The B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...

was a heavy bomber

Heavy bomber

A heavy bomber is a bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity, and usually the longest range.In New START, the term "heavy bomber" is used for two types of bombers:*one with a range greater than 8,000 kilometers...

 in service in the air force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and subsequent years. The B-24 was the main component of heavy bomber support in the Pacific theatre following a decision to remove B-17s from the theatre due to their shorter ranges and for logistic simplicity.

While Australian pilots flew Liberators in other theatres of war, the aircraft was introduced into service in the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 (RAAF) in 1944 when it was suggested by Gen George C. Kenney that seven heavy bomber squadrons be raised to supplement the efforts of the 380th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). The USAAF helped in the procurement of the aircraft for the RAAF and training of the Australian air-crew. Seven flying squadrons, an operational training unit and two independent flights were equipped with the aircraft by the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in August 1945.

The following squadrons of the RAAF operated Liberators:

• No. 12 Squadron RAAF
  No. 12 Squadron RAAF
  No. 12 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force general purpose, bomber and transport squadron. The squadron was formed in 1939 and saw combat in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II. From 1941-1943, it mainly conducted maritime patrols off northern Australia...
  
  
• No. 21 Squadron RAAF
  No. 21 Squadron RAAF
  No. 21 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force general reserve squadron. It saw action as a fighter, dive bomber and heavy bomber unit during World War II.-History:...
  
  
• No. 23 Squadron RAAF
  No. 23 Squadron RAAF
  No. 23 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force is a non-flying base operations and training squadron headquartered at RAAF Base Amberley near Brisbane, Queensland. The Squadron was formed in 1937 and saw action during World War II as a bomber squadron.-History:No...
  
  
• No. 24 Squadron RAAF
  No. 24 Squadron RAAF
  No. 24 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1940 and saw action as a bomber squadron during World War II. Since the end of the war the Squadron has been an RAAF Reserve squadron located near Adelaide, South Australia....
  
  
• No. 25 Squadron RAAF
  No. 25 Squadron RAAF
  No. 25 Squadron is a general reserve squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. The squadron is based at RAAF Base Pearce in Perth, Western Australia and forms part of the Combat Reserve Wing. The squadron has been based at Pearce since 1938. 25 Squadron was originally formed at RAAF Base...
  
  
• No. 99 Squadron RAAF
  No. 99 Squadron RAAF
  No. 99 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force heavy bomber squadron of World War II.No. 99 Squadron was formed at Leyburn on 1 February 1945. The Squadron's B-24 Liberator bombers arrived in early March and the Squadron was declared operational in April. No...
  
  
• No. 102 Squadron RAAF
  No. 102 Squadron RAAF
  No. 102 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force heavy bomber squadron of World War II. The Squadron was only active for less than nine months before being disbanded....
  
  
• No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAAF
  No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAAF
  No. 7 Operational Training Unit RAAF was an Royal Australian Air Force heavy bomber training unit of World War II. 7OTU was formed on 12 February 1944 at RAAF Station Tocumwal in southern New South Wales to train RAAF B-24 Liberator crews. 7OTU was initially equipped with ex-USAAF B-24Bs but later...
  
  
• No. 200 Flight RAAF
  No. 200 Flight RAAF
  No. 200 Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force special duties flight of World War II. The flight was formed in February 1945 to support the Allied Intelligence Bureau and saw action over Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies from March that year until the end of the war in August. No...
  
   (controlled by the Allied Intelligence Bureau
  Allied Intelligence Bureau
  The Allied Intelligence Bureau was an joint United States, Australian, Dutch and British intelligence and special operations agency during World War II. It was responsible for operating parties of spies and commandos behind Japanese lines in order to collect intelligence and conduct guerrilla...
  
  )
• No. 201 Flight RAAF
  No. 201 Flight RAAF
  No. 201 Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force experimental electronic intelligence flight of World War II. The flight was formed in March 1945 but the first of its modified B-24 Liberator heavy bombers was not ready until July that year. As a result, while a detachment of the unit was deployed to...
  
  
• No. 1 Communication Unit RAAF (as a VIP transport)
• Governor-General's Flight RAAF
  Governor-General's Flight RAAF
  The Governor-General's Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force transport unit. The Governor-General's Flight was formed at RAAF Station Canberra on 4 April 1945. The unit was equipped with an Avro York named 'Endeavour', an Avro Anson and a Percival Proctor...
  
   (as a VIP transport)

The RAAF LIberators saw service in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II

South West Pacific theatre of World War II

The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....

. Flying mainly from bases in the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 and Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 the aircraft conducted bombing raids against Japanese positions, ships and strategic targets in New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

, Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

 and the Netherlands East Indies

Dutch East Indies

The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....

. In addition, the small number of Liberators operated by No. 200 Flight

No. 200 Flight RAAF

No. 200 Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force special duties flight of World War II. The flight was formed in February 1945 to support the Allied Intelligence Bureau and saw action over Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies from March that year until the end of the war in August. No...

 played an important role in supporting covert operations conducted by the Allied Intelligence Bureau

Allied Intelligence Bureau

The Allied Intelligence Bureau was an joint United States, Australian, Dutch and British intelligence and special operations agency during World War II. It was responsible for operating parties of spies and commandos behind Japanese lines in order to collect intelligence and conduct guerrilla...

 and other Liberators were converted to VIP transports. Following the Japanese surrender the RAAF's Liberators participated in flying former prisoners of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

 and other personnel back to Australia.

The Liberator models in service with the RAAF were the B-24D, B-24J, B-24L and B-24M models. A total of 287 aircraft were supplied to the RAAF of which 33 were lost in action. Liberators remained in service till 1948 when they were phased out and replaced by the Avro Lincoln

Avro Lincoln

The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...

 heavy bomber which was manufactured in Australia under license. Over 20,000 Australians serviced and flew the aircraft - over 200 Australians lost their lives flying Liberators, the exact figures not being available. Only one Liberator, serial number A72-176, model B-24MR (where R implies a modification incorporating radar) survives in Australia and is the object of a restoration scheme under the auspices of the National Trust of Australia

National Trust of Australia

The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....

.