Consolidated Liberator I was the service name of the first

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

four-engined bombers to see use with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). A small number of B-24s were purchased for the RAF but assessment showed that they were not suitable for use over Europe. They were however suitable for long range maritime reconnaissance and were put into use with

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

Service history

In August 1939, the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

(USAAC) ordered 38 examples of the Consolidated B-24A. From this order, 20 aircraft (serial numbers 40-2349 to 40-2368) were released for direct purchase by the RAF where it was given the service name Liberator B.Mk.I (from "Bomber Mark 1"). The twenty Liberator B.Mk.I were delivered to the RAF starting in mid 1941 and were given

serial numbers A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it. Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...

''AM910'' to ''AM929''. After a period of testing at the

Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment The Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) was a research facility for British military aviation from 1918 to 1992. Established at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, the unit moved in 1939 to Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, where its work ...

(A&AEE) at

RAF Boscombe Down MoD Boscombe Down ' is the home of a military aircraft testing site, on the southeastern outskirts of the town of Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The site is managed by QinetiQ, the private defence company created as part of the breakup of the Def ...

, England, it was found to be unsuitable for combat over Europe. Among the deficiencies cited were the lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, poor defensive armament and general lack of combat readiness. The long range and heavy bomb load however, made the Liberator a natural choice for

(CC) for use in long-range

maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...

s against the

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

menace. Twelve aircraft were sent to

Scottish Aviation Scottish Aviation Limited was an aircraft manufacturer based at Prestwick, Scotland. History The company was founded in 1935. Originally a flying school operator, the company took on maintenance work in 1938. During the Second World War, Scotti ...

Prestwick Prestwick ( gd, Preastabhaig) is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about south, an ...

, Scotland for extensive conversion to meet the

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

role and they were redesignated Liberator GR.Mk.I – the 'GR' standing for 'General Reconnaissance'. The conversion included the addition of

Air-to-Surface Vessel radar Radar, Air-to-Surface Vessel, or ASV radar for short, is a classification used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to refer to a series of aircraft-mounted radar systems used to scan the surface of the ocean to locate ships and surfaced submarines. The fi ...

(ASV) and a pack of four forward firing 20 mm Hispano cannon under the forward bomb bay. Some aircraft were further modified with a pair of stub wings on the fuselage under each wing which carried eight 3 inch (76mm) "60 pound"

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

s along with the installation of a Leigh light under the right wing. The entire series of Liberator GR.Mk.Is were assigned to 15 Group Coastal Command with the reforming of

No. 120 Squadron RAF Number 120 Squadron or No. CXX Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which was established as a Royal Flying Corps unit late in World War I, disbanded a year after the end of the war, then re-established as a RAF Coastal Command squadro ...

in June 1941 and continued in service until December 1943. During this time, they accounted for five U-boats confirmed sunk and four damaged. With the end of the war, the Liberators in Coastal Command were replaced by the arguably inferior maritime patrol variant of the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

, the GR Mk 3.

Aircraft

All the aircraft were delivered from March to May 1941, ''AM911'', ''AM914'' and ''AM922'' were "Unmodified crew trainer". Three Liberators were initially converted to Liberator C.Mk.I (for "cargo") freighters: (''AM915'', ''AM918'', ''AM920'') and used on the Transatlantic for returning aircraft ferry pilots to Canada as well as priority shipments to the UK. When the Liberator GR.Is were retired from No. 120 Squadron, being replaced with later marks, the remaining aircraft were converted to Liberator C.Is. ''AM910'' was used to assess the Liberator B.Mk.I for the RAF in July/August 1941 at the A&AEE. It was then used for testing the Liberator GR.Mk.I AXV radar and 20 mm cannon installations and converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I being assigned to 120 Squadron on 5 September 1941. In April 1942, it crashed on landing at

RAF Nutts Corner Royal Air Force Nutts Corner or more simply RAF Nutts Corner is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Crumlin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and north west of Belfast. It was originally a civil airfield, then it became a military ...

. ''AM911'' was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron on 19 June 1941 unmodified for use as a pilot/crew instructional trainer. In October 1941, it was returned to

for transport modifications to carry passengers and mail only. On 23 May 1943 the undercarriage collapsed at

RAF Gibraltar RAF Gibraltar (also formerly known as North Front) is a Royal Air Force station on Gibraltar. No military aircraft are currently stationed there, but RAF, Commonwealth and aircraft of other NATO nations will periodically arrive for transient stop ...

and it was written off. While attached to the

, ''AM912'' was damaged on landing on 16 May 1941 and not repaired. After a period of time at an Operational Training Unit ''AM913'' was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I standard and assigned to 120 Squadron. On 29 January 1943 it crashed due to the loss of two engines (number 3 and 4) on approach to

RAF Talbenny Royal Air Force Talbenny or more simply RAF Talbenny is a former Royal Air Force station located north west of Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire and south west of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales It was operational between May 1942 to Decemb ...

at the end of a flight from Africa. Among the 11 killed was

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Vivian Dykes Brigadier Vivian Dykes, (9 December 1898 in Bromley, Kent – 29 January 1943), known as Dumbie Dykes, was a British civil servant and officer of the Royal Engineers, who ultimately died serving in the Second World War. Military career He was ...

