Editing Consolidated B-24 Liberator (section)

==Operational history==
=== RAF ===
[[File:LB-30 Ferry Command.jpg|thumb|Consolidated LB-30A, s/n AM260, used by Atlantic Ferry Command]]

The first British Liberators had been ordered by the Anglo-French Purchasing Board in 1940. After the [[Battle of France|Fall of France]] the French orders were in most cases transferred to the United Kingdom. The RAF found, as did the US, that global war increased the need for air transports and early-type bombers and seaplanes were converted or completed as cargo carriers and transports. LB-30As were assigned to [[transatlantic flight]]s by [[RAF Ferry Command]], between Canada and [[Prestwick]], Scotland. The first Liberators in British service were ex-USAAF YB-24s converted to [[Consolidated Liberator I|Liberator GR Is]] (USAAF designation: LB-30A). The aircraft were all modified for logistic use in [[Montreal]]. Changes included the removal of all armament, provision for passenger seating, a revised cabin [[oxygen]] and [[heating system]]. Ferry Command's Atlantic Return Ferry Service flew civilian ferry pilots, who had delivered aircraft to the UK, back to North America.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} The most important role, however, for the first batch of the Liberator GR Is was in service with [[RAF Coastal Command]] on anti-submarine patrols in the [[Battle of the Atlantic (1940)|Battle of the Atlantic]].<ref name="March p63">March 1998, p. 63.</ref>

[[File:B 24 in raf service 23 03 05.jpg|thumb|LB-30A (YB-24) in RAF service]]
Later in 1941, the first Liberators entered RAF service. This model introduced self-sealing fuel tanks, a {{convert|2|ft|7|in|cm|abbr=on}} plug in the forward fuselage to create more space for crew members and, more vitally, ever more equipment such as [[ASV Mark II radar]] (anticipated early in the Liberator's development when Reuben Fleet told the engineering team he had a gut feeling the nose was too short). The Mark II was the first Liberator to be equipped with powered turrets, one plane having them installed before leaving San Diego, the remainder having them installed in the field: four Browning [[Boulton Paul Aircraft#Boulton Paul gun turrets|Boulton Paul]] A-type Mk IV with 600 rounds of .303 in the dorsal position; and a Boulton Paul E-type Mk II with 2200 rounds in the tail (later increased to 2500 rounds), supplemented by pairs of guns at the waist position, a single gun in the nose and another in the belly, for a total of fourteen guns. The maximum take-off weight was slightly raised to 64,250 pounds, the maximum altitude lifted from 21,200 to 24,000 feet but the maximum speed was reduced to 263&nbsp;mph, largely as a result of increased drag.<ref name=":1" />

The Liberator II (referred to as the LB-30A by the USAAF<ref name="Taylor 1968, p. 463" />) were divided between [[Coastal Command]], [[RAF Bomber Command|Bomber Command]], and [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC). Both BOAC and the RAF used converted Liberator IIs as unarmed long-range cargo carriers. These aircraft flew between the United Kingdom and [[Egypt]] (with an extensive detour around [[Spain]] over the Atlantic), and they were used in the evacuation of [[Java (island)|Java]] in the [[East Indies]]. BOAC also flew trans-Atlantic services and other various long-range air transportation routes.

[[File:Liberator 120 Squadron.jpg|thumb|Consolidated Liberator Mk.I of 120 Squadron Coastal Command RAF, used from December 1941]]
Two RAF bomber squadrons with Liberators were deployed to the [[Middle East]] in early 1942. While RAF Bomber Command did not use B-24s as strategic bombers over mainland [[North West Europe campaign|North West Europe]], [[No. 223 Squadron RAF]], one of Bomber Command's [[No. 100 Group RAF|100 (Bomber Support) Group]] squadrons, used 20 Liberator VIs to carry electronic jamming equipment to counter German radar.

In October 1944, two RAF Liberator squadrons (357 and 358) were deployed to [[Jessore District|Jessore]], India, in support of British SAS, American OSS and French SIS underground operations throughout SE Asia. The aircraft were stripped of most armaments to allow for fuel for up to 26-hour return flights such as Jessore to Singapore.<ref>Smith, Harry V. et al. [http://www.rquirk.com/escape.pdf "Escape from Siam."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924092333/http://www.rquirk.com/escape.pdf |date=24 September 2015 }} ''rquirk.com''. Retrieved: 27 May 2015.</ref>

Liberators were also used as anti-submarine patrol aircraft by RAF Coastal Command. RAF Liberators were operated as bombers from [[India]] by [[South East Asia Command|SEAC]] and would have been a part of [[Tiger Force (air)|Tiger Force]] if the war had continued. Many of the surviving Liberators originated in this Command.

