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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

May 07, 2023

"B-17" redirects here. For other uses, see B17 (disambiguation).
"Flying Fortress" redirects here. For the film, see Flying Fortress (film).
"B-17 Flying Fortress" redirects here. For the video game, see B-17 Flying Fortress (video game).

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. It is the third-most produced bomber of all time, behind the four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the multirole, twin-engined Junkers Ju 88. It was also employed as a transport, antisubmarine aircraft, drone controller, and search-and-rescue aircraft.

B-17 Flying Fortress
A B-17G, Sentimental Journey, performing at the 2014 Chino Airshow in Chino, California
Role Heavy bomber
National origin United States
Manufacturer Boeing
First flight 28 July 1935[1]
Introduction April 1938
Retired 1968 (Brazilian Air Force)
Status Retired
Primary users United States Army Air Forces
Royal Air Force
Produced 1936–1945
Number built 12,731[2][3]
Variants
Developed into Boeing 307 Stratoliner

In a USAAC competition, Boeing's prototype Model 299/XB-17 outperformed two other entries but crashed, losing the initial 200-bomber contract to the Douglas B-18 Bolo. Still, the Air Corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation, then introduced it into service in 1938. The B-17 evolved through numerous design advances[4][5] but from its inception, the USAAC (later, the USAAF) promoted the aircraft as a strategic weapon. It was a relatively fast, high-flying, long-range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bombload. It also developed a reputation for toughness based upon stories and photos of badly damaged B-17s safely returning to base.

The B-17 saw early action in the Pacific War, where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields.[6] But it was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe, complementing RAF Bomber Command's night-time area bombing of German industrial, military and civilian targets.[7] Of the roughly 1.5 million tons of bombs dropped on Nazi Germany and its occupied territories by U.S. aircraft, over 640 000 tons (42.6%) were dropped from B-17s.[8]

As of November 2022, four aircraft remain airworthy, none flown in combat. Dozens more are in storage or on static display. The oldest of these is a D-series flown in combat in the Pacific on the first day of the United States' involvement in World War II.

Development

Origins

 
Model 299 NX13372
 
Gun turret atop the Model 299's nose glazing
 
Crashed Model 299
 
Boeing Y1B-17 in flight

On 8 August 1934, the USAAC tendered a proposal for a multiengine bomber to replace the Martin B-10. The Air Corps was looking for a bomber capable of reinforcing the air forces in Hawaii, Panama, and Alaska.[9] Requirements were for it to carry a "useful bombload" at an altitude of 10,000 ft (3,000 m) for 10 hours with a top speed of at least 200 mph (320 km/h).[10]

They also desired, but did not require, a range of 2,000 mi (3,200 km) and a speed of 250 mph (400 km/h). The competition for the air corps contract was to be decided by a "fly-off" between Boeing's design, the Douglas DB-1, and the Martin Model 146 at Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio.

The prototype B-17, with the Boeing factory designation of Model 299, was designed by a team of engineers led by E. Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells, and was built at Boeing's own expense.[11] It combined features of the company's experimental XB-15 bomber and 247 transport.[10] The B-17's armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m).[12]

The first flight of the Model 299 was on 28 July 1935 with Boeing chief test-pilot Leslie Tower at the controls.[1][13] The day before, Richard Williams, a reporter for The Seattle Times, coined the name "Flying Fortress" when – observing the large number of machine guns sticking out from the new airplane – he described it as a "15-ton flying fortress" in a picture caption.[14] The most distinct mount was in the nose, which allowed the single machine gun to be fired toward nearly all frontal angles.[15]

Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked for use.[note 1] Boeing also claimed in some of the early press releases that Model 299 was the first combat aircraft that could continue its mission if one of its four engines failed.[16] On 20 August 1935, the prototype flew from Seattle to Wright Field in nine hours and three minutes with an average cruising speed of 252 miles per hour (406 km/h), much faster than the competition.[17]

At the fly-off, the four-engined Boeing's performance was superior to those of the twin-engine DB-1 and Model 146. Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews of the GHQ Air Force believed that the capabilities of large four-engined aircraft exceeded those of shorter-ranged, twin-engine aircraft, and that the B-17 was better suited to new, emerging USAAC doctrine.[18] His opinions were shared by the air corps procurement officers, and even before the competition had finished, they suggested buying 65 B-17s.[19][20]

On 30 October 1935, a test flight determining the rate of climb and service ceiling was planned. The command pilot was Major Ployer Peter Hill, Wright Field Material Division Chief of the Flying Branch, his first flight in the Model 299. Copilot was Lieutenant Donald Putt, while Boeing chief test pilot Leslie R. Tower was behind the pilots in an advisory role. Also on board were Wright Field test observer John Cutting, and mechanic Mark Koegler. Tragically, the plane stalled and spun into the ground soon after takeoff, bursting into flames. Though initially surviving the impact, Hill died within a few hours, and Tower on 19 November. Post accident interviews with Tower and Putt determined the control surface gust lock had not been released.[21] Doyle notes, "The loss of Hill and Tower, and the Model 299, was directly responsible for the creation of the modern written checklist used by pilots to this day."[22][23]

The crashed Model 299 could not finish the evaluation, disqualifying it from the competition.[20] While the air corps was still enthusiastic about the aircraft's potential, army officials were daunted by its cost;[24] Douglas quoted a unit price of $58,200 (equivalent to $916,000 in 2021) based on a production order of 220 aircraft, compared with $99,620 (equivalent to $1,568,000 in 2021 ) from Boeing.[25] Army Chief of Staff Malin Craig cancelled the order for 65 YB-17s, and ordered 133 of the twin-engined Douglas B-18 Bolo, instead.[19][20]

The loss was not total... but Boeing's hopes for a substantial bomber contract were dashed.

— Peter Bowers, 1976[26]

Initial orders

 
Installation of fixtures and assemblies on a tail fuselage section of a B-17 at the Douglas plant in Long Beach, California, October 1942
 
B-17Bs at March Field, California, prior to attack on Pearl Harbor, with framed nose glazing of the style retained through the B-17E model
 
Nose of a B-17G being restored at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum

Regardless, the USAAC had been impressed by the prototype's performance, and on 17 January 1936, through a legal loophole,[27][28] the Air Corps ordered 13 YB-17s (designated Y1B-17 after November 1936 to denote its special F-1 funding) for service testing.[20] The YB-17 incorporated a number of significant changes from the Model 299, including more powerful Wright R-1820-39 Cyclone engines. Although the prototype was company-owned and never received a military serial (the B-17 designation itself did not appear officially until January 1936, nearly three months after the prototype crashed),[29] the term "XB-17" was retroactively applied to the NX13372's airframe and has entered the lexicon to describe the first Flying Fortress.

Between 1 March and 4 August 1937, 12 of the 13 Y1B-17s were delivered to the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field in Virginia for operational development and flight tests.[30] One suggestion adopted was the use of a preflight checklist to avoid accidents such as that which befell the Model 299.[28][31][note 2] In one of their first missions, three B-17s, directed by lead navigator Lieutenant Curtis LeMay, were sent by General Andrews to "intercept" and photograph the Italian ocean liner Rex 610 miles (980 km) off the Atlantic coast.[33] The mission was successful and widely publicized.[34][35] The 13th Y1B-17 was delivered to the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio, to be used for flight testing.[36]

A 14th Y1B-17 (37-369), originally constructed for ground testing of the airframe's strength, was upgraded by Boeing with exhaust-driven General Electric turbo-superchargers, and designated Y1B-17A. Designed by Dr. Sanford Moss, engine exhaust gases turned the turbine's steel-alloy blades, forcing high-pressure ram air into the Wright Cyclone GR-1820-39 engine supercharger.[37] Scheduled to fly in 1937, it encountered problems with the turbochargers, and its first flight was delayed until 29 April 1938.[38] The aircraft was delivered to the army on 31 January 1939.[39] Once service testing was complete, the Y1B-17s and Y1B-17A were redesignated B-17 and B-17A, respectively, to signify the change to operational status.[40] The Y1B-17A had a maximum speed of 311 miles per hour (501 km/h), at its best operational altitude, compared to 239 miles per hour (385 km/h) for the Y1B-17. Also, the Y1B-17A's new service ceiling was more than 2 miles (3.2 km) higher at 38,000 feet (12,000 m), compared to the Y1B-17's 27,800 feet (8,500 m). These turbo-superchargers were incorporated into the B-17B.[41]

Opposition to the air corps' ambitions for the acquisition of more B-17s faded, and in late 1937, 10 more aircraft designated B-17B were ordered to equip two bombardment groups, one on each U.S. coast.[42] Improved with larger flaps and rudder and a well-framed, 10-panel plexiglass nose, the B-17Bs were delivered in five small batches between July 1939 and March 1940. In July 1940, an order for 512 B-17s was issued,[43] but at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, fewer than 200 were in service with the army.[28]

A total of 155 B-17s of all variants were delivered between 11 January 1937 and 30 November 1941, but production quickly accelerated, with the B-17 once holding the record for the highest production rate for any large aircraft.[44][note 3] The aircraft went on to serve in every World War II combat zone, and by the time production ended in May 1945, 12,731 aircraft had been built by Boeing, Douglas, and Vega (a subsidiary of Lockheed).[45][46][47][48]

Though the crash of the prototype 299 in 1935 had almost wiped out Boeing, now it was seen as a boon. Instead of building models based on experimental engineering, Boeing had been hard at work developing their bomber and now had versions ready for production far better than would have been possible otherwise. One of the most significant weapons of World War II would be ready, but only by a hair.

— Jeff Ethell, 1985[43]

Design and variants

Main article: List of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress variants
 
Waist position gun blister of Model 299, not adopted for production
Production numbers
Variant Produced First flight
Model 299 1 28 July 1935[1]
YB-17 13 2 December 1936[49]
YB-17A 1 29 April 1938[38]
B-17B 39 27 June 1939[50]
B-17C 38 21 July 1940[51]
B-17D 42 3 February 1941[52]
B-17E 512 5 September 1941[53]
B-17F (total) 3,405 30 May 1942[54][55]
B-17F-BO 2,300 [54]
B-17F-DL 605 [54]
B-17F-VE 500 [54]
B-17G (total) 8,680 16 August 1943
B-17G-BO 4,035
B-17G-DL 2,395
B-17G-VE 2,250
Total 12,731
B-17s were built at Boeing Plant 2
Seattle, Washington (BO)
and starting with the B-17F also at
Lockheed Vega, Burbank California (VE) and
Douglas Aircraft, Long Beach California (DL)[56]

The aircraft went through several alterations in each of its design stages and variants. Of the 13 YB-17s ordered for service testing, 12 were used by the 2nd Bomb Group of Langley Field, Virginia, to develop heavy bombing techniques, and the 13th was used for flight testing at the Material Division at Wright Field, Ohio.[36] Experiments on this aircraft led to the use of a quartet of General Electric turbo-superchargers, which later became standard on the B-17 line. A 14th aircraft, the YB-17A, originally destined for ground testing only and upgraded with the turbochargers,[57] was redesignated B-17A after testing had finished.[39][40]

As the production line developed, Boeing engineers continued to improve upon the basic design. To enhance performance at slower speeds, the B-17B was altered to include larger rudders and flaps.[50] The B-17C changed from three bulged, oval-shaped gun blisters to two flush, oval-shaped gun window openings, and on the lower fuselage, a single "bathtub" gun gondola housing,[51] which resembled the similarly configured and located Bodenlafette/"Bola" ventral defensive emplacement on the German Heinkel He 111P-series medium bomber.

While models A through D of the B-17 were designed defensively, the large-tailed B-17E was the first model primarily focused on offensive warfare.[57] The B-17E was an extensive revision of the Model 299 design: The fuselage was extended by 10 ft (3.0 m); a much larger rear fuselage, vertical tailfin, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer were added; a gunner's position was added in the new tail;[note 4] the nose (especially the bombardier's framed, 10-panel nose glazing) remained relatively the same as the earlier B through D versions had; a Sperry electrically powered manned dorsal gun turret just behind the cockpit was added; a similarly powered (also built by Sperry) manned ventral ball turret just aft of the bomb bay – replaced the relatively hard-to-use, Sperry model 645705-D[60] remotely operated ventral turret on the earliest examples of the E variant. These modifications resulted in a 20% increase in aircraft weight.[57] The B-17's turbocharged Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engines were upgraded to increasingly more powerful versions of the same powerplants throughout its production, and similarly, the number of machine gun emplacement locations was increased.[61]

 
Boeing-built B-17Fs, with the clear-view two-piece Plexiglas bombardier's nose.

The B-17F variants were the primary versions flying for the Eighth Air Force to face the Germans in 1943 and had standardized the manned Sperry ball turret for ventral defense, also replacing the earlier, 10-panel framed bombardier's nose glazing from the B subtype with an enlarged, nearly frameless Plexiglas bombardier's nose enclosure for improved forward vision.

Two experimental versions of the B-17 were flown under different designations, the XB-38 Flying Fortress and the YB-40 Flying Fortress. The XB-38 was an engine testbed for Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engines, should the Wright engines normally used on the B-17 become unavailable. The only prototype XB-38 to fly crashed on its ninth flight, and the type was abandoned. The Allison V-1710 was allocated to fighter aircraft.[62][63]

The YB-40 was a heavily armed modification of the standard B-17 used before the North American P-51 Mustang, an effective long-range fighter, became available to act as escort. Additional armament included an additional dorsal turret in the radio room, a remotely operated and fired Bendix-built "chin turret" directly below the bombardier's accommodation, and twin .50 in (12.7 mm) guns in each of the waist positions. The ammunition load was over 11,000 rounds. All of these modifications made the YB-40 well over 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) heavier than a fully loaded B-17F. The YB-40s with their numerous heavy modifications had trouble keeping up with the lighter bombers once they had dropped their bombs, so the project was abandoned and finally phased out in July 1943.[64][65][66] The final production blocks of the B-17F from Douglas' plants did, however, adopt the YB-40's "chin turret", giving them a much-improved forward defense capability.[67]

 
B-17G nose detail

By the time the definitive B-17G appeared, the number of guns had been increased from seven to 13, the designs of the gun stations were finalized, and other adjustments were completed. The B-17G was the final version of the Flying Fortress, incorporating all changes made to its predecessor, the B-17F,[57] and in total, 8,680 were built,[68] the last (by Lockheed) on 28 July 1945.[69] Many B-17Gs were converted for other missions such as cargo hauling, engine testing, and reconnaissance.[70] Initially designated SB-17G, a number of B-17Gs were also converted for search-and-rescue duties, later to be redesignated B-17H.[71]

 
Postwar SB-17G-95DL (ser. no. 44-83722), assigned to the 2nd ERS as a search-and-rescue aircraft, beside a Stinson L-5

Late in World War II, at least 25 B-17s were fitted with radio controls and television cameras, loaded with 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) of high explosives and dubbed BQ-7 "Aphrodite missiles" for Operation Aphrodite. The operation, which involved remotely flying Aphrodite drones onto their targets by accompanying CQ-17 "mothership" control aircraft, was approved on 26 June 1944, and assigned to the 388th Bombardment Group stationed at RAF Fersfield, a satellite of RAF Knettishall.[72]

The first four drones were sent to Mimoyecques, the Siracourt V-1 bunker, Watten, and Wizernes on 4 August, causing little damage. The project came to a sudden end with the unexplained midair explosion over the Blyth estuary of a B-24, part of the United States Navy's contribution as "Project Anvil", en route for Heligoland piloted by Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., future U.S. president John F. Kennedy's elder brother. Blast damage was caused over a radius of 5 miles (8.0 km). British authorities were anxious that no similar accidents should again occur, and the Aphrodite project was scrapped in early 1945.[72]

Operational history

 
Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress of the 19th Bombardment Group USAAF, summer 1942
 
B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 398th Bombardment Group flying a bombing mission to Neumünster, Germany, on 13 April 1945.

The B-17 began operations in World War II with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1941, and in the Southwest Pacific with the U.S. Army. The 19th Bombardment Group had deployed to Clark Field in the Philippines a few weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as the first of a planned heavy bomber buildup in the Pacific. Half of the group's B-17s were wiped out on 8 December 1941 when they were caught on the ground during refueling and rearming for a planned attack on Japanese airfields on Formosa. The small force of B-17s operated against the Japanese invasion force until they were withdrawn to Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory. In early 1942, the 7th Bombardment Group began arriving in Java with a mixed force of B-17s and LB-30/B-24s.[73] A squadron of B-17s from this force detached to the Middle East to join the First Provisional Bombardment Group, thus becoming the first American B-17 squadron to go to war against the Germans.[citation needed] After the defeat in Java, the 19th withdrew to Australia, where it continued in combat until it was sent home by General George C. Kenney when he arrived in Australia in mid-1942.[74] In July 1942, the first USAAF B-17s were sent to England to join the Eighth Air Force. Later that year, two groups moved to Algeria to join Twelfth Air Force for operations in North Africa. The B-17s were primarily involved in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign against German targets ranging from U-boat pens, docks, warehouses, and airfields to industrial targets such as aircraft factories.[75] In the campaign against German aircraft forces in preparation for the invasion of France, B-17 and B-24 raids were directed against German aircraft production while their presence drew the Luftwaffe fighters into battle with Allied fighters.[7]

During World War II, the B-17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups, inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4,574 USAAF aircraft worldwide.[76] The British heavy bombers, the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, dropped 608,612 long tons (681,645 short tons) and 224,207 long tons (251,112 short tons)[77] respectively.

