Article 6154 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Bomber Series--Consolidated B-24 Liberator (20 of ??)
Message-ID: <CzAEnM.2uJ@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: B-24L
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Date: Tue, 15 Nov 1994 02:23:46 GMT
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During mid-1944, the Army determined that Convair/San Diego and 
Ford/Willow Run would be capable of meeting all future requirements 
for Liberator production, and ordered that production of the Liberator 
at Convair/Fort Worth, Douglas/Tulsa and North American/Dallas be 
terminated.  Production of the Liberator ended at Douglas in July of 
1944, but Convair/Fort Worth and North American/Dallas continued B-24J 
production until the end of 1944, mainly filling Lend-Lease contracts 
for Britain.  

The B-24L was the first product of the new, downsized Liberator 
Production Pool.  It was an attempt to reverse the trend toward 
ever-increasing weight of the Liberator as more and more armament, 
equipment, and armor had been added, with no corresponding increase in 
engine power.  

The overweight problem had gotten so bad with the B-24J that field 
commanders in the Pacific had ordered that the Sperry ball turret be 
removed and replaced by a pair of hand-held 0.50-inch machine guns 
firing through a floor hatch.  The increased availability of 
long-range escort fighters in late 1944 in the northern European 
theater made this option possible there as well.  The B-24L made the 
deletion of the ventral ball turret standard.  This turret was 
replaced by a manually-operated twin 0.50-inch machine gun 
installation fitted to a ring mount and firing through a ventral hatch 
behind the bomb bay.  

The B-24L also introduced the new Convair M-6 "Stinger" tail turret, 
which was originally designed by the Consolidated Vultee Modification 
Center at Tucson, Arizona.  It had a distinctive blown glazing which 
had no framing.  The M-6 turret was manually operated and offered a 
savings of 200 pounds in weight over the Consolidated A-6B turret.  In 
addition, it had a wider field of fire.  

The Emerson A-15 cylindrical-geometry nose turret was installed, and 
the Martin A-3D "high-hat" turret was standard equipment.  The B-24L 
used the larger rectangular-shaped navigator windows that had been 
introduced at the end of the B-24J production block.  With the B-24L, 
the the K5 gun mounts and enclosed waist gun positions finally became 
standard equipment on Convair/San Diego-built Liberators.  

The weight reduction program resulted in the loss of over 1000 pounds 
of weight, which resulted in improved performance and better handling.  

Larger bombardier scanning windows were introduced at Block 5, as well 
as an aileron tab on the port wing.  Wingtip static dischargers were 
added at Block 15.  

The first Convair/San Diego-built B-24L was delivered to the USAAF on 
July 1944, with the first Ford-built B-24L being delivered one month 
later.  A total of 417 B-24Ls were built by Convair/San Diego, with 
1250 being built by Ford/Willow Run.  

On July 10, 1944, the USAAF ordered that Convair/San Diego and 
Ford/Willow Run deliver B-24Ls without tail turrets fitted.  This 
allowed the aircraft be fitted at one of the Army's modification 
centers with tail armament appropriate for the theatre in which they 
were to be serving.  At first, the planes delivered without tail 
armament by Convair/San Diego continued to be designated B-24L, 
whereas those built by Ford/Willow Run were designated B-24M.  
However, these designations were only used for a short time, with the 
Army later redesignating the 115 Ford/Willow Run-built B-24Ms to 
B-24Ls.  Some of the "theatre" tail armament fitted to the B-24L 
included 41 planes fitted with the M-6A "Stinger" tail turret, 190 
planes fitted with Consolidated A-6B tail turrets, and 186 planes 
fitted with a hand-held twin 0.50-inch machine gun in an open tail 
position.  

In order to meet requirements for the training of B-29 crews, several 
B-24Ls were converted with square-cut nose windows and were equipped 
with chin, ventral, dorsal, and tail turrets.  These planes were later 
redesignated TB-24L.  This designation was also applied to B-24Ls 
converted into trainers for radar operators.  

Numerous B-24Ls were converted into C-109 tankers for use in carrying 
aviation gasoline across the Hump in support of B-29 operations in 
China.  At one time, it was proposed to acquire as many as 2000 C-109 
tankers, but the B-29 operations were transferred from China to the 
Marianas where they could better be supported by seaborne tankers, and 
this plan was scaled way back.  

Numerous B-24Ls were supplied under Lend-Lease to Britain as Liberator 
VI and VIII.  

Two B-24Ls are known to survive.  An ex-Indian Air Force B-24L (USAAF 
serial 44-51054, IAF serial number HE773) is on display at the 
National Aeronautical Collection in Trenton, Ontario in Canada.  An 
ex-RAF B-24L (KN751) is on display at RAF Cosford near Wolverhampton 
in England.  

B-24L serials:

44-41390/41448		Consolidated B-24L-1-CO Liberator
44-41449/41548		Consolidated B-24L-5-CO Liberator
44-41549/41648		Consolidated B-24L-10-CO Liberator
44-41649/41748		Consolidated B-24L-15-CO Liberator
44-41749/41806		Consolidated B-24L-20-CO Liberator
44-49002/49251		Ford B-24L-1-FO Liberator
44-49252/49501		Ford B-24L-5-FO Liberator
44-49502/49751		Ford B-24L-10-FO Liberator
44-49752/50001		Ford B-24L-15-FO Liberator
44-50002/50251		Ford B-24L-20-FO Liberator

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.

    Consolidated B-24D-M Liberator IN USAAF-RAF-RAAF-MLD-IAF-CzechAF
    and CNAF Service, Ernest R. McDowell, Arco, 1970. 

    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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