===Antisubmarine and maritime patrols===
[[File:B-24 Liberator Consolidated-Vultee Plant, Fort Worth Texas.jpg|thumb|[[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command|AAF Antisubmarine Command (AAFAC)]] modifications at the Consolidated-Vultee Plant, [[Fort Worth, Texas]] in the foreground in the olive drab and white paint scheme. To the rear of this front line are partly assembled C-87 "Liberator Express Transports".]]
[[File:Leigh Light.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Anti-submarine warfare|Anti-Submarine Weapons]]: [[Leigh light]] used for spotting [[U-boat]]s on the surface at night, fitted to a Liberator aircraft of [[Royal Air Force]] [[RAF Coastal Command|Coastal Command]]. 26 February 1944.]]

The Liberators made a significant contribution to Allied victory in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] against German [[U-boat]]s. Aircraft had the ability to undertake surprise air attacks against surfaced submarines. Liberators assigned to the RAF's Coastal Command in 1941, offensively to patrol against submarines in the eastern [[Atlantic Ocean]], produced immediate results. The introduction of Very Long Range (VLR) Liberators vastly increased the reach of the UK's maritime reconnaissance force, closing the [[Mid Atlantic Gap]] where a lack of air cover had allowed U-boats to operate without risk of aerial attack.<ref>Green 1975, p. 85.</ref><ref>Winchester 2004, p. 57.</ref>

For 12 months, [[No. 120 Squadron RAF]] of Coastal Command with its handful of worn and modified early model Liberators supplied the only air cover for convoys in the Atlantic Gap, the Liberator being the only airplane with sufficient range. The VLR Liberators sacrificed some armor and often gun turrets to save weight, while carrying extra aviation [[gasoline]] in their bomb-bay tanks. Liberators were equipped with [[ASV Mk. II radar]], which together with the [[Leigh light]], gave them the ability to hunt U-boats by day and by night. Before the [[Leigh Light]], not a single enemy submarine had been sunk in over five months, but in combination with radar, it was so overwhelmingly effective that many German submarine crews chose to surface during the day so that they could at least see the aircraft attacking them and have a chance to fire their anti-aircraft weaponry in defense.<ref>Giorgerini, Giorgio (2002). Uomini sul fondo : storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi. Milano: Mondadori. pp. 518–20. {{ISBN|8804505370}}.</ref><ref>The Secret War, by Brian Johnson, Pen And Sword Military Classics, 1978, {{ISBN|1-84415-102-6}}</ref>

These Liberators operated from both sides of the Atlantic with the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] and the [[Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command]] and later, the [[US Navy]] conducting patrols along all three American coasts and the Canal Zone. The RAF and later American patrols ranged from the east, based in [[Northern Ireland]], [[Scotland]], [[Iceland]] and beginning in mid-1943 from the [[Azores]]. This role was dangerous, especially after many U-boats were armed with extra [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] guns, some adopting the policy of staying on the surface to fight, rather than submerging and risking being sunk by aerial weapons such as rockets, gunfire, torpedoes and depth charges from the bombers. American Liberators flew from [[Nova Scotia]], [[Greenland]], the Azores, [[Bermuda]], [[the Bahamas]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Cuba]], Panama, [[Trinidad]], [[Ascension Island]] and from wherever else they could fly far out over the Atlantic.

The sudden and decisive turning of the Battle of the Atlantic in favor of the Allies in May 1943 was the result of many factors. The gradual arrival of many more VLR and in October, PB4Y navalized Liberators for anti-submarine missions over the Mid-Atlantic gap ("black pit") and the Bay of Biscay was an important contribution to the Allies' greater success. Liberators were credited in full or in part with sinking 93 U-boats.<ref>Garner, Forest. [http://uboat.net/allies/aircraft/b24.htm "The Consolidated B-24 Liberator."] ''uboat.net''. Retrieved: 16 August 2012.</ref> The B-24 was vital for missions of a radius less than {{convert|1000|mi|km|abbr=on}}, in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters where U.S. Navy PB4Y-1s and USAAF SB-24s took a heavy toll of enemy submarines and surface combatants and shipping.

