Enhanced Nose Art - Courtesy: Wallace Forman, St. Paul, MN |
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Specifications:
Wing span 110' Area 1,048 sq. ft. Length 63 to 67' (B-24 Models ranged from B-24A to B-24M). Ht. B-24A & D, 18' 8", H through J 17' 11". Max. gross Wt. 53,600 to 65,000 lbs dependent on model. Power 4 Pratt & Whitney, B-24A, R-1830-33 Twin Wasp 1,200 hp. B-24 D - R-1830-43. B-24 H/J models, R-1830-65 Max. speed A 292, D 303 H/J 290. Cruise A 228, D 200 H/J 215. Range 2,100 at gross Wt. Extended with bomb bay fuel tanks of 400 gal ea. Service ceiling 25,000' - 28,000'. Fuel consumption: 50 gal per engine per hr. Armament Ten .50 cal mg, Twin turret guns, tail & top and two flexible waist, models D & E one belly & two nose guns. Model G and later had nose & ball turrets. Each gun could fire 585 rounds per minute. Crew 10 normally. Designed to carry a larger bomb load and with greater range than the earlier B-17 HB, the B-24 Heavy Bomber was designed in 1939 and came off the drawing board the same year. The design was for a 4 ton bomb load and 2,200 mile plus range.
First in combat of this design was Britain's Lend Lease LB-30s used by the RAF and Coastal Command for anti sub patrol.
This Consolidated designed aircraft was
built at 4 different aircraft factories:.
- Consolidated - San Diego, CA.
- Douglas - Tulsa, OK.
- Ford - Willow Run MI.
- North American - Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX.
The first US deployment was in the
middle east in 1942. These were the Halverson Detachment B-24Ds. These
were used for the, Ploesti Romania oil field, attack from a Suez Canal
base in July of 1942. These and E models were also used by groups from
the 9th AF joined by 8th AF a/c detached from England to carry out the
low level attack on Ploesti August 1st 1943 from Bengazi Libya, a distance
of more than 3,400 miles and 14 hours flying time.
B-24s were flown in every theater of war during WWII and by all allied forces. Missions varied: Strategic bombing, tactical bombing, anti-submarine, surveillance, ground support, all types of supply missions including fuel, spy drops etc.
A cargo version designated as C-87 were specifically for supply or personnel carriers, dependent on interior appointment. There was even a C-109 version to haul fuel to proposed B-29 sites in China.
In the Pacific theater, until the B-29 arrived in 1945, only the B-24 had the range necessary for round trips to enemy territory over far reaches of water.
More B-24s were built than any other aircraft, (19,000 plus). Only 11 remain fairly intact at this date. Eight are static displays and three are flyable:
Static displays:PIMA, Tucson AZ. 8th AFM-Barksdale AFB,LA. Castle AFB - CA., USAFM Dayton OH., Lakeland AFB TX. Royal Canadian AFM - Rockcliff (Toronto) Canada, RAF Aerospace Museum, Cosford England Indian AF Museum, New Delhi India.
Flying or flyable:
"All American" Collings Foundation of Stow MA. CAF "Diamond LIL" Midland TX.(Was LB-30 Modified to C-87) Kermit Weeks' Flight of Fantasy at Miami FL has purchased a/c which was originally "Delectable Doris" then "Joe".