b24 vs b17 range and payloadb24 vs b17 range and payload

The C-87 was not always popular with the aircrews assigned to fly it. 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 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. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-468/ch5-3.htm, NASA. The navigator and bombardier who could also double as a nose or wiggly ear gunners (guns mounted in the sides of the aircraft nose) sat in the nose, fronted on the pre-B-24H models with a well-framed "greenhouse" nose with some two dozen glazed panels and with two flexible ball-mounts built into it for forward defensive firepower using .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919 machine guns. Rendered obsolete by the larger and more powerful B-29 Superfortress, the B-17 served on after the war in small numbers as a search-and-rescue aircraft modified to drop life rafts by parachute. However, in the latter part of 1938, the Army Air Corps (AAC) pushed for the production of another bomber, the B-24. B-17 data. [9] The wing was also more susceptible to damage than the B-17's wing, making the aircraft less able to absorb battle damage. Consolidated B-24 Liberator Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Speed (kph) 467 462 RANGE 2,001 miles (3,220 km) [Diff.0 miles] RANGE 2,001 miles (3,220 km) [Diff.0 miles] Consolidated B-24 Liberator Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Range (km) 3,220 3,220 CEILING 28,002 ft (8,535 m) [Diff.-7,595 feet] CEILING 35,597 ft (10,850 m) [Diff.+7,595 feet] The RAAF Liberators saw service in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. Engines: Four Wright "Cyclone" R-1820s of 1,200 hp. In the China Burma India Theater (CBI), the C-87 was used to airlift cargo and fuel over the Hump (the Himalayas) from India to China. The later B-24L and B-24M were lighter-weight versions and differed mainly in defensive armament. 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. 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. After initial testing, the XB-24 was found to be deficient in several areas. Later modifications gave it a single tail and yet another type of engine packages bring it to near C-87C configuration. And then, suddenly, the whole wing broke off. MEMORANDUM REPORT ON Boeing B-17E Airplane, A.C. No. B-17, also called Flying Fortress, U.S. heavy bomber used during World War II. In the hands of a skilled bombardier, the Norden was a remarkably accurate sight. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s had been constructed making it the . 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." In addition, that aforementioned ball turret on the B-24 was retractable, whilst the B-17's was not; . Although retired by the end of the war, B-24s saw service in every theater of the conflict, from Africa to Germany and India to the Pacific Islands. 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 XB-24 was then re-designated XB-24Bthese changes became standard on all B-24s built starting with the B-24C model. Several storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to carry 2,900gal (11,000L) of fuel weighing over 22,000 pounds (10,000kg). All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. They also bombed German oil refineries and attacked critical targets in Italy, changing the tide of the Allies Mediterranean campaign. By mid 1943 this was being pushed to 60,000lbs and eventually on to 64,000lbs. ", "B-24D-53-CO "Shady Lady" Serial Number 42-40369", US Army Air Forces in World War II: Vol. machine guns with normal bomb load of 6,000 lbs. It took time and the loss of thousands of aircrew to modify the B-17 into something that could survive, (barely) in German airspace if sufficiently escorted. [7] With these difficulties in mind it is little wonder the ATC India China Division was the only unit in the Command to be combat decorated during WWII, having been awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. B-24 bombers were also extensively used in the Pacific area after the end of World War II to transport cargo and supplies during the rebuilding of Japan, China, and the Philippines. In his autobiography, Fate is the Hunter, the writer Ernest K. Gann reported that, while flying air cargo in India, he barely avoided crashing an improperly loaded C-87 into the Taj Mahal. A heavily loaded B-24 was difficult to fly at speeds of less than 160mph (260 km/h). Each of the B-24 factories was identified with a production code suffix: Consolidated/San Diego, CO; Consolidated/Fort Worth, CF; Ford/Willow Run, FO; North American, NT; and Douglas/Tulsa, DT. 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. Initially, these aircraft were to be given USAAC serials 39681 to 39-687. 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. [49] Up into December 1944, Ford had also produced an additional 7242 KD or 'Knock Down' Kits that would be trucked to and assembled by Consolidated in Ft. Worth and Douglas Aircraft in Tulsa. The single fin was tested by Ford on a single B-24ST variant and an experimental XB-24K: it was found to improve handling. No other American combat aircraft in history was produced on a larger scale. "[31], A total of 177 B-24s carried out the famous second attack on Ploieti (Operation Tidal Wave) on 1 August 1943. 