| 1 | 1 | | 81R7203 MMS-D |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Craddick H.C.R. No. 52 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Commemorative Air Force, whose mission is to |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | preserve the military aviation history of the United States, owns |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | the oldest and only flight-worthy B-24A Liberator in existence; and |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, A heavy bomber, the B-24A was the first production |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | model of a plane built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation and |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | used by every branch of the U.S. armed forces during World War II, |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | as well as by a number of Allied forces; because of its long range, |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | the plane was suited not only for bombing missions, but also for |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | reconnaissance, cargo and personnel transport, and marine and |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | antisubmarine patrol; by the end of the war, nearly 18,500 B-24s had |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | been manufactured, more than any other American combat aircraft of |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | the period; and |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The B-24 had its genesis in 1938, when the army |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | approached Consolidated Aircraft about the possibility of its |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | becoming a second supplier of the B-17; Consolidated responded, |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | however, with a proposal for a different design, and the army |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | subsequently asked the company to develop a plane that would exceed |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | the B-17 in speed, ceiling capacity, and range; later designated |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | the B-24, the aircraft that Consolidated outlined in response to |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | the request was the first American heavy bomber to use retractable |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | landing gear; the new plane also incorporated such distinctive |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | features as two rudders and vertical fins, hydraulically operated |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | wing flaps, bomb bay doors, and power brakes; and |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, The army subsequently requested several prototypes |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | from Consolidated, and in 1939 it placed an order for 38 B-24As, |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | before any version of the plane had actually flown; in the end, only |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | nine planes were built to A model specifications; another nine were |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | converted on the assembly line to the C model design, and the |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | remaining 20 were converted for use by the British Royal Air Force, |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | which was the first to dub the plane the "Liberator"; and |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The United States Army Air Forces received their |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | first B-24As in 1941 and, like the British, used them initially as |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | transport planes; one of the U.S. craft carried presidential |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | advisor Averell Harriman and Britain's Lord Beaverbrook to Moscow |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | in the fall of 1941, to assess the Soviet need for aid after the Nazi |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | invasion of that country; a later model of the B-24 was modified for |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | use by Winston Churchill as his personal aircraft; and |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | WHEREAS, American B-24s first saw combat in June 1942, and |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | over the next three years they served in every theater of the war; |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | in the Pacific, they eventually replaced the B-17, owing to their |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | longer range, and in Europe, they performed yeoman service as |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | strategic bombers for the U.S. 8th, 9th, and 15th Air Forces; they |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | were also instrumental in subduing the German U-boat threat in the |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | Atlantic; following the war, the B-24 was employed extensively in |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | the Pacific as a transport plane to aid in the rebuilding of Japan, |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | China, and the Philippines; and |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | WHEREAS, The rare B-24A owned by the Commemorative Air Force |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | is based at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison; known as "Ol' |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | 927," the plane is flown in air shows during the spring, summer, and |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | fall, and it will soon be embarking on its Land of Liberty Tour, |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | during which it will make appearances throughout Texas; the tour is |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | intended to encourage a renewed appreciation for patriotism and |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | freedom among children and adults alike, and informative |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | programming will be provided by the American Airpower Heritage |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | Museum, the educational complement to the CAF; and |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | WHEREAS, The B-24 played a critical role in the Allied |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | victory in World War II, and it is fitting that its importance to |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | the Allied effort in that global conflict be appropriately |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | recognized; now, therefore, be it |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | hereby designate "Ol' 927," the B-24A Liberator owned and |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | maintained by the Commemorative Air Force, as the official World |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | War II Aircraft of Texas. |
|---|