XPost: rec.aviation.military, soc.history.war.misc   
   From: keithwillshaw@gmail.com   
      
   On 20/03/2023 04:19, David Lesher wrote:   
   > "Jim Wilkins"  writes:   
   >   
   >   
   >> That said, while Bomber Command could not win the war against   
   >> Germany on its own, as its commander Air Marshall Bomber Harris   
   >> claimed, it did provide one of the most significant tools for   
   >> ensuring final victory.   
   >   
   > Bomber Harris denied Coastal Command et.al. of the B24 long   
   > range variant aircraft needed to neutralize the U-Boat threat,   
   > thus costing the lives of thousand of Allied seafarers.   
   >   
   >   
     That's an interesting claim given that of the 1900 or so B-24's   
   supplied most were used in the Far East and those that ended up in the   
   UK were in coastal command hunting German submarines !   
      
   The Australians got enough to equip 10 Squadrons   
      
   The RAF got 26 B24A's in 1941 but as they lacked self sealing fuel tanks   
   they were used for transport and training   
      
   In 1942 they got a first batch of B24C's which operated from North   
   Africa in the antishipping, ASW and bombing roles attacking axis convoys   
   in the Med.   
      
   Next was the B24D which was very popular with coastal command as they   
   not only had excellent radar but could carry air launched rockets to hit   
   U-Boats on the surface at night.   
      
   As far as I know the only RAF Liberators used in the bombing role were   
   bombing the Japanese in Burma. Some were used as electronic warfare   
   aircraft but that's about it   
      
      
   RAF bomber command were pretty much exclusively using the Short   
   Stirling, HP Halifax and Lancaster in the heavy bomber role - simply put   
   they had a smaller crew, didnt need the extended range of the B24 and   
   carried a heavier bomb load than a B24.   
      
   Most of the B24's that ended up in the UK were in Coastal Command where   
   they replaced the short range Lockheed Hudsons   
      
   If we look at how they were allocated by the RAF we see this   
      
   RAF Far East - 20 squadrons   
   RAF Middle East - 10 squadrons   
   Coastal Command - 10 squadons   
   Transport Command - 4 Squadrons   
      
   Coastal command did ask for Lancasters but were denied as they were not   
   well suited to the role, equipped with only .303 machine guns and just   
   one pilot they were judged to be at extreme risk attacking a surfaced   
   U-Boat. In the end for UK waters that job was assigned to the DH Mosquito.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)