The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was a four-engined medium-high wing heavy bomber: it adopted a type of wing known as the Davis wing, narrow and elongated, which became its distinctive feature together with the double oval-shaped fin.
The Liberator was one of the most important American bombers: it ended the war as the American warplane built in the greatest number in history.
- In fact, more than 18,000 examples were built.
It was, together with the B-17 Flying Fortress, the flagship bomber of the United States Army Air Force.
The most famous mission of the Liberators was against the oil fields of Ploesti, Romania, on August 1, 1943, which ended in disaster due to the incorrect sequence of the attack waves.
The B-24 was widely used in World War II, where it served in every branch of the American armed forces, as well as in several Allied air forces and navies.
- It was used in every theater of operations and, during its missions, shot down approximately 2,600 enemy fighters.
Along with the B-17, the B-24 was the mainstay of the U.S. strategic bombing campaign in the Western European theater: thanks to its range, it proved useful in bombing operations in the Pacific, including the bombing of Japan.
