B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft, and was used by most of the Allied air forces in World War II. Designed as a heavy bomber, it served with distinction not only in that role, but also as a maritime patrol bomber (known as the PB4Y in U.S. Navy service) and as a heavy transport (where it was designated C-87 or C-109).

Primary roles

Maritime Patrol

The Liberator made a massive contribution to the Battle of the Atlantic. The decision to allocate early-built Liberators without full defensive armament or self-sealing tanks to Coastal Command produced results immediately. The Very Long Range (VLR) Liberator closed the vital Atlantic Gap and was the only aircraft with the range to do so. The VLR sacrificed some armour and often turrets for weight while adding extra fuel in bomb bay tanks. Radar and the Leigh light gave them the ability to hunt U-boats by day and night. They were operated from both sides of the Atlantic with the RCAF to the West and the RAF from the UK and Iceland. However they remained vulnerable to attack, especially when U-boats adopted the policy of staying the surface to fight. Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot Lloyd Allan Trigg was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross following such a duel, which resulted in the loss of his Liberator with all on board and U-468 with all bar 7 of it's crew. Later models were more capable of surviving trips over occupied Europe or duels with Axis fighters but, because of the extra weight allocated to their defense, they had a shorter range. Nothing was done to improve or replace the patrol aircraft until quite late in the war when the U-boat threat was waning. For twelve months, No. 120 Squadron RAF of Coastal Command, with its handful of much patched and modified early model Liberators, supplied the only air cover for convoys in the Atlantic Gap, even while shipments of B-24s to bomber, transport, and ordinary long-range maritime squadrons doubled and redoubled. The sudden and decisive turning of the Battle of the Atlantic in the Allies favor in 1943 May was the result of many factors. However, it was no accident that it coincided with the long delayed arrival of more VLR Liberators for maritime patrol. Liberators were credited in full or part with 72 U-boat kills. In addition to very long range patrols, the B-24 was vital for patrols of a patrol radius less than 1,000 mile (1,609 km), in both the Atlantic and Pacific, where B-24s and PB4Y-1s took a heavy toll of Japanese shipping.

Related Topics:
Battle of the Atlantic - Coastal Command - Atlantic Gap - Leigh light - Iceland - Royal New Zealand Air Force - Lloyd Allan Trigg - Victoria Cross - Europe - Axis - U-boat - No. 120 Squadron RAF

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Daylight bombing

Transport

Early model Liberators were successful as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. They flew between Britain and Egypt with an extensive detour around Spain, across the Atlantic, and in the evacuation of Java. This success led to the development of dedicated transport models, known variously as the C-87 Liberator Express, RY-2 or Liberator Cargo VII. The U.S. only made about 300 transports (as compared with over 18,000 other types) but they were nevertheless the backbone of the Army Air Force?s heavy transport operation. The Army Air Force also converted 218 B-24Ds and B24-Es into C-109 tankers. These tankers were used in all theaters but they were particularly used to fly fuel from India over the Himalayas to supply B-29 bases in China. With all armour and military equipment removed to save weight, a C-109 could carry almost 2905 gal (11,000 L) of fuel?over 22,000 lb (10,000 kg). In addition, an unknown but large number of unmodified B-24s were pressed into transport duties on an ad hoc basis.

Related Topics:
Britain - Egypt - Spain - Java - India - Himalaya - B-29

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