Article 6978 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Bomber Series--Consolidated B-24 Liberator (22 of ??)
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Summary: B-24M
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Date: Fri, 25 Nov 1994 02:28:46 GMT
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The B-24M was the last large-scale production version of the 
Liberator.  It standardized on a lightweight version of the the 
Consolidated A-6B tail turret which replaced the hand-held tail guns 
that had been fitted to the B-24L.  Apart from the new tail turret, 
the B-24M differed little from the earlier versions of the Liberator 
starting with the B-24G.  

The first B-24Ms were delivered in October of 1944.  Convair/San Diego 
built 916 B-24Ms and Ford/Willow Run built 1677.  From Block 20 
onward, the pilot's canopy was completely reworked, which greatly 
improved visibility from the flight deck.  

The end of the war in Europe brought a rapid end to Liberator 
production.  The Liberator contract was officially terminated in June 
of 1945.  The last B-24M rolled off the line at Convair/San Diego in 
that month, bringing Liberator production at that plant to an end.  
Ford had switched over to the single-tailed B-24N in May of 1945.  
with 124 Ford-built B-24Ms being cancelled before delivery.  By this 
time in the war, the B-29 was doing most of the long-range bombing 
work in the Pacific, and the Liberators being produced at this late 
date were not really needed.  Many of the B-24M Liberators were 
consigned to storage immediately after they were built.  Some brand 
new B-24Ms that were manufactured after the June contract termination 
date were flown directly from the factory door to the Kingman Scrap 
Center.  

After the war, B-24M-20-FO serial number 44-51228 was assigned to the 
Wright Aeronautical Development Center for ice research.  It was 
stripped of armament, and nose and tail gunner positions were faired 
over.  The words ICE RESEARCH were painted in big letters on the 
fuselage.  A variety of probes were tested to study the effects of 
icing and to explore methods for deicing.  This plane was later 
modified by the Aeronautical Research Laboratory to test the deicing 
capabilities of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wing, and it was 
redesignated EZB-24M.  This aircraft remained on Air Force rolls until 
1953, when it was finally retired.  It is now on display at Lackland 
AFB in Texas.  

B-24M 44-41986 was used by the NACA Lewis Research Center in 
Cleveland, Ohio for testing of the effects of icing on jet engines and 
on antenna and radomes.  In one such test, in 1946 the plane was 
modified with a General Electric I-16 jet engine in the waist 
compartment, with a large air scoop built on top of the fuselage and 
the exhaust exiting at the former tail-gunner's position.  A set of 
spray masts mounted aft of the cockpit controlled the water ingestion 
into the engine.  

B-24M-5-CO 44-41916 is on display at Castle AFB in California.  

Serials of B-24M Liberator:

44-41807/41848		Consolidated B-24M-1-CO Liberator
44-41849/41948		Consolidated B-24M-5-CO Liberator
44-41949/42048		Consolidated B-24M-10-CO Liberator
44-42049/42148		Consolidated B-24M-15-CO Liberator
44-42149/42248		Consolidated B-24M-20-CO Liberator
44-42249/42348		Consolidated B-24M-25-CO Liberator
44-42349/42448		Consolidated B-24M-30-CO Liberator
44-42449/42548		Consolidated B-24M-35-CO Liberator
44-42549/42648		Consolidated B-24M-40-CO Liberator
44-42649/42722		Consolidated B-24M-45-CO Liberator
44-50252/50451		Ford B-24M-1-FO Liberator
44-50452/50651		Ford B-24M-5-FO Liberator
44-50652/50851		Ford B-24M-10-FO Liberator
44-50852/51051		Ford B-24M-15-FO Liberator
44-51052/51251		Ford B-24M-20-FO Liberator
44-51252/51451		Ford B-24M-25-FO Liberator
44-51452/51928		Ford B-24M-30-FO Liberator

Sources:

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

    British Military Aircraft Serials, 1912-1969, Bruce Robertson,
    Ian Allen, 1969.

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

    The Consolidated B-24J Liberator, Roger A. Freeman,
    Profile Publications, Inc. 1969.

    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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