. ''AM914'' was used at an Operational Training Unit before conversion to a Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron assigned as pilot/crew instructional trainer. In October 1941, it was returned to

for transport modifications – passengers and mail only – no cargo door installed and redesignated Liberator C.Mk.I. In June 1942 it was reassigned to 1425 Flt. After the war it was SOC ( Struck Off Charge) Canada. ''AM915'' was converted to Liberator C.Mk.I and assigned to the RAF Ferry Command. On 1 September 1941, it flew into Achinoan Hill near

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

, Scotland, killing ten crew and passengers. *AM916 (ex 40-2355) s/n 7 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron. On 5 April 1942, during

Operation Myrmidon Operation Myrmidon was the planned raid during the Second World War by No. 1 Commando and No. 6 Commando in April 1942. This operation was an abortive raid on the Adour Estuary in south-western France.Chappell 1996, p. 23. The plan was to disru ...

, it was engaged in combat with three

Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...

s for over half an hour. From June – July 1942, it was detached to Middle East (with 120/P AM919). After the war it was sold. *AM917 (ex 40-2356) s/n 8 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron. On 16 August 42, attacked and damaged and on 19 August 1942 it attacked and damaged while escorting convoy SL 118. U-653 was seriously damaged and had to limp back to base, reaching Brest, France on 30 August 1942. ''AM917'' attacked but did not damage southwest of Iceland. After the war it was Struck Off Charge in March 1947 *AM918 (ex 40-2357) s/n 9 was converted to Liberator C.Mk.I and assigned to the RAF Ferry Command. Assigned to BOAC with registration ''G-AGDR''. ** May 1941 delivered to England by Ferry Command (Pilot: W/C John Francis). ** 24–25 January 1942, AM918 with civil registry ''G-AGDR'' flew nonstop from Hurn to Cairo. However, on its return trip, it was shot down in error by a Spitfire over the English Channel near

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on 15 February 1943 with nine killed. *AM919 (ex 40-2358) s/n 10 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron. **June – July 1942, detached to Middle East (with 120/L AM916). While escorting

convoy SC 130 Convoy SC 130 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It was the 130th of the numbered series of Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. SC 130 was one of s ...

in the North Atlantic on 20 May 1943, attacked and sank with depth charges. On 18 June 1943, undercarriage collapsed on landing at

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, Iceland and the aircraft was salvaged for spares. *AM920 (ex 40-2359) s/n 11 was converted to Liberator C.Mk.I and assigned to the RAF Ferry Command. Assigned to

BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

with registration G-AHYB. On 10 February 1946 it completed the British Overseas Airways Corporation's 2,000th transatlantic crossing It passed to France as ''F-VNNP'' and became the personal transport of Indochina's Emperor

Bảo Đại Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...

. *AM921 (ex 40-2360) s/n 12 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron. ** 8 December 1941, attacked and sank in the North Atlantic south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland, in approximate position 55° 00'N, 40° 00'W (U-boat Captain Hans Gilardone). ** 16 October 1942, attacked while escorting

convoy SC 104 Convoy SC 104 was the 104th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. During October 1942, a U-boat wolf pack sank eight ships from the convoy. The convoy escorts sank ...

. ** 8 December 1942, attacked and sank in the North Atlantic south-east of Cape Farewell, while on convoy escort HX 217. ** 9 January 1943, engine caught fire in air and crashed on landing at Reykjavík, Iceland. *AM922 (ex 40-2361) s/n 13 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron as an unmodified pilot/crew instructional trainer. ** October 1941, returned to Scottish Aviation for transport modifications – passengers and mail only – no cargo door installed and redesignated Liberator C.Mk.I. ** 7 January 1942, reassigned to No 1425 (Transport) Flight – Absorbed by RA
511 Sq
(transport) when Flight was created. ** 7 September 1944, placed in storage. ** June 1947, salvaged. *AM923 (ex 40-2362) s/n 14 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron with Squadron Code: OH aircraft W. ** 27 May 1941, searched for the battleship ''Bismarck'' during delivery flight (Pilot Capt White). ** December 1943, salvaged. *AM924 (ex 40-2363) s/n 15 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron with Squadron Code: OH aircraft D "Donald Duck." ** October 1941 attacked Fw 200 Condor ** 5 April 1942, attacked and fuel tank damaged by an Arado float plane while escorting Convoy Skipper near 43° 36'N, 02° 07'W (Pilot: P/O Secord). ** 11 January 1942, commanded by Peter Cundy on a sortie into the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

attacked the German blockade runner: ''Elsa Essberger'' and the which was at the time alongside the German ship. On 28 May 1942, it was attacked and shot down by three

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

Es of 9/JG1 south of the

Lofoten Islands Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær ...