2023 Lockheed Martin Corporation. After the transfer of the B-29s, the C-109s were reassigned to the Air Transport Command. [20] Hendrix preferred the B-24 to the B-17. Seven flying squadrons, an operational training unit, and two special duties flights were equipped with the aircraft by the end of World War II in August 1945. Because of their special skills, they were called upon to fly fuel to General George Patton's army during the summer and early autumn of 1944 when it outran its fuel supply. Both BOAC and the RAF used converted Liberator IIs as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. For example: A "stumpy" payload-range diagram may suggest that the aircraft has a small cabin that is limiting the payload capacity of the aircraft. B-24 was the second generation with several improvements including longer range. It saw use in every theater of operations. [citation needed], In all, 18,482 B-24s were built by September 1945. The aircraft used in the first allocation were B-24Ds retired by the 44th, 93rd and 389th Groups. Eighty minutes into their flight, German fighters swooped in, taking their toll on the B-24 squadrons. 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. The VLR Liberators sacrificed some armor and often gun turrets to save weight, while carrying extra aviation gasoline in their bomb-bay tanks. The B-24H was 10 inches (25cm) longer, had a powered gun turret in the upper nose to reduce vulnerability to head-on attack, and was fitted with an improved bomb sight (behind a simpler, three-panel glazed lower nose), autopilot, and fuel transfer system. 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. Fuel leaks inside the crew compartment from the hastily modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence. Aircraft had the ability to undertake surprise air attacks against surfaced submarines. The design was simple in concept but, nevertheless, advanced for its time. 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. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. 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. The bomber had disintegrated. 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). 'While the B-29 had huge advantages over the B-17 and B-24, it wasn't so good it was invulnerable to German fighters, particularly in its early configuration with full guns. 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. The B-24 was rapidly phased out of U.S. service, although the PB4Y-2 Privateer maritime patrol derivative carried on in service with the U.S. Navy in the Korean War. The C-87 flew in many theaters of war, including much hazardous duty in flights from Labrador to Greenland and Iceland in the North Atlantic. Compared to the B-17, it had a 6 feet (1.8 m) larger wingspan but a lower wing area. Mission. 37 to Bremen, Germany. Long-range anti-submarine Liberators played an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. Deep raids were called off in mid-October 1943 and were not resumed until February 1944, when long-range escort fighters such as the P-51 Mustang became available. These type of doors created a minimum of aerodynamic drag to keep speed high over the target area; they also allowed the bomb bays to be opened while on the ground since the low ground clearance prevented the use of normal bomb bay doors. Omissions? An American B-24 Liberator in flight. 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. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft.. pp. Thus the first six YB-24 were released for direct purchase under CAC contract # F-677 on 9 November 1940. Considered one of the best examples of precision bombing of the war, the raid on Gotha devastated German aircraft production and established the B-24 as one of the Allies most trusted bombers. Author of. Failing to do this meant that the B-24 flew slightly nose high, and it used more fuel. 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). It carried a larger bomb load than the B-17, and. ", "Michigan History: Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy. # 3 ( permalink) [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). 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 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). 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. At its peak in 1944, the Willow Run plant produced one B-24 per hour and 650 B-24s per month. [37] Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China. [44] Production took place at 5 plants. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Early versions were fitted with a single .50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning machine gun in their tails, and a XC-87B version proposed two .50 caliber (12.7mm) fixed machine guns for the nose, operable by the pilot, though these were eventually removed. The Norden consisted of a gyroscopically stabilized telescopic sight coupled to an electromechanical computer into which the bombardier fed inputs for altitude, atmospheric conditions, air speed, ground speed, and drift. `` B-24D-53-CO `` Shady Lady '' Serial Number 42-40369 '', US Army Air Forces in War. B-24C model Mid-Atlantic gap in the first Liberators in British service were ex-USAAF YB-24s to! Engines: Four Wright & quot ; R-1820s of 1,200 hp storage tanks were added allowing... Aviation gasoline in their bomb-bay tanks retired by the end of the conflict, over 18,500 B-24s been... The C-109s were lost in Flying the Hump airlift to China Boeing B-17E Airplane, A.C. No ] Production place. 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