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Contact Info
Home Town Somerville, Massachusetts
Last Address Los Angeles, California
Date of Passing Feb 24, 1986
Location of Interment United States Air Force Academy Cemetery (VLM) - Colorado Springs, Colorado
He was an aviation pioneer who helped shape and promote daylight precision bombing. He taught at the Air Corps Tactical School and influenced a group of airmen who had powerful influence during and after WWII. He was the de-facto leader of the so-called "Bomber Mafia", the men who advocated an independent force of heavy bombers. He helped shape America's bomber strategy for the war by assisting the Air War Plans Division with a complete aircraft production and bombing strategy. During World War II, he led the Air Transport Command, taking it from 130 obsolescent aircraft to 3,000 modern transports, operated by 300,000 airmen. after WWII, he helped Hughes Aircraft become very profitable, and was twice elected mayor of Beverly Hills, CA. He had retired from the USAAF in 1946 but was recalled to active duty in 1955 and then retired from the USAF.
Model Consolidated B-24J Liberator Length 67.16 ft | 20.47 m Width 110.01 ft | 33.53 m Height 18.01 ft | 5.49 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. Empty Weight 36,500 lbs | 16,556 kg MTOW 65,001 lbs | 29,484 kg Max Speed 290 mph | 467 km/h | 252 kts Max Range 2,001 miles | 3,220 km Ceiling 28,002 ft | 8,535 m | 5.3 miles Climb Rate 800 ft/min (243.84 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in upper-fuselage turret. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in under-fuselage assembly. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left-waist fuselage position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right-waist fuselage position.
Up to 8,800lbs of internal bombs. Accommodations 10 Operators the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
* Model 31 - Flying Boat Model whose wing assembly would become the basis for the B-24 design. * Model 32 - Base B-24 Model Series Designation. * XB-24 - Initial Prototype Model Designation fitted with R-1830-33 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. * YB-24 - Preproduction Model Designation * B-24A - Fitted with 2 x 7.62mm tail guns, 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly, dorsal and waist gun positions. * B-24C - Fitted with turbocharged R-1830-41 engines; 8 x 12.7mm machine guns - nose (single gun), ventral, waist (left and right), dorsal turret (two guns) and tail turret (two guns). * B-24D - Based on the B-24C model but fitted with R-1830-43 engines; later models of this series would feature the twin 12.7mm ball turret gun assembly in the ventral fuselage position; self-sealing fuel tanks; 2,381 produced. * B-24E - Modified propeller systems; 801 produced. * B-24G - Fitted with R-1830-43 engines; powered nose turret with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. * B-24H - Improved Model with extended nose section; 3,100 produced. * B-24J - Fitted with R-1830-65 engines; improved bombsight; autopilot functionality; 6,678 produced. * B-24L - Based on B-24J model but fitted with hand-operated tail guns; 1,667 produced. * B-24M - Based on B-24J model with lighter mounting for hand-operated tail gun; 2,593 produced. * XB-24Q - General Electric Conversion Model of B-24L model fitted with radio-controlled tail turret. * B-24Q - Final Production Model Designation * B-24Q * LB-30 - Transport Variant * C-87 - Air Force Transport Variant * RY - Navy Transport Variant * C-109 - Fuel Tanking Model * F-7 - Photographic Reconnaissance Model * PB4Y-1 - Patrol Bombing Model * PB4Y-2 - Specialized Model with single vertical tail surface assembly. * GR - British Maritime Reconnaissance Model.