===USAAF===

====Introduction to service, 1941–1942====
[[File:B-24 Liberators at low altitude.jpg|thumb|upright|left|B-24s bomb the [[Ploiești]] oil fields in August 1943.]]
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took delivery of its first B-24As in mid-1941. Over the next three years, B-24 squadrons deployed to all theaters of the war: African, European, China-Burma-India, the Anti-submarine Campaign, the Southwest Pacific Theater and the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, to simplify logistics and to take advantage of its longer range, the B-24 (and its twin, the U.S. Navy PB4Y) was the chosen standard heavy bomber. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued the efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island. The Liberator peak overseas deployment was 45.5 bomb groups in June 1944. Additionally, the Liberator equipped a number of independent squadrons in a variety of special combat roles. The cargo versions, C-87 and C-109 tanker, further increased its overseas presence, especially in Asia in support of the XX Bomber Command air offensive against Japan.

So vital was the need for long-range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. The sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] on 7 December 1941. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long-range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack.

The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the [[11th Bombardment Squadron]] ([[7th Bombardment Group]]) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach.

US-based Liberators entered combat service in 1942 when on 6 June, four LB-30s from [[Hawaii]] staging through [[Midway Atoll|Midway Island]] attempted an attack on [[Wake Island]], but were unable to find it.<ref>Lord 1967, p. 279.</ref> The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific because compared to the B-17, the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more bombs.<ref name="levine1992" >Levine 1992, pp. 14–15.</ref>

====Strategic bombing, 1942–1945====
[[File:Bombing of Concordia Vega oil refinery in Ploești by USAAF B-24s, 31 May 1944 — restored.jpg|thumb|15th Air Force B-24s attacking the [[Vega Refinery|Concordia Vega Oil refinery]], [[Ploiești]], Romania fly through flak and over the destruction created by preceding waves of bombers, May 31, 1944.]]

On 12 June 1942, 13 B-24s of the Halverson Project (HALPRO) flying from Egypt attacked the Axis-controlled oil fields and refineries around [[Ploiești]], [[Romania]]. Within weeks, the First Provisional Bombardment Group formed from the remnants of the Halverson and China detachments. This unit then was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group, Heavy, and along with the 98th BG formed the nucleus of the IX Bomber Command of the [[Ninth Air Force#World War II|Ninth Air Force]], operating from Africa until absorbed into the Twelfth Air Force briefly, and then the [[Fifteenth Air Force#World War II|Fifteenth Air Force]], operating from Italy. The Ninth Air Force moved to England in late 1943. This was a major component of the [[United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe|USSTAF]] and took a major role in strategic bombing. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 [[USAAF bombardment group|bombardment groups]] flew B-24s.

For much of 1944, the B-24 was the predominant bomber of U.S. Strategic Air Forces (USSTAF) formerly the [[Eighth Air Force]] in the [[Operation Pointblank|Combined Bomber Offensive]] against Germany, forming nearly half of its heavy bomber strength in the ETO prior to August and most of the Italian-based force. Thousands of B-24s flying from bases in Europe dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of [[Bomb#High explosive|high explosive]] and [[Incendiary bomb#Development and use in World War II|incendiary bombs]] on German military, industrial, and civilian targets.

The [[44th Bombardment Group]] was one of the first two heavy bombardment groups flying the B-24 with the 8th Air Force in the fall/winter air campaigns in the European Theater of Operations.<ref name="44th BG History"/> The 44th Bomb Group flew the first of its 344 combat missions against the Axis powers in World War II on 7 November 1942.<ref name="44th BG History"/>

[[File:B-24 Liberators over Bratislava, Slovakia on 16 June 1944.jpg|thumb|15th Air Force B-24s attacking the [[Slovnaft|Apollo oil refinery]] in [[Bratislava]], [[Slovak Republic (1939–1945)|Slovakia]], June 16, 1944.]]

The first B-24 loss over German territory occurred on 26 February 1943. Earlier in the war, both the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force had abandoned [[daylight bombing]] raids because neither could sustain the losses suffered. The Americans persisted, however, at great cost in men and aircraft. In the period between 7 November 1942 and 8 March 1943, the 44th Bomb Group lost 13 of its original 27 B-24s.<ref name="44th BG History"/> For some time, newspapers had been requesting permission for a reporter to go on one of the missions. [[Robert Post (journalist)|Robert B. Post]] and five other reporters of ''[[The New York Times]]'' were granted permission. Post was the only reporter assigned to a B-24-equipped group, the 44th Bomb Group. He flew in B-24 41-23777 ("Maisey") on Mission No. 37 to [[Bremen, Germany]]. Intercepted just short of the target, the B-24 came under attack from [[Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War II)|JG&nbsp;1]]'s [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]]s. ''[[Leutnant]]'' [[Heinz Knoke]] (who finished the war with 31 kills) shot down the Liberator. Post and all but two of the 11 men aboard were killed. Knoke reported: "The fire spread out along the right wing. The inboard propeller windmilled to a stop. And then, suddenly, the whole wing broke off. At an altitude of 900 metres there was a tremendous explosion. The bomber had disintegrated. The blazing wreckage landed just outside [[Bad Zwischenahn]] airfield."<ref>Weal 2006, p. 16.</ref>

