Even so, the Liberator delivered 452,500 tons of bombs on the Third Reich and its occupied nations, or one-third of the theater total for American bombers.Ī B-24J cost the taxpayers $215,516 in 1944. Because the B-17 flew more sorties against Germany (291,500 for the Boeing versus 226,700 for the Consolidated), the Fortress accounted for more bombs dropped. ![]() Both bombers flew slightly more than sixty-two sorties per combat loss, and both delivered an average of about four thousand pounds of bombs per sortie. The B-24 finished the European war with statistics nearly identical to those of its Boeing rival and stablemate. Poor visibility and concern about harming friendly forces caused all their bombs to strike well inland. Of 446 Liberators launched to attack Omaha Beach on D-Day, 329 actually dropped their bomb loads, through a near-solid undercast. The Liberator’s high-aspect-ratio wing enabled greater speed but reduced altitude. By the fall of 1944 some Eighth Air Force B-24 groups had reequipped with B-17s because of the Boeing’s greater service ceiling. ![]() In mid-1943 the B-24G, H, and J models were built with powered turrets at the nose and tail, raising total armament to ten. Like the B-17, the Liberator was found vulnerable to head-on attacks by German fighters, so armament was increased. The type entered USAAF service in the summer of 1941. Initial deliveries went to Britain as long-range transports and maritime patrol planes. ![]() Powered by four Pratt and Whitney R1830 radial engines, the new bomber was clocked at 273 mph. The army ordered the XB-24 prototype in March 1939, calling for a 310 mph top speed the first flight occurred just before year’s end. At the time of Operation Overlord the Eighth Air Force had seventeen Liberator groups. In 1944 a typical B-17G cost $204,370.īig and slab-sided, the Liberator was derided by Fortress pilots as ‘‘the box the B-17 came in.’’ However, it was faster and longer ranged of many World War 2 planes, in addition to becoming the most-produced American aircraft of World War II: 18,190 Liberators were accepted between 1940 and August 1945. Stable and easy to fly for a multi-engine aircraft, the ‘‘Fort’’ had the best safety record of any USAAF bomber of the era. The Army Air Forces accepted 12,692 Fortresses from 1940 to 1945, built by Boeing, Douglas, and Vega. Top speed was 287 mph at twenty-five thousand feet. Bomb bay capacity also was increased over the original model, reaching a total of 9,600 pounds for shorter-range missions. 50 caliber guns for its ten-man crew: pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier, radioman, and five gunners including the flight engineer. With a remotely controlled two-gun turret under the nose, the G variant’s armament was increased to a dozen. ![]() Twenty-three B-17 groups were operational in England by June 1944.Ĭombat experience over Europe demonstrated a need for additional armament, leading to the B-17G. B-17s of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces delivered 45.8 percent of the USAAF bomb tonnage against Germany while sustaining 47.1 percent of the bomber losses-4,688 destroyed in combat. A flight of B-17Es was caught in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 G models remained operational on VJ-Day. Army Air Forces, the B-17 was a first-to-last warrior. Limited Royal Air Force use began in April 1941, but Bomber Command doctrine did not match the Fortress’s potential. Subsequently most British B-17s were flown by RAF Coastal Command.įor the U.S. However, with four Wright radial engines, a four-thousand-pound bomb load, and a powerful battery of machine guns, the Flying Fortress seemed to live up to its name. Developed during the mid- to late 1930s, the B-17 entered service in 1938, but production was limited by peacetime budgets. The Flying Fortress embodied the cherished American concept of precision daylight bombardment and was amongst the deadliest of World War 2 planes. Click here to see more articles in this category.
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