, north Norway. *AM925 (ex 40-2364) s/n 16 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron with Squadron Code: OH aircraft X. ** 6 February 1942, while escorting Convoy SC 118, forces , , , and to break off attacks (Pilot: S/L Isted). ** 18 February 1942, crashed on takeoff: RAF Nutts Corner, Belfast Northern Ireland. *AM926 (ex 40-2365) s/n 17 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron ** 10 December 1941, flew into hill on ferry flight: Dyce-Nutts Corner, Ochil Hills near

Alva, Clackmannanshire Alva (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ailbheach'', meaning rocky) is a small town in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is one of a number of towns situated immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, collectively referred to as th ...

. *AM927 (ex 40-2366) s/n 18 was assigned to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for crew training at the Eagle Nest Flight Training Center, run by Transcontinental & Western Airlines (TWA). ** 24 July 1941, crashed on landing – brake failure/right landing gear and nose gear collapsed ** Salvaged and rebuilt by Consolidated in the fall 1941 to prototype XC-87 configuration – used by Consolidated to carry necessary parts between factories, as well as a corporate transport. ** 14 February 1945, AM927 had the "short" B-24A nose section removed and had a nose section from an RY-3 installed. At this time, the aircraft also had the PBY-type powerplants (firewall forward) installed, to make the items in the engine compartment interchangeable with aircraft still being produced. (Registered as ''NL24927'', 1 April 1947). ** 10 November 1948, sold by Consolidated to the

Continental Can Company Continental Can Company (CCC) was an American producer of metal containers and packaging company, that was based in Stamford, Connecticut."CONTINENTAL GROUP COMPANY." ''International Directory of Company Histories''. Ed. Thomas Derdak. Vol. 1. Ch ...

. The aircraft was outfitted with sleeping berths and reclining chairs and was used to transport company executives from its home base in Morristown, New Jersey (Registered N1503). ** 14 April 1959, sold to

Pemex Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

, a Mexican petroleum company. They used the aircraft not only as an executive transport, but to haul drums of oil from place to place. (Registered as ''XC-CAY'', November 1959). ** May 1968, sold to the Confederate Air Force, initially registered ''N12905'', currentl
''N24927''
*AM928 (ex 40-2367) s/n 19 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 15 Group (CC)/120 Squadron with Squadron Code: OH aircraft A. ** 27 May 1942, undershot landing and hit sand-dunes:

Stornoway Stornoway (; gd, Steòrnabhagh; sco, Stornowa) is the main town of the Western Isles and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it by far the largest town in the Outer Hebrides, as well a ...

, United Kingdom. *AM929 (ex 40-2368) s/n 20 was converted to Liberator GR.Mk.I and assigned to 120 Squadron. Squadron code OH-H. ** 12 October 1942, attacked and sunk southwest of Iceland while on escorting convoy ONS 136. Three days later it attacked and while escorting

. On 5 November 1942, attacked and damaged while escorting

convoy SC 107 Convoy SC 107 was the 107th of the numbered series of World War II Slow Convoys of merchant ships from Sydney, Cape Breton Island to Liverpool. The ships departed New York City on 24 October 1942 and were found and engaged by a wolfpack of ...

.uboat.net – Boats – U-132
/ref> While escorting Convoy HX 217, on 7 December 1942 it forced four submarines (, , and ) to break off attacks. On 24 June 1943, escorting convoy ONS 11, it attacked and sunk with 2 depth charges south-west of Iceland. On 17 October 1943, attacked and sunk while on convoy escort ONS 206 (shared kill with BZ712 of 59 Sqdn east of Cape Farewell, Greenland). ** Converted to Liberator C.Mk.I and assigned to 231 Squadron. ** April 1945, lost (killing two) when an engine caught fire shortly after takeoff.

Specifications (Liberator GR.Mk.I)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Birdsall, Steve. ''B-24 Liberator In Action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1975. . * Blue, Al. ''Pictorial History of the B24 Liberator Bomber''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985. . * Franks, Norman. ''Search, Find and Kill''. London: Grub Street, 1995. . * O'Leary, Michael. ''Consolidated B-24 Liberator: Production Line to Front Line''. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. . * Pearcy, Arthur. ''Lend-Lease Aircraft in World War II: An Operational History''. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company LLC, 1996. . * ''RAF No 120 Sqdn. Records''. London: Official Crown Documents, 1940–1946. * Webmail re: B-24/PB4Y/Liberator I AM911, AM914 and AM922.

External links

USAF history on Liberator I

AM926 crash information

restoration of AM927 December 2006 / May 2007

U-boat net – operations & losses
{{Consolidated aircraft

Twin-tail aircraft