Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Bungay Buckaroo"
Lessons learned over Europe and the Pacific showed that the B-24 was vulnerable to attacks from the front—a problem it shared with the B-17. In the field, B-24 crews jammed as many machine guns as possible into the glasshouse nose of the B-24D, but this was not the solution. Consolidated experimented with various kinds of modifications until settling on a redesigned nose with a manned turret. This would cause some loss of aerodynamics on an aircraft already known for its difficult handling, but it at least would give the B-24 better defense from forward attacks. The redesign also made the nose roomier, added chin windows for the bombardier, enlarged the dorsal and tail turrets for better visibility, and enclosed the waist positions. The wet wing used by the B-24D was deleted in favor of self-sealing fuel tanks, eliminating the B-24’s tendency to catch fire.
Production shifted to the B-24H in late 1943, but there was a shortage of the electrically-powered Emerson nose turret, and so a hydraulically-powered Sperry turret was used on the B-24J. If that was not confusing enough, Consolidated also produced a lighter version, the B-24L, with no ball or tail turrets, leaving it to individual groups to install heavier turrets, flexible mounts, or no armament at all. All three were produced at once, and all three were used in increasingly heavy combat over Europe. The B-24 would not only become the most produced bomber of World War II, it would be the most produced American combat aircraft in history—no less than 18,482 Liberators would come off the line by the end of the war.
B-24Js and like variants would see heavy service worldwide, replacing the B-17 entirely in the Pacific and supplementing it over Europe. B-24s would bomb both Berlin and attack the southernmost Japanese home islands. Besides acting as strategic bombers, Liberators would also act as antisubmarine maritime patrol aircraft for the RAF, the USAAF, and the US Navy as the PB4Y-1; the latter would also be converted to primitive cruise missiles in Operation Aphrodite against German V-weapon sites in Belgium. One Aphrodite mission would claim the life of Joseph Kennedy Jr., older brother of future President John F. Kennedy. By 1945, it was possible to find B-24s literally everywhere, from Alaska’s cold Aleutians to sunny Brazil, from China to Italy.
After the end of World War II, the USAAF rapidly scrapped nearly its entire B-24 fleet, but a few soldiered on in the 1960s, mainly in India, where they operated as maritime patrol aircraft. Others served as seed aircraft for postwar airliners, including Qantas of Australia. By 1968, however, nearly all B-24s had disappeared from inventories worldwide; today, only 14 complete Liberators are left, with two aircraft flyable.
"Bungay Buckaroo's" odyssey is a fascinating one. Built for the USAAF as 44-44175, it never entered service as a B-24J, and instead was modified in the US as an antisubmarine warfare aircraft; it was then diverted through Lend-Lease to RAF Coastal Command as a Liberator GR.VI, with the serial KH304. It was sent to India to serve with 354 Squadron at RAF Cuttack against Japanese shipping and submarines operating in the Bay of Bengal and Java Sea. When the war ended, KH304 and a hundred other B-24s were simply abandoned in place by the RAF as it began its withdrawal from India. After India gained its independence, it took the 100 aircraft and used them to build 36 complete B-24s, giving the nascent Indian Air Force aircraft to use as bombers, maritime patrol aircraft, and strategic reconnaissance. KH304 became HE877, and joined 6 Squadron at Poona.
HE877 would give the IAF 20 years of yeoman service; its record included supporting Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first summit of Mount Everest. When India finally retired its B-24s in 1968, it was an incredible boon to warbird collectors: B-24s were extremely rare in 1968, and operational ones nearly unheard of. (Of the surviving 14 B-24s, half came from India.) The Pima Air and Space Museum was one of many who were interested in acquiring a B-24, and HE877 was donated to the museum by the Indian government. A team of USAF aircrew ferried it back to Arizona in 1968, a journey that took three days.
