LB-30 Liberator AL624

Drigmorn Hill, Dumfries & Galloway

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UK (RAFVR)

Sgt George Douglas Calder

Australia (RAAF)

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Alan Leishman for kindly providing crash site photos and other information for this page.

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All photographic material remains the property of the original authors, and may not be reproduced elsewhere without the respective author's prior written permission.

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Aircraft Type Photo

BELOW: An RAF LB-30A Liberator in flight

A B-24 / LB-30 in RAF service

Photo [pre-1957] Taken by an employee of the UK government. Photo now in the public domain.

Aircraft Type and Background

RAF Consolidated LB-30 (B-24)Liberator / AL624

Type Nickname: "Lib"; "Lumbering Lib"; "Flying Boxcar", and others.

The Consolidated B-24 heavy bomber first flew in 1939. The prototypes were equipped with four Pratt & Whitney 1200hp R-1830-33 Twin Wasp engines. Early production versions were fitted with P&W 1200hp R-1830-41 engines with GE turbo superchargers. Later production versions (B-24Ds) were fitted with P&W R-1830-43 engines. Later variants followed. Their maximum speed was about 487km/h (303mph).

The B-24 was fitted with 11 machine guns and had a bomb carrying capacity of about 3,629kgs (8,000lbs); and, with modifications, had a range of about 4600km (2,858 miles).

Although overshadowed by the B-17 (Flying Fortresses), the B-24 was produced in greater numbers than any other aircraft in history (in excess of 18,000 aircraft).

The RAF gained extra B-24s when they took delivery of an order destined originally for France. Consolidated termed the B-24 aircraft destined for Britain 'LB-30As', as they had been modified to meet British MoD and RAF requirements. The RAF assigned the name Liberator to their new bombers (a name adopted later by the USAAF).

However, since the P&W engines of these Liberators had had their superchargers removed before delivery to the RAF, and since they lacked the self-sealing fuel tanks fitted to the US B-24s, they were found to be unsuitable for use in the European theatre. Thus, initially, the RAF Liberators were assigned to B.O.A.C., and later to RAF Ferry Command, for transport purposes.

A number of Liberators were allocated to RAF Coastal Command. Coastal Command first operated these aircraft in 1941, using them against the U-boats. Later, RAF bomber squadrons also used Liberators in the Middle East and Far East.

Some Liberators--although not the one featured here--were assigned to RAF Ferry Command, based at RAF Ayr in Scotland. Their responsibility was to act as transports, and to ferry flight crews across the North Atlantic so that these aircrew could fly newly-built aircraft back to the UK.

BELOW: Shown here is a similar RAF Consolidated Liberator (AM262). After the war, AM262 and other Liberators were registered to BOAC for civilian use.

Liberator AM262

Photo: Source unknown

Aircraft Accident Details

This aircraft flew into a hill in cloud, at Drigmorn Hill near Millfore, Kirkcudbright on September 14, 1942. No other details are available at the moment.