The Consolidated XB-24N Liberator was a second attempt to fit a single vertical tail to the B-24. A previous effort had produced the single XB-24K, which had proved that the basic idea was correct, but it had not entered production.
Consolidated XB-24K Liberator
As early as 1942, the Army had concluded that the Liberator would have better aerodynamic stability if it had a single fin and rudder. However, the Liberator was destined to go through almost its entire career with its original twin fin-and-rudder assembly.

In early 1943, Ford/Willow Run decided to test this assumption of better stability with a single fin and rudder. They modified a B-24D airframe to accommodate a single vertical tail unit taken from a Douglas B-23 Dragon. This aircraft was initially known as B-24ST (where the ST stood for *Single Tail*), and made its first flight on March 6, 1943. Following a change to a C-54 tailplane and a new rudder, the new fuselage was attached to another, later production B-24D airframe (B-24D-40-CO 42-40234). At the same time, it was fitted with more powerful R-1830-75 engines, each developing 1350 hp for takeoff. This airframe was also fitted with the power-operated nose turret that had been installed on later Liberators, while retaining the Consolidated tail turret.

This highly modified aircraft, designated XB-24K, flew on September 9, 1943. Tests revealed that the new tail configuration did indeed greatly improve the stability and handling of the Liberator. An additional benefit was an improvement in the field of fire for the tail gun. As a result of its additional engine power, the XB-24K was 11 mph faster than previous Liberators and had a much improved climb rate.

The results were so encouraging that in April 1944 the Army recommended that all future Liberators be manufactured with single tails.
Consolidated B-24N Liberator
In 1943, a single B-24D-40-CO (42-40234) had been experimentally fitted with a single fin-and-rudder assembly as the XB-24K. This experiment was so successful that in April of 1944 the USAAF decided that all future production Liberators would have a single vertical tail. The B-24N was to have been an adaptation of this design for production by Ford/Willow Run. This aircraft differed from the XB-24K primarily in having revised nose and tail gun positions. The nose had a unique Sperry-built "ball" turret, and the tail turret was not unlike that on the Boeing B-17 fortress.

The XB-24N (44-48753) was the prototype and was delivered on Nov 24, 1944. In addition to the XB-24N, seven YB-24Ns were completed before Liberator production terminated at Ford on May 31, 1945. At this time, orders for 5168 Ford-built B-24N-FO bombers were cancelled. The delivery of the few YB-24Ns by Ford brought the production of the Liberator to an end.

Serials of B-24N Liberator
44-48753 Ford XB-24N-FO Liberator










44-52053/52059 Ford YB-24N-1-FO Liberator