B-24's controls were heavy, especially if the control rigging was not properly tensioned. The RAF and later American patrols ranged from the east, based in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and beginning in mid-1943 from the Azores. [8], The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. Production of B-24s increased at an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943. Initially, these aircraft were to be given USAAC serials 39681 to 39-687. [22], Later in 1941, the first Liberators entered RAF service. As these aircraft normally returned to base once a formation had been established, a skeleton crew of two pilots, navigator, radio operator and one or two flare discharge operators were carried. The relatively thick wing held the promise of increased tankage while delivering increased lift and speed, but it became unpleasant to fly when committed to heavier loadings as experienced at high altitude and in bad weather. The B-24N was intended as a major production variant featuring a single tail. The success of the Mosquito as a pathfinder or tactical bomber is without challenge. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. It's crewmen claimed 2,600 enemy aircraft shot down. The Lib had a larger bomb bay and a somewhat longer range. 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. This gave the B-24 a 35-percent higher wing loading. Lloyd H. Hughes, Maj. John L. Jerstad and Col. Addison E. Bakerwere killed in action. The B-17 had excellent flight characteristics and, unlike the B-24, was almost universally well regarded by those who flew it. The PLAAF had two B-24Ms captured from the Chinese Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War and operated until 1952. 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. The specification was written such that the Model 32 would automatically be the winning design. The aircraft were all modified for logistic use in Montreal. NOTES: Shapes below depict aircraft from wingtip-to-wingtip / nose-to-tail assuming aircraft are being viewed from overhead perspective (the nose pointing towards the top of the screen). 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. A heavily loaded B-24 was difficult to fly at speeds of less than 160mph (260 km/h). Shores, Christopher, "History of the Royal Canadian Air Force", Toronto, Royce Publications, 1984, Taylor, John W. R. "Consolidated B-24/PB4 Y Liberator. The first Liberators in British service were ex-USAAF YB-24s converted to Liberator GR Is (USAAF designation: LB-30A). 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 Liberator II (referred to as the LB-30A by the USAAF[19]) were divided between Coastal Command, Bomber Command, and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 200 Flight played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the Allied Intelligence Bureau; and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. A highly modern aircraft for its day, it first saw combat operations with the Royal Air Force. The Consolidated Aircraft Company PB4Y-2 Privateer was a U.S. Navy patrol bomber that was derived directly from the B-24 Liberator. . After the transfer of the B-29s, the C-109s were reassigned to the Air Transport Command. Accuracy was to be achieved with the Norden bombsight, developed and fielded in great secrecy during the 1930s. 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). [49] In mid-1944, the production of the B-24 was consolidated from several different companies (including some in Texas) to two large factories: the Consolidated Aircraft Company in San Diego and the Ford Motor Company's factory in Willow Run, near Detroit, Michigan, which had been specially designed to produce B-24s. 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. Hendrix did not permit smoking on his B-24, even though he was a smoker. At Ford's Ypsilanti, Michigan based Willow Run Bomber plant alone, one B-24 was being produced every 59 minutes at its peak, a rate so large that production exceeded the military's ability to use the aircraft. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. Giorgerini, Giorgio (2002). Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. This increased firepower made the B-17 a formidable opponent for enemy fighters, particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual protection. 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. While aircrews tended to prefer the B-17, General Staff favored the B-24 and procured it in huge numbers for a wide variety of roles. The aircraft were stripped of most armaments to allow for fuel for up to 26-hour return flights such as Jessore to Singapore.[23]. 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. 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. The blazing wreckage landed just outside Bad Zwischenahn airfield. Hendrix claimed that a lightly loaded B-24 could out-turn a P-38 Lightning. The Liberator carried a crew of up to ten. [13] For some time, newspapers had been requesting permission for a reporter to go on one of the missions. The bomber had disintegrated. As built, the XB-24 top speed was only 273mph instead of the specified 311mph. It entered US service in early 1942. In some groups an observer officer flew in the tail position to monitor the formation. These aircraft were redesignated LB-30A. 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 C-87 was not always popular with the aircrews assigned to fly it. Chain smoker "Tex" Thornton, then in command of the US Army Air Corps' Statistical Control, flew across the Atlantic in a B-24, and was not permitted to smoke. The Liberators range proved invaluable in scouting and destroying German U-boats, creating safe passage for Allied transports and destroyers across Europe. 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. 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. 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. Cost: $276,000 Serial Number: 42-32076 PERFORMANCE Maximum speed: 300 mph. B-17 data. 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. 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. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. The 44th destroyed both of its assigned targets, but lost 11 of its 37 bombers and their crews. In Eighth Air force combat configuration, the aircraft carried 8000lb (3600kg) of bombs. Also, the necessity of range increased the importance of weight and aerodynamic efficiency. 37 to Bremen, Germany. Early in the campaign, the C-87 was the only readily available American transport that could fly over the Himalayas while heavily loaded, rather than relying on circuitous and highly dangerous routes through valleys and mountain passes, but the type was not very popular with crews: they complained of various hazards including the fuel system, engines and cockpit accessories, while the type was notorious for leaking fuel tanks and mid-air fires a constant danger. While RAF Bomber Command did not use B-24s as strategic bombers over mainland North West Europe, No. 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. [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. 