[[File:B-24 Destroyed.jpg|thumb|A B-24M of the [[448th Bombardment Group]], breaks in half after attack by a [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter]]

A total of 177 B-24s carried out the famous second attack on Ploiești ([[Operation Tidal Wave]]) on 1 August 1943. This was the B-24's most costly mission. In late June 1943, the three B-24 Liberator groups of the 8th Air Force were sent to North Africa on temporary duty with the 9th Air Force:<ref name="44th BG History"/> the 44th Bomb Group joined the 93rd and the 389th Bomb Groups. These three units then joined the two 9th Air Force B-24 Liberator groups for low-level attack on the Romanian oil complex at Ploiești. This daring assault by high-altitude bombers at treetop level was a costly success. The attack became disorganized after a navigational error which alerted the defenders and protracted the bomb run from the initial point. The 44th destroyed both of its assigned targets, but lost 11 of its 37 bombers and their crews. Colonel [[Leon W. Johnson]], the 44th's commander, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his leadership, as was Col. [[John R. Kane|John Riley "Killer" Kane]], commander of the 98th Bomb Group. Kane and Johnson survived the mission but three other recipients of the Medal of Honor for their actions in the mission—Lt. [[Lloyd H. Hughes]], Maj. [[John L. Jerstad]] and Col. [[Addison E. Baker]]—were killed in action. For its actions on the Ploiești mission, the 44th was awarded its second [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Distinguished Unit Citation]].<ref name="44th BG History"/> Of the 177 B-24s that were dispatched on this operation, 54 were lost.<ref name="44th BG History"/>

====Radar/Electronic warfare and PGM deployment====
[[File:Phoenix-Deer Valley Airport-Wings of Freedom-B-24 J Liberator-7.JPG|thumb|The bomb bay of a surviving B-24J Liberator in 2016]]

The B-24 advanced the use of electronic warfare and equipped Search Bomber (SB), Low Altitude (LAB) and Radar Counter Measure (RCM) squadrons in addition to high-altitude bombing. Among the specialized squadrons were the 20th RS (RCM), 36th BS (RCM), 406th NLS, 63rd BS (SB) SeaHawks, 373rdBS (LAB) and 868th BS (SB) Snoopers.

The [[36th Bombardment Squadron]] was the Eighth Air Force's only electronic warfare squadron using specially equipped B-24s to jam German VHF communications during large Eighth Air Force daylight raids. In addition, the 36th BS flew night missions with RAF Bomber Command's own electronic warfare unit [[No. 100 Group RAF|100 Group]] at [[RAF Sculthorpe]]. Radar Counter Measures (RCM) was code-named Carpet, however, this should not be confused with agent and supply drops, code-named "Carpetbaggers".

The B-24 was the platform for the pioneering use of the Americans' [[Azon]] laterally-guidable [[precision-guided munition]] ordnance design, a pioneering [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] radio-guided munition system during World War II. The ordnance of 1,000&nbsp;lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the [[China-Burma-India Theater|CBI theaters]]. The Eighth Air Force's [[458th Bombardment Group]] deployed the guided Azon ordnance in Europe between June and September 1944,<ref>Reynolds, George. [http://www.458bg.com/azonproject.htm "The AZON Project."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106093918/http://www.458bg.com/azonproject.htm |date=6 January 2020 }} ''458bg.com'', Retrieved: 25 December 2014.</ref> while the [[Tenth Air Force]]'s [[93rd Air Refueling Squadron#World War II|493rd Bomb Squadron]] employed it against Japanese railroad bridges on the [[Burma Railway]] in early 1945, fulfilling the intended original purpose of the Azon system.<ref>Marion. [http://www.netcore.us/1/afm/azonbomb.html "Old China Hands, Tales & Stories – The Azon Bomb."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306191038/http://www.netcore.us/1/afm/azonbomb.html |date=6 March 2012 }} ''oldchinahands''. Retrieved: 20 March 2012.</ref>

