AdministratorWhat was a waist gunner?
The primary duty of the waist gunner was to defend the aircraft against the enemy. On a B17, there were two waist gunners located directly opposite one another. This made maneuvering sometimes difficult, and until later models of the B17, frostbite was also an issue, as the waist gunners stood near open window areas.
What was the crew of a B-24?
Manned by a crew of ten men — pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier, and six gunners — the aircraft was capable of a maximum speed of 290 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 28,000 feet, and a maximum range of 2,100 miles.
What is a top turret gunner?
A dorsal gunner, mid-upper gunner or top gunner is an air gunner responsible for operating a gun position or turret located on the upper (dorsal) fuselage, between the cockpit and tail of some military aircraft.
How many crew did a B-24 have?
A B-24 carried a crew of eight to ten men (a ten man crew was most common) comprised of both officers and enlisted men. The May 1, 1945 version of the B-24 Pilot Training Manual provides the following duties for each of the crew members.
What is the best book on the B-24 Liberator?
Johnsen, Frederick A. Consolidated B-24 Liberator (WarbirdTech Volume 1). North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-58007-054-X. Johnsen, Frederick A. B-24 Liberator: Combat and Development History of the Liberator and Privateer. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1993. ISBN 0-87938-758-0.
Why did the B-24 Liberator have an oval nacelles?
The turbocharged engines were the reason for the flattened oval shape of the nacelles that distinguished all subsequent Liberator models. The B-24D was the first mass-produced series. The B-24D was the Liberator III in British service. It entered US service in early 1942. It had turbocharged engines and increased fuel capacity.
What kind of Ordnance did the B-24 make?
The B-24 was the platform for the pioneering use of the Americans’ Azon laterally-guidable precision-guided munition ordnance design, a pioneering Allied radio guided munition system during World War II. The ordnance of 1,000 lb weight, was deployed operationally by USAAF B-24s in both Europe and the CBI theaters.
What kind of Guns does a Liberator have?
Early model Liberators were fitted with a top mounted turret, a tail turret and single machine guns located in the waist and in the glazed nose. The B-24D initially featured upper, belly and tail turrets, plus swiveling single guns in the waist and on either side of the nose.