B-24J 44-40114 at San Diego
Production of the B-24 Liberator
- The B-24 Liberator bomber was manufactured by several companies in different locations. The main assembly plants were in San Diego, Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Willow Run.
- The B-24 was designed by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, who built the first production models at their San Diego plant. The B-24D was the first mass-produced version. To meet the high demand, the government set up a manufacturing pool in 1941.
- Consolidated-Vultee built B-24Ds in San Diego and Fort Worth. The Douglas Company produced B-24Ds and Es in Tulsa.
- The largest factory was built by the government at Willow Run, Michigan, for the Ford Motor Company. This plant was finished at the end of 1942 and was designed to produce 100 aircraft per day. Initially, Ford built B-24Es and sub-assemblies for the other plants, but by 1944, they were building more B-24s than any other plant. Ford applied mass production methods to aircraft construction, similar to their automobile production.
- A fifth factory, operated by North American Aviation in Dallas, Texas, produced B-24Gs and Js.
- The B-24 went through many modifications during its production run. Different versions had different engines, propellers, armament, and other features. Some versions were also produced for the US Navy under the designation PB4Y. Despite all these variations, the B-24 was still recognizable as a single type of aircraft.
- By September 1944, there were over 6,000 B-24s in operation worldwide. A total of 18,482 B-24s were built, making it the most produced American aircraft of World War II.