World War Two and the B-24 Liberator Bomber: The Emergence of a Legendary Aircraft

 The B-24 Bomber 1
World War Two and the B-24 Liberator Bomber:
The Emergence of a Legendary Aircraft
The B-24 Bomber 2
Several aircraft from the World War Two era have achieved iconic status. The F4U
Corsair, TBM Avenger and the B-17 and B-29 Super fortresses are all legendary in their
service for the Allied cause. There is another such aircraft that never achieved the fame of
those mentioned but was critical to the Allies war effort none the less.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was the work horse of the Allied fleet. Its
entrance into the war came at a critical and vulnerable time for Allied survival in Europe.
After proving its effectiveness in early missions the B-24 would go on to be used in all
theatres of the conflict. It was the most numerous, most versatile and possibly the most
effective Allied plane of World War Two.
The Design Stage
The B-24 bomber was designed as part of the strategic bombing plans drawn up
by the Allies in the 1930s. Built by Consolidated Aircraft of Ypsilanti, Michigan, the
bomber took its first flight in late December of 1939. Consolidated was a subsidiary of
the Ford Motor Company, an icon of American business. The Ford factory was able to
produce more than four hundred B-24s per month. By 1941 the plane would enter
wartime service.
High demand in 1942-43 prompted Consolidated to expand its production
facilities. The San Diego plant was increased to three times its original size. A new plant
was built in Fort Worth, Texas. The flagship plant was built in Willow Run, Michigan in
1942. At the time this plant was the largest industrial plant of any kind in the United
States. In the process thousands of Americans were put to work.
The vastness of the Willow Run Plant made for some interesting
accommodations. At a certain point in the assembly line the planes would be
The B-24 Bomber 3
mechanically turned at a right angle. The purpose was to avoid having the planes crossing
into a neighboring county where taxes were higher.
Consolidated had received the contract to produce the B-17 bomber only one year
earlier in 1938. After examining the capabilities of the B-17, the Army requested a faster
and higher flying plane. The updated plans would result in the building of the B-24
Liberator. Unmodified, the stock version of the B-24 Liberator had these characteristics:
Wingspan 110 ft.
Length 67 ft.
Height 18 ft.
Weight (empty) 36,500 lbs.
 (full) 71,200 lbs.
Speed 290 mph
Ceiling 28,000 ft.
Range 2,100 mi.
Engines 4 Pratt and Whitney 1,200 hp
 1
Designed as a strategic heavy bomber the airplane was affectionately referred to
as the “Lumbering Lib” by the RAF pilots who used it to patrol the Atlantic. 2 “Liberator”
would then be incorporated officially as part of the aircraft’s name.
The plane almost immediately went into heavy production. A mainstay of the Army and
Navy air forces, it was also used by the RAF (Royal Air Force) and the RCAF (Royal
Canadian Air Force). The plane cost about $300,000 to build. By wars end over 19,000
B-24s had been built 3. This exceeds the total of any other Allied aircraft.
1. Philip Makanna. 1995. Ghosts in the Skies: Aviation of the Second World War. (San
 Francisco: Chronicle Books), 156.
2. Philip Makanna. 1995. Ghosts in the Skies: Aviation of the Second World War. (San
 Francisco: Chronicle Books), 157.
3. Bill Gunston. 2000. History of Military Aviation. (London: Hamlyn Pub.), 93.
The B-24 Bomber 4
Bomber design was still in its infancy and the B-24 did have some problems. It
was prone to fire due to the placement of its fuel tanks. The only way to enter or exit the
plane was through the bomb bay, a difficult proposition in a crisis situation. It was also
somewhat cumbersome to fly. The plane’s designers had to make these tradeoffs in order
to maximize the performance and the long range capability of the aircraft. The plane was
also somewhat vulnerable to enemy fire, given its relatively lightweight construction. The
high altitude capability of the plane helped minimize this threat.
There were a substantial number of orders for the plane even while it was still
only a prototype. In addition to the three dozen ordered by the Army, the French and
British had each ordered more than three times that number. The French order was cut
short by the German invasion in 1940. The British received their order and immediately
put the planes to use on critical missions.
Introduction to the War
Ultimately, the B-24 would serve a wide ranging role in all corners of the conflict.
It would be used to “equip 45 groups all over the world” 4. The initial role for the B-24
was to conduct deep ocean patrols. The British were in dire need of a long range patrol
aircraft,
Prior to the arrival of B-24s in the Atlantic, German U-boats were wreaking havoc
on Allied shipping. British reconnaissance activities had a limited range. The arrival of
the B-24 allowed the Royal Air Force to patrol much fart