ROWE MISSION #8 - 3 October, 1944, Tuesday

30
the 10 inch wide "catwalk" between the twin
bomb bays was an ominous trip to the rear
section. You were advised to think about every
step, because it was a tedious journey with flight
suit, parachute harness, and a portable oxygen
bottle. With
the doors
open, about
25% of the
B - 2 4 ' s
u n d e r s i d e
w a s
e x p o s e d .
See mission
#14 for John
R o c h e ' s
troubles in
the Bomb
bay during
one of our
e m e r g e n -
cies.
In addition
to the
four turrets
(nose, top, belly, & tail) as mentioned before,
there were two single mounted ring and pole
sighted .50 caliber machine guns in the waist
windows. Wind deflectors were provided but
didn't help much when the high-altitude wind and
-40 degree cold came in. Waist gunners had a
magnificent view but arctic weather. Before the
electrically heated suit, gunners had to wear
several layers of clothing because just a small hole
could result in severe frost-bite. All gunners were
firing from a moving platform. Depending upon
the wind direction, the B-24 would be moving
from 200 to 300+ MPH. As the bullet left the gun,
this speed and movement would fling or catapult
the bullet. Therefore, the gunner needed to aim
behind the fighter if he was coming from the rear,
or if from the front, compensate for the opposite
effect by leading the fighter a little more than
usual. The tail turret caught all of the wind
whistling through the B-24. Those in the rear had
a rough ride in high altitude turbulence. The tail
turret gunner could close the turret door but it was
more important to have a quick exit and contact
STRUCTURAL TOUR OF THE B-24
with the waist gunners.
From the nose to the tail, mechanics and
ordnance men were truly members of the combat
crew and not just "ground crews". They were
innovative, hard nosed men patching up and
loading the
"birds" to keep
t h e f l i g h t
crews in the
air. Without
their dedication
and
"around the
clock" hours in
rain, snow,
sleet, wind and
fog, the flight
crews would
never have
gotten off the
ground.
T h e
LOOKING PAST THE BALL TURRET HOIST THROUGH THE WAIST Consolidated
GUNNER’S POSITIONS TOWARD THE TAIL TURRET
B-24 Liberator
(the British
gave it the name Liberator) did not receive as much
press acclaim as did the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress,
but it was a newer plane. It was designed to
fly faster and with a larger bomb load. It was a
rugged sturdy airplane. The crews considered it a
good and faithful servant, and it has a solid place in
history. It was a workhorse heavy duty bomber for
its time, but with the qualities of a thoroughbred,
inspite of the maligning by its detractors. Both the
B-17 and the B-24 were great airplanes. It's just that
if you flew a B-17 it was the best and if you flew a
B-24 it was the best. The B-24 carried more bombs
faster and farther. It was powered by four Pratt and
Whitney R-1380-65 radial engines, carried ten .50
caliber machine guns and a crew of ten. Specifications
varied with the model; but the B-24J had
a length of 67 feet 2 inches, a wingspan of 110 feet,
overall height 18 feet, empty weight 36,500 pounds,
gross weight 65,000 pounds, bomb load 8,000
pounds, ceiling 28,000 feet, range 2,100 miles,
cruising speed 215 MPH and a maximum speed
290 MPH. The B-24D's ceiling was 35,000 feet,
range 2,800 miles, maximum speed 300 MPH and a