The B-24 was a faster plane having a greater range and payload capacity. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew.
Which was the better aircraft -- B-17 or B-24?
The B-17 had a very large wing and ailerons (the moveable portion of the wing), while the B-24 used a smaller wing and ailerons for speed. Thus, the Liberator was faster, but the Flying Fortress could fly higher.
Why was the B-24 Liberator considered a better bomber than the B-17?
The B-24 had a shoulder-mounted high aspect ratio Davis wing. This wing was highly efficient allowing a relatively high airspeed and long range. Compared to the B-17 it had a 6-foot larger wingspan, but a lower wing area. This gave the B-24 a 35% higher wing loading.
Why was the B-24 called the flying coffin?
In addition, crews nicknamed the B-24 the "Flying Coffin" as it possessed only one exit which was located near the tail of the aircraft. This made it difficult to impossible for the flight crew to escape a crippled B-24.
Which plane shot down the most planes in ww2?
It is accurate to state that the P-38 did shoot down more Japanese aircraft than any other USAAF plane with 1,857, with the P-40 running a close second at 1,633.5. Even though the F6F did not start reaching Naval and Marine units in the Pacific until late 1943, once it did it came in prodigious numbers.
34 related questions foundWho was the best pilot ever?
#1: Charles Lindbergh
- Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger.
- Florence 'Pancho' Barnes.
- Louis Bleriot.
- Erich Hartmann.
- Charles E. Yeager.
- Baron Manfred Von Richthoven.
- James 'Jimmy' Doolittle.
- The Wright Brothers.
Who has the fastest planes in WW2?
These Were The 10 Fastest Planes Of WWII
- 8 Heinkel He. ...
- 7 Messerschmitt Me. 163 Komet (624 Mph)
- 6 Dornier Do-335 Pfeil (474 Mph)
- 5 Arado Ar 234 Blitz (462 Mph)
- 4 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 24 (454 Mph)
- 3 Vought F4U Corsair (446 Mph)
- 2 North American P-51 Mustang (440 Mph)
- 1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (433 Mph)
How many US bombers were shot down in ww2?
In total, the 8th Air Force lost over 26,000 men. An additional 28,000 men became prisoners of war. Aircraft losses were also grim: 10, 561 planes of varying types were shot down, 4754 of those were B-17 heavy bombers. The 390th Bomb Group lost 176 of its 275 assigned aircrafts.
How many B-24 bombers are left?
Of the 19,256 B-24, PB4Y, LB-30 and other model variants in the Liberator family produced, thirteen complete examples survive today, two of which are airworthy. Eight of the thirteen aircraft reside in the United States.
Why were gliders used in ww2?
The Horsa glider went on to be used extensively throughout the war as a mode of transporting both troops and equipment to areas behind the enemy lines, becoming responsible for airlifting almost a quarter of all the air-supplies received during the Normandy invasion.
How many B-17 were built in ww2?
The B-17 Flying Fortress became a symbol of the power of the United States and its air force. There were 12,731 B-17s built between 1936 and 1945.
What plane was the Memphis Belle?
Boeing B-17F Memphis Belle™
Is the b29 bigger than the B-17?
Due to all of this, the B-29 is much heavier than the B-17. As a result, Boeing was forced to use more powerful engines for the B-29. In turn, the B-29 had a much longer combat range than the B-17. On top of the longer combat range, the B-29 also had a much faster cruising and max speed.
What replaced the B-17?
Consolidated's B-24 was designed to replace the B-17 and was in many ways a much better airplane, with vastly improved performance due to an aerodynamically shaped wing that afforded higher speeds and greater payloads using engines with the same rated horsepower.
Are there any Brewster Buffalos still flying?
The Buffalo was quickly phased out by the Navy and Marines, but it was embraced by Finland, which used them with great success against the air force of the invading Soviet Union in 1941. In fact, the world's only remaining Brewster Buffalo was fished out of a Finnish lake in 1998.
Is the B-17 hard to fly?
The rugged B-17s would often return with many of their working parts shot up, but the Flying Fortress earned its reputation as one of the toughest planes to fly in World War II.
What plane dropped the atomic bomb?
Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945. The B-29 (also called Superfortress) was a four-engine heavy bomber that was built by Boeing.
What was the best fighter of World war 2?
The P-51D Mustang is considered by many to be the #1 fighter aircraft of WWII. With internal tanks, the plane had a range of 950 miles. The range increased to 2,200 miles with external tanks. This aircraft was both fast and maneuverable.
What were two drawbacks of flying the B-24 Liberator bomber?
This also made the airplane suitable for long over-water missions in the Pacific. The B-24's drawbacks were that it was physically difficult to fly and much more vulnerable to enemy flak than the B-17. Flak is fire from anti-aircraft artillery.
How many B-52 bombers were shot down in Vietnam?
Only one other B-52 tail gunner had scored a successful kill against a Vietnamese fighter, though more than 30 B-52s had been shot down throughout the conflict.
What was the life expectancy of a ww2 pilot?
The Germans generally had better aircraft and more experienced airmen, but the Canadian and Imperial fliers persevered. Historians have calculated that the life span of a pilot in action was about ten weeks.
How many B-52 have been lost?
Of 92 B-52 crew members involved in the losses, 26 were recovered, 25 came up missing in action, 33 became prisoners of war, and eight were either killed in action or later died of wounds. In addition, the US lost two F-111As, three F-4s, two A-7s, two A-6s, one EB-66, one HH-53, and one RA-5C.
What was the slowest plane in WW2?
PZL M-15 Belphegor - Wikipedia.
Which is better Spitfire or p51?
In most cases, the Spitfire had better performance as an all-purpose fighter. The all-important climb rate for a P51D sat at 3200ft per minute whilst the Spitfire could climb at an impressive 3650ft per minute. The maximum speed of a P51D was 437mph whilst the Spitfire was slightly faster at 448mph.
What was the fastest propeller plane in WW2?
The German Dornier DO-335 was unique in having a tractive (pulling) propeller in its nose and a propulsive (pushing) motor behind its cockpit, technology that at the time was totally new. It had a maximum sustained speed of 665 km/h (413 mph), increasing to 765 km/h (477 mph) with emergency boost.