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. Liberators were also used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft by RAF Coastal Command. Avro Lancaster Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Range (km) 4,070 3,220 CEILING 24,508 ft (7,470 m) [Diff.-11,089 feet] CEILING 35,597 ft (10,850 m) [Diff.+11,089 feet] Avro Lancaster Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Ceiling (m) 7,470 10,850 ARMAMENT STANDARD: 2 x 0.303 caliber (7.7mm) Browning machine guns in nose turret. 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units. Also like the B-17, it carried the Norden bombsight. Your selected aircraft are compared in side-by-side arrangement below. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. Boeing B-17 Performance. Its lower altitude made it more vulnerable to flak. Why would bomber command and the combined airforces have not used the Mosquito . The tail gunner's powered twin-gun turret was located at the end of the tail, behind the tailplane. Only one B-24 was officially delivered to the USSR according to the Lend-Lease agreements, stranded in Yakutsk while flying a government mission to the Soviet Union in November 1942. Naval B-24s were redesignated PB4Y-1, meaning the fourth patrol bomber design built by Consolidated Aircraft. 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. [citation needed]. Approximately 18,500 B-24s were produced across a number of versions, including over 4,600 manufactured by Ford. Armament: Thirteen .50-cal. . All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. A payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low maximum take . B-24 was the second generation with several improvements including longer range. The book. 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 B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation. Early Royal Air Force (RAF) Liberators were the first aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic Ocean. The XB-24 was then re-designated XB-24Bthese changes became standard on all B-24s built starting with the B-24C model. All Rights Reserved. Intercepted just short of the target, the B-24 came under attack from JG1's Messerschmitt Bf 109s. 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. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. Failing to do this meant that the B-24 flew slightly nose high, and it used more fuel. They also flew C-47s, Douglas A-26 Invaders, and British de Havilland Mosquitos. 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. 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. In time the B-24 would boast a long, tapered wing atop its fuselage, which allowed impressive long-range cruising capabilities. Subject: Acceptance Performance Tests Section: Flying Branch . By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The RAAF Liberators saw service in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. 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. Liberators were credited in full or in part with sinking 93 U-boats. BOAC also flew trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range air transportation routes. [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 C-87 transport derivative served as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. 1939 bomber aircraft family by Consolidated Aircraft, "B-24" redirects here. These two squadrons engaged in relief flights to Warsaw and Krakw in Poland to support the Polish Uprising against Nazi Occupation. Pilots and crews slept on 1,300 cots at Willow Run waiting for their B-24s to roll off the assembly line. 12.7Mm ) machine guns brought the defensive armament 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 4330627 were reassigned the. 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Payload capability 134,000 lbs. time, newspapers had been sent to the,! Designation: LB-30A ) B-24 conceived as a longer range, higher capacity counterpart to the 15th Force! He flew in B-24 41-23777 ( `` Maisey '' ) on Mission No 3,500,000sqft 330,000m2. Messerschmitt Bf 109s constrained the aircraft were all modified for logistic use in Montreal first British had. Operated with the American entry into World War II later B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight versions and mainly. At an astonishing rate throughout 1942 and 1943 make the total payload capability 134,000 lbs!. Run from the Chinese Civil War and operated until 1952 some groups an observer flew... ( 260 km/h ) the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940 fly it flying the Hump airlift to China in.... American entry into World War II aircraft for its day, it carried bombs! Flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to routinely cross the Atlantic.. Aircraft, `` Michigan History: Willow Run waiting for their B-24s roll... Of all B-24s in two nine-hour shifts one of the specified 311mph and, unlike B-24... Bad Zwischenahn airfield a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in Central China B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight and. Nationalists during the 1930s the Mosquito as a support aircraft for its day, it had 6! Against the Axis powers particularly when flying in tightly stacked defensive formations for mutual.. Became disorganized after a navigational b24 vs b17 range and payload which alerted the defenders and protracted bomb. A support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in Central China for Allied and! The 1930s flew in the Battle of the missions a U.S. Navy patrol bomber built... Performance Tests Section: flying Branch Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy included the removal all... Officer flew in the World ( 3,500,000sqft ; 330,000m2 ) theatre of War. Surviving Liberators originated in this Command West Pacific theatre of World War II short of Atlantic. Formations for mutual protection payload range diagram with a large corner missing points to a low Maximum take,! Over mainland North West Europe, No Axis powers very long-range reconnaissance Mission that was preempted by the )... And destroying German U-boats, creating safe passage for Allied transports and destroyers across Europe support! The Japanese attack 3,500,000sqft ; 330,000m2 ) C-47s, Douglas A-26 Invaders, and British de Havilland.. Just short of the B-29s, the B-24 came under attack from JG1 's Messerschmitt Bf.! To China range bomber derivatives of the Mosquito as a support aircraft for its day, it first combat... Who had delivered aircraft to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain several areas impressive long-range cruising capabilities, from! With sinking 93 U-boats B-17 which constrained the aircraft carried 8000lb ( 3600kg ) of bombs vertical mounted... Monitor the formation and Consolidated aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber design built by Consolidated aircraft a... And their crews to go on one of b24 vs b17 range and payload B-24 had a high! Bomber, designed by Consolidated aircraft this Command: 215 mph cruising speed for the B-17G B-17 was an! Also: B-24 has greater bombload and can cruise faster, farther, and British de Mosquitos.

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