B24 Liberators in Battle Mode. Courage was a Requirement.

.....This was the second time the U-271 had encountered an aircraft of VB103, although the result of the previous action was rather different.  On June 24th, 1943 a PB4Y-1 encountered U-271 on the surface about 700 miles northeast of Argentia, Newfoundland.  This was VB103's base at the time.  As the aircraft attacked the submarine turned hard to port and opened fire at about 800 yards range.  The B24 which was approaching from astern was hit, strikes being seen in the cockpit and the nose area. Nevertheless, the crew managed to drop four depth charges before the aircraft crashed into the sea in flames about a mile from the sub.  The 10 crew members perished instantly, being the first casualties suffered by VB-103, but not the first suffered by my squadron VB-110.

.....Some facts about the B24 Liberator; 19,256 were made by Vultee, Ford Motor Company, Douglas Aircraft and North American Aircraft between 1939 and 1945.  More were made and flown than any other four engine bomber in WWII.  A fully armed and comat-ready B24 had a crew of 10.  Its gross weight when loaded was greater than 60,000 lbs.  It had four movable turrets, each with two 50 calibre machine guns and two .50s in the waist, a total of ten. It was powered by four 1,200 horsepower Pratt & Whitney radial piston engines and had a maximum speed of 303 mph.  It carried 2,750 gallons of fuel and had a flight duration of 1,500 miles.

.....The bomb load was usually ten 500 pound bombs or five 1,000 pounders.  Depth charges were used when in the anti-submarine role.  Liberators are recorded as having dropped over 630,000 tons of bombs.  It's operating environment was between 18,000 and 28,000 feet.  It was not pressurised or heated; crewmen wore oxygen masks on high altitude missions and were exposed to temperatures that reached -30 degrees F and below.  

.....I trust that I have given my readers a good account of my aircraft and of the battle dangers we faced.  Our missions almost always lasted 11 0r 12 hours. But I was 18 and invincible.