When the turret drops down, the liberator looks more like a scifi spacecraft than something to be seen in a historical documentary. The design was mainly deployed on the b17 flying fortress and the b24 liberator, as well as the united states navys liberator, the pb4y1. B24 liberator control line scale model of the consolidated liberator, 4engined wwii heavy bomber. The consolidated b24 liberator was designed by consolidated aircraft of san diego, california. Reserved for the b24e, but there is no record of the raf actually receiving anyliberator b mk v. Flown in all theaters and entering the fray before america did through lendlease with great britain, liberators flew faster, higher and farther than the older b17, thanks to greater fuel capacity and an innovative lowdrag wing design. The b24 liberator was a powerful symbol of us industrial might, with more than.
Consolidated b24 liberator heavy bomber world war photos. The consolidated b24 liberator is an american heavy bomber, designed by consolidated aircraft of san diego, california. Ww2 museum memorabilia cpl doyle summer b24 liberator ball gunner. Gunners national museum of the united states air force display. Flightline b24 liberator olive drab 2000mm 78 wingspan pnp flw401p the famed b24 liberator is one of the most recognizable wwii aircraft of all time.
B24j liberator of the 854th bomb squadron after being hit by lightflak during lowlevel supply drop for the 82nd and 101st airborne near eindhoven, holland and driven into the ground, sep 18 1944. In the aleutian campaign against the imperial japanese forces from 1942 to 1943the only battles fought in north america during the warit was a superb weapon. Aerial photo b24 liberator shot down over germany 1944. Consolidated b24j liberator the collings foundation. B24 liberators on their way to austria, april 1944. The b24 liberator was a powerful symbol of us industrial might, with more than 18,000 produced by the wars end. B24 liberator bomber tail turret gunner, kenneth r. B24 liberator wwii cap black at amazon mens clothing store. Nearly half of the b24 production was performed by ford. I had a vision in my head about putting a camera on the end of the 50 cal gun facing the ball turret so you could see the aircraft rotating in the background. Each gun carried 600 rounds of ammunition into combat and could fire at the rate of. With production totaling 18,482 units, the b24 liberator was the most numerous u. Ironically, the b24 had an overall greater military capability than the b17 and the b24 was produced in far greater numbers when consolidated aircraft won the contract to produce the b24 for the united states army air corps, they had less than a year to deliver.
In order to help preserve this history and honor the veterans who participated in the war, b24 serial number 4444052 has been restored to mint condition under the auspices of the collings foundation of stow, ma. B24, also called liberator, longrange heavy bomber used during world war ii by the u. Consolidated b24 liberator the national wwii museum. My own memory involving about 65 years of b24s is the smell of hydraulic fluid and of 100 octane fuel. A b24 could reach 290 miles per hour and carry a 5,000pound bomb load for 1,700 miles, giving it a longer range, greater speed, and a bigger payload than its b17 cousin. The wet wing used by the b24d was deleted in favor of selfsealing fuel tanks, eliminating the b24s tendency to catch fire. The consolidated b24 liberator was an american fourengine heavy bomber used by the united states army air forces usaaf and other allied air forces during world war ii. Us army air forces gunners defended b17 flying fortress and b24. The b24 liberator consolidated b24 liberator is an american heavy bomber featured in call of duty 2. Often compared with the betterknown b17 flying fortress, the b24 was a more. Later d models were fitted with the retractable sperry ball turret. Hard to imagine the army being okay with it being that slow. Operating ball turret in the collings b24j at bomber camp. The cannons on the b29 bomber were a midcentury engineering.
B24 liberator plans download hobby helpers pdfbitmap. With the american entry into world war ii, production of the b24 increased. To learn to shoot from a bomber, world war ii airmen went to the movies. The consolidated xb24 model 32 was designed in 1938 as a performance improvement of the boeing b17 flying fortress. The b24h saw the replacement of the glazed green house nose with a nose turret, which. This reel contains footage of b24 liberator bomber crews engaging in combat with japanese zero fighter planes.
