B-24 crash site found - India

Hey, Kyt, your anthropological background and connections with India would be useful here! Dream job?

 

Hi Adrian...The C-109 was the tanker version of the B-24. It's sole purpose was to transport aviation fuel over the Hump from India to American B-29 bases in China. I have been told that it's nickname was the C-10 "Boom!" because of its tendency to blow up with horrendous effect, with all that extra fuel on board. The transport version of the B-24 was the C-87"Liberator Express."

 

Garyz, do you have any details about how the fuel was carried. Was it one large internal tank or was it similar to the C-87 and carried large barrels.

I've read that, as you say, it had a horrendous accident rate, and it's operational cargo limit was reduced by almost half from it's actual capacity.

 

Hi Kyt,

There's a good description of the C-109 in the book "B-24 Liberator in Action" (Squadron/Signal Publications, 1987, Carollton, TX), by Larry Davis. As far as how the fuel was carried, the book says that "A fuel tank was fitted in the nose, two in the bomb bay, and three in the rear fuselage, increasing fuel capacity to 2,400 gallons."

 

Which is about 20,000lbs.

Is this their normal carrying capacity?

 

It would have been US gallons, Spidge, rather than imperial.

US gallon = approx 3.79 litres
Imperial = approc 4.55 litres

So technical it would just over 16,500 ilbs though aviation fuel is litre by volume aswell.

But whatever the numbers, it was really pushing it to the limit, even with a reduced crew and the guns and turrets taken out. This is probably why there were so many accidents, and why the limit was reduced to by almost a half.

There was also the problem of the centre of gravity changing, making the handling more difficult.

 

The Associated Press: Relatives Want WWII Victims' Remains

 

Progress!

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