Consolidated
B-24 Liberator cockpit.
(Yankee Air Museum, Willow
Run Airport, Michigan - photo by Janet
Pickel)
8th Air
Force, 93rd Bomb Group, 409th squadron. Hardwick, England, June
1943.
A FABULOUS photo: click
on it to see it enlarged, it's massive.
Thanks to Michael
Graves. A visit to his WWII gallery is
a MUST!
First a few words
about about the ...
... CONSOLIDATED B-24D "LIBERATOR"
Thanks to: Liberator
Restoration Australia for the drawings above. (Permission
granted).
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The B-24 was employed in operations
in every combat theater during World War II. Because of
its great range, it was particularly suited for such missions
as the famous raid from North Africa against the oil industry
at Ploesti, Rumania on August 1, 1943. This feature also
made the airplane suitable for long over-water missions
in the Pacific Theater. More than 18,000 Liberators were
produced.
The B-24D on display flew combat missions from North Africa
in 1943-44 with the 512th Bomb
Squadron. It was flown to the U.S. Air Force Museum in
May 1959. It is the same type airplane as the Lady
Be Good, the world-famous B-24D which disappeared on
a mission from North Africa in April 1943 and which was
found in the Libyan Desert in May 1959.
SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 110 ft. 0 in (33.53m).
Length: 66 ft. 4 in (20.22).
Height: 17 ft. 11 in (5.46m).
Weight: 56,000 lbs (25 UK tons, 25.4 tonnes). loaded
Armament: Eleven .50-cal. machine guns [nose, left & right
cheek, top turret (2), ball turret (2), left and right
waist and tail (2)] plus a normal maximum load of 8,000
lbs (3.571 UK tons, 3.629 tonnes). of bombs
Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney R-1830s of 1,200 hp (882.6kW).
ea.
Cost: $336,000
Serial Number: 42-72843
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 303 mph (488 km/hr).
Cruising speed: 175 mph (282 km/hr).
Range: 2,850 miles (4587km).
Service Ceiling: 28,000 ft (33.5m)."
(NB -
All text within quotes " " is from other sites
and has not been amended, although links and comments
may have been added.
Source: www.456fis.org/B-24-A.htm .)
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Consolidated
B-24 Liberator
The most-produced heavy
bomber in history.
It flew in every combat theater during World War II between 1943
and 1945. More than 18,000 Liberators were produced.
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'Naughty Nan',
taxiing at Hardwick
(Thanks to England on Flickr). Salvaged after a mid-air collision
with 42-94969 on the 21 Sep 44 mission to Koblenz and crashing
with bomb load which exploded on a farm near Ingelmunster, Belgium. WikipediA.
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'Lucky Luke',
is 'bombed up' for its 28th mission from Hardwick, England in April
1943. (Thanks to WW2
Total.
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'Exterminator',
In Hardwick, England, A B-24 Liberator crew of the 93rd Bomb Group
prepares for a mission. (Thanks to B24bestoweb).
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B-24 Liberator
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'Miss Lucky',
B-24 Liberator. 93rd bomb group, 409th squadron. Hardwick, England. .
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B-24 Liberators in
formation, returning from mission. 93rd. bomb group. Hardwick,
England.
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B24 Liberator Audio
and Video files at Marshall Stelzriede's Wartime Story
site.
Google search for more B-24
Liberator images.
More
pix and vids to come. In the meantime join our Facebook group.
See our Facebook photo
album
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our Twitter feed
If you found us by
mistake, please stay and enjoy, then bookmark our url.
93rd Bombardment
Group Museum, Station 104, Hardwick, Norfolk, UK.
www.93rd-bg-museum.org
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