Take a gopro, put it on the end of a b24 liberator s. Some b24s had a ring gun instead of the ball turret. Aerial view of 450th bomb group b24 bombers over burning target. Among the slurs cast at the hardworking, but unglamorous b24 was the label crate the crate, the b17 came in. B24 liberator bomber model numbers, production numbers. It was known within the company as the model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name lb30 lb for land bomber. This mission cost one of their units, the 464th bomb group, five crews.
Unusual aircraft from the movietone collection, 19211934 duration. It was known within the company as the model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various lb30s, in the land bomber design category. In the level the player is bombing over the coast of north africa, at first fending off aircraft such as the messerschmitt bf109, focke wulf 190 and even a. The electrics werent hooked up to it, so once secured in the turret, we had to use the mechanical cranks to move it. The atka b24d liberator bomber, located at its crash site in atka island, alaska, played a highly significant role in world war ii. A crewman poses with the sperry ball turret of a royal air force b24, burma. Consolidated b24 liberator fourengined strategic heavy. A heavy us liberator bomber takes a direct hit of german flak and breaks apart, germany 1943 this dramatic photo of the final moments of a b 24 liberator hit by flak on her bomb run. B24 lb30 liberator diamond lil walkaround duration. The b24 fought for our freedom in the skies of europe and the pacific through the use of strategic bombing during the second world war.
Download 56 b 24 liberator stock photos for free or amazingly low rates. Not that its the same mechanism but if you look at this video of a b 25 rear turret and how fast it could move, id figure the ball turret could go faster. The american innovation of the manned, ventrallymounted sperry ball turret on the b17 and b24 bombers was a virtually selfcontained defensive weapon. The ball turret was perhaps the coldest position on a given b24 with many a crewmember reporting frostbite through those frigid highaltitude.
This is a black cap and features a velcro back adjustment strap. Crashed b24m 4450468 of the 455th bg san giovanni, italy, 12 april 1945. The b24 liberator, as successful as it was in its missions, has always remained in the shadow of the older b17 flying fortress. By 1941, b24s were being shipped to great britain, where they were given the name liberator and adapted for a variety of purposes, including coastal patrol, protecting. B24 liberators of the 451st bomb group flying from castelluccio, italy foggia complex leaving condensation trails during a mission, 194445. Its first flight was on december 29, 1939, and it began service in 1941. The consolidated b24 liberator was an american heavy bomber that entered service in 1941. Serving in every theater of that global conflict, the b24 fought to bring its brave crews home through unimaginable danger. The b24s spacious, slabsided fuselage was built around a central bomb bay with two compartments that could accommodate up to 8,000 pounds of ordnance each. Taking turns in the ball turret of the collings foundations b24j. This is the epic story of a b24 liberator bomber aircraft called shady lady, that took off from darwin, australia, on friday, th august 1943, on what was at that time, the worlds.
Wwii era autopilot used in b24 liberator b25 mitchell and p61 black widow. It gained a distinguished war record with operations in the european, pacific, african and middle eastern theaters. The b24 bomber was designed by the consolidated aircraft company of san diego,ca, but were built by several companies across the country. Army air force usaaf requirement for a fourengined heavy bomber. Lendlease b24ds with american equipment and weaponsliberator b mk iv. Despite a badly dam aged right wing, this consolidated b24 liberator, maintained its place in formation on the bomb run over the target. B24 liberator from the 376th bombardment group, us 15th air force, during a bombing mission on a submarine in toulon docks, southern france. Air ministry second world war official collection ci1028. Charles fletcher, history geek way to interested in aircraft for his own good. Consolidated b24 liberator fourengined strategic heavy bomber.
