(Ebook) Special Operations Consolidated B-24 Liberators: The Unknown Secret and Specialized Duties Aircraft by William Wolf ISBN 9781399057769, 1399057766

(Ebook) Special Operations Consolidated B-24 Liberators: The Unknown Secret and Specialized Duties Aircraft by William Wolf ISBN 9781399057769, 1399057766

Despite being America's most produced bomber, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator has forever flown in the shadow of its more famous and glamorous B-17 rival. The workmanlike B-24 performed multiple unheralded roles in all theaters beyond its also multiple offensive missions, making it the war's most versatile heavy bomber. Besides its offensive bombing, anti-submarine, and mining missions, the Liberator performed many little known "inoffensive" duties. Undoubtedly the most colorful of all Liberators were the so-called assembly ships of the Groups of the 2nd Air Division. Their unique paint schemes of stripes, polka dots, and checkerboard, were designed to make them ultra-conspicuous for their task of acting as leaders on which a Group formation could assemble their combat formations more quickly for a combat mission. The Consolidated F-7 was a photographic reconnaissance version of the B-24 Liberator. The F-7 saw service in most theaters of the war. The long range of the Liberator also made it well suited to mapping missions during the war and post-war.