RAF use

 
RAF Fortress I serial AN529, with He 111H-style "bathtub" ventral gondola

The RAF entered World War II with no heavy bomber of its own in service; the biggest available were long-range medium bombers such as the Vickers Wellington, which could carry up to 4,500 pounds (2,000 kg) of bombs.[78] While the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax became its primary bombers by 1941, in early 1940, the RAF agreed with the U.S. Army Air Corps to acquire 20 B-17Cs, which were given the service name Fortress I. Their first operation, against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941 was unsuccessful.[79][80] On 24 July three B-17s of 90 Squadron took part in a raid on the German capital ship Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen anchored in Brest from 30,000 ft (9,100 m), to draw German fighters away from 18 Handley Page Hampdens attacking at lower altitudes, and in time for 79 Vickers Wellingtons to attack later with the German fighters refueling. The operation did not work as expected, with 90 Squadron's Fortresses being unopposed.[81][82][83]

By September, the RAF had lost eight B-17Cs in combat and had experienced numerous mechanical problems, and Bomber Command abandoned daylight bombing raids using the Fortress I because of the aircraft's poor performance. The experience showed both the RAF and USAAF that the B-17C was not ready for combat, and that improved defenses, larger bomb loads, and more accurate bombing methods were required. However, the USAAF continued using the B-17 as a day bomber, despite misgivings by the RAF that attempts at daylight bombing would be ineffective.[84]

As use by Bomber Command had been curtailed, the RAF transferred its remaining Fortress I aircraft to Coastal Command for use as a long-range maritime patrol aircraft.[85] These were augmented starting in July 1942 by 45 Fortress Mk IIA (B-17E) followed by 19 Fortress Mk II (B-17F) and three Fortress Mk III (B-17G). A Fortress IIA from No. 206 Squadron RAF sank U-627 on 27 October 1942, the first of 11 U-boat kills credited to RAF Fortress bombers during the war.[86]

As sufficient Consolidated Liberators finally became available, Coastal Command withdrew the Fortress from the Azores, transferring the type to the meteorological reconnaissance role. Three squadrons undertook Met profiles from airfields in Iceland, Scotland, and England, gathering data for vital weather forecasting purposes.

The RAF's No. 223 Squadron, as part of 100 Group, operated several Fortresses equipped with an electronic warfare system known as "Airborne Cigar" (ABC). This was operated by German-speaking radio operators to identify and jam German ground controllers' broadcasts to their nightfighters. They could also pose as ground controllers themselves to steer nightfighters away from the bomber streams.[87]

Initial USAAF operations over Europe

 
Marks and letters on the tails of B-17 during WWII in Europe

The air corps – renamed United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 20 June 1941 – used the B-17 and other bombers to bomb from high altitudes with the aid of the then-secret Norden bombsight, known as the "Blue Ox",[88][89] which was an optical electromechanical gyrostabilized analog computer.[90] The device was able to determine, from variables put in by the bombardier, the point at which the aircraft's bombs should be released to hit the target. The bombardier essentially took over flight control of the aircraft during the bomb run, maintaining a level altitude during the final moments before release.[91]

The USAAF began building up its air forces in Europe using B-17Es soon after entering the war. The first Eighth Air Force units arrived in High Wycombe, England, on 12 May 1942, to form the 97th Bomb Group.[92] On 17 August 1942, 12 B-17Es of the 97th, with the lead aircraft piloted by Major Paul Tibbets and carrying Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer, were close escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfire IXs (and a further five squadrons of Spitfire Vs to cover the withdrawal) on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe, against the large railroad marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville in France, while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast.[93][94] The operation, carried out in good visibility, was a success, with only minor damage to one aircraft, unrelated to enemy action, and half the bombs landing in the target area.[95] The raid helped allay British doubts about the capabilities of American heavy bombers in operations over Europe.[citation needed]

Two additional groups arrived in Britain at the same time, bringing with them the first B-17Fs, which served as the primary AAF heavy bomber fighting the Germans until September 1943. As the raids of the American bombing campaign grew in numbers and frequency, German interception efforts grew in strength (such as during the attempted bombing of Kiel on 13 June 1943[96]), such that unescorted bombing missions came to be discouraged.[97]

Combined offensive

The two different strategies of the American and British bomber commands were organized at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943. The resulting "Combined Bomber Offensive" weakened the Wehrmacht, destroyed German morale, and established air superiority through Operation Pointblank's destruction of German fighter strength in preparation for a ground offensive.[7] The USAAF bombers attacked by day, with British operations – chiefly against industrial cities – by night.[98]

 
B-17F formation over Schweinfurt, Germany, 17 August 1943
 
Boeing B-17F radar bombing through clouds: Bremen, Germany, on 13 November 1943

Operation Pointblank opened with attacks on targets in Western Europe. General Ira C. Eaker and the Eighth Air Force placed highest priority on attacks on the German aircraft industry, especially fighter assembly plants, engine factories, and ball-bearing manufacturers.[7] Attacks began in April 1943 on heavily fortified key industrial plants in Bremen and Recklinghausen.[99]

Since the airfield bombings were not appreciably reducing German fighter strength, additional B-17 groups were formed, and Eaker ordered major missions deeper into Germany against important industrial targets. The 8th Air Force then targeted the ball-bearing factories in Schweinfurt, hoping to cripple the war effort there. The first raid on 17 August 1943 did not result in critical damage to the factories, with the 230 attacking B-17s being intercepted by an estimated 300 Luftwaffe fighters. The Germans shot down 36 aircraft with the loss of 200 men, and coupled with a raid earlier in the day against Regensburg, a total of 60 B-17s were lost that day.[100]

A second attempt on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 later came to be known as "Black Thursday".[101] While the attack was successful at disrupting the entire works, severely curtailing work there for the remainder of the war, it was at an extreme cost.[102] Of the 291 attacking Fortresses, 60 were shot down over Germany, five crashed on approach to Britain, and 12 more were scrapped due to damage – a loss of 77 B-17s.[103] Additionally, 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their next flights. Of 2,900 men in the crews, about 650 did not return, although some survived as prisoners of war. Only 33 bombers landed without damage. These losses were a result of concentrated attacks by over 300 German fighters.[104]

 
B-17G of the 384th Bomb Group on the bomb run

Such high losses of aircrews could not be sustained, and the USAAF, recognizing the vulnerability of heavy bombers to interceptors when operating alone, suspended daylight bomber raids deep into Germany until the development of an escort fighter that could protect the bombers all the way from the United Kingdom to Germany and back. At the same time, the German nightfighting ability noticeably improved to counter the nighttime strikes, challenging the conventional faith in the cover of darkness.[105] The 8th Air Force alone lost 176 bombers in October 1943,[106] and was to suffer similar casualties on 11 January 1944 on missions to Oschersleben, Halberstadt, and Brunswick. Lieutenant General James Doolittle, commander of the 8th, had ordered the second Schweinfurt mission to be cancelled as the weather deteriorated, but the lead units had already entered hostile air space and continued with the mission. Most of the escorts turned back or missed the rendezvous, and as a result, 60 B-17s were destroyed.[107][108]

A third raid on Schweinfurt on 24 February 1944 highlighted what came to be known as "Big Week",[109] during which the bombing missions were directed against German aircraft production.[105] German fighters needed to respond, and the North American P-51 Mustang and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters (equipped with improved drop tanks to extend their range) accompanying the American heavies all the way to and from the targets engaged them.[110] The escort fighters reduced the loss rate to below 7%, with a total of 247 B-17s lost in 3,500 sorties while taking part in the Big Week raids.[111]

By September 1944, 27 of the 42 bomb groups of the 8th Air Force and six of the 21 groups of the 15th Air Force used B-17s. Losses to flak continued to take a high toll of heavy bombers through 1944, but the war in Europe was being won by the Allies. And by 27 April 1945, 2 days after the last heavy bombing mission in Europe, the rate of aircraft loss was so low that replacement aircraft were no longer arriving and the number of bombers per bomb group was reduced. The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete.[112]

Pacific Theater

 
B-17C AAF S/N 40-2074 at Hickam Field: An onboard fire burnt the aircraft in two shortly after landing on 7 December 1941. One crewman was killed by a Zero attack.[113]

On 7 December 1941, a group of 12 B-17s of the 38th (four B-17C) and 88th (eight B-17E) Reconnaissance Squadrons, en route to reinforce the Philippines, was flown into Pearl Harbor from Hamilton Field, California, arriving while the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was going on. Leonard "Smitty" Smith Humiston, co-pilot on First Lieutenant Robert H. Richards' B-17C, AAF S/N 40-2049, reported that he thought the U.S. Navy was giving the flight a 21-gun salute to celebrate the arrival of the bombers, after which he realized that Pearl Harbor was under attack. The Fortress came under fire from Japanese fighter aircraft, though the crew was unharmed with the exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand. Japanese activity forced them to divert from Hickam Field to Bellows Field. On landing, the aircraft overran the runway and ran into a ditch, where it was then strafed. Although initially deemed repairable, 40-2049 (11th BG / 38th RS) received more than 200 bullet holes and never flew again. Ten of the 12 Fortresses survived the attack.[114]

 
B-17E BO AAF S/N 41-9211
Typhoon McGoon II of the 11th BG / 98th BS, taken in January 1943 in New Caledonia: The antennae mounted upon the nose were used for radar tracking surface vessels.

By 1941, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B-17s, with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165.[115] When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Lewis H. Brereton sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent them from being caught on the ground. Brereton planned B-17 raids on Japanese airfields in Formosa, in accordance with Rainbow 5 war plan directives, but this was overruled by General Douglas MacArthur.[116] A series of disputed discussions and decisions, followed by several confusing and false reports of air attacks, delayed the authorization of the sortie. By the time the B-17s and escorting Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters were about to get airborne, they were destroyed by Japanese bombers of the 11th Air Fleet. The FEAF lost half its aircraft during the first strike,[117] and was all but destroyed over the next few days.[citation needed]

Another early World War II Pacific engagement, on 10 December 1941, involved Colin Kelly, who reportedly crashed his B-17 into the Japanese battleship Haruna, which was later acknowledged as a near bomb miss on the heavy cruiser Ashigara. Nonetheless, this deed made him a celebrated war hero. Kelly's B-17C AAF S/N 40-2045 (19th BG / 30th BS) crashed about 6 mi (10 km) from Clark Field after he held the burning Fortress steady long enough for the surviving crew to bail out. Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[118] Noted Japanese ace Saburō Sakai is credited with this kill, and in the process, came to respect the ability of the Fortress to absorb punishment.[119]

B-17s were used in early battles of the Pacific with little success, notably the Battle of Coral Sea[120] and Battle of Midway.[121] While there, the Fifth Air Force B-17s were tasked with disrupting the Japanese sea lanes. Air Corps doctrine dictated bombing runs from high altitude, but they soon found only 1% of their bombs hit targets. However, B-17s were operating at heights too great for most A6M Zero fighters to reach.

The B-17's greatest success in the Pacific was in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, in which aircraft of this type were responsible for damaging and sinking several Japanese transport ships. On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron flying at 10,000 ft (3,000 m) attacked a major Japanese troop convoy off New Guinea, using skip bombing to sink Kyokusei Maru, which carried 1,200 army troops, and damage two other transports, Teiyo Maru and Nojima. On 3 March 1943, 13 B-17s flying at 7,000 ft (2,000 m) bombed the convoy, forcing the convoy to disperse and reducing the concentration of their anti-aircraft defenses. The B-17s attracted a number of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, which were in turn attacked by the P-38 Lightning escorts. One B-17 broke up in the air, and its crew was forced to take to their parachutes. Japanese fighter pilots machine-gunned some of the B-17 crew members as they descended and attacked others in the water after they landed.[122] Five of the Japanese fighters strafing the B-17 aircrew were promptly engaged and shot down by three Lightnings, though these were also then lost.[123] The allied fighter pilots claimed 15 Zeros destroyed, while the B-17 crews claimed five more.[122][124] Actual Japanese fighter losses for the day were seven destroyed and three damaged.[125][126] The remaining seven transports and three of the eight destroyers were then sunk by a combination of low level strafing runs by Royal Australian Air Force Beaufighters, and skip bombing by USAAF North American B-25 Mitchells at 100 ft (30 m), while B-17s claimed five hits from higher altitudes.[127] On the morning of 4 March 1943, a B-17 sank the destroyer Asashio with a 500 lb (230 kg) bomb while she was picking up survivors from Arashio.[128]

At their peak, 168 B-17 bombers were in the Pacific theater in September 1942, but already in mid-1942 Gen. Arnold had decided that the B-17 was unsuitable for the kind of operations required in the Pacific and made plans to replace all of the B-17s in the theater with B-24s (and later, B-29s) as soon as they became available. Although the conversion was not complete until mid-1943, B-17 combat operations in the Pacific theater came to an end after a little over a year.[129] Surviving aircraft were reassigned to the 54th Troop Carrier Wing's special airdrop section and were used to drop supplies to ground forces operating in close contact with the enemy. Special airdrop B-17s supported Australian commandos operating near the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul, which had been the primary B-17 target in 1942 and early 1943.[130]

B-17s were still used in the Pacific later in the war, however, mainly in the combat search and rescue role. A number of B-17Gs, redesignated B-17Hs and later SB-17Gs, were used in the Pacific during the final year of the war to carry and drop lifeboats to stranded bomber crews who had been shot down or crashed at sea.[131] These aircraft were nicknamed Dumbos, and remained in service for many years after the end of World War II.[132]

Bomber defense

 
Part of a USAAF stream of over 1,000 B-17s

Before the advent of long-range fighter escorts, B-17s had only their .50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns to rely on for defense during the bombing runs over Europe. As the war intensified, Boeing used feedback from aircrews to improve each new variant with increased armament and armor.[133] Defensive armament increased from four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) nose machine gun in the B-17C, to thirteen 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the B-17G. But because the bombers could not maneuver when attacked by fighters and needed to be flown straight and level during their final bomb run, individual aircraft struggled to fend off a direct attack.

 
German training model on how to attack a "flying porcupine" (fliegendes Stachelschwein)
 
"Combat boxes" of 12 B-17 during bombing missions

A 1943 survey by the USAAF found that over half the bombers shot down by the Germans had left the protection of the main formation.[134] To address this problem, the United States developed the bomb-group formation, which evolved into the staggered combat box formation in which all the B-17s could safely cover any others in their formation with their machine guns. This made a formation of bombers a dangerous target to engage by enemy fighters.[135] In order to more quickly form these formations, assembly ships, planes with distinctive paint schemes, were utilized to guide bombers into formation, saving assembly time.[136][137] Luftwaffe fighter pilots likened attacking a B-17 combat box formation to encountering a fliegendes Stachelschwein, "flying porcupine", with dozens of machine guns in a combat box aimed at them from almost every direction. However, the use of this rigid formation meant that individual aircraft could not engage in evasive maneuvers: they had to fly constantly in a straight line, which made them vulnerable to German flak. Moreover, German fighter aircraft later developed the tactic of high-speed strafing passes rather than engaging with individual aircraft to inflict damage with minimum risk.[citation needed] As a result, the B-17s' loss rate was up to 25% on some early missions. It was not until the advent of long-range fighter escorts (particularly the North American P-51 Mustang) and the resulting degradation of the Luftwaffe as an effective interceptor force between February and June 1944, that the B-17 became strategically potent.[citation needed]

 
Formation flying through dense flak over Merseburg, Germany

The B-17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage, still reach its target and bring its crew home safely.[138][139][140] Wally Hoffman, a B-17 pilot with the Eighth Air Force during World War II, said, "The plane can be cut and slashed almost to pieces by enemy fire and bring its crew home."[141] Martin Caidin reported one instance in which a B-17 suffered a midair collision with a Focke-Wulf Fw 190, losing an engine and suffering serious damage to both the starboard horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer, and being knocked out of formation by the impact. The B-17 was reported as shot down by observers, but it survived and brought its crew home without injury.[142] Its toughness was compensation for its shorter range and lighter bomb load compared to the B-24 and British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers.[clarification needed] Stories circulated of B-17s returning to base with tails shredded, engines destroyed and large portions of their wings destroyed by flak.[143] This durability, together with the large operational numbers in the Eighth Air Force and the fame achieved by the Memphis Belle, made the B-17 a key bomber aircraft of the war. Other factors such as combat effectiveness and political issues also contributed to the B-17's success.[144]

Luftwaffe attacks

 
B-17G 43-38172 of the 8th AF 398th BG 601st BS which was damaged on a bombing mission over Cologne, Germany, on 15 October 1944; the bombardier was killed.[145]