He began his career in the b24 and graduated to a b17. Consolidated b24 liberator over salamaua, new guinea. Often compared with the betterknown b17 flying fortress, the b24 was a more modern. List of surviving consolidated b24 liberators wikipedia. In fact, i dare you to name me one film that features consolidateds b24 liberator. By the end of the conflict, over 18,500 b24s had been constructed making it the. Flying at an altitude of 22,700 feet and they made it back to. The plane possessed a maximum range of 3,300 kilometers, could go as fast as 488 kmph and could climb to a height of 312. Why was the b24 designed with a retractable ball turret. The consolidated b24 liberator was an american heavy bomber, built by consolidated aircraft. Consolidated b24 survivors is a list of flying and static display b24 liberators and includes brief history, markings, owners, locations, and aircraft condition or status. The consolidated b24 liberator was a 4engine, twintail heavy bomber designed by consolidated aircraft of san diego.
The result is something like this incredible footage that mixes a modern fisheye view with the wwii era bomber. The flying crew exiting the truck is identified as lt. B 24 liberator stock photos download 56 royalty free photos. On a b24 liberator the ball turret was hoisted into the fuselage for takeoff and landing. The b24 liberator was also produced by douglas aircraft company, north american aviation and ford motor company. In every world war ii movie i can think of, its always the boeing b17 flying fortress in the spotlight.
Savage skies by robert taylor ap fw190d b24 liberator 10. The 15th army air force, based in italy, sent hundreds of b24 liberators against the romanian oil fields at ploesti on june 6, 1944. Faster, capable of carrying heavier loads for longer distances than the legendary flying fortress, the b24 liberator is still referred to as the b17s bastard half brother. By the time the last complete b24m came off the willow run assembly line in july 1945, 18,482 liberators had. Production shifted to the b24h in late 1943, but there was a shortage of the electricallypowered emerson nose turret, and so a hydraulicallypowered sperry turret was used on. More than 18,400 of this type were built, making it the most produced american wartime aircraft. Ball turrets appeared in the nose and tail as well as the nose of the final series b24. My first experience in a ball turret was in combat.
Why no consolidated b24 liberators in world war ii movies. Consolidated b24 liberator specifications technical. Designed and built in the early 1940s, the supremely advanced b29. A ball turret was a sphericalshaped, altazimuth mount gun turret, fitted to some americanbuilt aircraft during world war ii. Since the b17 was a tail dagger, the retractable ball turret was not necessary. On december 29, 2014, the consolidated b24 liberator, one of the most famous bombers of world war ii, turned 75 years old. It was produced in greater numbers than any other american combat aircraft of world war ii and still holds the record as the most produced u. Consolidated b24 liberator the national wwii museum new. It was designed by the consolidated aircraft company later consolidatedvultee in response to a january 1939 u. Flightline b24 liberator olive drab 2000mm 78 wingspan. B24d liberator has a 48 12 wingspan series 2000 kits are some of the worlds finest scale balsa model kits and contain the best quality materials and instructions designed as a build n show display model. Often compared to the better known b17 flying fortress, the b24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range and twice. Take a gopro, put it on the end of a b24 liberators.
Anniversary of b24 liberator bomber first flight during world war ii. Bombardier, navigator, radio operator, flight engineer, ball turret gunner. This is a polyester cap with a quilted sweat band inside and is a one size fits most cap. An air force b24 liberator bomber on a mission in 1944. Corgi b24h b24 liberator bomber 172 diecast plane model aircraft. The ventral turret was used in tandem in the convair b32, successor to the b24. B24d modified for extra fuel capacity at the cost or armor, with the same armament fit as the liberator mk iiiliberator b mk vi. A fixed ball turret would have been crushed on takeoff and landing had it not been retracted. Big red one, the player takes the role of gunner on a liberator. Of the 19,256 b24, pb4y, lb30 and other model variants in the liberator family produced, thirteen complete examples survive today, two of which are airworthy. The xb24 incorporated a new wing design optimized for highlift and low drag, a tricycle landing gear the first on a u. List of surviving consolidated b24 liberators military. It was one of the worst days of the war for the 464th.