Consolidated B-24D Liberator – You Cawn’t Miss It, 448th BG, USAAF, RAF Bungay, England, February 1944 DISPLAYED

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA34007: Consolidated B-24D Liberator Formation Assembly Ship #41-23809 You Cawn’t Miss It, 448th BG,USAAF, RAF Bungay, England, February 1944, Limited Edition of 2,000 models.

Length 11.25 inches Wingspan 18.25 inches

PLEASE NOTE: Model has been on display and the clear plastic parts are misted as a result of being in direct outside light. PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE IF THIS IS NOT TO YOUR LIKING

The role of the assembly ship in the history of the Liberator is often overlooked. Their use was to help assemble a group formation by providing a point of contact easily visible by all the other Liberators in the group and as such these were often decorated in gaudy fashion. Once the group was in formation the mission leader would take the lead and the assembly aircraft would depart and return to base. As such they were often stripped of all guns. Within the Eighth Air Force they were also known as ‘Judas Goats’ as they were felt to be leading the other B-24’s to their slaughter. 448th BG was the last of the Eighth Air Force B-24 units to go operational in December 1943 beginning their life with B-24D’s.

Designed to fill a United States Army Air Corps need for a heavy bomber, the B-24 Liberator was first flown on December 29, 1939. The USAAC originally asked Consolidated to build the B-17 under license, but the company instead chose to submit a more modern design with greater speed, greater range and a heavier bomb load. Despite these advantages, the B-24 was more difficult to fly, had poor formation-flying characteristics, and was much more vulnerable to battle damage, which meant it never became the favoured bomber among American aircrews. It did prove more than serviceable, however, especially for long-range missions.