..
My question: Was the B-24 particularly difficult to fly? How
difficult was it in relation to the B-17?

Not that difficult to fly. I went through Nashville Transition School, no
major accidents.
Can't compare to B-17 since I never flew one.
We lost one in OTU at Walla Walla, hit a mountain but that was the only one
i remember.
The North American built was the easiest, the Willow Run built was a heavy
truck, the San Diego version was in-between.