====Assembly ships====
{{Main|Assembly ship}}
[[File:First Sergeant B-24D Assembly Ship or Judas Goat.jpg|thumb|The assembly ship ''First Sergeant'' of the [[458th Air Expeditionary Group|458th Bomb Group]] at [[RAF Horsham St Faith]] had participated in [[Operation Tidal Wave]] ]]
In February 1944, the 2nd Division authorized the use of "Assembly Ships" (or "Formation Ships") specially fitted to aid the assembly of individual group formations. They were equipped with signal lighting, provision for quantity discharge of pyrotechnics, and were painted with distinctive group-specific high-contrast patterns of stripes, checkers or polka dots to enable easy recognition by their flock of bombers. The aircraft used in the first allocation were B-24Ds retired by the 44th, 93rd and 389th Groups. Arrangements for signal lighting varied from group to group, but generally consisted of white flashing lamps on both sides of the fuselage arranged to form the identification letter of the group. All armament and armor were removed and in some cases the tail turret. In the B-24Hs used for this purpose, the nose turret was removed and replaced by a "carpetbagger" type nose. Following incidents when flare guns were accidentally discharged inside the rear fuselage, some assembly (formation) ships had pyrotechnic guns fixed through the fuselage sides. As these aircraft normally returned to base once a formation had been established, a skeleton crew of two pilots, navigator, radio operator and one or two flare discharge operators were carried. In some groups an observer officer flew in the tail position to monitor the formation. These aircraft became known as [[Judas goat]]s.<ref>Freeman 1984, p. 176.</ref>

===="Carpetbaggers"====
[[File:B24-Cockpit USAF.jpg|thumb|B-24 cockpit]]
From August 1943 until the end of the war in Europe, specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. In a joint venture between the Army Air Forces and the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS) code-named [[Operation Carpetbagger]], pilots and crews flew specially modified B-24Ds painted with a glossy black anti-searchlight paint to supply friendly underground forces throughout German-occupied Europe. They also flew [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas C-47s]], [[Douglas A-26 Invader]]s, and British [[de Havilland Mosquito]]s.

Carpetbagger aircraft flew spies called "Joes" and commando groups prior to the Allied invasion of Europe on D-Day and afterward, and retrieved over 5,000 officers and enlisted men who had escaped capture after being shot down. The low-altitude, nighttime operation was extremely dangerous and took its toll on these airmen. The first aircrews chosen for this operation came from the anti-submarine bomb groups because of their special training in low altitude flying and pinpoint navigation skills. Because of their special skills, they were called upon to fly fuel to [[George S. Patton|General George Patton]]'s army during the summer and early autumn of 1944 when it outran its fuel supply. When this mission was completed, it was recorded that 822,791 US gallons (3,114,264&nbsp;L) of 80 octane gasoline had been delivered to three different airfields in France and Belgium.<ref>Parnell 1993, pp. inside cover, p. 91.</ref>

The 859 BS was converted from day bombardment to these operations and then transferred to the 15th Air Force.

===Transport variants===

====C-87 Liberator Express====
{{Main|Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express}}
In early 1942, with the need for a purpose-built transport with better high-altitude performance and longer range than the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the San Diego plant began sending B-24D models to Fort Worth for conversion into the C-87 transport. The conversion had a hinged cargo door at the nose eliminating transparent nose and large cargo doors installed in the waist area. The C-87 had a large cargo floor, less powerful supercharged engines, no gun turrets, a floor in the bomb bay for freight, and some side windows. The navigator's position was relocated behind the pilot. Indigenous Fort Worth C-87 and AT-22 production began with the FY 1943 order for 80 serial-numbered airframes 43-30548 through 43–30627.

The C-87A was a dedicated VIP series built in small quantity. Early versions were fitted with a single .50 caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm) Browning machine gun in their tails, and a XC-87B version proposed two .50 caliber (12.7&nbsp;mm) fixed machine guns for the nose, operable by the pilot, though these were eventually removed. The XC-87B also designated a resurrected crash victim B-24D (42-40355) fitted with low altitude power packages and a forward fuselage extension. The extended nose earned it the name Pinocchio. Later modifications gave it a single tail and yet another type of engine packages bring it to near C-87C configuration. Other C-87 designations were the [[1922 United States Navy aircraft designation system|U.S. Navy designation]] '''RY''' and Lend Lease Liberator Cargo VII.