After examining wrecked B-17s and B-24s, Luftwaffe officers discovered that on average it took about 20 hits with 20 mm shells fired from the rear to bring them down.[103] Pilots of average ability hit the bombers with only about two percent of the rounds they fired, so to obtain 20 hits, the average pilot had to fire one thousand 20 mm (0.79 in) rounds at a bomber.[103] Early versions of the Fw 190, one of the best German interceptor fighters, were equipped with two 20 mm (0.79 in) MG FF cannons, which carried only 500 rounds when belt-fed (normally using 60-round drum magazines in earlier installations), and later with the better Mauser MG 151/20 cannons, which had a longer effective range than the MG FF weapon. Later versions carried four or even six MG 151/20 cannon and twin 13 mm machine guns. The German fighters found that when attacking from the front, where fewer defensive guns were mounted (and where the pilot was exposed and not protected by armor as he was from the rear), it took only four or five hits to bring a bomber down.[103]

To rectify the Fw 190's shortcomings, the number of cannons fitted was doubled to four, with a corresponding increase in the amount of ammunition carried, creating the Sturmbock bomber destroyer version. This type replaced the vulnerable twin-engine Zerstörer heavy fighters which could not survive interception by P-51 Mustangs flying well ahead of the combat boxes in an air supremacy role starting very early in 1944 to clear any Luftwaffe defensive fighters from the skies. By 1944, a further upgrade to Rheinmetall-Borsig's 30 mm (1.2 in) MK 108 cannons mounted either in the wing, or in underwing, conformal mount gun pods, was made for the Sturmbock Focke-Wulfs as either the /R2 or /R8 field modification kits, enabling aircraft to bring a bomber down with just a few hits.[103]

 
B-17G-15-BO Wee Willie, 322d BS, 91st BG, after direct flak hit on her 128th mission.[146]

The adoption of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer-derived Werfer-Granate 21 (Wfr. Gr. 21) rocket mortar by the Luftwaffe in mid-August 1943 promised the introduction of a major "stand-off" style of offensive weapon – one strut-mounted tubular launcher was fixed under each wing panel on the Luftwaffe's single-engine fighters, and two under each wing panel of a few twin-engine Bf 110 daylight Zerstörer aircraft.[103] However, due to the slow 715 mph velocity and characteristic ballistic drop of the fired rocket (despite the usual mounting of the launcher at about 15° upward orientation), and the small number of fighters fitted with the weapons, the Wfr. Gr. 21 never had a major effect on the combat box formations of Fortresses.[103] The Luftwaffe also fitted heavy-caliber Bordkanone-series 37, 50 and even 75 mm (2.95 in) cannon as anti-bomber weapons on twin-engine aircraft such as the special Ju 88P fighters, as well as one model of the Me 410 Hornisse but these measures did not have much effect on the American strategic bomber offensive. The Me 262, however, had moderate success against the B-17 late in the war. With its usual nose-mounted armament of four MK 108 cannons, and with some examples later equipped with the R4M rocket, launched from underwing racks, it could fire from outside the range of the bombers' .50 in (12.7 mm) defensive guns and bring an aircraft down with one hit,[147] as both the MK 108's shells and the R4M's warheads were filled with the "shattering" force of the strongly brisant Hexogen military explosive.

Luftwaffe-captured B-17s

 
Captured B-17F-27-BO in Luftwaffe markings, the USAAF-named "Wulfe-Hound", 41-24585, of the 360th BS/303rd BG, was downed on 12 December 1942 near Leeuwarden, Netherlands, while on a raid on Rouen, France. The first Flying Fortress to fall intact into German hands, it was operated by Kampfgeschwader 200 from March 1944.[148]

During World War II approximately 40 B-17s were captured and refurbished by Germany after crash-landing or being forced down, with about a dozen put back into the air. Given German Balkenkreuz national markings on their wings and fuselage sides, and swastika tail fin–flashes, the captured B-17s were used to determine the B-17's vulnerabilities and to train German interceptor pilots in attack tactics.[149] Others, with the cover designations Dornier Do 200 and Do 288, were used as long-range transports by the Kampfgeschwader 200 special duties unit, carrying out agent drops and supplying secret airstrips in the Middle East and North Africa. They were chosen specifically for these missions as being more suitable for this role than other available German aircraft; they never attempted to deceive the Allies and always wore full Luftwaffe markings.[150][151] One B-17 of KG200, bearing the Luftwaffe's KG 200 Geschwaderkennung (combat wing code) markings A3+FB, was interned by Spain when it landed at Valencia airfield, 27 June 1944, remaining there for the rest of the war.[92] It has been alleged that some B-17s kept their Allied markings and were used by the Luftwaffe in attempts to infiltrate B-17 bombing formations and report on their positions and altitudes.[152] According to these allegations, the practice was initially successful, but Army Air Force combat aircrews quickly developed and established standard procedures to first warn off, and then fire upon any "stranger" trying to join a group's formation.[92]

Soviet-interned B-17s

The U.S. did not offer B-17s to the Soviet Union as part of its war materiel assistance program, but at least 73 aircraft were acquired by the Soviet Air Force. These aircraft had landed with mechanical trouble during the shuttle bombing raids over Germany or had been damaged by a Luftwaffe raid in Poltava. The Soviets restored 23 to flying condition and concentrated them in the 890th bomber regiment of the 45th Bomber Aviation Division,[153] but they never saw combat. In 1946 (or 1947, according to Holm) the regiment was assigned to the Kazan factory (moving from Baranovichi) to aid in the Soviet effort to reproduce the more advanced Boeing B-29 as the Tupolev Tu-4.[154]

Swiss-interned B-17s

During the Allied bomber offensive, U.S. and British bombers sometimes flew into Swiss airspace, either because they were damaged or, on rare occasions, accidentally bombing Swiss cities. Swiss aircraft attempted to intercept and force individual aircraft to land, interning their crews; one Swiss pilot was killed, shot down by a U.S. bomber crew in September 1944. From then on, red and white neutrality bands were added to the wings of Swiss aircraft to stop accidental attacks by Allied aircraft.[155]

Official Swiss records identify 6,501 airspace violations during the course of the war, with 198 foreign aircraft landing on Swiss territory and 56 aircraft crashing there. In October 1943 the Swiss interned Boeing B-17F-25-VE, tail number 25841, and its U.S. flight crew after the Flying Fortress developed engine trouble after a raid over Germany and was forced to land. The aircraft was turned over to the Swiss Air Force, who then flew the bomber until the end of the war, using other interned but non-airworthy B-17s for spare parts. The bomber's topside surfaces were repainted a dark olive drab, but retained its light gray under wing and lower fuselage surfaces. It carried Swiss national white cross insignia in red squares on both sides of its rudder, fuselage sides, and on the topside and underside wings. The B-17F also carried light gray flash letters "RD" and "I" on either side of the fuselage's Swiss national insignia.[75]

Japanese-captured B-17s

 
This captured USAAF Boeing B-17D, in Japanese livery, was flown to Japan for technical evaluation

Three damaged B-17s, one "D" and two "E" series, were rebuilt during 1942 to flying status by Japanese technicians and mechanics, using parts salvaged from abandoned B-17 wrecks in the Philippines and the Java East Indies.[156] The three bombers, which still contained their top secret Norden bombsights, were ferried to Japan where they underwent extensive technical evaluation by the Giken, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's Air Technical Research Institute (Koku Gijutsu Kenkyujo) at Tachikawa's air field. The "D" model, later deemed an obsolescent design, was used in Japanese training and propaganda films. The two "E"s were used to develop B-17 air combat counter-tactics and also used as enemy aircraft in pilot and crew training films. One of the two "E" Flying Fortresses was photographed late in the war by U. S. aerial recon. It was code-named "Tachikawa 105" after the mystery aircraft's wingspan was measured (104-ft.) but never identified. Photo-recon analysts never made the connection to it being a captured B-17 until after the war. No traces of the 3 captured Flying Fortresses were ever found in Japan by Allied occupation forces. The bombers were assumed either lost by various means or scrapped late in the war for their vital war materials.[157]

Postwar history

U.S. Air Force

See also: 3205th Drone Group
 
BQ-17 Flying Fortress drones over New Mexico, April 1946

Following the end of World War II, the B-17 was quickly phased out of use as a bomber and the Army Air Forces retired most of its fleet. Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic to the United States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down, although significant numbers remained in use in second-line roles such as VIP transports, air-sea rescue and photo-reconnaissance.[158][159] Strategic Air Command (SAC), established in 1946, used reconnaissance B-17s (at first called F-9 [F for Fotorecon], later RB-17) until 1949.[160][161]

 
SB-17G of the USAF 5th Rescue Squadron c. 1950

The USAF Air Rescue Service of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) operated B-17s as so-called "Dumbo" air-sea rescue aircraft. Work on using B-17s to carry airborne lifeboats had begun in 1943, but they entered service in the European theater only in February 1945. They were also used to provide search and rescue support for B-29 raids against Japan. About 130 B-17s were converted to the air-sea rescue role, at first designated B-17H and later SB-17G. Some SB-17s had their defensive guns removed, while others retained their guns to allow use close to combat areas. The SB-17 served through the Korean War, remaining in service with USAF until the mid-1950s.[71][162][163]

In 1946, surplus B-17s were chosen as drone aircraft for atmospheric sampling during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests, being able to fly close to or even through the mushroom clouds without endangering a crew. This led to more widespread conversion of B-17s as drones and drone control aircraft, both for further use in atomic testing and as targets for testing surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.[164] One hundred and seven B-17s were converted to drones.[165] The last operational mission flown by a USAF Fortress was conducted on 6 August 1959, when a DB-17P, serial 44-83684 , directed a QB-17G, out of Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, as a target for an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile fired from a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB, after which 44-83684 was retired.[citation needed] It was subsequently used in various films and in the 1960s television show 12 O'Clock High before being retired to the Planes of Fame aviation museum in Chino, California.[166] Perhaps the most famous B-17, the Memphis Belle, has been restored – with the B-17D The Swoose under way – to her World War II wartime appearance by the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.[167]

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard

 
Under project Cadillac II, an AN/APS-20 radar was fitted onto the B-17G, making the PB-1W one of the first Airborne early warning aircraft.

During the last year of World War II and shortly thereafter, the United States Navy (USN) acquired 48 ex-USAAF B-17s for patrol and air-sea rescue work. The first two ex-USAAF B-17s, a B-17F (later modified to B-17G standard) and a B-17G were obtained by the Navy for various development programs.[160] At first, these aircraft operated under their original USAAF designations, but on 31 July 1945 they were assigned the naval aircraft designation PB-1, a designation which had originally been used in 1925 for the Boeing Model 50 experimental flying boat.[168]

Thirty-two B-17Gs[169] were used by the Navy under the designation PB-1W, the suffix -W indicating an airborne early warning role. A large radome for an S-band AN/APS-20 search radar was fitted underneath the fuselage and additional internal fuel tanks were added for longer range, with the provision for additional underwing fuel tanks. Originally, the B-17 was also chosen because of its heavy defensive armament, but this was later removed. These aircraft were painted dark blue, the standard Navy paint scheme which had been adopted in late 1944.[160][168] PB-1Ws continued in USN service until 1955, gradually being phased out in favor of the Lockheed WV-2 (known in the USAF as the EC-121, a designation adopted by the USN in 1962), a military version of the Lockheed 1049 Constellation commercial airliner.[citation needed]

 
The U.S. Coast Guard PB-1G carried a droppable lifeboat.

In July 1945, 16 B-17s were transferred to the Coast Guard via the Navy; these aircraft were initially assigned U.S. Navy Bureau Numbers (BuNo), but were delivered to the Coast Guard designated as PB-1Gs beginning in July 1946.[160][163] Coast Guard PB-1Gs were stationed at a number of bases in the U.S. and Newfoundland, with five at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, two at CGAS San Francisco, two at NAS Argentia, Newfoundland, one at CGAS Kodiak, Alaska, and one in Washington state.[163] They were used primarily in the "Dumbo" air-sea rescue role, but were also used for iceberg patrol duties and for photo mapping. The Coast Guard PB-1Gs served throughout the 1950s, the last example not being withdrawn from service until 14 October 1959.[160][170]

Special operations

B-17s were used by the CIA front companies Civil Air Transport, Air America and Intermountain Aviation for special missions. These included B-17G 44-85531, registered as N809Z. These aircraft were primarily used for agent drop missions over the People's Republic of China, flying from Taiwan, with Taiwanese crews. Four B-17s were shot down in these operations.[171]

In 1957 the surviving B-17s had been stripped of all weapons and painted black. One of these Taiwan-based B-17s was flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in mid-September, assigned for covert missions into Tibet.

On 28 May 1962, N809Z, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, flew Major James Smith, USAF and Lieutenant Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR to the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8, as Operation Coldfeet. Smith and LeSchack parachuted from the B-17 and searched the station for several days. On 1 June, Seigrist and Price returned and picked up Smith and LeSchack using a Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B-17.[172] N809Z was used to perform a Skyhook pick up in the James Bond movie Thunderball in 1965. This aircraft, now restored to its original B-17G configuration, was on display in the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon until it was sold to the Collings Foundation in 2015.[173]

Operators

 
Military operators of the B-17
 
Civil operators of the B-17
For a more comprehensive list, see List of B-17 Flying Fortress operators.

The B-17, a versatile aircraft, served in dozens of USAAF units in theaters of combat throughout World War II, and in other roles for the RAF. Its main use was in Europe, where its shorter range and smaller bombload relative to other aircraft did not hamper it as much as in the Pacific Theater. Peak USAAF inventory (in August 1944) was 4,574 worldwide.[76]

Surviving aircraft

Forty-five planes survive in complete form, 38 in the United States. Four are airworthy.

For a more comprehensive list, see List of surviving Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.

Fortresses as a symbol

 
The B-17's capacity to repel enemy attacks and still inflict heavy damage upon German military capability and production centers is rendered in this caricature.

The B-17 Flying Fortress became symbolic of the United States of America's air power. In a 1943 Consolidated Aircraft poll of 2,500 men in cities where Consolidated advertisements had been run in newspapers, 73% had heard of the B-24 and 90% knew of the B-17.[140]

After the first Y1B-17s were delivered to the Army Air Corps 2nd Bombardment Group, they were used on flights to promote their long range and navigational capabilities. In January 1938, group commander Colonel Robert Olds flew a Y1B-17 from the U.S. east coast to the west coast, setting a transcontinental record of 13 hours 27 minutes. He also broke the west-to-east coast record on the return trip, averaging 245 mph (394 km/h) in 11 hours 1 minute.[175] Six bombers of the 2nd Bombardment Group took off from Langley Field on 15 February 1938 as part of a goodwill flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Covering 12,000 miles (19,000 km) they returned on 27 February, with seven aircraft setting off on a flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, three days later.[176] In a well-publicized mission on 12 May of the same year, three Y1B-17s "intercepted" and took photographs of the Italian ocean liner SS Rex 610 miles (980 km) off the Atlantic coast.[177][note 5]

Many pilots who flew both the B-17 and the B-24 preferred the B-17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying. The electrical systems were less vulnerable to damage than the B-24's hydraulics, and the B-17 was easier to fly than a B-24 when missing an engine.[178] During the war, the largest offensive bombing force, the Eighth Air Force, had an open preference for the B-17. Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle wrote about his preference for equipping the Eighth with B-17s, citing the logistical advantage in keeping field forces down to a minimum number of aircraft types with their individual servicing and spares. For this reason, he wanted B-17 bombers and P-51 fighters for the Eighth. His views were supported by Eighth Air Force statisticians, whose mission studies showed that the Flying Fortress's utility and survivability was much greater than those of the B-24 Liberator.[140] Making it back to base on numerous occasions, despite extensive battle damage, the B-17's durability became legendary;[138][139] stories and photos of B-17s surviving battle damage were widely circulated during the war.[140] Despite an inferior performance and smaller bombload than the more numerous B-24 Liberators,[179] a survey of Eighth Air Force crews showed a much higher rate of satisfaction with the B-17.[180]

