The Freeper Foxhole Enjoys an Almost Lazy Sunday- A B-24 Liberator Walk Around

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[alfa6]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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A B-24 Liberator Walk About



A Color, mostly, look at a B-24

Design of the B-24 was started in 1939 when the U.S.Army Air Corps started a request for a new bomber with performance better than the B-17. Consolidated Aircraft was awarded a contract on March 30, 1939 for the Consolidated Model 32. On December 29, 1939 the B-24 prototype took flight.



The B-24 was designed around the high lift Davis wing, an airfoil that was 20% more efficent than the contemporary airfoils that were in use at the time. Also notable on the B-24 was the first use of the tri-cycle landing gear on a heavy bomber and the unique roll-up bomb bay doors. The oval shaped engine cowlings were necessitated by the placement of the turbosuperchargers.



Of the first 7 YB-40s 6 were sent to Great Britian under the designation LB-30A. The British found that they were not suitable for combat operations due to the lack of self sealing fuel tanks and turbosuperchargers. The 6 aircraft ended up be used as transports in the Trans-Atlantic Return ferry Service.



Like the earlier B-17 the B-24 was subjected to a number of modifications. Two of which stand out are the C-87 cargo version and the C-109 flying tanker version. Winston Churchill had a specially outfitted C-87 as his personal aircraft.



18,188 B-24s were produced by the end of WW-II and the B-24 soldiered on till 1953 with the United States Air Force. The B-24 was produced not only by Consolidated Aircraft but by Ford at the Willow Run plant, were 6,600 were built. Other producers of the B-24 were North American Aviation at the Dallas plant and Douglas had a plant in Tulsa Oklahoma as well.



Currently out of the over 18,000 B-24s produced there are only three flyable B-24s in existence. There are two B-24Js and an LB-30 that are still flyable. As an interesting side note the Indian Air Force flew the B-24 untill 1968 and this is the source of the two remaing flyable "J" models.



What follows will be a short walk around and a few interior views of a B-24.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[alfa6]

Everything I have read states that only the B-24 had a "designed" retractable ball turret.

Here ia a link to a page by a former ball turret gunner on B-24s that is rather interseting.

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Runway/9601/8th.html

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[texianyankee]

Thanks for the info. I just googled "12 O'Clock High" and it appears the movie used B-17's.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041996/trivia

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-I see your 24 and raise you a 29-o-Gram.

[alfa6]

2179 Nyota Uhura Nairobi Kenya, communications officer (Star Trek)

In best W.C. Fields voice..."Ah yeesss my boy"

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[investigateworld]

The Navy used a similar model with a single tail and two turret guns on top. Wonder why?

[alfa6]

Here is a rather interesting picture, probably the source of the confusion :-)

Probably a field modification of a "D" model B-24 in order to increase thge frontal gun power

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Professional Engineer]

I had the good fortune in my yoot to know a gentleman who had piloted both B-17's and B-24's over YerUp late in the war. IIRC he much prferred flying 17's.

[alfa6]

A pic of the PB4Y-2 Privateer for you. Note the ERCO nose turret and lack of top turrets so I am assuming that this is a restored ex-fire attack aircraft.

The Navy used the B-24 in two versions the PB4Y-1 which was a regular twin tailed B-24 and the -2 version. ABout 850 -2 models were made mostly at the end of WW-II. The single tail version of the B-24 was slightly more efficent than the twin tail version but not enough to go thru the trouble of changing the production lines in the middle of the war.

Almost forgot, the reason for the two top turrets was the Privateers were used in a lot of low level attacks on shipping. If enemy fighters appeared the PB4Y would drop down to the surface of the ocean or land. This tactic put the attacking fighters at a disadvantage and would of course negate the need for ventral protection.

Ah what the heck, I went and found a PB4Y-2 pic from 1949 showing the top two turrets and this one has Emerson nose and tail turrets, I think. A small number of PB4Ys are still in service, I think, as Fire Bombers. Hawkins & Powers in Wyoming operated about half a dozen Privateers as recently as 2002.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Professional Engineer]

1964 "Gilligan's Island" begins its 98-show run on CBS

[Professional Engineer]

Hi miss Feather

[Soaring Feather]

Morning, PE.

How's Bittygirl today??
what's Spiderboy doing, he is growning up so fast.

[Professional Engineer]

We went family reunioning yesterday. Bittygirl got to meet a half dozen cousins under 2. It's a big family Msdrby has. Spiderboy got his semi-annual cousin fix.

[Soaring Feather]

Ah, I just bet the kids charmed the cousins. :)

[Valin]

two turret guns on top. Wonder why?

Probably because they were flying singly on recon/intel grathering and needed to extra firepower.

[Valin]

The eternal question Ginger, or Mary Ann?

And for the ladies Mr. Howell, or the Professor?

[Professional Engineer]

Well, that's a picture of Maryann which isn't showing. ;-(

[investigateworld]

Thanks for the info. I had an uncle who was Nav/Bom on a Catalina. Sadly I never had the chance to talk with him about his war experiences.

[Valin]

I had an uncle who was Nav/Bom on a Catalina.

Sounds like another subject for a thread.

[SAMWolf]

Great pics! Thanks Alpha6.

Not as "classy" as the B-17 but still a good plane.