Liberator KH162,
No.357 Sqn,
China Bay
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|
The Consolidated Liberator VI was the RAF designation for the B-24H and early B-24Js, the first production versions of the aircraft to be built with a nose turret. As with the earlier Liberator III, the British replaced the tail turret with a Boulton Paul four gun turret but retained the American nose and dorsal turrets. This was the most numerous RAF version of the Liberator, with over 1,100 being delivered from late in 1943.
The majority of these aircraft served as B.VI bombers. Five Coastal Command squadrons used the type from bases in Britain, operating the Liberator GR.Mk VI, carrying centimetric radar in place of the ball turret.
In all the Liberator VI equipped 36 squadrons of the RAF, SAAF and RCAF, performing a wide range of duties from bases in Britain, India, Italy and the Azores.
Ten squadrons used the Liberator VI from Britain, but of those five were post-war transport squadrons. The remaining five squadrons included two performing anti-submarine patrols, one performing coastal patrols, one patrolling off the coast of Norway and one bomber support squadron.
The largest number of Liberator VI squadrons were based in India where thirteen squadrons used the aircraft. Of those squadrons five used the aircraft as a bomber over Burma and south east Asia, three for special duties, flying supply drop missions, three for coastal patrols, two for transport duties and one each for air sea rescue, anti-submarine and anti-shipping duties.
Nine squadrons operated the Liberator VI from bases in Italy. Seven of those squadrons used them for a mix of bombing missions and supply drops across south and eastern Europe, as well against German targets in northern Italy, one used their Liberators purely for supply drops and one was a post-war transport squadron.
Finally No.220 Squadron carried out anti-submarine patrols in the South Atlantic, from bases on the Azores.
Liberator VI Squadrons of the RAF, RCAF and SAAF
| Squadron | Dates |
Location |
Duty |
May-Nov 45 |
India |
Supply drops over Malaya |
|
Oct 44-Mar 46 |
Italy |
Bombing over Italy and Balkans |
|
Mar 45-Jan 46 |
Italy |
Bombing over Italy and Balkans |
|
Dec 44-Dec 45 |
India |
Transport |
|
53 |
June 44-June 45 |
Britain |
Anti-submarine patrols |
70 |
Jan 45-March 46 |
Italy |
Bombing and supply drops over Italy and Balkans |
Sep 44-Nov 45 |
India |
Bombing over Burma |
|
Sep 45-Feb 46 |
Britain |
Post war Transport |
|
Feb 45-Nov 45 |
Italy |
Bombing over Italy and Balkans |
|
March 45-Jan 46 |
Italy |
Post-war Transport |
|
March 44-July 45 |
Burma |
Bombing |
|
Jan 44-Jan 45 |
India |
Coastal Patrols |
|
Dec 43-Nov 45 |
Mediterranean |
Bombing |
|
200 |
Nov 44-May 45 |
India |
Coastal patrols then supply drops over Burma |
Oct 44-March 46 |
India |
Anti-shipping patrols |
|
Apr 44-Apr 45 |
Britain |
Coastal patrols |
|
Aug 44-Apr 45 |
India |
Bombing over Burma then transport |
|
220 |
Dec 44-May 46 |
South Atlantic |
Anti-submarine patrols |
Aug 44-July 45 |
Britain |
Bomber support squadron |
|
Feb 45-Aug 46 |
India |
Transport |
|
Oct 45-Nov 45 |
Britain |
Long range transport to Middle and Far East |
|
Dec 44-June 45 |
India |
Air-sea rescue |
|
Nov 44-March 45 |
Italy |
Supply drops over Poland, Yugoslavia and northern Italy |
|
March 45-Feb 45 |
Britain |
Patrols off Norway |
|
Dec 44-Dec 45 |
India |
Maritime patrols |
|
354 |
Feb 44-May 45 |
India |
Anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols |
Mar 44-Sept 45 |
India |
Bombing over Burma |
|
Jan 44-Nov 45 |
India |
Bombing over Burma and meteorological duties |
|
Sep 44-Nov 45 |
India |
Supply drops over Burma |
|
Nov 44-Nov 45 |
India |
One bombing mission then special duties |
|
Aug 45-Sept 45 |
Britain |
Post-war transport |
|
Aug 45-Sept 45 |
Britain |
Post-war transport |
|
July 45-Dec 45 |
Britain |
Long range transport |
|
June 44-June 45 |
Britain |
Anti-submarine patrols |
|
Apr 44-Dec 45 |
Italy |
Bombing and supply drops over Italy and the Balkans |
|
Aug 44-Dec 45 |
Italy |
Bombing over eastern and central Europe, Italy and Balkans |
Consolidated B-24 Liberator (Crowood Aviation), Martin W. Bowman. A well balanced book that begins with a look at the development history of the B-24, before spending nine out of its ten chapters looking at the combat career of the aircraft in the USAAF, the US Navy and the RAF.