Notable B-17s

 
The severely damaged All American continues to fly after collision with an attacking Bf 109 fighter, eventually landing without crew injuries.
  • All American – This B-17F survived having her tail almost cut off in a mid-air collision with a Bf 109 over Tunisia but returned safely to base in Algeria.[181]
  • Chief Seattle – sponsored by the city of Seattle, she disappeared (MIA) on 14 August 1942[182] flying a recon mission for the 19th BG, 435th BS[183] and the crew declared dead on 7 December 1945.
  • Hell's Kitchen – B-17F 41-24392 was one of only three early B-17F's in 414th BS to complete more than 100 combat missions.[184]
  • Mary Ann – a B-17D that was part of an unarmed flight which left Hamilton Air Field, Novato, California on 6 December 1941 en route to Hickam Field in Hawaii, arriving during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The plane and her crew were immediately forced into action on Wake Island and in the Philippines during the outbreak of World War II. She became famous when her exploits were featured in Air Force, one of the first of the patriotic war films released in 1943.[185]
  • Memphis Belle – one of the first B-17s to complete a tour of duty of 25 missions in the 8th Air Force and the subject of a feature film, now completely restored and on display since 17 May 2018[186] at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
  • Miss Every Morning Fix'n – B-17C. Previously named 'Pamela'. Stationed in Mackay, Queensland, Australia during World War II. On 14 June 1943, crashed shortly after takeoff from Mackay while ferrying U.S. forces personnel back to Port Moresby, with 40 of the 41 people on board killed. It remains the worst air disaster in Australian history. The sole survivor, Foye Roberts, married an Australian and returned to the States. He died in Wichita Falls, Texas, on 4 February 2004.[187]
  • Murder Inc. – A B-17 bombardier wearing the name of the B-17 "Murder Inc." on his jacket was used for propaganda in German newspapers.[188]
  • Old 666 – B-17E flown by the most highly decorated crew in the Pacific Theater[189]
  • Royal Flush – B-17F 42-6087 from the 100th Bomb Group and commanded on one mission by highly decorated USAAF officer Robert Rosenthal, she was the lone surviving 100th BG B-17 of 10 October 1943 raid against Münster to return to the unit's base at RAF Thorpe Abbotts.[190]
  • Sir Baboon McGoon – B-17F featured in the June 1944 issue of Popular Science magazine[191] and the 1945 issue of Flying magazine.[192] Articles discuss mobile recovery crews following October 1943 belly landing at Tannington, England.
  • The Swoose – Initially nicknamed Ole Betsy while in service, The Swoose is the only remaining intact B-17D, built in 1940, the oldest surviving Flying Fortress, and the only surviving B-17 to have seen action in the Philippines campaign (1941–1942); she is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum and is being restored for final display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.[193] The Swoose was flown by Frank Kurtz, father of actress Swoosie Kurtz, who named his daughter after the bomber.
  • Ye Olde Pub – A highly damaged B-17 that was not shot down by Franz Stigler, as memorialized in the painting A Higher Call by John D. Shaw.[194]
  • 5 Grand – 5,000th B-17 made, emblazoned with Boeing employee signatures, served with the 333rd Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group in Europe. Damaged and repaired after gear-up landing, transferred to 388th Bomb Group. Returned from duty following V-E Day, flown for war bonds tour, then stored at Kingman, Arizona. Following an unsuccessful bid for museum preservation, the aircraft was scrapped.[195]

Accidents and incidents

For a more comprehensive list, see Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

Noted B-17 pilots and crew members

 
Maynard H. Smith receiving Medal of Honor from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
 
Forrest L. Vosler receiving Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt
 
L–R, Nancy Love, pilot and Betty (Huyler) Gillies, co-pilot, the first women to fly the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber for the WASP[196]

Medal of Honor recipients

Many B-17 crew members received military honors and 17 received the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States:[197]

Other military achievements or events

  • Lincoln Broyhill (1925–2008), tail-gunner on a B-17 in the 483rd Bombardment Group. He received a Distinguished Unit Citation and set two individual records in a single day: (1) most German jets destroyed by a single gunner in one mission (two), and (2) most German jets destroyed by a single gunner during the entirety of World War II.[214]
  • Allison C. Brooks (1917–2006), a B-17 pilot who was awarded numerous military decorations and was ultimately promoted to the rank of major general and served in active duty until 1971.[215]
  • 1st Lt Eugene Emond (1921–1998): Lead pilot for Man O War II Horsepower Limited. Received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, American Theater Ribbon and Victory Ribbon. Was part of D-Day and witnessed one of the first German jets when a Me 262A-1a flew through his formation over Germany. One of the youngest bomber pilots in the U.S. Army Air Forces.
  • Immanuel J. Klette (1918–1988): Second-generation German-American whose 91 combat missions were the most flown by any Eighth Air Force pilot in World War II.[216]
  • Capt Colin Kelly (1915–1941): Pilot of the first U.S. B-17 lost in action.[217]
  • Col Frank Kurtz (1911–1996): The USAAF's most decorated pilot of World War II. Commander of the 463rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, Celone Field, Foggia, Italy. Clark Field Philippines attack survivor. Olympic bronze medalist in diving (1932), 1944–1945. Father of actress Swoosie Kurtz, herself named for the still-surviving B-17D mentioned above.
  • Gen Curtis LeMay (1906–1990): Became head of the Strategic Air Command and Chief of Staff of the USAF.
  • Lt Col Nancy Love (1914–1976) and Betty (Huyler) Gillies (1908–1998): The first women pilots to be certified to fly the B-17, in 1943 and to qualify for the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron.[196]
  • SSgt Alan Magee (1919–2003): B-17 gunner who on 3 January 1943 survived a 22,000-foot (6,700-meter) freefall after his aircraft was shot down by the Luftwaffe over St. Nazaire.
  • Col Robert K. Morgan (1918–2004): Pilot of Memphis Belle.
  • Lt Col Robert Rosenthal (1917–2007): Commanded the only surviving B-17, Royal Flush, of a US 8th Air Force raid by the 100th Bomb Group on Münster on 10 October 1943. Completed 53 missions. Earned sixteen medals for gallantry (including one each from Britain and France), and led the raid on Berlin[218] on 3 February 1945, that is likely to have ended the life of Roland Freisler, the infamous "hanging judge" of the People's Court.
  • 1st Lt Bruce Sundlun (1920–2011): Pilot of Damn Yankee of the 384th Bomb Group was shot down over Belgium on 1 December 1943 and evaded capture until reaching Switzerland 5 May 1944.[219]

Specifications (B-17G)

 
3-view projection of a B-17G, with inset detail showing the "Cheyenne tail" and some major differences with other B-17 variants
 
B-17G nose guns

Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft[38]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 10: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier/nose gunner, flight engineer/top turret gunner, radio operator, waist gunners (2), ball turret gunner, tail gunner[220]
  • Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m)
  • Wingspan: 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m)
  • Height: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
  • Wing area: 1,420 sq ft (131.92 m2)
  • Airfoil: NACA 0018 / NACA 0010
  • Empty weight: 36,135 lb (16,391 kg)
  • Gross weight: 54,000 lb (24,500 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 65,500 lb (29,700 kg)
  • Aspect ratio: 7.57
  • Powerplant: 4 × Wright R-1820-97 "Cyclone" turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each
  • Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton-Standard constant-speed propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 287 mph (462 km/h, 249 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 182 mph (293 km/h, 158 kn)
  • Range: 2,000 mi (3,219 km, 1,738 nmi) with 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) bombload
  • Ferry range: 3,750 mi (6,040 km, 3,260 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 35,600 ft (10,850 m)
  • Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 38.0 lb/sq ft (185.7 kg/m2)
  • Power/mass: 0.089 hp/lb (150 W/kg)

Armament

  • Guns: 13 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 9 positions (2 in the Bendix chin turret, 2 on nose cheeks, 2 staggered waist guns, 2 in upper Sperry turret, 2 in Sperry ball turret in belly, 2 in the tail and one firing upwards from radio compartment behind bomb bay)
  • Bombs:
    • Short range missions; Internal load only (<400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
    • Long range missions; Internal load only (≈800 mi): 4,500 lb (2,000 kg)
    • Max Internal and External load: 17,600 lb (7,800 kg)

Notable appearances in media

Main article: Aircraft in fiction § B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 in popular culture

Hollywood featured the B-17 in its period films, such as director Howard Hawks' Air Force starring John Garfield and Twelve O'Clock High starring Gregory Peck.[221] Both films were made with the full cooperation of the United States Army Air Forces and used USAAF aircraft and (for Twelve O'Clock High) combat footage. In 1964, the latter film was made into a television show of the same name and ran for three years on ABC TV. Footage from Twelve O' Clock High was also used, along with three restored B-17s, in the 1962 film The War Lover. An early model YB-17 also appeared in the 1938 film Test Pilot with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, and later with Clark Gable in Command Decision in 1948, in Tora! Tora! Tora! in 1970, and in Memphis Belle with Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Billy Zane, and Harry Connick Jr. in 1990. The most famous B-17, the Memphis Belle, toured the U. S. with her crew to reinforce national morale (and to sell war bonds). She was featured in a USAAF documentary, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.[222]

The Flying Fortress has also been featured in artistic works expressing the physical and psychological stress of the combat conditions and the high casualty rates that crews suffered.[223][224] Works such as The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Heavy Metal's section "B-17" depict the nature of these missions. The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg's The Mission. Artists who served on the bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II.[225][226]

See also

 
B-17 modified for testing of the XT-34 turboprop. When testing concluded, the aircraft was restored to stock configuration as the "Liberty Belle", but was lost in a post-forced-landing fire near Oswego, Illinois, on 13 June 2011.

Related development

Related lists

Notes

  1. ^ The Air Corps News Letter, however, notes in its edition of 1 January 1938 (ACNL Vol. XXI, No. 1, p. 7 3 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine) an attempt by the Langley Field correspondent to apply the appellation "Jeep" to the B-17, which it objected to as "not befitting" the aircraft and adding, "Why not let the term 'Flying Fortress' suffice?"
  2. ^ The idea of a pilot's checklist spread to other crew members, other air corps aircraft types, and eventually throughout the aviation world. Life published the lengthy B-17 checklist in its 24 August 1942 issue.[32]
  3. ^ Quote: "At the peak of production, Boeing was rolling out as many as 363 B-17s a month, averaging between 14 and 16 Forts a day, the most incredible production rate for large aircraft in aviation history." This production rate was, however, surpassed by that of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
  4. ^ During the crash investigation of Boeing 307 Stratoliner NX19901, it was found that two B-17s had already spun from lack of directional stability. British combat experience with the B-17 was also showing the need for a tail gunner. Boeing was not willing to add a turret because they did not want to disrupt the clean aerodynamics. The inadequate directional stability exposed by two spin incidents and a crash, brought about a redesigned vertical stabilizer and dorsal fin. A compromise for the tail turret resulted in handheld tail guns. The combination created a successful design. Not only were defensive needs solved, but the improved lateral stability made precision high altitude bombing possible.[58][59]
  5. ^ This is a commonly misreported error. The Rex was 725 miles offshore on her last position report as the Y1B-17s were taxiing for takeoff from Mitchel Field, four hours before interception.

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Further reading

  • Birdsall, Steve. The B-17 Flying Fortress. Dallas, Texas: Morgan Aviation Books, 1965. OCLC 752618401.
  • Calegari, Robert (December 1976). "A vendre: B-17G" [For Sale: B-17G]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (85): 34–36. ISSN 0757-4169.
  • Davis, Larry. B-17 in Action. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984. ISBN 0-89747-152-0.
  • Jablonski, Edward. Flying Fortress. New York: Doubleday, 1965. ISBN 0-385-03855-0.
  • Johnsen, Frederick A. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 2001. ISBN 1-58007-052-3.
  • Gansz, David M. B-17 Production - Boeing Aircraft: 4 January 1944 - 26 February 1944 B-17G-35 to G-45 42-31932 - 42-32116 and 42-97058 - 42-97407. New Jersey: First Mountain Belgians, 2020. ISBN 978-1734380606.
  • Gansz, David M. B-17 Production - Boeing Aircraft: 26 February 1944 - 25 April 1944 B-17G-50 to G-60 42-102379 - 42-102978. New Jersey: First Mountain Belgians, 2013. ISBN 978-0692365465.
  • Gansz, David M. B-17 Production - Boeing Aircraft: 25 April 1944 - 22 June 1944 B-17G-65 to G-75 43-37509 - 43-38073. New Jersey: First Mountain Belgians, 2017. ISBN 978-0692859841.
  • Lloyd, Alwyn T. B-17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale, Vol. 11: Derivatives, Part 2. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1983. ISBN 0-8168-5021-6.
  • Lloyd, Alwyn T. B-17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale, Vol. 20: More derivatives, Part 3. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books, 1986. ISBN 0-8168-5029-1.
  • Lloyd, Alwyn T. and Terry D. Moore. B-17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale, Vol. 1: Production Versions, Part 1. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1981. ISBN 0-8168-5012-7.
  • O'Leary, Michael. Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (Osprey Production Line to Frontline 2). Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-85532-814-3.
  • Stitt, Robert M. & Olson, Janice L. (July–August 2002). "Brothers in Arms: A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Crew in New Guinea, Part 1". Air Enthusiast (100): 2–11. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Thompson, Scott A. Final Cut: The Post War B-17 Flying Fortress, The Survivors: Revised and Updated Edition. Highland County, Ohio: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 2000. ISBN 1-57510-077-0.
  • Wagner, Ray, "American Combat Planes of the 20th Century", Reno, Nevada, 2004, Jack Bacon & Company, ISBN 0-930083-17-2.
  • Willmott, H.P. B-17 Flying Fortress. London: Bison Books, 1980. ISBN 0-85368-444-8.
  • Wisker Thomas J. "Talkback". Air Enthusiast, No. 10, July–September 1979, p. 79. ISSN 0143-5450

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to B-17 Flying Fortress.

