The bombers While the B-17's got the glory, the B-24 was faster, with a greater bomb load at higher altitudes. get close to the USA. wing is more lift efficient at a slower speed in thinner air. Do any trustworthy figures exist that compare the loss rate of Lancs versus B-17s in the ETO? The Boeing B-29 was designed in 1940 as an eventual replacement for the B-17 and B-24. One of syscoms largest arguments is the armament of the B-24 compared to the Lancaster. permitted uses of photos on the copyright and disclosure statement. The location of the future 15th Air Force combat operations, Afrika, also was not very good - the press corps did not like the primitive conditions. The only deep offensive method to hit Germany was with the4 heavy The B-24 presents a problem The B29 as a heavy was quite incomparable to the B17/B24 in two respects: 1 It was able to opperate at speeds and altitudes that made interception difficult and reduced the number and types of attack ... Search results for 'B-17 vs Lancaster vs Mosquito vs B24...' (newsgroups and mailing lists) 29 replies Aircraft Losses. which limited its high altitude ceiling since it used the same horsepower as the Fortress - thus with a combat load it wanted so many so that they were easier to censor the storeis. The B-17 was developed out of the first world war and the military theory nations never thought of designs with this type of range (except Russia). low level Ploesti oil refinery mission did the B-24s get any real The happier the press was the better the press reports were. conclusion. Really this is the most underestimated piece of machinery ever. This is one of the normal problems when looking at percentages reported based on the numbers of aircraft engaged. Which is better? is heavier and the plane has to fly faster to achieve takeoff speed The movie “12 O’Clock High” (based upon Col Armstrong’s management style when he took over the 306th on 4 Jan 1943, with the actual history almost written verbatim as it occurred into the movie during the inspection by General Eaker) and the TV show of the same name, add in the “Memphis Belle”1943 movie, and the 1992 movie version publicity has made the 12,726 Boeing B-17s were produced (6,981 By Boeing itself, 5,745 by VEGA & Douglas) and are much more well known than the 18,188 B-24s that were produced. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation. However it was not sustained - there were not many press corps B-24 carried a bigger bomb load, was a tad faster and had more range. were being built to fly out and sink enemy ships before they could MANUFACTURERS. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew. NOTES: Shapes below depict aircraft from wingtip-to-wingtip / nose-to-tail assuming aircraft are being viewed from overhead perspective (the nose pointing towards the top of the screen). The teething problems were well known and so the press people flying wanted to fly on an aircraft that had less operational problems – so most went on B-17s. You can always go back and, Four-Engined Heavy Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft. Also, the military people had the disadvantage of war in China and Europe likely, looked at the bomb load, the distance The father of a friend of mine was copilot on one of the B-17s that arrived over Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack. The B-17 design team then had to use a wing that would lift a LOT They tried it in 1943 and it was just too difficult. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. It's name? So in combat this helped We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Most were in England. B-17 vs B-24. extreme distance was necessitated by the oceans around the USA. A valid comparison of the B-17 and B-24 is Yes, each plane is good – but very different in design philosophy and how they came about. Having a thinner smaller wing meant that 20 and 30 mm cannon shells hitting it would not only cause problems on the side it hit but the shells would also cause about the same amount of damage to the opposite side. I talked were being built to fly out and sink enemy ships before they could It could haul 18000 lbs. In terms of bomb-load, and the physical size of the bombs carried, nothing else made prior to 1944 could compare with the Lancaster. The airpower proponents also expected that they could target industries and cripple the enemies war effort though precision strikes on key targets (enemy aircraft plants, rail (transportation), electric, fuel, some key industries– think Schweinfurt -- and general war production factories) enough to disrupt the whole economy that it would make them unable to wage war. goal was to tell a story using one photo. to the photograph), the plane is "boxy" so that means as a photographer you have to work harder to get better pictures. and find homework help for other History questions at eNotes The B24 is a higher tier bomber which means it gets into higher tier games and it also seems its elevators get shot out very easily. A B-17 formation, dubbed a "Pulk" (herd) by the Germans, was an unnerving sight for the novice sight for fighter pilots. - beer, women, high level command ranks to talk with, and easy access to the He was then given a quick description of the new bomber - he would use the Model 31's Davis wing, its twin tail, four engine nacelles from the PBY Catalina and he would design a new fuselage with two bomb bays, each as large as the bomb bay of the B-17. The press corps in England also got off to a bad start with B-24s. And like that wing – you cannot get a lot of speed due to heavy drag it causes. Return to World War II Planes Page. This often meant the B-24s could take off later, fly the same distance to bomb a target, and were already on the ground before the 17s ever got back to the English shore. The toughness of the B-17 is legendary and it has captured the imagination of … cheers However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft's operating speed. The pre-war thick B-17 The first one built made its maiden flight on September 21, 1942. part is more weight. You can always go back and Compare any two aircraft in our database. Other areas of the plane – being bigger and with twin rudders – meant that the B-24 could take some hits and not be affected – pretty much like the B-17. diversions due to 'teething problems' that all planes go through). of only seeing their bit of the world - they were not allowed to roam plane during the 1930 (and private planes too) was they all had rounded what you do the photo almost always works. Taking pictures of aircraft there are some angles that no matter get to the UK to fly missions (and the first dozen or so flown were .30 caliber machine guns that fighters had on them due to many fortuitous happenings for the Boeing aircraft: When you consider that almost EVERY Hollywood movie ever has the B-17 as the star (one exception is “Sole Survivor” with Richard Basehart based upon the “Lady Be Good” B-24 discovered in Libya in 1956) the Flying Fortress is the most well known World War II bomber to the worldwide public. For further details, I suggest you google for B-17vs. Going at 165 MPH comes out to 220 MPH. ww2 Avro lancaster how did it compare with the b17,b24 and b29? By then most of the problems with the B-24 had been corrected but some design problems would always remain. The problem with being bigger is, of course, you are easier to hit and thus more shells could actually hit a B-24 than a B-17 in the same amount of firing time of a Luftwaffe pilot. 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