B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 10, 2007
With the introduction of the B-17 in 1938, the Army Air Corps wanted other aircraft builders to build the B-17 under license from Boeing. Consolidated Aircraft was one of those companies.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
After studying the B-17, Consolidated thought that that they could build a bomber with a higher speed, greater range, and greater payload.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
By the end of 1939, the prototype for the B-24 had been completed.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The USAAC was impressed with the prototype, and the new B-24 was produced concurrently with the B-17 for the duration of World War II. There were more B-24s produced than B-17s.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The debate over whether one bomber was better than the other has never been settled, as both the B-17 and the B-24 had their strengths and weaknesses, and various improvements were made to both during production.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
Specifications notwithstanding, in practice the two delivered similar performance.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The B-24 did feature a larger bomb bay than the B-17, as well as a retractable ball turret.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The B-24 was more expensive to produce than the B-17, and the B-24 lacked a hatch at the front of the plane, making it more difficult for the crew to bail out if the plane was shot down.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
There were many opinions about the two bombers; crews usually believed that whichever model they flew was the superior plane, but in general, American crews tended to prefer the B-17, while the British preferred the B-24. In the Pacific Theatre, B-24s greatly outnumbered B-17s.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The Collings Foundation's Liberator is a B-24J model, built in Fort Worth, Texas in August, 1944. It was transferred to the British Royal Air Force in October, 1944 and used in the Pacific Theatre. After the war, the plane was abandoned in India, and became one of 36 B-24s restored to service in 1948 by the Indian Air Force. It remained in service in India until 1968. Again it was abandoned until a British collector purchased it in 1981 and had it disassembled and shipped by plane to England. Dr. Robert Collings purchased it in 1984 and had it shipped to Stow, Massachusetts. Restoration began in 1985 and it once again returned to the sky on September 8, 1989.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
The B-24 is decorated for another Liberator called Witchcraft that served in the 8th Air Force, completing an amazing 130 missions over Europe. This is the third notable B-24 that this plane has been painted to honor. It was originally restored as All-American, a B-24 from the 15th Air Force that shot down a record 14 enemy fighters during a single mission over Germany. In 1998 it was repainted to honor The Dragon and his Tail, a B-24 that completed 85 missions in the Pacific Theatre. It was repainted to its current livery in 2004.
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
B-24J Liberator in Aurora, Oregon on June 9, 2007
B-24 Liberator Links
B-24 Liberator at Wikipedia
Brooke Anderson's photos of riding on Witchcraft in Seattle
WWW.B24.NET
B-24 Best Web
RAF Liberator Squadrons. This site features a detailed B-24J cutaway drawing.
Continue to B-24J Tail Gun…
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