May 07, 2023
boeing, flying, fortress, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, flying, fortress, redirects, here, film, flying, fortress, film, flying, fortress, redirects, here, video, game, flying, fortress, video, game, four, engined, heavy, bomber, developed, 193. B 17 redirects here For other uses see B17 disambiguation Flying Fortress redirects here For the film see Flying Fortress film B 17 Flying Fortress redirects here For the video game see B 17 Flying Fortress video game The Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress is a four engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps USAAC Relatively fast and high flying for a bomber of its era the B 17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II It is the third most produced bomber of all time behind the four engined Consolidated B 24 Liberator and the multirole twin engined Junkers Ju 88 It was also employed as a transport antisubmarine aircraft drone controller and search and rescue aircraft B 17 Flying FortressA B 17G Sentimental Journey performing at the 2014 Chino Airshow in Chino CaliforniaRole Heavy bomberNational origin United StatesManufacturer BoeingFirst flight 28 July 1935 1 Introduction April 1938Retired 1968 Brazilian Air Force Status RetiredPrimary users United States Army Air ForcesRoyal Air ForceProduced 1936 1945Number built 12 731 2 3 Variants Boeing XB 38 Flying Fortress Boeing YB 40 Flying Fortress Boeing C 108 Flying FortressDeveloped into Boeing 307 StratolinerIn a USAAC competition Boeing s prototype Model 299 XB 17 outperformed two other entries but crashed losing the initial 200 bomber contract to the Douglas B 18 Bolo Still the Air Corps ordered 13 more B 17s for further evaluation then introduced it into service in 1938 The B 17 evolved through numerous design advances 4 5 but from its inception the USAAC later the USAAF promoted the aircraft as a strategic weapon It was a relatively fast high flying long range bomber with heavy defensive armament at the expense of bombload It also developed a reputation for toughness based upon stories and photos of badly damaged B 17s safely returning to base The B 17 saw early action in the Pacific War where it conducted raids against Japanese shipping and airfields 6 But it was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight strategic bombing campaign over Europe complementing RAF Bomber Command s night time area bombing of German industrial military and civilian targets 7 Of the roughly 1 5 million tons of bombs dropped on Nazi Germany and its occupied territories by U S aircraft over 640 000 tons 42 6 were dropped from B 17s 8 As of November 2022 four aircraft remain airworthy none flown in combat Dozens more are in storage or on static display The oldest of these is a D series flown in combat in the Pacific on the first day of the United States involvement in World War II Contents 1 Development 1 1 Origins 1 2 Initial orders 2 Design and variants 3 Operational history 3 1 RAF use 3 2 Initial USAAF operations over Europe 3 3 Combined offensive 3 4 Pacific Theater 3 5 Bomber defense 3 6 Luftwaffe attacks 3 7 Luftwaffe captured B 17s 3 8 Soviet interned B 17s 3 9 Swiss interned B 17s 3 10 Japanese captured B 17s 3 11 Postwar history 3 11 1 U S Air Force 3 11 2 U S Navy and Coast Guard 3 12 Special operations 4 Operators 5 Surviving aircraft 6 Fortresses as a symbol 7 Notable B 17s 8 Accidents and incidents 9 Noted B 17 pilots and crew members 9 1 Medal of Honor recipients 9 2 Other military achievements or events 10 Specifications B 17G 11 Notable appearances in media 11 1 B 17 in popular culture 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 14 1 Sources 15 Further reading 16 External linksDevelopment EditOrigins Edit Model 299 NX13372 Gun turret atop the Model 299 s nose glazing Crashed Model 299 Boeing Y1B 17 in flight On 8 August 1934 the USAAC tendered a proposal for a multiengine bomber to replace the Martin B 10 The Air Corps was looking for a bomber capable of reinforcing the air forces in Hawaii Panama and Alaska 9 Requirements were for it to carry a useful bombload at an altitude of 10 000 ft 3 000 m for 10 hours with a top speed of at least 200 mph 320 km h 10 They also desired but did not require a range of 2 000 mi 3 200 km and a speed of 250 mph 400 km h The competition for the air corps contract was to be decided by a fly off between Boeing s design the Douglas DB 1 and the Martin Model 146 at Wilbur Wright Field in Dayton Ohio The prototype B 17 with the Boeing factory designation of Model 299 was designed by a team of engineers led by E Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells and was built at Boeing s own expense 11 It combined features of the company s experimental XB 15 bomber and 247 transport 10 The B 17 s armament consisted of five 30 caliber 7 62 mm machine guns with a payload up to 4 800 lb 2 200 kg of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit The aircraft was powered by four Pratt amp Whitney R 1690 Hornet radial engines each producing 750 hp 600 kW at 7 000 ft 2 100 m 12 The first flight of the Model 299 was on 28 July 1935 with Boeing chief test pilot Leslie Tower at the controls 1 13 The day before Richard Williams a reporter for The Seattle Times coined the name Flying Fortress when observing the large number of machine guns sticking out from the new airplane he described it as a 15 ton flying fortress in a picture caption 14 The most distinct mount was in the nose which allowed the single machine gun to be fired toward nearly all frontal angles 15 Boeing was quick to see the value of the name and had it trademarked for use note 1 Boeing also claimed in some of the early press releases that Model 299 was the first combat aircraft that could continue its mission if one of its four engines failed 16 On 20 August 1935 the prototype flew from Seattle to Wright Field in nine hours and three minutes with an average cruising speed of 252 miles per hour 406 km h much faster than the competition 17 At the fly off the four engined Boeing s performance was superior to those of the twin engine DB 1 and Model 146 Major General Frank Maxwell Andrews of the GHQ Air Force believed that the capabilities of large four engined aircraft exceeded those of shorter ranged twin engine aircraft and that the B 17 was better suited to new emerging USAAC doctrine 18 His opinions were shared by the air corps procurement officers and even before the competition had finished they suggested buying 65 B 17s 19 20 On 30 October 1935 a test flight determining the rate of climb and service ceiling was planned The command pilot was Major Ployer Peter Hill Wright Field Material Division Chief of the Flying Branch his first flight in the Model 299 Copilot was Lieutenant Donald Putt while Boeing chief test pilot Leslie R Tower was behind the pilots in an advisory role Also on board were Wright Field test observer John Cutting and mechanic Mark Koegler Tragically the plane stalled and spun into the ground soon after takeoff bursting into flames Though initially surviving the impact Hill died within a few hours and Tower on 19 November Post accident interviews with Tower and Putt determined the control surface gust lock had not been released 21 Doyle notes The loss of Hill and Tower and the Model 299 was directly responsible for the creation of the modern written checklist used by pilots to this day 22 23 The crashed Model 299 could not finish the evaluation disqualifying it from the competition 20 While the air corps was still enthusiastic about the aircraft s potential army officials were daunted by its cost 24 Douglas quoted a unit price of 58 200 equivalent to 916 000 in 2021 based on a production order of 220 aircraft compared with 99 620 equivalent to 1 568 000 in 2021 from Boeing 25 Army Chief of Staff Malin Craig cancelled the order for 65 YB 17s and ordered 133 of the twin engined Douglas B 18 Bolo instead 19 20 The loss was not total but Boeing s hopes for a substantial bomber contract were dashed Peter Bowers 1976 26 Initial orders Edit Installation of fixtures and assemblies on a tail fuselage section of a B 17 at the Douglas plant in Long Beach California October 1942 B 17Bs at March Field California prior to attack on Pearl Harbor with framed nose glazing of the style retained through the B 17E model Nose of a B 17G being restored at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum Regardless the USAAC had been impressed by the prototype s performance and on 17 January 1936 through a legal loophole 27 28 the Air Corps ordered 13 YB 17s designated Y1B 17 after November 1936 to denote its special F 1 funding for service testing 20 The YB 17 incorporated a number of significant changes from the Model 299 including more powerful Wright R 1820 39 Cyclone engines Although the prototype was company owned and never received a military serial the B 17 designation itself did not appear officially until January 1936 nearly three months after the prototype crashed 29 the term XB 17 was retroactively applied to the NX13372 s airframe and has entered the lexicon to describe the first Flying Fortress Between 1 March and 4 August 1937 12 of the 13 Y1B 17s were delivered to the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field in Virginia for operational development and flight tests 30 One suggestion adopted was the use of a preflight checklist to avoid accidents such as that which befell the Model 299 28 31 note 2 In one of their first missions three B 17s directed by lead navigator Lieutenant Curtis LeMay were sent by General Andrews to intercept and photograph the Italian ocean liner Rex 610 miles 980 km off the Atlantic coast 33 The mission was successful and widely publicized 34 35 The 13th Y1B 17 was delivered to the Material Division at Wright Field Ohio to be used for flight testing 36 A 14th Y1B 17 37 369 originally constructed for ground testing of the airframe s strength was upgraded by Boeing with exhaust driven General Electric turbo superchargers and designated Y1B 17A Designed by Dr Sanford Moss engine exhaust gases turned the turbine s steel alloy blades forcing high pressure ram air into the Wright Cyclone GR 1820 39 engine supercharger 37 Scheduled to fly in 1937 it encountered problems with the turbochargers and its first flight was delayed until 29 April 1938 38 The aircraft was delivered to the army on 31 January 1939 39 Once service testing was complete the Y1B 17s and Y1B 17A were redesignated B 17 and B 17A respectively to signify the change to operational status 40 The Y1B 17A had a maximum speed of 311 miles per hour 501 km h at its best operational altitude compared to 239 miles per hour 385 km h for the Y1B 17 Also the Y1B 17A s new service ceiling was more than 2 miles 3 2 km higher at 38 000 feet 12 000 m compared to the Y1B 17 s 27 800 feet 8 500 m These turbo superchargers were incorporated into the B 17B 41 Opposition to the air corps ambitions for the acquisition of more B 17s faded and in late 1937 10 more aircraft designated B 17B were ordered to equip two bombardment groups one on each U S coast 42 Improved with larger flaps and rudder and a well framed 10 panel plexiglass nose the B 17Bs were delivered in five small batches between July 1939 and March 1940 In July 1940 an order for 512 B 17s was issued 43 but at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor fewer than 200 were in service with the army 28 A total of 155 B 17s of all variants were delivered between 11 January 1937 and 30 November 1941 but production quickly accelerated with the B 17 once holding the record for the highest production rate for any large aircraft 44 note 3 The aircraft went on to serve in every World War II combat zone and by the time production ended in May 1945 12 731 aircraft had been built by Boeing Douglas and Vega a subsidiary of Lockheed 45 46 47 48 Though the crash of the prototype 299 in 1935 had almost wiped out Boeing now it was seen as a boon Instead of building models based on experimental engineering Boeing had been hard at work developing their bomber and now had versions ready for production far better than would have been possible otherwise One of the most significant weapons of World War II would be ready but only by a hair Jeff Ethell 1985 43 Design and variants EditMain article List of Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress variants Waist position gun blister of Model 299 not adopted for production Production numbers Variant Produced First flightModel 299 1 28 July 1935 1 YB 17 13 2 December 1936 49 YB 17A 1 29 April 1938 38 B 17B 39 27 June 1939 50 B 17C 38 21 July 1940 51 B 17D 42 3 February 1941 52 B 17E 512 5 September 1941 53 B 17F total 3 405 30 May 1942 54 55 B 17F BO 2 300 54 B 17F DL 605 54 B 17F VE 500 54 B 17G total 8 680 16 August 1943B 17G BO 4 035B 17G DL 2 395B 17G VE 2 250Total 12 731B 17s were built at Boeing Plant 2Seattle Washington BO and starting with the B 17F also atLockheed Vega Burbank California VE and Douglas Aircraft Long Beach California DL 56 The aircraft went through several alterations in each of its design stages and variants Of the 13 YB 17s ordered for service testing 12 were used by the 2nd Bomb Group of Langley Field Virginia to develop heavy bombing techniques and the 13th was used for flight testing at the Material Division at Wright Field Ohio 36 Experiments on this aircraft led to the use of a quartet of General Electric turbo superchargers which later became standard on the B 17 line A 14th aircraft the YB 17A originally destined for ground testing only and upgraded with the turbochargers 57 was redesignated B 17A after testing had finished 39 40 As the production line developed Boeing engineers continued to improve upon the basic design To enhance performance at slower speeds the B 17B was altered to include larger rudders and flaps 50 The B 17C changed from three bulged oval shaped gun blisters to two flush oval shaped gun window openings and on the lower fuselage a single bathtub gun gondola housing 51 which resembled the similarly configured and located Bodenlafette Bola ventral defensive emplacement on the German Heinkel He 111P series medium bomber While models A through D of the B 17 were designed defensively the large tailed B 17E was the first model primarily focused on offensive warfare 57 The B 17E was an extensive revision of the Model 299 design The fuselage was extended by 10 ft 3 0 m a much larger rear fuselage vertical tailfin rudder and horizontal stabilizer were added a gunner s position was added in the new tail note 4 the nose especially the bombardier s framed 10 panel nose glazing remained relatively the same as the earlier B through D versions had a Sperry electrically powered manned dorsal gun turret just behind the cockpit was added a similarly powered also built by Sperry manned ventral ball turret just aft of the bomb bay replaced the relatively hard to use Sperry model 645705 D 60 remotely operated ventral turret on the earliest examples of the E variant These modifications resulted in a 20 increase in aircraft weight 57 The B 17 s turbocharged Wright R 1820 Cyclone 9 engines were upgraded to increasingly more powerful versions of the same powerplants throughout its production and similarly the number of machine gun emplacement locations was increased 61 Boeing built B 17Fs with the clear view two piece Plexiglas bombardier s nose The B 17F variants were the primary versions flying for the Eighth Air Force to face the Germans in 1943 and had standardized the manned Sperry ball turret for ventral defense also replacing the earlier 10 panel framed bombardier s nose glazing from the B subtype with an enlarged nearly frameless Plexiglas bombardier s nose enclosure for improved forward vision Two experimental versions of the B 17 were flown under different designations the XB 38 Flying Fortress and the YB 40 Flying Fortress The XB 38 was an engine testbed for Allison V 1710 liquid cooled engines should the Wright engines normally used on the B 17 become unavailable The only prototype XB 38 to fly crashed on its ninth flight and the type was abandoned The Allison V 1710 was allocated to fighter aircraft 62 63 The YB 40 was a heavily armed modification of the standard B 17 used before the North American P 51 Mustang an effective long range fighter became available to act as escort Additional armament included an additional dorsal turret in the radio room a remotely operated and fired Bendix built chin turret directly below the bombardier s accommodation and twin 50 in 12 7 mm guns in each of the waist positions The ammunition load was over 11 000 rounds All of these modifications made the YB 40 well over 10 000 lb 4 500 kg heavier than a fully loaded B 17F The YB 40s with their numerous heavy modifications had trouble keeping up with the lighter bombers once they had dropped their bombs so the project was abandoned and finally phased out in July 1943 64 65 66 The final production blocks of the B 17F from Douglas plants did however adopt the YB 40 s chin turret giving them a much improved forward defense capability 67 B 17G nose detail By the time the definitive B 17G appeared the number of guns had been increased from seven to 13 the designs of the gun stations were finalized and other adjustments were completed The B 17G was the final version of the Flying Fortress incorporating all changes made to its predecessor the B 17F 57 and in total 8 680 were built 68 the last by Lockheed on 28 July 1945 69 Many B 17Gs were converted for other missions such as cargo hauling engine testing and reconnaissance 70 Initially designated SB 17G a number of B 17Gs were also converted for search and rescue duties later to be redesignated B 17H 71 Postwar SB 17G 95DL ser no 44 83722 assigned to the 2nd ERS as a search and rescue aircraft beside a Stinson L 5 Late in World War II at least 25 B 17s were fitted with radio controls and television cameras loaded with 20 000 lb 9 100 kg of high explosives and dubbed BQ 7 Aphrodite missiles for Operation Aphrodite The operation which involved remotely flying Aphrodite drones onto their targets by accompanying CQ 17 mothership control aircraft was approved on 26 June 1944 and assigned to the 388th Bombardment Group stationed at RAF Fersfield a satellite of RAF Knettishall 72 The first four drones were sent to Mimoyecques the Siracourt V 1 bunker Watten and Wizernes on 4 August causing little damage The project came to a sudden end with the unexplained midair explosion over the Blyth estuary of a B 24 part of the United States Navy s contribution as Project Anvil en route for Heligoland piloted by Lieutenant Joseph P Kennedy Jr future U S president John F Kennedy s elder brother Blast damage was caused over a radius of 5 miles 8 0 km British authorities were anxious that no similar accidents should again occur and the Aphrodite project was scrapped in early 1945 72 Operational history Edit Boeing B 17E Flying Fortress of the 19th Bombardment Group USAAF summer 1942 B 17 Flying Fortresses from the 398th Bombardment Group flying a bombing mission to Neumunster Germany on 13 April 1945 The B 17 began operations in World War II with the Royal Air Force RAF in 1941 and in the Southwest Pacific with the U S Army The 19th Bombardment Group had deployed to Clark Field in the Philippines a few weeks before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as the first of a planned heavy bomber buildup in the Pacific Half of the group s B 17s were wiped out on 8 December 1941 when they were caught on the ground during refueling and rearming for a planned attack on Japanese airfields on Formosa The small force of B 17s operated against the Japanese invasion force until they were withdrawn to Darwin in Australia s Northern Territory In early 1942 the 7th Bombardment Group began arriving in Java with a mixed force of B 17s and LB 30 B 24s 73 A squadron of B 17s from this force detached to the Middle East to join the First Provisional Bombardment Group thus becoming the first American B 17 squadron to go to war against the Germans citation needed After the defeat in Java the 19th withdrew to Australia where it continued in combat until it was sent home by General George C Kenney when he arrived in Australia in mid 1942 74 In July 1942 the first USAAF B 17s were sent to England to join the Eighth Air Force Later that year two groups moved to Algeria to join Twelfth Air Force for operations in North Africa The B 17s were primarily involved in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign against German targets ranging from U boat pens docks warehouses and airfields to industrial targets such as aircraft factories 75 In the campaign against German aircraft forces in preparation