What was the crew of a B-24?
Manned by a crew of ten men — pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier, and six gunners — the aircraft was capable of a maximum speed of 290 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 28,000 feet, and a maximum range of 2,100 miles.
How many crew were on a Liberator bomber?
ten
The occasional need during a mission for crewmen to move from fore to aft within the B-24’s fuselage over the narrow catwalk was a drawback shared with other bomber designs. The Liberator carried a crew of up to ten. The pilot and co-pilot sat alongside each other in a well-glazed cockpit.
Why was the B-24 called the flying coffin?
In addition, crews nicknamed the B-24 the “Flying Coffin” as it possessed only one exit which was located near the tail of the aircraft. This made it difficult to impossible for the flight crew to escape a crippled B-24.
How many B-24s were shot down?
Just 88 B-24s made it back to Benghazi, and 446 American airmen were killed or missing in an attack that only knocked out less than half of Ploesti’s refinery operations for a brief period.
Which was the better bomber B-17 or B-24?
The B17 could be operated at speeds as slow as 135 mph, whereas the B24 became dangerous below 160 mph. Both aircraft could take a beating and still fly. Still, the design of the B24 did place limits on its ability to safely perform emergency landings.
How many crew members does a b29 bomber have?
Technical Specifications
| First flight | Sept. 21, 1942 |
|---|---|
| Ceiling | 31,850 feet |
| Power | Four 2,200-horsepower Wright Duplex Cyclone engines |
| Accommodation | 10 crew |
| Armament | 12 .50-caliber machine guns, 1 20 mm cannon, 20,000-pound bomb load |
Did the B-24 have a tail gunner?
Bill was a tail gunner on B-24 bombers. The squadron was officially the First American Volunteer Group of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed The Flying Tigers.
What was better B-17 or B-24?
How many B 24s did Willow Run produce?
Willow Run Bomber Plant Manual, 1943-1944
Workers at Willow Run built a staggering 8,685 B-24 bombers — 6,792 complete planes and 1,893 knock-down kits — by the time the last one was finished on June 28, 1945. No one had ever manufactured airplanes on such a scale before.
Which was better the B-17 or B-24?
Which was a better plane the B-17 or the B-24?
The B-17 had a very large wing and ailerons (the moveable portion of the wing), while the B-24 used a smaller wing and ailerons for speed. Thus, the Liberator was faster, but the Flying Fortress could fly higher.
Which was easier to fly B-17 or B-24?
The B-24 was a faster plane having a greater range and payload capacity. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft’s operating speed. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation.
Was the B-24 better than the B-17?
How many people are in a B-17 crew?
10
It was operated by a crew of 10, including the pilot, copilot, navigator-radioman, bombardier, and gunners.
Was the B-29 a failure?
A post-war official report credited B-29s with 914 victories against 72 losses in over 31,000 sorties flown in the 13 months from August 1944 to August 1945. Despite the effort that went into developing the B-29’s central fire control and its operational success, it was not always seen as an essential system.
Which is better B-17 or B-24?
How much did a B-24 cost?
The B-24 was officially retired as soon as the war ended – this occurring in 1945. A single Liberator unit cost American taxpayers between $297,627 and $336,000 US at the time of her production. Production years ranged from 1940 until 1945.
What was the largest air battle in World war 2?
The Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid
Considered to be the largest single day of air combat in World War Two, this battle took place between Allied Forces and Germany in 1942.
How many B-24 are built daily?
The B-24 was built in staggering numbers, more than 18,000 in all. Willow Run, only a licensed manufacturing facility, produced 8,700 of them. Pilots and crews slept in a dormitory with 1,300 cots, awaiting the near hourly birth of a new bomber.
Which is better B-17 or B24?
What did German pilots think of the B-17?
‘A German pilot did once say that attacking a B-17 formation from behind was like trying to make love to a porcupine that is on fire,’ Walt Miller, Former 0311/0302 at United States Marine Corps (1973-1993), explains on Quora.
Who had the best Navy in ww2?
1939 – 1945
At the beginning of World War II, the Royal Navy was the strongest navy in the world, with the largest number of warships built and with naval bases across the globe. It had over 15 battleships and battlecruisers, 7 aircraft carriers, 66 cruisers, 164 destroyers and 66 submarines.
What was the longest dogfight in history?
Bougainville was a crucial link in Allied strategy to retake the Pacific from Japan. The invading force, 37,000 Marines and soldiers, depended on those photos. The June 16, 1943, flight was considered a suicide mission and ended with the longest continuous dogfight in Air Force history.
How many B-24s did Willow Run produce?
How many German fighters did B-17 shot down?
One of the few gunner aces who received official recognition was Benjamin Warner, a B-17 waist gunner. During a bombing mission on July 5, 1943, Warner shot down 7 German fighters, for which he was given the Distinguished Service Cross.