Autorentext

Dr William Wolf was a dentist for twenty-two years before retiring at the age of 45 to pursue his aviation interests and outdoor pastimes. Over the past forty-five years he has amassed an archive of over 27,000 books and magazines, 10,000 or more images, and hundreds of reels of microfilm, among other material, on the subject. He is the author of twenty-four books on aerial warfare in World War Two, including nine on American bombers, two on US fighters, five on American flying units, and three volumes on US aerial armament.

Klappentext

A comprehensive history of the B-24 Liberator, its designer Reuben Fleet, and its mass production during World War II.

In the first of his massive two volume B-24 Liberator set, Dr. Wolf presents a meticulously researched, truly ultimate look at the B-17's stablemate from the drawing board to its emergence as America's preeminent blue-collar bomber. In addition to his personal 25,000-book library and microfilm collection, the author made extensive use of the massive document and photo collections at the NMUSAF, the Pima Aerospace Museum; and Consolidated and Ford Company design and production information. Described is the role of aviation icon, Reuben Fleet, for his and Consolidated's contribution to the development of Liberator in context of American military and commercial aviation industry. The design evolution of the Liberator and the Davis Wing are highlighted. Since the B-24 was ultimately manufactured by five different factories, primarily Consolidated and Ford, using different manufacturing technics, these are described, contrasted, and pictured in detail. The Ford Knock Down Kits, their manufacture and transport are detailed for the first time. The final section of the book describes the various B-24 models and variants along with detailing today's surviving B-24s. This book and Volume 2 intends to be the definitive look at the Liberator detailing every facet for the air enthusiast, historian, and modeler.

Zusammenfassung
The definitive look at the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, detailing and illustrating every aspect of its design and production.