1/32 US B-24D Liberator

Product Code: 83212

Description

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber,
designed by Consolidated Aircraft Company of San Diego,
California Its mass production was brought into full force by
1943 with the aid of the Ford Motor Company through its newly
constructed Willow Run facility, where peak production had
reached one B-24 per hour and 650 per month in 1944 Other
factories soon followed The B-24 ended World War II as the most
produced Allied heavy bomber in history, and the most produced
American military aircraft at over 18,000 units, thanks in large
measure to Henry Ford and the harnessing of American industry It
still holds the distinction as the most-produced American
military aircraft The B-24 was used by several Allied air forces
and navies, and by every branch of the American armed forces
during the war, attaining a distinguished war record with its
operations in the Western European, Pacific, Mediterranean, and
ChinaBurma-India TheatersOften compared with the better-known
B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was a more modern design with a
higher top speed, greater range, and a heavier bomb load;
however, it was also more difficult to fly, with heavy control
forces and poor formation-flying characteristics Popular opinion
among aircrews and general staffs tended to favor the B-17s
rugged qualities above all other considerations in the European
Theater The placement of the B-24s fuel tanks throughout the
upper fuselage and its lightweight construction, designed to
increase range and optimize assembly line production, made the
aircraft vulnerable to battle damage The B-24 was notorious among
American aircrews for its tendency to catch fire Moreover, its
high fuselage-mounted Davis wing also meant it was dangerous to
ditch or belly land, since the fuselage tended to break apart
Nevertheless, the B-24 provided excellent service in a variety of
roles thanks to its large payload and long rangeThe B-24s most
famous mission was the low-level strike against the Ploesti oil
fields, in Romania on 1 August 1943, which turned into a disaster
due to attack waves getting out of sequence