for the invasion of France B 17 and B 24 raids were directed against German aircraft production while their presence drew the Luftwaffe fighters into battle with Allied fighters 7 During World War II the B 17 equipped 32 overseas combat groups inventory peaking in August 1944 at 4 574 USAAF aircraft worldwide 76 The British heavy bombers the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax dropped 608 612 long tons 681 645 short tons and 224 207 long tons 251 112 short tons 77 respectively RAF use Edit RAF Fortress I serial AN529 with He 111H style bathtub ventral gondola The RAF entered World War II with no heavy bomber of its own in service the biggest available were long range medium bombers such as the Vickers Wellington which could carry up to 4 500 pounds 2 000 kg of bombs 78 While the Short Stirling and Handley Page Halifax became its primary bombers by 1941 in early 1940 the RAF agreed with the U S Army Air Corps to acquire 20 B 17Cs which were given the service name Fortress I Their first operation against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941 was unsuccessful 79 80 On 24 July three B 17s of 90 Squadron took part in a raid on the German capital ship Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen anchored in Brest from 30 000 ft 9 100 m to draw German fighters away from 18 Handley Page Hampdens attacking at lower altitudes and in time for 79 Vickers Wellingtons to attack later with the German fighters refueling The operation did not work as expected with 90 Squadron s Fortresses being unopposed 81 82 83 By September the RAF had lost eight B 17Cs in combat and had experienced numerous mechanical problems and Bomber Command abandoned daylight bombing raids using the Fortress I because of the aircraft s poor performance The experience showed both the RAF and USAAF that the B 17C was not ready for combat and that improved defenses larger bomb loads and more accurate bombing methods were required However the USAAF continued using the B 17 as a day bomber despite misgivings by the RAF that attempts at daylight bombing would be ineffective 84 As use by Bomber Command had been curtailed the RAF transferred its remaining Fortress I aircraft to Coastal Command for use as a long range maritime patrol aircraft 85 These were augmented starting in July 1942 by 45 Fortress Mk IIA B 17E followed by 19 Fortress Mk II B 17F and three Fortress Mk III B 17G A Fortress IIA from No 206 Squadron RAF sank U 627 on 27 October 1942 the first of 11 U boat kills credited to RAF Fortress bombers during the war 86 As sufficient Consolidated Liberators finally became available Coastal Command withdrew the Fortress from the Azores transferring the type to the meteorological reconnaissance role Three squadrons undertook Met profiles from airfields in Iceland Scotland and England gathering data for vital weather forecasting purposes The RAF s No 223 Squadron as part of 100 Group operated several Fortresses equipped with an electronic warfare system known as Airborne Cigar ABC This was operated by German speaking radio operators to identify and jam German ground controllers broadcasts to their nightfighters They could also pose as ground controllers themselves to steer nightfighters away from the bomber streams 87 Initial USAAF operations over Europe Edit Marks and letters on the tails of B 17 during WWII in Europe The air corps renamed United States Army Air Forces USAAF on 20 June 1941 used the B 17 and other bombers to bomb from high altitudes with the aid of the then secret Norden bombsight known as the Blue Ox 88 89 which was an optical electromechanical gyrostabilized analog computer 90 The device was able to determine from variables put in by the bombardier the point at which the aircraft s bombs should be released to hit the target The bombardier essentially took over flight control of the aircraft during the bomb run maintaining a level altitude during the final moments before release 91 The USAAF began building up its air forces in Europe using B 17Es soon after entering the war The first Eighth Air Force units arrived in High Wycombe England on 12 May 1942 to form the 97th Bomb Group 92 On 17 August 1942 12 B 17Es of the 97th with the lead aircraft piloted by Major Paul Tibbets and carrying Brigadier General Ira Eaker as an observer were close escorted by four squadrons of RAF Spitfire IXs and a further five squadrons of Spitfire Vs to cover the withdrawal on the first USAAF heavy bomber raid over Europe against the large railroad marshalling yards at Rouen Sotteville in France while a further six aircraft flew a diversionary raid along the French coast 93 94 The operation carried out in good visibility was a success with only minor damage to one aircraft unrelated to enemy action and half the bombs landing in the target area 95 The raid helped allay British doubts about the capabilities of American heavy bombers in operations over Europe citation needed Two additional groups arrived in Britain at the same time bringing with them the first B 17Fs which served as the primary AAF heavy bomber fighting the Germans until September 1943 As the raids of the American bombing campaign grew in numbers and frequency German interception efforts grew in strength such as during the attempted bombing of Kiel on 13 June 1943 96 such that unescorted bombing missions came to be discouraged 97 Combined offensive Edit The two different strategies of the American and British bomber commands were organized at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 The resulting Combined Bomber Offensive weakened the Wehrmacht destroyed German morale and established air superiority through Operation Pointblank s destruction of German fighter strength in preparation for a ground offensive 7 The USAAF bombers attacked by day with British operations chiefly against industrial cities by night 98 B 17F formation over Schweinfurt Germany 17 August 1943 Boeing B 17F radar bombing through clouds Bremen Germany on 13 November 1943 Operation Pointblank opened with attacks on targets in Western Europe General Ira C Eaker and the Eighth Air Force placed highest priority on attacks on the German aircraft industry especially fighter assembly plants engine factories and ball bearing manufacturers 7 Attacks began in April 1943 on heavily fortified key industrial plants in Bremen and Recklinghausen 99 Since the airfield bombings were not appreciably reducing German fighter strength additional B 17 groups were formed and Eaker ordered major missions deeper into Germany against important industrial targets The 8th Air Force then targeted the ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt hoping to cripple the war effort there The first raid on 17 August 1943 did not result in critical damage to the factories with the 230 attacking B 17s being intercepted by an estimated 300 Luftwaffe fighters The Germans shot down 36 aircraft with the loss of 200 men and coupled with a raid earlier in the day against Regensburg a total of 60 B 17s were lost that day 100 A second attempt on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 later came to be known as Black Thursday 101 While the attack was successful at disrupting the entire works severely curtailing work there for the remainder of the war it was at an extreme cost 102 Of the 291 attacking Fortresses 60 were shot down over Germany five crashed on approach to Britain and 12 more were scrapped due to damage a loss of 77 B 17s 103 Additionally 122 bombers were damaged and needed repairs before their next flights Of 2 900 men in the crews about 650 did not return although some survived as prisoners of war Only 33 bombers landed without damage These losses were a result of concentrated attacks by over 300 German fighters 104 B 17G of the 384th Bomb Group on the bomb run Such high losses of aircrews could not be sustained and the USAAF recognizing the vulnerability of heavy bombers to interceptors when operating alone suspended daylight bomber raids deep into Germany until the development of an escort fighter that could protect the bombers all the way from the United Kingdom to Germany and back At the same time the German nightfighting ability noticeably improved to counter the nighttime strikes challenging the conventional faith in the cover of darkness 105 The 8th Air Force alone lost 176 bombers in October 1943 106 and was to suffer similar casualties on 11 January 1944 on missions to Oschersleben Halberstadt and Brunswick Lieutenant General James Doolittle commander of the 8th had ordered the second Schweinfurt mission to be cancelled as the weather deteriorated but the lead units had already entered hostile air space and continued with the mission Most of the escorts turned back or missed the rendezvous and as a result 60 B 17s were destroyed 107 108 A third raid on Schweinfurt on 24 February 1944 highlighted what came to be known as Big Week 109 during which the bombing missions were directed against German aircraft production 105 German fighters needed to respond and the North American P 51 Mustang and Republic P 47 Thunderbolt fighters equipped with improved drop tanks to extend their range accompanying the American heavies all the way to and from the targets engaged them 110 The escort fighters reduced the loss rate to below 7 with a total of 247 B 17s lost in 3 500 sorties while taking part in the Big Week raids 111 By September 1944 27 of the 42 bomb groups of the 8th Air Force and six of the 21 groups of the 15th Air Force used B 17s Losses to flak continued to take a high toll of heavy bombers through 1944 but the war in Europe was being won by the Allies And by 27 April 1945 2 days after the last heavy bombing mission in Europe the rate of aircraft loss was so low that replacement aircraft were no longer arriving and the number of bombers per bomb group was reduced The Combined Bomber Offensive was effectively complete 112 Pacific Theater Edit B 17C AAF S N 40 2074 at Hickam Field An onboard fire burnt the aircraft in two shortly after landing on 7 December 1941 One crewman was killed by a Zero attack 113 On 7 December 1941 a group of 12 B 17s of the 38th four B 17C and 88th eight B 17E Reconnaissance Squadrons en route to reinforce the Philippines was flown into Pearl Harbor from Hamilton Field California arriving while the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was going on Leonard Smitty Smith Humiston co pilot on First Lieutenant Robert H Richards B 17C AAF S N 40 2049 reported that he thought the U S Navy was giving the flight a 21 gun salute to celebrate the arrival of the bombers after which he realized that Pearl Harbor was under attack The Fortress came under fire from Japanese fighter aircraft though the crew was unharmed with the exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand Japanese activity forced them to divert from Hickam Field to Bellows Field On landing the aircraft overran the runway and ran into a ditch where it was then strafed Although initially deemed repairable 40 2049 11th BG 38th RS received more than 200 bullet holes and never flew again Ten of the 12 Fortresses survived the attack 114 B 17E BO AAF S N 41 9211 Typhoon McGoon II of the 11th BG 98th BS taken in January 1943 in New Caledonia The antennae mounted upon the nose were used for radar tracking surface vessels By 1941 the Far East Air Force FEAF based at Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B 17s with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165 115 When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor General Lewis H Brereton sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent them from being caught on the ground Brereton planned B 17 raids on Japanese airfields in Formosa in accordance with Rainbow 5 war plan directives but this was overruled by General Douglas MacArthur 116 A series of disputed discussions and decisions followed by several confusing and false reports of air attacks delayed the authorization of the sortie By the time the B 17s and escorting Curtiss P 40 Warhawk fighters were about to get airborne they were destroyed by Japanese bombers of the 11th Air Fleet The FEAF lost half its aircraft during the first strike 117 and was all but destroyed over the next few days citation needed Another early World War II Pacific engagement on 10 December 1941 involved Colin Kelly who reportedly crashed his B 17 into the Japanese battleship Haruna which was later acknowledged as a near bomb miss on the heavy cruiser Ashigara Nonetheless this deed made him a celebrated war hero Kelly s B 17C AAF S N 40 2045 19th BG 30th BS crashed about 6 mi 10 km from Clark Field after he held the burning Fortress steady long enough for the surviving crew to bail out Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross 118 Noted Japanese ace Saburō Sakai is credited with this kill and in the process came to respect the ability of the Fortress to absorb punishment 119 B 17s were used in early battles of the Pacific with little success notably the Battle of Coral Sea 120 and Battle of Midway 121 While there the Fifth Air Force B 17s were tasked with disrupting the Japanese sea lanes Air Corps doctrine dictated bombing runs from high altitude but they soon found only 1 of their bombs hit targets However B 17s were operating at heights too great for most A6M Zero fighters to reach The B 17 s greatest success in the Pacific was in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in which aircraft of this type were responsible for damaging and sinking several Japanese transport ships On 2 March 1943 six B 17s of the 64th Squadron flying at 10 000 ft 3 000 m attacked a major Japanese troop convoy off New Guinea using skip bombing to sink Kyokusei Maru which carried 1 200 army troops and damage two other transports Teiyo Maru and Nojima On 3 March 1943 13 B 17s flying at 7 000 ft 2 000 m bombed the convoy forcing the convoy to disperse and reducing the concentration of their anti aircraft defenses The B 17s attracted a number of Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters which were in turn attacked by the P 38 Lightning escorts One B 17 broke up in the air and its crew was forced to take to their parachutes Japanese fighter pilots machine gunned some of the B 17 crew members as they descended and attacked others in the water after they landed 122 Five of the Japanese fighters strafing the B 17 aircrew were promptly engaged and shot down by three Lightnings though these were also then lost 123 The allied fighter pilots claimed 15 Zeros destroyed while the B 17 crews claimed five more 122 124 Actual Japanese fighter losses for the day were seven destroyed and three damaged 125 126 The remaining seven transports and three of the eight destroyers were then sunk by a combination of low level strafing runs by Royal Australian Air Force Beaufighters and skip bombing by USAAF North American B 25 Mitchells at 100 ft 30 m while B 17s claimed five hits from higher altitudes 127 On the morning of 4 March 1943 a B 17 sank the destroyer Asashio with a 500 lb 230 kg bomb while she was picking up survivors from Arashio 128 At their peak 168 B 17 bombers were in the Pacific theater in September 1942 but already in mid 1942 Gen Arnold had decided that the B 17 was unsuitable for the kind of operations required in the Pacific and made plans to replace all of the B 17s in the theater with B 24s and later B 29s as soon as they became available Although the conversion was not complete until mid 1943 B 17 combat operations in the Pacific theater came to an end after a little over a year 129 Surviving aircraft were reassigned to the 54th Troop Carrier Wing s special airdrop section and were used to drop supplies to ground forces operating in close contact with the enemy Special airdrop B 17s supported Australian commandos operating near the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul which had been the primary B 17 target in 1942 and early 1943 130 B 17s were still used in the Pacific later in the war however mainly in the combat search and rescue role A number of B 17Gs redesignated B 17Hs and later SB 17Gs were used in the Pacific during the final year of the war to carry and drop lifeboats to stranded bomber crews who had been shot down or crashed at sea 131 These aircraft were nicknamed Dumbos and remained in service for many years after the end of World War II 132 Bomber defense Edit Part of a USAAF stream of over 1 000 B 17s Before the advent of long range fighter escorts B 17s had only their 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns to rely on for defense during the bombing runs over Europe As the war intensified Boeing used feedback from aircrews to improve each new variant with increased armament and armor 133 Defensive armament increased from four 0 50 in 12 7 mm machine guns and one 0 30 in 7 62 mm nose machine gun in the B 17C to thirteen 0 50 in 12 7 mm machine guns in the B 17G But because the bombers could not maneuver when attacked by fighters and needed to be flown straight and level during their final bomb run individual aircraft struggled to fend off a direct attack German training model on how to attack a flying porcupine fliegendes Stachelschwein Combat boxes of 12 B 17 during bombing missions A 1943 survey by the USAAF found that over half the bombers shot down by the Germans had left the protection of the main formation 134 To address this problem the United States developed the bomb group formation which evolved into the staggered combat box formation in which all the B 17s could safely cover any others in their formation with their machine guns This made a formation of bombers a dangerous target to engage by enemy fighters 135 In order to more quickly form these formations assembly ships planes with distinctive paint schemes were utilized to guide bombers into formation saving assembly time 136 137 Luftwaffe fighter pilots likened attacking a B 17 combat box formation to encountering a fliegendes Stachelschwein flying porcupine with dozens of machine guns in a combat box aimed at them from almost every direction However the use of this rigid formation meant that individual aircraft could not engage in evasive maneuvers they had to fly constantly in a straight line which made them vulnerable to German flak Moreover German fighter aircraft later developed the tactic of high speed strafing passes rather than engaging with individual aircraft to inflict damage with minimum risk citation needed As a result the B 17s loss rate was up to 25 on some early missions It was not until the advent of long range fighter escorts particularly the North American P 51 Mustang and the resulting degradation of the Luftwaffe as an effective interceptor force between February and June 1944 that the B 17 became strategically potent citation needed Formation flying through dense flak over Merseburg Germany The B 17 was noted for its ability to absorb battle damage still reach its target and bring its crew home safely 138 139 140 Wally Hoffman a B 17 pilot with the Eighth Air Force during World War II said The plane can be cut and slashed almost to pieces by enemy fire and bring its crew home 141 Martin Caidin reported one instance in which a B 17 suffered a midair collision with a Focke Wulf Fw 190 losing an engine and suffering serious damage to both the starboard horizontal stabilizer and the vertical stabilizer and being knocked out of formation by the impact The B 17 was reported as shot down by observers but it survived and brought its crew home without injury 142 Its toughness was compensation for its shorter range and lighter bomb load compared to the B 24 and British Avro Lancaster heavy bombers clarification needed Stories circulated of B 17s returning to base with tails shredded engines destroyed and large portions of their wings destroyed by flak 143 This durability together with the large operational numbers in the Eighth Air Force and the fame achieved by the Memphis Belle made the B 17 a key bomber aircraft of the war Other factors such as combat effectiveness and political issues also contributed to the B 17 s success 144 Luftwaffe attacks Edit B 17G 43 38172 of the 8th AF 398th BG 601st BS which was damaged on a bombing mission over Cologne Germany on 15 October 1944 the bombardier was killed 145 After examining wrecked B 17s and B 24s Luftwaffe officers discovered that on average it took about 20 hits with 20 mm shells fired from the rear to bring them down 103 Pilots of average ability hit the bombers with only about two percent of the rounds they fired so to obtain 20 hits the average pilot had to fire one thousand 20 mm 0 79 in rounds at a bomber 103 Early versions of the Fw 190 one of the best German interceptor fighters