Article 4981 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Bomber Series--Consolidated B-24 Liberator (12 of ??)
Message-ID: <CyKHqK.Dtz@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: XB-41 gunship
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Date: Tue, 1 Nov 1994 02:32:44 GMT
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The one-off XB-41 was a long-range escort version of the B-24D 
Liberator.  It was designed to fill a similar requirement as was the 
Boeing YB-40, namely, to provide escort for bombers penetrating German 
airspace.  

The sole XB-41 was obtained by converting a Consolidated/San 
Diego-built B-24D-CO (serial number 41-11822).  The conversion was 
carried out by Consolidated/Fort Worth and was delivered to Elgin 
Field, Florida on January 29, 1943.  Additional guns were provided 
which brought the total armament to fourteen 0.50-inch machine guns.  
A second Martin A-3 power turret was added to the dorsal spine just 
behind the wing trailing edge.  A Bendix remotely-controlled turret 
was added in a chin position underneath the nose, and the nose glazing 
was modified to give the operator of the Bendix turret a clear field 
of view.  The cheek guns characteristic of the later B-24D were not 
fitted.  A pair of power-boosted 0.50-inch machine guns were added at 
each waist position, replacing the single flexible mounts originally 
fitted.  The original Martin A-3 power turret behind the cockpit was 
modified so that it could be raised during flight to increase its 
field of fire, then lowered to decrease aerodynamic drag when not in 
use.  A total of 12,420 rounds of ammunition was carried, including 
4000 reserve rounds carried in a box installed in the forward bomb 
bay.  The additional weight of armor, guns and ammunition brought the 
gross weight up to 63,000 pounds, 6000 pounds heavier than a standard 
B-24D.  

Tests were carried out at Elgin during the early winter of 1943.  
These tests indicated that the center of gravity was improperly 
located, which made the aircraft quite unstable in flight.  In 
addition, the climbing rate and service ceiling were rather poor 
because of the additional weight.  The port waist gun position had 
originally been covered by a plexiglas bubble, but this was found to 
cause severe optical distortion and was removed.  Consequently, 
because of these problems, on March 21, 1943, the Army declared the 
XB-41 as being operationally unsuitable, and plans for thirteen YB-41 
Liberator conversions were cancelled.  

Undaunted, Consolidated continued to work on the XB-41 prototype, and 
equipped the aircraft with wide-blade propellers and subjected the 
plane to a weight-reduction program in which some of the armor was 
removed.  On July 28, 1943, the XB-41 was returned to Elgin for more 
tests.  Tests showed that the stability problem had been cured, but 
the aircraft was still plagued with poor maneuverability.  In the 
meantime, the Boeing YB-40 had entered combat in Europe, and the 
initial results had demonstrated that the basic escort gunship concept 
was fundamentally flawed.  The heavily-laden YB-40 escorts could not 
keep up with the bomber formations once they had dropped their bombs.  
As a result of the negative experience with the YB-40, further work on 
the XB-41 was abandoned.  The sole XB-41 was later redesignated TB-24D 
and was used as an instructional airframe for training Liberator 
mechanics.  

Sources:

    Famous Bombers of the Second World War, William Green, 
    Doubleday, 1959.

    Liberator: America's Global Bomber, Alwyn T. Lloyd,
    Pictorial Histories Publishing Co, Inc, 1993.

    B-24 Liberator in Action, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications
    Inc, 1987.

    General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecesssors, John Wegg,
    Naval Institute Press, 1990.

    United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough
    and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

    American Combat Planes, 3rd Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner,
    Doubleday, 1982.

    Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th Century,  Michael
    J.H. Taylor, Mallard Press.

Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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