Originally posted by Replicant 
I've always liked the B24 too... bring it on!
One question, was it actually tougher than the B17 as in strength/survivability after damage?  Was payload higher than B17? 
 B-17 was tougher.
B-24 had a longer range, higher cruising speed (though lower top speed) and bigger payload than the B-17.
In AH terms it would probably be the B-17 for speed and durability (nobody uses cruising speeds in AH) and the B-24 with an 8,000lb payload as opposed to the B-17's 6,000lb (bombers all have plenty of range so that wouldn't matter either).