I have always in joyed reading about the different aircraft in WW2, how they were developed and how they did during the war. The b-24 was the most produced bomber by the United States during the war as 18,456 were built with the Ford motor company producing 70% of all produced! Many famous people flew the B-24 and later became famous as movie stars or stock car racing company owner. Jimmie Stewart, Clarke Gable, Sen. Geo McGovern, and "Smokey" Yunick were some of those people. Maybe you know some others. We have one player in this game who flew the 24 for the Collings foundation and also the B-17, his call sign is Columbo.
A restored B-24, not sure if owned by the Collins group!
This is an early model, not sure the variant ID.
The B-24, sometimes called the "Pregnant Cow" was the first American bomber to bomb the European continent. During 1942, as a follow up to the Jimmie Doolittle raid on Japan with B-25's, taking off from an aircraft carrier, high command decided to bomb Japan from Chekiang, China.
A new Air Force, the 10th was formed and headed by "Harry" hurry up Halverson, in June of 1942 and was based at what is now called Wright-Patterson AFB. The plan was to fly the 24's, all 12 of them, to South America, then to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, then to Chekiang. But while the 24's were en route, the Japanese captured Chekiang and they were rerouted to a RAF field at Fayid, Egypt.
One of their first missions was the first raid on the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, which the Allies knew they had to cut off the German Oil supply as quickly as possible. It was decided, since it was a no return trip there and back to land at other bases in the mid East, refuel and then RTB. Takeoff would be at 10:30PM, as day time temps were to high for safe takeoffs during daylight hours. The route of the flight for those 12 crews was across the Mediterranean Sea, through the mountains of Turkey and rejoin 50 miles from the target to attack together. Of the 12 aircraft which hit the target, 4 had to make a forced landing in Turkey and was interned, but later escaped and returned to North Africa, 2 landed in Syria, and 6 landed at Bagdad international airport in Iraq, which was the RTB for all the bombers.
The 10th AF was later absorbed into the 9th Air Force and finished out the war in that command. Many missions were flown against African targets, hitting supply depots which were delivering supplies to the German desert Rat, Rommel, at Tobruk and Tunisia. The B-24 flew more missions against European Targets than any other bomber in the U.S. Air Force.
On this dangerous mission to Romania oil fields, not one crewman was injured or killed, even though they had no fighter escorts, as none were available at that time for the long flight.
Taxiing out for takeoff that morning, the aircraft commanders already knew they were pushing the safety margin to maximum for takeoff as they weighted an estimated weight after taxi, 63,138 lbs, which would require a takeoff roll of 7,245 feet, with only 7500 feet of runway and a 500 foot overrun to work with. As they taxied into position for takeoff, the copilot, Jasper C. Davis,, deceased now, and past President of Davis Industries of Thomasville, Ga., called out the check list:
Intercooler doors- open
Bomb bay doors closed, safeties- on
Deice boots- off
Fuel Mixtures- auto rich
Turbo controls- on
Fuel boost pumps- on
Flaps extended 20 degrees- set
Hyd Pressure- 120PSI- ok
Cowl flaps open 1/3, -checked (note, if cowl flaps open 100%, tail buffeting started at 110 knots)
The B-24 had a "Laminar flow" type of wing and was actually the first of its type, later to make famous on the P-51 Mustang.
The headquarters of the B-24.
There are many stories about this great aircraft, which you can read about missions of the 15th Air Force over Italy and they give you a great insight into the daily lives of the crew members who flew and fought in this aircraft.
