Ford proved them wrong, not easily nor entirely, during a
2.5-year
production run in a 3.5-million-square-foot factory built over Willow Run Creek near Ypsilanti, MI.
How long did it take to build a plane in WW2?
Aircraft companies went from building a handful of planes at a time to building them by the thousands on assembly lines. Aircraft manufacturing went from a distant 41st place among American industries to first place in
less than five years
.
Where was b24 built?
Willow Run, also known as Air Force Plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in
Michigan, United States
, located between Ypsilanti Township and Belleville, constructed by the Ford Motor Company for the mass production of aircraft, especially the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber.
Who built the b24?
It was designed by
the Consolidated Aircraft Company (later Consolidated-Vultee)
in response to a January 1939 U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) requirement for a four-engined heavy bomber.
When was the b24 made?
Ford proved them wrong, not easily nor entirely, during a
2.5-year
production run in a 3.5-million-square-foot factory built over Willow Run Creek near Ypsilanti, MI.
How many b24 are left?
Of the 19,256 B-24, PB4Y, LB-30 and other model variants in the Liberator family produced,
thirteen complete
examples survive today, two of which are airworthy. Eight of the thirteen aircraft reside in the United States.
How many US bombers were shot down in ww2?
In total, the 8th Air Force lost over 26,000 men. An additional 28,000 men became prisoners of war. Aircraft losses were also grim: 10, 561 planes of varying types were shot down,
4754
of those were B-17 heavy bombers.
How many B 17 Crews died?
Of the 3,885 crewmen aboard B-‐17 Flying Fortresses that went down,
2,114
(54.4 %) did not survive; 866 of the 1,228 on B-‐24 Liberators (71.3%) died; 190 of the 236 (80.0%) fighter pilots who went down perished.
How high can a b29 fly?
First flight Sept. 21, 1942 | Cruising speed 220 mph | Range 5,830 miles | Ceiling 31,850 feet | Power Four 2,200-horsepower Wright Duplex Cyclone engines |
---|
Was the B 25 a good bomber?
Though the B-25 was used by the United States in every theater of war,
it was most useful in the Pacific Theater
. … The bomber’s medium-level bombing proved to be useful for troops and against targets deep in thick jungle, where the B-25’s low-level bombing and strafing runs were particularly potent.
Why was the B-24 called the flying coffin?
Officially designated the “Liberator,” the square shaped B-24 could easily turn into a death trap.
It was hard to fly with its stiff and heavy controls
, and so earned its name by its crews as the “Flying Coffin.”
What does the B stand for in B-24?
B24
.
Consolidated Liberator
(US WWII bomber) Copyright 1988-2018 AcronymFinder.com, All rights reserved.
Was the B-24 a bad plane?
“But we really plastered that place.” Ninety-seven bombers hit the U-boat base, but two planes and their crews were lost,
24 planes were badly damaged
, and 16 airmen were wounded. Hot Stuff flew its 30th mission on March 22, 1943, part of a 100-plane attack against the U-boat yards in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Which is better B-17 or B-24?
The combat records of both types contradict the assertions that aircrews flying B-17s were “safer” than those in B-24s. … As long as there are still two surviving heavy-bomber veterans, one from each type, the B-17 veteran will believe his airplane was best, while
the B-24 vet
will know better.
How many bombs did a B-24 carry?
The cells carried 16,320 pounds, or 2,720 gallons, of 100-octane gasoline, and if a bullet was shot through them, they were self-sealing. The bomb hold was designed to carry the 8,000 payload three ways:
four 2,000-pound bombs, eight 1,000-pound bombs
, or 12 500-pound bombs and 20 100-pound bombs.
How many b25 are still flying?
There are more than one hundred surviving North American B-25 Mitchells scattered over the world, mainly in the United States. Most of them are on static display in museums, but
about 45
are still airworthy.