Since HE877 was still in good shape, the museum was able to restore it; the only large piece it lacked was a belly turret. It went on display as a B-24 of the 446th Bomb Group, based at RAF Bungay, UK; this group had the distinction of making the first airstrike of D-Day. It wears "Bungay Buckaroo" on the left side; on the right, as a tribute to India, it retains the markings of 6 Squadron IAF. This was another aircraft I had used a picture of as part of my master's program, so I was very happy to see it in person.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Bungay Buckaroo"
Lessons learned over Europe and the Pacific showed that the B-24 was vulnerable to attacks from the front—a problem it shared with the B-17. In the field, B-24 crews jammed as many machine guns as possible into the glasshouse nose of the B-24D, but this was not the solution. Consolidated experimented with various kinds of modifications until settling on a redesigned nose with a manned turret. This would cause some loss of aerodynamics on an aircraft already known for its difficult handling, but it at least would give the B-24 better defense from forward attacks. The redesign also made the nose roomier, added chin windows for the bombardier, enlarged the dorsal and tail turrets for better visibility, and enclosed the waist positions. The wet wing used by the B-24D was deleted in favor of self-sealing fuel tanks, eliminating the B-24’s tendency to catch fire.
Production shifted to the B-24H in late 1943, but there was a shortage of the electrically-powered Emerson nose turret, and so a hydraulically-powered Sperry turret was used on the B-24J. If that was not confusing enough, Consolidated also produced a lighter version, the B-24L, with no ball or tail turrets, leaving it to individual groups to install heavier turrets, flexible mounts, or no armament at all. All three were produced at once, and all three were used in increasingly heavy combat over Europe. The B-24 would not only become the most produced bomber of World War II, it would be the most produced American combat aircraft in history—no less than 18,482 Liberators would come off the line by the end of the war.
B-24Js and like variants would see heavy service worldwide, replacing the B-17 entirely in the Pacific and supplementing it over Europe. B-24s would bomb both Berlin and attack the southernmost Japanese home islands. Besides acting as strategic bombers, Liberators would also act as antisubmarine maritime patrol aircraft for the RAF, the USAAF, and the US Navy as the PB4Y-1; the latter would also be converted to primitive cruise missiles in Operation Aphrodite against German V-weapon sites in Belgium. One Aphrodite mission would claim the life of Joseph Kennedy Jr., older brother of future President John F. Kennedy. By 1945, it was possible to find B-24s literally everywhere, from Alaska’s cold Aleutians to sunny Brazil, from China to Italy.
After the end of World War II, the USAAF rapidly scrapped nearly its entire B-24 fleet, but a few soldiered on in the 1960s, mainly in India, where they operated as maritime patrol aircraft. Others served as seed aircraft for postwar airliners, including Qantas of Australia. By 1968, however, nearly all B-24s had disappeared from inventories worldwide; today, only 14 complete Liberators are left, with two aircraft flyable.
"Bungay Buckaroo's" odyssey is a fascinating one. Built for the USAAF as 44-44175, it never entered service as a B-24J, and instead was modified in the US as an antisubmarine warfare aircraft; it was then diverted through Lend-Lease to RAF Coastal Command as a Liberator GR.VI, with the serial KH304. It was sent to India to serve with 354 Squadron at RAF Cuttack against Japanese shipping and submarines operating in the Bay of Bengal and Java Sea. When the war ended, KH304 and a hundred other B-24s were simply abandoned in place by the RAF as it began its withdrawal from India. After India gained its independence, it took the 100 aircraft and used them to build 36 complete B-24s, giving the nascent Indian Air Force aircraft to use as bombers, maritime patrol aircraft, and strategic reconnaissance. KH304 became HE877, and joined 6 Squadron at Poona.
HE877 would give the IAF 20 years of yeoman service; its record included supporting Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first summit of Mount Everest. When India finally retired its B-24s in 1968, it was an incredible boon to warbird collectors: B-24s were extremely rare in 1968, and operational ones nearly unheard of. (Of the surviving 14 B-24s, half came from India.) The Pima Air and Space Museum was one of many who were interested in acquiring a B-24, and HE877 was donated to the museum by the Indian government. A team of USAF aircrew ferried it back to Arizona in 1968, a journey that took three days.
Since HE877 was still in good shape, the museum was able to restore it; the only large piece it lacked was a belly turret. It went on display as a B-24 of the 446th Bomb Group, based at RAF Bungay, UK; this group had the distinction of making the first airstrike of D-Day. It wears "Bungay Buckaroo" on the left side; on the right, as a tribute to India, it retains the markings of 6 Squadron IAF. This was another aircraft I had used a picture of as part of my master's program, so I was very happy to see it in person.