Although only 287 C-87 and eight U.S. Navy RY variants were produced, they were still important in the Army Air Forces' airlift operations early in the war when aircraft with high-altitude, long-range heavy hauling abilities were in short supply. The C-87 flew in many theaters of war, including much hazardous duty in flights from Labrador to Greenland and Iceland in the North Atlantic. In the [[China Burma India Theater of World War II|China Burma India Theater]] (CBI), the C-87 was used to airlift cargo and fuel over [[the Hump]] (the [[Himalayas]]) from [[India]] to [[China]]. Early in the campaign, the C-87 was the only readily available American transport that could fly over the Himalayas while heavily loaded, rather than relying on circuitous and highly dangerous routes through valleys and mountain passes, but the type was not very popular with crews: they complained of various hazards including the fuel system, engines and cockpit accessories, while the type was notorious for leaking fuel tanks and mid-air fires a constant danger.<ref name=":1" /> The C-87 also shared the Liberator's dangerous sensitivity to icing, particularly prevalent over Himalayan routes.<ref name=":0" /> With these difficulties in mind it is little wonder the ATC India China Division was the only unit in the Command to be combat decorated during WWII, having been awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation.

{{More citations needed section|date=May 2015}}
The C-87 was not always popular with the aircrews assigned to fly it. The aircraft had the distressing habit of losing all cockpit electrical power on takeoff or at landings, its engine power and reliability with the less-powerful superchargers also often left much to be desired. It proved to be quite vulnerable to icing conditions, and was prone to fall into a spin with even small amounts of ice accumulated onto its Davis wing. Since the aircraft had been designed to be a bomber that dropped its loads while airborne, the C-87's nose [[landing gear]] was not designed for landing with a heavy load, and frequently it collapsed from the stress. Fuel leaks inside the crew compartment from the hastily modified long-range fuel system were an all-too-common occurrence. Lastly, unlike a typical purpose-designed transport, the B-24 was not designed to tolerate large loading variations because most of its load was held on fixed bomb racks. Consequently, it was relatively easy for a poorly trained ground crew to load a C-87 with its [[center of gravity]] too far forward or aft, rendering the aircraft difficult to control due to inadequate or excessive longitudinal stability. In his autobiography, ''[[Fate is the Hunter]]'', the writer [[Ernest K. Gann]] reported that, while flying air cargo in India, he barely avoided crashing an improperly loaded C-87 into the [[Taj Mahal]]. As soon as more dependable [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] and [[Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando]] transports became available in large numbers, C-87s were rapidly phased out of combat zone service, with some later used as VIP transports or B-24 flight crew trainers.

====C-109 version====
[[File:C-109 Liberator Express tanker unloading.jpg|thumb|C-109 tanker unloading]]
The C-109 was a dedicated fuel transport version of the B-24 conceived as a support aircraft for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations in central China.<ref name="c-109">https://web.archive.org/web/20090304014706/http://home.att.net/~jbaugher2/b24_27.html Consolidated C-109</ref> Unlike the C-87, the C-109 was not built on the assembly line, but rather was converted from existing B-24 bomber production; to save weight, the glass nose, armament, turret fairings and bombardment equipment were removed. Several storage tanks were added, allowing a C-109 to carry 2,900&nbsp;gal (11,000&nbsp;L) of fuel weighing over {{convert|22000|lb|kg}}.

Plans originally called for 2,000 C-109s to support 10 groups of B-29s (approximately 400) in China, but the [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign|capture of the Mariana Islands]] provided a far more easily resupplied location for raids on mainland [[Japan]], and the plans were greatly scaled back. Only 218 C-109s were actually converted. After the transfer of the B-29s, the C-109s were reassigned to the [[Air Transport Command (United States Air Force)|Air Transport Command]]. According to the history of the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, at least one squadron was assigned to the IX Troop Carrier Command in Europe to transport gasoline to advancing ground and air forces on the Continent after the Normandy invasion.

However, whereas a combat-loaded B-24 could safely take off with room to spare from a {{convert|6000|ft|m|adj=on|abbr=on}} runway, a loaded C-109 required every foot of such a runway to break ground, and crashes on takeoff were not uncommon. The aircraft demonstrated unstable flight characteristics with all storage tanks filled, and proved very difficult to land fully loaded at airfields above {{convert|6000|ft|m|abbr=on}} MSL in elevation, such as those around [[Chengdu]]. After it was discovered that these problems could be alleviated by flying with the forward storage tank empty, this practice became fairly routine, enhancing aircrew safety at the cost of some fuel-carrying capacity.<ref>Baugher, Joe. [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b24_27.html "Consolidated C-109".] ''USAAC/USAAF/USAF Bombers: The Consolidated B-24 Liberator'', 16 August 1999. Retrieved: 15 June 2010.</ref> Many C-109s were lost in flying the Hump airlift to China.

