PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateers Information Center

Copyright Information (c): Information contained on this site that is used for any publications, either academically or professionally, electronic, visual, or printed, must have proper citations.

This site is dedicated to the men who served with United States Navy B-24 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer squadrons during World War II. They have been all but forgotten by historians who have written about other squadrons and other battles. Yet, the men of VB/VPB squadrons served their country well and, for some, they paid the extreme sacrifice.

They often flew alone across the Pacific Ocean attacking the enemy from altitudes ranging from 25 to 200 feet, too low to bail out if their plane was mortally wounded. These men are the unsung heroes of World War II.

This site includes brief histories of each squadron including fleet assignments, base(s)of operations, commanding officers, and squadron names.

Slide Show Error

They often flew alone on searches that extended 800 to 1,000 miles across an empty unforgiving ocean. When a crew was lost, more often not, their fellow squadron members never knew what happened to them. The crews simply vanished without a trace or, every so often, a passing plane would see dye marker spreading across the water where a plane had gone down. A temporary sign soon to disappear that there once was a plane with 11 men on board.

This is not to glorify war but an acknowledgment. This is for the men who served their country and never received the acclaim. They have told me of stories of going back home and being asked what they did in the war. When they talked of what they did, they were sometimes called liars. The Navy didn't fly B-24 was often the remark that was made to them when they replied. They didn't argue but went on with their lives.

After the war the men found jobs, got married, and had children. Over the years, books were written and movies were made about the justified heroics of the Army Air Force while those who served in Navy Liberator and Privateer squadrons went about their business of living a life after World War II.
Their children often did not know of their father's history nor were they inclined to ask (as were many members of the Baby Boom generation). As the children of World War II veterans have grown older, they have begun to pose questions to these men of the Greatest Generation. Many of who want to ask what their father's did in the war. For some, it is too late. A few still do not want to talk about their experiences but, for others, they have finally opened up and have begun to talk about their lives during the war.

There are no graves to mark those men who were lost in the waters of the Pacific. The men who lived and fought with Navy Liberator and Privateer squadrons are the forgotten heroes of a great generation. This is dedicated to the young men who never returned home and for the families, they left behind.