Consolidated B-24D1 Liberator - The Earliest Known Example of Liberator with a Nose Power Turret

Nostalgistic · October 19, 2025, 3:04am

Would you like to see this in-game?

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Which model of the B-24D1 would you like to see implemented? (Multiple Choice; choose up to 4)

B-24D1 with Hawaiian Type 2 Nose (A-6A Consolidated Turret)
B-24D1 with Oklahoman Type 3 Nose (A-6A Consolidated Turret + Droop Chin)
I want all B-24D1 models
Don’t care, just gimme any B-24D1 model
I said “No” in the first poll

0 voters

Consolidated B-24D1 Liberator

Hello everybody. I’d like to suggest the lesser-known Consolidated B-24D1 Liberator for the US aviation tree in War Thunder. The B-24D1 was a field-modified variant of the standard B-24D, distinguished by the installation of a powered nose turret, a major improvement incorporated to counter the Liberator’s vulnerability to frontal fighter attacks. It was initially applied to B-24Ds operating in the Pacific, and this field modification proved so successful that a powered nose turret would later become a production standard on subsequent Liberator models.

History

The B-24D was the first Liberator variant produced in large numbers specifically for the US Army Air Forces. Building on the B-24C, it retained turbo-supercharged engines, a lengthened nose, self-sealing fuel tanks, and upgraded .50 caliber defensive armament. A total of 2,738 B-24Ds were delivered, entering production from January 23, 1942, and forming the backbone of early US heavy bomber operations in the Pacific and Mediterranean theaters.

Initially, the B-24D included powered turrets in the upper fuselage, belly, and tail, with .50 caliber waist guns and two flexible guns in the glazed nose. The belly turret began as a periscopically sighted Bendix model, the same found on early B-17s, but proved ineffective in practice and was eventually replaced by either a tunnel gun or a retractable Sperry ball turret.

As B-24Ds entered combat, enemy pilots quickly exploited the Liberator’s weak nose defense, especially in head-on attacks. While cheek-mounted .50 caliber guns were added in response, these were not sufficient to halt determined frontal assaults by Japanese or German fighters.

To resolve this, field modifications were authorized. One of the most effective involved installing a Consolidated A-6 tail turret, typically mounted at the rear of the bomber, into the nose of a B-24D. This field modification was first developed by the 90th Bombardment Group (“Jolly Rogers”) in Australia, trialed in August 1942, and proved highly successful. The Hawaiian Air Depot soon adopted the modification program, installing these turrets into Pacific-bound B-24Ds. These converted aircraft were categorized as Type 2 nose variants (Type 1 was just an all-gazed nose variant with single machine guns as seen on originally unmodified B-24Ds).

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Air Depot also began modifying B-24Ds at Tinker Field, developing a more refined nose redesign with a drooped chin that improved visibility and space for the bombardier. This version became known as the Type 3.

B-24D aircraft receiving either of these modifications were officially designated B-24D1. While these aircraft were not deployed to Europe, they were widely used in the Pacific Theater, often without the ball turret (which was sometimes deleted to reduce weight), replaced with Scarff-ring-mounted guns or faired over entirely.

Eventually, this nose turret configuration was adopted in new production lines, starting with the 26th B-24G, and the B-24D1s were phased out as later variants became standard.

Specifications

Consolidated B-24D1 Liberator

General Characteristics

Crew: 10

Dimensions:

Length: 66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)

Height: 18 ft (5.49 m)

Wingspan: 110 ft (33.53 m)

Wing Area: 1,048 sq ft (97.36 sq m)

Propeller:

Type: 4 x 3-bladed Hamilton-Standard Hydromatic

Diameter: 11 ft 7 in (3.53 m)

Powerplant:

Type: 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-43 Twin Wasp

Configuration: Turbo-supercharged radials

Power Output:

Takeoff/Altitude: 1,200 hp (895 kW) each (4,800 hp / 3,580 kW total)

Fuel/Oil:

Fuel Capacity: 2,364-3,164 US gal (8,949-11,976 L) self-sealing

Oil Capacity: 131.6 US gal (498 L)

Weight:

Empty: 32,300 lb (14,651 kg)

Gross: 41,000 lb (18,597 kg)

Max Takeoff: 53,700 lb (24,358 kg)

Flight Performance

Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.12 hp/lb (0.19 kW/kg)

Max Speed:

Cruising: 233 mph (375 km/h)

Max @ Altitude: 313 mph (504 km/h) @ 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Landing: 93 mph (150 km/h)

Wing Loading: 39.1 lb/sq ft (191 kg/sq m)

Time to Altitude: 6.1 min to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Service Ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,363 m)

Armament

Defensive Guns:

Dorsal Turret: 2 x 0.50-in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning (400 rpg)

Tail Turret: 2 x 0.50-in (400 rpg)

Waist Positions: 1 x per side (250 rpg)

Nose: 2 x 0.50-in (400 rpg)

Ventral Tunnel: 2 x flexible (200 rds)

Bombs:

4 x 2,000-lb

8 x 1,600-lb

8 x 1,000-lb

12 x 500-lb

12 x 250-lb

20 x 100-lb

Related Suggestions

Liberator Family:

Sources

EE-393 Wartime Tactical Planning Characteristics & Performance Charts (20 July 1943)
Pilot’s Flight Operating Instructions for Army Models B-24D, RB-24C, and RB-24E Airplanes (20 June 1944)
B-24 Liberator In Action - Aircraft Number 080 (1987)
Warbird Tech Vol.1 - Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1996)
B-24 Liberator In Detail & Scale Vol. 64 (2000)
Osprey Production Line to Frontline 4 - Consolidated B-24 Liberator (2003)
Crowood Aviation Series - Consolidated B-24 Liberator (2004)
Consolidated B-24 Liberator - Wikipedia
http://380th.org/HISTORY/aircraft-typeD.html
Consolidated B-24D Liberator

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃

PlayedStatue626-live · October 19, 2025, 9:47am

+1 for both

Rarefss · October 19, 2025, 9:48am

+1 doesnt change anything stop writing that to every topic

PlayedStatue626-live · October 19, 2025, 9:48am

I just feel like it