Dear Mother,

I want you to know that your son is just about the happiest boy in the entire Army right now. I'll tell you why. I arrived in Fort Worth last Tuesday. Jo was at the station and drove me out to her sister's house. What with two conventions in town and lots of officers wives, there wasn't a hotel room anywhere. So, I stayed overnight with her sister and her sister's husband.

The next morning I caught a cab and came out to the field. Then things started to happen. The field is located on the edge of town and on the shore of a large lake. All around the lake one can see summer homes, docks and lots of little boats. It's really very beautiful. I was assigned to my room, which is located in a B.O.Q. overlooking the lake. Us "student officers" all have individual rooms in the Bachelor Officers Quarters. It's just like living in a hotel.

Then I find out that I have an ORDERLY. Some little G.I. boy comes around each day, cleans my room, makes my bed and shines my shoes. WHAT A LIFE! I've pinched myself blue trying to believe it. All I have to do is fly a B-24. And, we officers have complete freedom of the post. Any time we're not on duty, which seems to be quite frequently, we can have the post. Married officers can live in town - they just have to be out here when on duty.

[B-24 Liberator]

[Cockpit of a B-24 Liberator - click to enlarge]

We don't start flying until tomorrow, but I have a lecture to attend this afternoon, so I'll close for now. My new address is on the envelope.

Lots of love,
Jack

Specifications for the Consolidated B-24 Liberator were as follows:

Wing Span:
110 feet

Length:
67 feet, 2 inches

Height:
18 feet

Engines:
Four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 rated at 1,200 hp

Weight:
36,500 pounds (empty)

Load:
8,800 pounds of bombs (max load)

Guns:
Ten .50 caliber machine guns could fire over 500 rounds per minute

Speed:
290 mph (max)

Ceiling:
28,000 feet

Range:
2,100 miles

Crew:
Ten men - Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Bombardier, Engineer, Radio Operator, 4 Gunners

The B-24 did not have a pressurized cabin, so the crew needed oxygen masks above 10,000 feet. The air temperature at bombing altitude was well below the freezing temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature on the ground at takeoff was 40 degrees, the temperature at 20,000 feet would be zero degrees. Some crews wore electrically heated suits and shoes.

A single assembly of planes was dispatched from a single airfield. After take-off, the planes would assemble in large formations of from 20 to 40 aircraft while climbing to an altitude of 20,000 to 25,000 feet. The assembly would then join with other formations from other airfields to form a division column, reaching the designated target, each formation released its bombs on the aim and signal of the lead bomber.

Flights routinely lasted from 8 to 12 hours, frequently using every mile of available range.

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