[Alex Smart]

Hello Tony,
Thank you for your reply.
It does clear up the points of your arguement on the Use or rather non-ues of the early B-24's in RAF use.
However, if you would look at the answer I gave, I did (I thought) make it clear that 86 a/c went to the RAF and that 25 a/c (AL642 to AL667) were not built and also that 54 a/c were retained in the USA. Total 165 a/c.
That is (25 + 54) a total of 79 a/c that can be struck off the total number of 165 a/c.
79 + 86 = 165 a/c.
The breakdown of the 86 a/c was as follows:
1 - AL596 crashed in the USA.
5 - AL530;566;574;577 & 569 went to the MAAF(Mediterranean Allied Air Forces) AL569 crashed in Africa on Nov 25th 1941.
11 - went to 45 Group(Canada) and became Transport a/c.
86 - 17 = 69 a/c
This brought the number down to 69 a/c that might have been in the on RAF Squadron strength and serviceable at some date in the time frame you have suggested.
But remember deliveries were from September 1941 and not all were delivered until at least May 1942.
Also while in RAF squadron use things happened such as the following which brought down the number even more.
1 -AL504 set aside for Churchill.
2 -AL505 DBR Boscombe Down Aug 42.
3 -AL509 DBR Aqir, Aug 42.
4 -AL511 Missing Tripoli May 42.
5 -AL513 Forcelande in Spain Dec 42.
6 -AL516 crashed into sea off Gibraltar Oct 42.
7 -AL519 flew into hill Ballykelly Nov 42.
8 -AL520 Flew into hill in Transjordan Dec 42.
9 -AL531 crashed in Karachi Nov 42.
10 -AL534 Missing Benghazi July 42.
11 -AL537 Shot down Tobruk Aug 42.
12 -AL538 DBR near Lyneham Oct 42.
13 -AL542 Heliopolis heavy landing not repaired July 42.
14 -AL546 Wing collapsed abandoned over Dorset Mar 42.
15 -AL548 Missing (Maleme) Oct 42.
16 -AL549 DBR Polebrook Apl 42.
17 -AL552 Heavy landing Fayid Jul 42.
18 -AL553 SOC Jul 42.
19 -AL554 Out of fuel forcelanded Palestine Jul 42.
20 -AL556 Hit obstruction landing Thruxton Jan 42.
21 -AL558 flew into a hill in May 42.
22 -AL562 caught fire and went into sea off Burrow Head.
23 -AL566 was shot down Benghazi July 42
24 -AL574 was DBR caught fire in Egypt in Feb 42.
25 -AL577 was desroyed in Eire in June 42.
26 -AL588 lost its tail and crashed in Aug 42.
27 -AL595 flew into the ground at night in Nov 42.
28 -AL624 flew into a hill in Scotland in Sept 42.

69-28 = 41a/c

So by the end of 1942 there may only have been 41 a/c in RAF service and some of those may not have been serviceable.
By US standards I expect not even one squadron in a/c strength.
But other later B-24 models were on stream by then.

Best wishes to you ALL for a great New Year.

In the end I agree with both Graham and Bill in this but I appreciate your input that highlights the issues raised.

Alex