The ''Singing Cowboy'' [[Gene Autry]] served in the Air Transport Command (in the same squadron as [[Barry Goldwater]]), and described flying the C-109 over "The Hump" as "the thrill that lasts a lifetime".<ref>Autry, Gene with Herskowitz, Mickey. (1978). ''Back in the Saddle Again''. Doubleday & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|038503234X}} Page 85</ref>

B-24 bombers were also extensively used in the Pacific area after the end of World War II to transport cargo and supplies during the rebuilding of Japan, China, and the Philippines.

===U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps===

====PB4Y-1====
[[File:Liberator_Consolidated_PB4Y-1_(16139580992).jpg|thumb|250px|PB4Y-1 Liberator]]
B-24s were also used by the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] for [[Anti-submarine warfare|ASW]], anti-ship patrol, and [[Aerial reconnaissance|photographic reconnaissance]] in the Pacific Theater, and by the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] for patrol and [[Air-sea rescue|SAR]]. Naval B-24s were redesignated '''PB4Y-1''', meaning the fourth patrol bomber design built by Consolidated Aircraft. Navy PB4Y-1s assigned to Atlantic ASW and all Coast Guard PB4Y-1s had the ventral turret replaced by a retractable radome. Also, most naval aircraft had an Erco ball turret installed in the nose position, replacing the glass nose and other styles of turret.

The Consolidated Aircraft Company PB4Y-2 Privateer was a U.S. Navy [[Maritime patrol aircraft|patrol bomber]] that was derived directly from the B-24 Liberator. The U.S. Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 Liberator, and along with maritime patrol B-24s used by RAF Coastal Command this type of patrol plane had been quite successful. A fully navalized design was seen as advantageous, and Consolidated Aircraft developed a purpose-built long-range patrol bomber in 1943, designated PB4Y-2. The Privateer had non-turbosupercharged engines for weight savings and optimal performance at low to medium patrol [[altitude]]s, and was visually distinguishable from the B-24 and PB4Y-1 by its longer fuselage, single tall vertical stabilizer (rather than a twin tail), two dorsal turrets, and teardrop-shaped waist gun blisters (similar in appearance to those on Consolidated's own PBY Catalina).

===Australia===
[[File:21 Squadron RAAF Liberator aircrew Fenton NT Mar 1945 AWM NWA0732.jpg|thumb|The crew of a [[No. 21 Squadron RAAF]] Liberator with their aircraft]]

====RAAF====
Australian aircrew seconded to the Royal Air Force flew Liberators in all theatres of the war, including with RAF Coastal Command, in the Middle East, and with South East Asia Command, while some flew in [[South African Air Force]] squadrons. Liberators were introduced into service in the [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) in 1944, after the American commander of the Far East Air Forces (FEAF), General [[George C. Kenney]], suggested that seven heavy bomber squadrons be raised to supplement the efforts of American Liberator squadrons. The USAAF transferred some aircraft to the RAAF, while the remainder would be delivered from the US under [[Lend-Lease]]. Some RAAF aircrew were given operational experience in Liberators while attached to USAAF squadrons. Seven flying squadrons, an [[operational training unit]], and two special duties flights were equipped with the aircraft by the end of World War II in August 1945.

The RAAF Liberators saw service in the [[South West Pacific theatre of World War II]]. Flying mainly from bases in the [[Northern Territory]], [[Queensland]] and [[Western Australia]], aircraft conducted bombing raids against Japanese positions, ships and strategic targets in [[New Guinea]], [[Borneo]] and the [[Dutch East Indies|Netherlands East Indies]]. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by [[No. 200 Flight RAAF|No. 200 Flight]] played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the [[Allied Intelligence Bureau]]; and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. A total of 287 B-24D, B-24J, B-24L and B-24M aircraft were supplied to the RAAF, of which 33 were lost in action or accidents, with more than 200 Australians killed. Following the Japanese surrender, the RAAF's Liberators participated in flying former [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] and other personnel back to Australia. Liberators remained in service until 1948, when they were replaced by [[Avro Lincoln]]s.<ref>RAAF Museum website [https://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/aircraft/series2/A73.htm A72 Avro Lincoln] Retrieved 1 May 2016</ref>

