The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a 4-engine, twin-tail heavy bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego. Its first flight was on December 29, 1939, and it began service in 1941.
The B-24 was a more modern design than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, with a higher top speed, greater range, higher ceiling, and a heavier bomb load. But the B-24 was more difficult to fly, with heavy control forces and poor formation-flying characteristics. The positioning of the fuel tanks also made the plane prone to fire. The high fuselage-mounted wings also made it more difficult to survive crash landings on land or water.
The B-24's spacious, slab-sided fuselage was built around a central bomb bay with two compartments that could accommodate up to 8,000 pounds of ordnance each. The B-24 provided excellent service in a variety of roles due to its large payload and long range.
A follow-up aircraft design by Consolidated was the B-32 Dominator, a plane with some of the B-24's characteristics, built in only limited numbers towards the end of World War II.
The Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express was a transport derivative of the B-24. These were built alongside the B-24 at the Consolidated plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The Consolidated C-109 was a dedicated fuel transport version of the B-24 built as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in central China.
The B-24 also evolved in the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer used by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard as a patrol bomber.
B-24 Liberator "Surprise Attack" |
A total of 18,493 Liberators were built, more than any other aircraft in World War II. Several factories produced the Liberator:
Included on this website is a table showing a recap of B-24 Liberator production by model, and by manufacturing plant. Numbers represent our best research on the subject; there are minor variations in numbers reported by other sources and outlets.
B-24 Liberator production totals by model and assembly plant
Rolling out a newly built B-24 Liberator |
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by the Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator. On October 1, 1942, the first plane was completed and christened "The Spirit of Ypsilanti."
The Willow Run Airport, with six runways to test planes, was also completed in 1942. At the peak of production, the assembly line was producing one Liberator an hour. On June 28, 1945 production ceased, after 8,685 planes had been manufactured.
After the end of World War II in August of 1945, the U.S. Army Air Corp found itself with thousands of surplus, and now obsolete, B-24 Liberators.
Of the 18,493 Liberators that were built, most were sent to military aircraft boneyards for temporary storage, sale, or scrapping and smelting into aluminum ingots. While some were sold and continued usage in civilian aviation, most ended their service, not in combat, but in the smelter at locations such as Kingman Army Air Field in Arizona.
B-24 Liberator storage, scrapping and smelting into ingots after World War II
Rows of B-24 Liberators await the scrap heap at Kingman AAF in Arizona "Old Black Magic" 0333 in the foreground as reported in LIFE Magazine |
Unfortunately, few B-24s survive today. Of the massive numbers of Liberators that were built, only thirteen are known to exist around the world, either on display (10), under restoration (1), or airworthy (2).
B-24 Liberator surviving aircraft, serial numbers, location, and photographs
Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Bungay Buckaroo" S/N 44-44175 at the Pima Air & Space Museum more photos |
Consolidated (Ford) B-24J Liberator "Rupert the Roo II" S/N 44-8781 at the Barksdale Global Power Museum more photos |
Diorama of Consolidated B-24D Liberator S/N 41-23908 at the Hill Aerospace Museum more photos |
Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft" (S/N 44-44052) of the Collings Foundation more photos |
B-24 Liberator "This Above All" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Night Mission" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Buzz-Z Buggy" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Net Results" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Envy of 'em All" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Hangover Haven II" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Rough Knight" nose art |
B-24 Liberator "Sweet Routine" nose art |
Nose art on B-24 Liberator "Strawberry Bitch" |
B-24 on apron at Seymour Johnson Field in WWII, hangars in background |
Consolidated B-24 Liberator assembly line at Fort Worth |
B-24M Liberator "Bolivar Jr." in flight |