were equipped with two 20 mm 0 79 in MG FF cannons which carried only 500 rounds when belt fed normally using 60 round drum magazines in earlier installations and later with the better Mauser MG 151 20 cannons which had a longer effective range than the MG FF weapon Later versions carried four or even six MG 151 20 cannon and twin 13 mm machine guns The German fighters found that when attacking from the front where fewer defensive guns were mounted and where the pilot was exposed and not protected by armor as he was from the rear it took only four or five hits to bring a bomber down 103 To rectify the Fw 190 s shortcomings the number of cannons fitted was doubled to four with a corresponding increase in the amount of ammunition carried creating the Sturmbock bomber destroyer version This type replaced the vulnerable twin engine Zerstorer heavy fighters which could not survive interception by P 51 Mustangs flying well ahead of the combat boxes in an air supremacy role starting very early in 1944 to clear any Luftwaffe defensive fighters from the skies By 1944 a further upgrade to Rheinmetall Borsig s 30 mm 1 2 in MK 108 cannons mounted either in the wing or in underwing conformal mount gun pods was made for the Sturmbock Focke Wulfs as either the R2 or R8 field modification kits enabling aircraft to bring a bomber down with just a few hits 103 B 17G 15 BO Wee Willie 322d BS 91st BG after direct flak hit on her 128th mission 146 The adoption of the 21 cm Nebelwerfer derived Werfer Granate 21 Wfr Gr 21 rocket mortar by the Luftwaffe in mid August 1943 promised the introduction of a major stand off style of offensive weapon one strut mounted tubular launcher was fixed under each wing panel on the Luftwaffe s single engine fighters and two under each wing panel of a few twin engine Bf 110 daylight Zerstorer aircraft 103 However due to the slow 715 mph velocity and characteristic ballistic drop of the fired rocket despite the usual mounting of the launcher at about 15 upward orientation and the small number of fighters fitted with the weapons the Wfr Gr 21 never had a major effect on the combat box formations of Fortresses 103 The Luftwaffe also fitted heavy caliber Bordkanone series 37 50 and even 75 mm 2 95 in cannon as anti bomber weapons on twin engine aircraft such as the special Ju 88P fighters as well as one model of the Me 410 Hornisse but these measures did not have much effect on the American strategic bomber offensive The Me 262 however had moderate success against the B 17 late in the war With its usual nose mounted armament of four MK 108 cannons and with some examples later equipped with the R4M rocket launched from underwing racks it could fire from outside the range of the bombers 50 in 12 7 mm defensive guns and bring an aircraft down with one hit 147 as both the MK 108 s shells and the R4M s warheads were filled with the shattering force of the strongly brisant Hexogen military explosive Luftwaffe captured B 17s Edit Captured B 17F 27 BO in Luftwaffe markings the USAAF named Wulfe Hound 41 24585 of the 360th BS 303rd BG was downed on 12 December 1942 near Leeuwarden Netherlands while on a raid on Rouen France The first Flying Fortress to fall intact into German hands it was operated by Kampfgeschwader 200 from March 1944 148 During World War II approximately 40 B 17s were captured and refurbished by Germany after crash landing or being forced down with about a dozen put back into the air Given German Balkenkreuz national markings on their wings and fuselage sides and swastika tail fin flashes the captured B 17s were used to determine the B 17 s vulnerabilities and to train German interceptor pilots in attack tactics 149 Others with the cover designations Dornier Do 200 and Do 288 were used as long range transports by the Kampfgeschwader 200 special duties unit carrying out agent drops and supplying secret airstrips in the Middle East and North Africa They were chosen specifically for these missions as being more suitable for this role than other available German aircraft they never attempted to deceive the Allies and always wore full Luftwaffe markings 150 151 One B 17 of KG200 bearing the Luftwaffe s KG 200 Geschwaderkennung combat wing code markings A3 FB was interned by Spain when it landed at Valencia airfield 27 June 1944 remaining there for the rest of the war 92 It has been alleged that some B 17s kept their Allied markings and were used by the Luftwaffe in attempts to infiltrate B 17 bombing formations and report on their positions and altitudes 152 According to these allegations the practice was initially successful but Army Air Force combat aircrews quickly developed and established standard procedures to first warn off and then fire upon any stranger trying to join a group s formation 92 Soviet interned B 17s Edit The U S did not offer B 17s to the Soviet Union as part of its war materiel assistance program but at least 73 aircraft were acquired by the Soviet Air Force These aircraft had landed with mechanical trouble during the shuttle bombing raids over Germany or had been damaged by a Luftwaffe raid in Poltava The Soviets restored 23 to flying condition and concentrated them in the 890th bomber regiment of the 45th Bomber Aviation Division 153 but they never saw combat In 1946 or 1947 according to Holm the regiment was assigned to the Kazan factory moving from Baranovichi to aid in the Soviet effort to reproduce the more advanced Boeing B 29 as the Tupolev Tu 4 154 Swiss interned B 17s Edit During the Allied bomber offensive U S and British bombers sometimes flew into Swiss airspace either because they were damaged or on rare occasions accidentally bombing Swiss cities Swiss aircraft attempted to intercept and force individual aircraft to land interning their crews one Swiss pilot was killed shot down by a U S bomber crew in September 1944 From then on red and white neutrality bands were added to the wings of Swiss aircraft to stop accidental attacks by Allied aircraft 155 Official Swiss records identify 6 501 airspace violations during the course of the war with 198 foreign aircraft landing on Swiss territory and 56 aircraft crashing there In October 1943 the Swiss interned Boeing B 17F 25 VE tail number 25841 and its U S flight crew after the Flying Fortress developed engine trouble after a raid over Germany and was forced to land The aircraft was turned over to the Swiss Air Force who then flew the bomber until the end of the war using other interned but non airworthy B 17s for spare parts The bomber s topside surfaces were repainted a dark olive drab but retained its light gray under wing and lower fuselage surfaces It carried Swiss national white cross insignia in red squares on both sides of its rudder fuselage sides and on the topside and underside wings The B 17F also carried light gray flash letters RD and I on either side of the fuselage s Swiss national insignia 75 Japanese captured B 17s Edit This captured USAAF Boeing B 17D in Japanese livery was flown to Japan for technical evaluation Three damaged B 17s one D and two E series were rebuilt during 1942 to flying status by Japanese technicians and mechanics using parts salvaged from abandoned B 17 wrecks in the Philippines and the Java East Indies 156 The three bombers which still contained their top secret Norden bombsights were ferried to Japan where they underwent extensive technical evaluation by the Giken the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force s Air Technical Research Institute Koku Gijutsu Kenkyujo at Tachikawa s air field The D model later deemed an obsolescent design was used in Japanese training and propaganda films The two E s were used to develop B 17 air combat counter tactics and also used as enemy aircraft in pilot and crew training films One of the two E Flying Fortresses was photographed late in the war by U S aerial recon It was code named Tachikawa 105 after the mystery aircraft s wingspan was measured 104 ft but never identified Photo recon analysts never made the connection to it being a captured B 17 until after the war No traces of the 3 captured Flying Fortresses were ever found in Japan by Allied occupation forces The bombers were assumed either lost by various means or scrapped late in the war for their vital war materials 157 Postwar history Edit U S Air Force Edit See also 3205th Drone Group BQ 17 Flying Fortress drones over New Mexico April 1946 Following the end of World War II the B 17 was quickly phased out of use as a bomber and the Army Air Forces retired most of its fleet Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic to the United States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down although significant numbers remained in use in second line roles such as VIP transports air sea rescue and photo reconnaissance 158 159 Strategic Air Command SAC established in 1946 used reconnaissance B 17s at first called F 9 F for Fotorecon later RB 17 until 1949 160 161 SB 17G of the USAF 5th Rescue Squadron c 1950 The USAF Air Rescue Service of the Military Air Transport Service MATS operated B 17s as so called Dumbo air sea rescue aircraft Work on using B 17s to carry airborne lifeboats had begun in 1943 but they entered service in the European theater only in February 1945 They were also used to provide search and rescue support for B 29 raids against Japan About 130 B 17s were converted to the air sea rescue role at first designated B 17H and later SB 17G Some SB 17s had their defensive guns removed while others retained their guns to allow use close to combat areas The SB 17 served through the Korean War remaining in service with USAF until the mid 1950s 71 162 163 In 1946 surplus B 17s were chosen as drone aircraft for atmospheric sampling during the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests being able to fly close to or even through the mushroom clouds without endangering a crew This led to more widespread conversion of B 17s as drones and drone control aircraft both for further use in atomic testing and as targets for testing surface to air and air to air missiles 164 One hundred and seven B 17s were converted to drones 165 The last operational mission flown by a USAF Fortress was conducted on 6 August 1959 when a DB 17P serial 44 83684 directed a QB 17G out of Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico as a target for an AIM 4 Falcon air to air missile fired from a McDonnell F 101 Voodoo A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB after which 44 83684 was retired citation needed It was subsequently used in various films and in the 1960s television show 12 O Clock High before being retired to the Planes of Fame aviation museum in Chino California 166 Perhaps the most famous B 17 the Memphis Belle has been restored with the B 17D The Swoose under way to her World War II wartime appearance by the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Ohio 167 U S Navy and Coast Guard Edit Under project Cadillac II an AN APS 20 radar was fitted onto the B 17G making the PB 1W one of the first Airborne early warning aircraft During the last year of World War II and shortly thereafter the United States Navy USN acquired 48 ex USAAF B 17s for patrol and air sea rescue work The first two ex USAAF B 17s a B 17F later modified to B 17G standard and a B 17G were obtained by the Navy for various development programs 160 At first these aircraft operated under their original USAAF designations but on 31 July 1945 they were assigned the naval aircraft designation PB 1 a designation which had originally been used in 1925 for the Boeing Model 50 experimental flying boat 168 Thirty two B 17Gs 169 were used by the Navy under the designation PB 1W the suffix W indicating an airborne early warning role A large radome for an S band AN APS 20 search radar was fitted underneath the fuselage and additional internal fuel tanks were added for longer range with the provision for additional underwing fuel tanks Originally the B 17 was also chosen because of its heavy defensive armament but this was later removed These aircraft were painted dark blue the standard Navy paint scheme which had been adopted in late 1944 160 168 PB 1Ws continued in USN service until 1955 gradually being phased out in favor of the Lockheed WV 2 known in the USAF as the EC 121 a designation adopted by the USN in 1962 a military version of the Lockheed 1049 Constellation commercial airliner citation needed The U S Coast Guard PB 1G carried a droppable lifeboat In July 1945 16 B 17s were transferred to the Coast Guard via the Navy these aircraft were initially assigned U S Navy Bureau Numbers BuNo but were delivered to the Coast Guard designated as PB 1Gs beginning in July 1946 160 163 Coast Guard PB 1Gs were stationed at a number of bases in the U S and Newfoundland with five at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City North Carolina two at CGAS San Francisco two at NAS Argentia Newfoundland one at CGAS Kodiak Alaska and one in Washington state 163 They were used primarily in the Dumbo air sea rescue role but were also used for iceberg patrol duties and for photo mapping The Coast Guard PB 1Gs served throughout the 1950s the last example not being withdrawn from service until 14 October 1959 160 170 Special operations Edit B 17s were used by the CIA front companies Civil Air Transport Air America and Intermountain Aviation for special missions These included B 17G 44 85531 registered as N809Z These aircraft were primarily used for agent drop missions over the People s Republic of China flying from Taiwan with Taiwanese crews Four B 17s were shot down in these operations 171 In 1957 the surviving B 17s had been stripped of all weapons and painted black One of these Taiwan based B 17s was flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in mid September assigned for covert missions into Tibet On 28 May 1962 N809Z piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price flew Major James Smith USAF and Lieutenant Leonard A LeSchack USNR to the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8 as Operation Coldfeet Smith and LeSchack parachuted from the B 17 and searched the station for several days On 1 June Seigrist and Price returned and picked up Smith and LeSchack using a Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B 17 172 N809Z was used to perform a Skyhook pick up in the James Bond movie Thunderball in 1965 This aircraft now restored to its original B 17G configuration was on display in the Evergreen Aviation amp Space Museum in McMinnville Oregon until it was sold to the Collings Foundation in 2015 173 Operators Edit Military operators of the B 17 Civil operators of the B 17 For a more comprehensive list see List of B 17 Flying Fortress operators The B 17 a versatile aircraft served in dozens of USAAF units in theaters of combat throughout World War II and in other roles for the RAF Its main use was in Europe where its shorter range and smaller bombload relative to other aircraft did not hamper it as much as in the Pacific Theater Peak USAAF inventory in August 1944 was 4 574 worldwide 76 Argentina Australia Austria 174 Bolivia Brazil Canada Colombia Denmark Dominican Republic France Germany as Beuteflugzeug captured aircraft Iran Israel Japan Mexico Nicaragua Peru Portugal South Africa Republic of China Soviet Union Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United StatesSurviving aircraft EditForty five planes survive in complete form 38 in the United States Four are airworthy For a more comprehensive list see List of surviving Boeing B 17 Flying Fortresses Fortresses as a symbol Edit The B 17 s capacity to repel enemy attacks and still inflict heavy damage upon German military capability and production centers is rendered in this caricature The B 17 Flying Fortress became symbolic of the United States of America s air power In a 1943 Consolidated Aircraft poll of 2 500 men in cities where Consolidated advertisements had been run in newspapers 73 had heard of the B 24 and 90 knew of the B 17 140 After the first Y1B 17s were delivered to the Army Air Corps 2nd Bombardment Group they were used on flights to promote their long range and navigational capabilities In January 1938 group commander Colonel Robert Olds flew a Y1B 17 from the U S east coast to the west coast setting a transcontinental record of 13 hours 27 minutes He also broke the west to east coast record on the return trip averaging 245 mph 394 km h in 11 hours 1 minute 175 Six bombers of the 2nd Bombardment Group took off from Langley Field on 15 February 1938 as part of a goodwill flight to Buenos Aires Argentina Covering 12 000 miles 19 000 km they returned on 27 February with seven aircraft setting off on a flight to Rio de Janeiro Brazil three days later 176 In a well publicized mission on 12 May of the same year three Y1B 17s intercepted and took photographs of the Italian ocean liner SS Rex 610 miles 980 km off the Atlantic coast 177 note 5 Many pilots who flew both the B 17 and the B 24 preferred the B 17 for its greater stability and ease in formation flying The electrical systems were less vulnerable to damage than the B 24 s hydraulics and the B 17 was easier to fly than a B 24 when missing an engine 178 During the war the largest offensive bombing force the Eighth Air Force had an open preference for the B 17 Lieutenant General Jimmy Doolittle wrote about his preference for equipping the Eighth with B 17s citing the logistical advantage in keeping field forces down to a minimum number of aircraft types with their individual servicing and spares For this reason he wanted B 17 bombers and P 51 fighters for the Eighth His views were supported by Eighth Air Force statisticians whose mission studies showed that the Flying Fortress s utility and survivability was much greater than those of the B 24 Liberator 140 Making it back to base on numerous occasions despite extensive battle damage the B 17 s durability became legendary 138 139 stories and photos of B 17s surviving battle damage were widely circulated during the war 140 Despite an inferior performance and smaller bombload than the more numerous B 24 Liberators 179 a survey of Eighth Air Force crews showed a much higher rate of satisfaction with the B 17 180 Notable B 17s Edit The severely damaged All American continues to fly after collision with an attacking Bf 109 fighter eventually landing without crew injuries All American This B 17F survived having her tail almost cut off in a mid air collision with a Bf 109 over Tunisia but returned safely to base in Algeria 181 Chief Seattle sponsored by the city of Seattle she disappeared MIA on 14 August 1942 182 flying a recon mission for the 19th BG 435th BS 183 and the crew declared dead on 7 December 1945 Hell s Kitchen B 17F 41 24392 was one of only three early B 17F s in 414th BS to complete more than 100 combat missions 184 Mary Ann a B 17D that was part of an unarmed flight which left Hamilton Air Field Novato California on 6 December 1941 en route to Hickam Field in Hawaii arriving during the attack on Pearl Harbor The plane and her crew were immediately forced into action on Wake Island and in the Philippines during the outbreak of World War II She became famous when her exploits were featured in Air Force one of the first of the patriotic war films released in 1943 185 Memphis Belle one of the first B 17s to complete a tour of duty of 25 missions in the 8th Air Force and the subject of a feature film now completely restored and on display since 17 May 2018 186 at the National Museum of the U S Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio Miss Every Morning Fix n B 17C Previously named Pamela Stationed in Mackay Queensland Australia during World War II On 14 June 1943 crashed shortly after takeoff from Mackay while ferrying U S forces personnel back to Port Moresby with 40 of the 41 people on board killed It remains the worst air disaster in Australian history The sole survivor Foye Roberts married an Australian and returned to the States He died in Wichita Falls Texas on 4 February 2004 187 Murder Inc A B 17 bombardier wearing the name of the B 17 Murder Inc on his jacket was used for propaganda in German newspapers 188 Old 666 B 17E flown by the most highly decorated crew in the Pacific Theater 189 Royal Flush B 17F 42 6087 from the 100th Bomb Group and commanded on one mission by highly decorated USAAF officer Robert Rosenthal she was the lone surviving 100th BG B 17 of 10 October 1943 raid against Munster to return to the unit s base at RAF Thorpe Abbotts 190 Sir Baboon McGoon B 17F featured in the June 1944 issue of Popular Science magazine 191 and the 1945 issue of Flying magazine 192 Articles discuss mobile recovery crews following October 1943 belly