====Qantas====
In June 1944, [[Qantas|Qantas Empire Airways]] began service with the first of two converted LB-30 Liberators on the [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]] to [[Colombo]] route to augment PBY Catalinas that had been used since May 1943. [[The Double Sunrise]] route across the [[Indian Ocean]] was {{convert|3513|mi|km|abbr=on}} long, the longest non-stop airline route in the world at the time. The Liberators flew a shorter {{convert|3077|mi|km|abbr=on}} over-water route from [[RAAF Learmonth|Learmonth]] to an airfield northeast of Colombo, but they could make the flight in 17 hours with a {{convert|5500|lb|kg}} payload, whereas the Catalinas required 27 hours and had to carry so much auxiliary fuel that their payload was limited to only {{convert|1000|lb|kg}}. The route was named ''[[Kangaroo]] Service'' and marked the first time that Qantas's now-famous Kangaroo logo was used; passengers received a certificate proclaiming them as members of ''The Order of the Longest Hop''. The Liberators were later replaced by [[Avro Lancastrian]]s.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%201946.html "Indian Ocean&nbsp;– New Guinea&nbsp;– Kangaroo Service&nbsp;– 1950–1946."] ''Flight Global website,'' 16 November 1950. Retrieved: 29 August 2009.</ref>

===SAAF===
Two squadrons of the [[South African Air Force]] (SAAF) also flew B-24s: [[31 Squadron SAAF|31]] and [[34 Squadron SAAF|34]] Squadrons under No 2 Wing SAAF based at [[Foggia]], Italy. These two squadrons engaged in relief flights to [[Warsaw]] and [[Kraków]] in Poland to support the [[Warsaw Uprising|Polish Uprising against Nazi Occupation]].<ref>Isemonger, L.</ref>

===Luftwaffe use===
Three B-24s were captured and then operated by the German secret operations unit [[Kampfgeschwader 200|KG 200]], which also tested, evaluated and sometimes clandestinely operated captured enemy aircraft during World War II.<ref>Gilman and Clive 1978, p. 314.</ref>

One of these was captured at Venegono, Italy, on 29 March 1944. It was used on penetration missions in RAF bomber streams at night in Luftwaffe markings. On a ferry flight from Hildesheim to Bavaria on 6 April 1945, it was shot down – by German anti-aircraft fire.

Crashed B-24s were the source of the landing gear units for the strictly experimental [[Junkers Ju 287]] V1 first prototype jet bomber airframe in 1945.

===Romanian use===
Following Operation Tidal Wave, it was decided to attempt the salvage of a B-24 bomber and use it for fighter pilot training. Three B-24s were recovered: ''Boiler Maker II'', ''Honkey Tonk Gal'', and ''Brewery Wagon''. Of these, ''Boiler Maker II'' was repaired in the field using parts from the other two. Initially, the glazed nose of the bomber was replaced with sheet metal. The airplane was then flown to [[Brașov]] where it was painted in [[Royal Romanian Air Force|Romanian Air Force]] camouflage and markings at the [[Industria Aeronautică Română|IAR]] factory.<ref name="Ro B-24">{{cite web|url=https://www.iar80flyagain.org/b-24-liberator-reconstruit/|title=Istoria unui B 24 Liberator "românesc"|language=ro|website=iar80flyagain.org|date=2023-03-16}}</ref>

The aircraft was handed over for operations to the {{ill|LARES (airline)|lt=LARES|ro|LARES}} airline. It was destroyed on the ground during a German raid on 26 August 1944.<ref name="Ro B-24"/>

Another proposal was to recover engines of other crashed B-24s and mount them on the [[IAR 80]] fighters. However, the IAR engineers determined that the R-1830 engine did not offer any significant advantage over the [[IAR K14]].<ref name="Ro B-24"/>

===Soviet use===
Only one B-24 was officially delivered to the [[USSR]] according to the [[Lend-Lease]] agreements, stranded in [[Yakutsk]] while flying a government mission to the Soviet Union in November 1942. In addition, 73 Liberators of various models that had force-landed on European airfields were recovered and 30 of them were repaired and used by the [[45th Bomber Aviation Division]].<ref name="Gordon p. 479">Gordon 2008, p. 479.</ref> The regiment concerned appears to have been the 890th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Baranovichi until 1944, and then [[Kazan]].

===Chinese use===
[[File:375th Bombardment Squadron - B-24 Liberator.jpg|thumb|B-24 Bomber flying over China during WW2]]
The B-24 bombers of the [[308th Bombardment Group]] (Heavy) joined the battlefield in March 1944 as the heavy bombers of the [[Fourteenth Air Force]] to fight against the Japanese during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]] (WW2 in China). About 48 B-24Ms were provided by the U.S. to the [[Chinese Nationalist Air Force]] after WW2 and were used during the [[Chinese Civil War]]. The [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|PLAAF]] had two B-24Ms captured from the Chinese Nationalists during the Chinese Civil War and operated until 1952.