Osprey Combat Aircraft 11 : B-24 Liberator Units of the Pacific War

Ever present in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the B-24 Liberator proved to be the staple heavy bomber of the campaign. From its ignominious beginnings in the Allied rout in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, the bomber weathered the Japanese storm with a handful of bomb groups, which played a crucial role in checking the enemy's progress firstly in New Guinea, and then actively participating in the 'island hopping' campaign through the south-west Pacific. Fifth Air Force commander, Gen George C Kenney, was a firm advocate in the 'Lib' right from the start, being convinced not only that the B-24 carried more bombs than the B-17, but had a greater range and could, if necessary, be flown seriously overloaded. No one ever claimed it was more elegant or performed as well at high altitude, but in rugged climes, where long-distance performance mattered - in short, in the Pacific - the B-24 became the right aircraft at the right time. Aside from its use by the Army Air Force, US Navy and Marine Corps units also received navalised Liberators in the form of PB4Y Privateers, which saw action in the Pacific. Finally, the bomber's exploits in the Aleutians and the Panama Canal Zone are also detailed in this book, as is its use with the Australian Air Force. Text by Robert F. Dorr with illustrations by Mark Rolfe.

Contents

• Pearl, Panama and Paramushiro
• Fifth Air Force
• Seventh Air Force
• Thirteenth Air Force
• Far East Air Force
• Appendices