landing at Tannington England The Swoose Initially nicknamed Ole Betsy while in service The Swoose is the only remaining intact B 17D built in 1940 the oldest surviving Flying Fortress and the only surviving B 17 to have seen action in the Philippines campaign 1941 1942 she is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum and is being restored for final display at the National Museum of the U S Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio 193 The Swoose was flown by Frank Kurtz father of actress Swoosie Kurtz who named his daughter after the bomber Ye Olde Pub A highly damaged B 17 that was not shot down by Franz Stigler as memorialized in the painting A Higher Call by John D Shaw 194 5 Grand 5 000th B 17 made emblazoned with Boeing employee signatures served with the 333rd Bomb Squadron 96th Bomb Group in Europe Damaged and repaired after gear up landing transferred to 388th Bomb Group Returned from duty following V E Day flown for war bonds tour then stored at Kingman Arizona Following an unsuccessful bid for museum preservation the aircraft was scrapped 195 Accidents and incidents EditFor a more comprehensive list see Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Noted B 17 pilots and crew members Edit Maynard H Smith receiving Medal of Honor from Secretary of War Henry L Stimson Forrest L Vosler receiving Medal of Honor from President Roosevelt L R Nancy Love pilot and Betty Huyler Gillies co pilot the first women to fly the Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber for the WASP 196 Medal of Honor recipients Edit Many B 17 crew members received military honors and 17 received the Medal of Honor the highest military decoration awarded by the United States 197 Brigadier General Frederick Castle flying as co pilot awarded posthumously for remaining at controls so others could escape damaged aircraft 198 2nd Lt Robert Femoyer navigator awarded posthumously 199 1st Lt Donald J Gott pilot awarded posthumously 200 2nd Lt David R Kingsley bombardier awarded posthumously for tending to injured crew and giving up his parachute to another 201 1st Lt William R Lawley Jr heroism and exceptional flying skill 202 Sgt Archibald Mathies engineer gunner awarded posthumously 203 1st Lt Jack W Mathis bombardier posthumously the first airman in the European theater to be awarded the Medal of Honor 204 2nd Lt William E Metzger Jr co pilot awarded posthumously 200 1st Lt Edward Michael 205 1st Lt John C Morgan 206 Capt Harl Pease awarded posthumously 207 2nd Lt Joseph Sarnoski awarded posthumously 208 S Sgt Maynard H Smith gunner 209 1st Lt Walter E Truemper awarded posthumously 203 T Sgt Forrest L Vosler radio operator 210 211 Brigadier General Kenneth Walker Commanding officer of V Bomber Command killed while leading small force in raid on Rabaul awarded posthumously 212 Maj Jay Zeamer Jr pilot earned on unescorted reconnaissance mission in Pacific same mission as Sarnoski 213 Other military achievements or events Edit Lincoln Broyhill 1925 2008 tail gunner on a B 17 in the 483rd Bombardment Group He received a Distinguished Unit Citation and set two individual records in a single day 1 most German jets destroyed by a single gunner in one mission two and 2 most German jets destroyed by a single gunner during the entirety of World War II 214 Allison C Brooks 1917 2006 a B 17 pilot who was awarded numerous military decorations and was ultimately promoted to the rank of major general and served in active duty until 1971 215 1st Lt Eugene Emond 1921 1998 Lead pilot for Man O War II Horsepower Limited Received the Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters American Theater Ribbon and Victory Ribbon Was part of D Day and witnessed one of the first German jets when a Me 262A 1a flew through his formation over Germany One of the youngest bomber pilots in the U S Army Air Forces Immanuel J Klette 1918 1988 Second generation German American whose 91 combat missions were the most flown by any Eighth Air Force pilot in World War II 216 Capt Colin Kelly 1915 1941 Pilot of the first U S B 17 lost in action 217 Col Frank Kurtz 1911 1996 The USAAF s most decorated pilot of World War II Commander of the 463rd Bombardment Group Heavy 15th Air Force Celone Field Foggia Italy Clark Field Philippines attack survivor Olympic bronze medalist in diving 1932 1944 1945 Father of actress Swoosie Kurtz herself named for the still surviving B 17D mentioned above Gen Curtis LeMay 1906 1990 Became head of the Strategic Air Command and Chief of Staff of the USAF Lt Col Nancy Love 1914 1976 and Betty Huyler Gillies 1908 1998 The first women pilots to be certified to fly the B 17 in 1943 and to qualify for the Women s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron 196 SSgt Alan Magee 1919 2003 B 17 gunner who on 3 January 1943 survived a 22 000 foot 6 700 meter freefall after his aircraft was shot down by the Luftwaffe over St Nazaire Col Robert K Morgan 1918 2004 Pilot of Memphis Belle Lt Col Robert Rosenthal 1917 2007 Commanded the only surviving B 17 Royal Flush of a US 8th Air Force raid by the 100th Bomb Group on Munster on 10 October 1943 Completed 53 missions Earned sixteen medals for gallantry including one each from Britain and France and led the raid on Berlin 218 on 3 February 1945 that is likely to have ended the life of Roland Freisler the infamous hanging judge of the People s Court 1st Lt Bruce Sundlun 1920 2011 Pilot of Damn Yankee of the 384th Bomb Group was shot down over Belgium on 1 December 1943 and evaded capture until reaching Switzerland 5 May 1944 219 Specifications B 17G Edit 3 view projection of a B 17G with inset detail showing the Cheyenne tail and some major differences with other B 17 variants B 17G nose guns Data from The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft 38 General characteristicsCrew 10 Pilot co pilot navigator bombardier nose gunner flight engineer top turret gunner radio operator waist gunners 2 ball turret gunner tail gunner 220 Length 74 ft 4 in 22 66 m Wingspan 103 ft 9 in 31 62 m Height 19 ft 1 in 5 82 m Wing area 1 420 sq ft 131 92 m2 Airfoil NACA 0018 NACA 0010 Empty weight 36 135 lb 16 391 kg Gross weight 54 000 lb 24 500 kg Max takeoff weight 65 500 lb 29 700 kg Aspect ratio 7 57 Powerplant 4 Wright R 1820 97 Cyclone turbosupercharged radial engines 1 200 hp 895 kW each Propellers 3 bladed Hamilton Standard constant speed propellerPerformance Maximum speed 287 mph 462 km h 249 kn Cruise speed 182 mph 293 km h 158 kn Range 2 000 mi 3 219 km 1 738 nmi with 6 000 lb 2 700 kg bombload Ferry range 3 750 mi 6 040 km 3 260 nmi Service ceiling 35 600 ft 10 850 m Rate of climb 900 ft min 4 6 m s Wing loading 38 0 lb sq ft 185 7 kg m2 Power mass 0 089 hp lb 150 W kg Armament Guns 13 50 in 12 7 mm M2 Browning machine guns in 9 positions 2 in the Bendix chin turret 2 on nose cheeks 2 staggered waist guns 2 in upper Sperry turret 2 in Sperry ball turret in belly 2 in the tail and one firing upwards from radio compartment behind bomb bay Bombs Short range missions Internal load only lt 400 mi 8 000 lb 3 600 kg Long range missions Internal load only 800 mi 4 500 lb 2 000 kg Max Internal and External load 17 600 lb 7 800 kg Notable appearances in media EditMain article Aircraft in fiction B 17 Flying Fortress B 17 in popular culture Edit Hollywood featured the B 17 in its period films such as director Howard Hawks Air Force starring John Garfield and Twelve O Clock High starring Gregory Peck 221 Both films were made with the full cooperation of the United States Army Air Forces and used USAAF aircraft and for Twelve O Clock High combat footage In 1964 the latter film was made into a television show of the same name and ran for three years on ABC TV Footage from Twelve O Clock High was also used along with three restored B 17s in the 1962 film The War Lover An early model YB 17 also appeared in the 1938 film Test Pilot with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy and later with Clark Gable in Command Decision in 1948 in Tora Tora Tora in 1970 and in Memphis Belle with Matthew Modine Eric Stoltz Billy Zane and Harry Connick Jr in 1990 The most famous B 17 the Memphis Belle toured the U S with her crew to reinforce national morale and to sell war bonds She was featured in a USAAF documentary Memphis Belle A Story of a Flying Fortress 222 The Flying Fortress has also been featured in artistic works expressing the physical and psychological stress of the combat conditions and the high casualty rates that crews suffered 223 224 Works such as The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and Heavy Metal s section B 17 depict the nature of these missions The Ball turret itself has inspired works like Steven Spielberg s The Mission Artists who served on the bomber units also created paintings and drawings depicting the combat conditions in World War II 225 226 See also Edit Aviation portal World War II portal B 17 modified for testing of the XT 34 turboprop When testing concluded the aircraft was restored to stock configuration as the Liberty Belle but was lost in a post forced landing fire near Oswego Illinois on 13 June 2011 Air warfare of World War II Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress variants B 17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces Accidents and incidents involving the B 17 Flying FortressRelated development Boeing XB 15 Boeing XB 38 Flying Fortress Boeing YB 40 Flying Fortress Boeing C 108 Flying FortressRelated lists List of bomber aircraft List of aircraft of World War II List of military aircraft of the United StatesNotes Edit The Air Corps News Letter however notes in its edition of 1 January 1938 ACNL Vol XXI No 1 p 7 Archived 3 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine an attempt by the Langley Field correspondent to apply the appellation Jeep to the B 17 which it objected to as not befitting the aircraft and adding Why not let the term Flying Fortress suffice The idea of a pilot s checklist spread to other crew members other air corps aircraft types and eventually throughout the aviation world Life published the lengthy B 17 checklist in its 24 August 1942 issue 32 Quote At the peak of production Boeing was rolling out as many as 363 B 17s a month averaging between 14 and 16 Forts a day the most incredible production rate for large aircraft in aviation history This production rate was however surpassed by that of the Consolidated B 24 Liberator During the crash investigation of Boeing 307 Stratoliner NX19901 it was found that two B 17s had already spun from lack of directional stability British combat experience with the B 17 was also showing the need for a tail gunner Boeing was not willing to add a turret because they did not want to disrupt the clean aerodynamics The inadequate directional stability exposed by two spin incidents and a crash brought about a redesigned vertical stabilizer and dorsal fin A compromise for the tail turret resulted in handheld tail guns The combination created a successful design Not only were defensive needs solved but the improved lateral stability made precision high altitude bombing possible 58 59 This is a commonly misreported error The Rex was 725 miles offshore on her last position report as the Y1B 17s were taxiing for takeoff from Mitchel Field four hours before interception References Edit a b c The Boeing Logbook 1933 1938 Archived 8 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine Boeing Retrieved 3 March 2009 Yenne 2006 p 8 Angelucci and Matricardi 1988 p 46 Parker 2013 pp 35 40 48 Herman 2012 pp 292 299 305 333 Parker 2013 p 41 a b c d Carey 1998 p 4 Yenne 2005 p 46 Tate 1998 p 164 a b Swanborough and Bowers 1963 p 74 Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 p 41 Bowers 1989 pp 291 92 Salecker 2001 p 46 Freeman 1993 p 8 Army s Biggest Bomber Has Rotating Nose Popular Science Monthly August 1937 Giant Bomber Flies Four Miles Per Minute Popular Mechanics October 1935 Army Bomber Flies 2 300 Miles In 9 Hours or 252 Miles an Hour New All Metal Monoplane Sets a World Record on Non Stop Flight From Seattle to Dayton Ohio The New York Times 21 August 1935 Zamzow 2008 p 33 a b Tate 1998 p 165 a b c d Zamzow 2008 p 34 Model 299 Crash 15 November 1935 Archived 16 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 January 2007 Doyle David 2020 B 17 Flying Fortress Vol 1 Boeing s Model 299 through B 17D in World War II Atglen Schiffer Publishing Ltd pp 6 7 ISBN 9780764359552 Schamel John How the Pilot s Checklist Came About Archived 14 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight Service History Retrieved 22 May 2010 Salecker 2001 p 48 Francillon 1979 pp 201 02 Bowers 1976 p 37 Erickson Mark St John Langley B 17s paved way for independent Air Force Archived 16 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine Daily Press 1 March 2017 Retrieved 15 January 2018 a b c Meilinger Phillip S When the Fortress Went Down Air Force Magazine Air Force Association Volume 87 Issue 10 October 2004 Retrieved 22 May 2010 Bowers 1976 p 12 Swanborough and Bowers 1963 p 75 Schamel John How the Pilot s Checklist Came About Archived 14 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight Service History Retrieved 22 May 2010 B 17 checklist Life 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on 9 August 2014 Retrieved 24 June 2014 factories were trying to fine sic a more effective solution to the B 17 s lack of forward firepower This solution was the Bendex Chin Turret This turret had originally been used on the XB 40 gunship project While this experiment proved unsuccessful the chin turret was found to be a major improvement to the B 17 s forward firepower This turret was fitted to the last eighty six B 17Fs to come off the Douglas assembly line starting with block B 17F 75 DL Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 pp 63 64 Francillon 1982 p 211 Bowers 1989 pp 286 87 a b Bowers 1989 pp 303 04 a b Ramsey Winston G The V Weapons London After the Battle Number 6 1974 pp 20 21 Edmonds Walter They Fought With They Had 1951 pp 1 314 page needed Kenney George C General Kenney Reports New York Duell Sloan and Pierce 1949 a b Cravens Wesley Army Air Forces in WW II Washington D C Office of Air Force History 1956 a b Baugher Joe B 17 Squadron Assignments Encyclopedia of American 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2007 Retrieved 18 June 2010 B 17 Pilot Training Manual Formation Headquarters AAF Office of Flying Safety Retrieved 16 January 2007 Why Use Colourful Camouflage in World War 2 Assembly Ships Youtube Military Aviation History Archived from the original on 23 November 2021 Polka Dot Warriors gt Vintage Wings of Canada www vintagewings ca Vintage Wings Archived from the original on 1 December 2019 Retrieved 7 February 2019 a b Excerpts from B 17 Pilot Training Manual The Story of the B 17 Headquarters AAF Office of Flying Safety Retrieved 16 January 2007 a b Browne Robert W The Rugged Fortress Life Saving B 17 Remembered Flight Journal WW II Bombers Winter 2001 a b c d Johnsen Frederick A The Making of an Iconic Bomber Air Force Magazine Volume 89 Issue 10 2006 Retrieved 15 January 2007 Hoffman Wally We Get Our Feet Wet Magweb com 2006 Retrieved 18 July 2006 Caidin 1960 p 86 Wright James G Durable B 17s hard for pilots to forget Love for plane outweighs bitter memories of war requires subscription Colorado Springs Gazette 8 June 1994 dead link Benitez Nannette World War II War Production Why Were the B 17 and B 24 Produced in Parallel Archived 5 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine Defense Technical Information Center 1997 Retrieved 1 July 2011 43 38172 398th org Retrieved 24 January 2012 Bowers 1976 p 177 Schollars Todd J German wonder weapons degraded production and effectiveness Archived 19 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Journal of Logistics Fall 2003 Retrieved 16 January 2007 Thomas Geoffrey J and Ketley Barry KG 200 The Luftwaffe s Most Secret Unit Hikoku Publications Ltd Crowborough East Sussex UK 2003 ISBN 1 902109 33 3 pp 57 58 66 Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 p 89 Donald 1995 p 23 Wixley 1998 p 30 Richardson Wilbur 26 May 2012 Aluminum Castles WWII from a gunner s view Cantemos pp 29 30 We also reported seeing a B17 flying at a safe distance from the formation This mystery fortress shadowed the formation inbound from the Rhine river and we were informed others had seen it back across Belgium on the way out A fortress manned by the enemy created an unsettling feeling in all of us Holm Michael 890th Bryanskiy Bomber Aviation Regiment Gordon 2008 p 479 Swiss Morane WW2 in color Retrieved 5 May 2013 The Surprising Story of Japan s B 17 Fleet 26 January 2018 Bowers 1989 p 314 Swanborough and Bowers 1963 p 80 Bowers 1989 p 290 a b c d e Bowers 1989 pp 310 11 Knaack 1988 p 465 Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 p 86 a b c Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 pp 89 90 Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 p 91 Sperry s RPV Background Flight International 17 April 1976 p 1006 Warbird Registry Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress warbirdregistry org Boeing B 17F Memphis Belle Archived 8 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force Retrieved 13 September 2010 a b Swanborough and Bowers 1976 pp 66 67 Roberts 2000 p 661 US Coast Guard Aviation History Boeing PB 1G Flying Fortress United States Coast Guard Retrieved 18 June 2010 Pocock Chris The Black Bats CIA Spy Flights Over China From Taiwan 1951 1969 Atglen Pennsylvania Schiffer Military History 2010 ISBN 978 0 7643 3513 6 The Boeing B 17s Archived 28 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine utdallas edu Retrieved 25 July 2011 B 17 Flying Fortress to join CF the Collings Foundation OY Reg OY DFA Retrieved 27 December 2020 Zamzow 2008 pp 42 43 Hess and Winchester Wings of Fame 1997 pp 46 47 Correll John T Rendezvous With the Rex Air Force Magazine Volume 91 Issue 12 December 2008 p 56 Levine Alan J 1992 The Strategic Bombing of Germany 1940 1945 Westport Connecticut Praeger pp 14 15 ISBN 0 275 94319 4 Birdsall 1968 p 3 B 17 Best Airplane B 17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies Retrieved 9 January 2007 WWII s B 17 All American Separating Fact and Fiction Warbirds News 27 June 2013 Archived from the original on 5 April 2016 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Nose art photos clearly shows Chief Seattle but often incorrectly reported as Chief of Seattle B 17E SN 41 2656 at PacificWrecks com or MACR report at Fold3 org 414th Squadron Planes and Crews circa 1943 reddog1944 com Retrieved 20 December 2012 Trivia IMDb 28 May 2013 Retrieved 28 May 2013 Preuss Andreas 17 May 2018 Memphis Belle bomber newly restored and unveiled at US Air Force museum CNN Retrieved 17 May 2018 Choate Trish Going from lucky in love to lucky to be alive in 1943 timesrecordnews com Retrieved 28 October 2016 Williams Kenneth Daniel The Saga of Murder Inc World War II Prisoners of War Stalag Luft I Retrieved 31 August 2010 Hayes Clint 23 February 2014 Old 666 Lucy A History Zeamer s Eager Beavers Retrieved 26 July 2018 LT COL Robert ROSENTHAL 100th Bomber Group Retrieved 26 July 2018 Powell Hickman Another Triumph for Yankee Know How Popular Science Retrieved 26 July 2018 Kulick Harold W May 1945 Crash Landing Flying Vol 36 no 5 pp 39 42 Archived from the original on 11 May 2021 Retrieved 26 July 2018 Parke Sarah The Swoose comes home to roost at the National Museum of the U S Air Force National Museum of the U S Air Force Archived from the original on 12 October 2012 A Higher Call autographed by JG 27 Bf 109 ace Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown of the B 17 Ye Olde Pub www valorstudios com Archived from the original on 17 August 2019 Retrieved 17 August 2019 Air Classics magazine July 2004 pp 66 74 a b Biography of Nancy Harkness Love Archived 31 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the United States Air Force Retrieved 19 September 2012 Eylanbekov Zaur Airpower Classics B 17 Flying Fortress Air Force Magazine February 2006 Retrieved 30 December 2008 Frisbee John L Valor The Quiet Hero Air Force Magazine Volume 68 Issue 5 May 1998 Frisbee John L Valor I Am the Captain of My Soul Air Force Magazine Volume 68 Issue 5 May 1985 a b Frisbee John L Valor Valor at its Highest Air Force Magazine Volume 72 Issue 6 June 1989 Frisbee John L Valor A Rather Special Award Air Force Magazine Volume 73 Issue 8 August 1990 Frisbee John L Valor One Turning and One Burning Air Force Magazine Volume 82 Issue 6 June 1999 a b Frisbee John L Valor A Point of Honor Air Force Magazine Volume 68 Issue 8 August 1985 Frisbee John L Valor A Tale of Two Texans Air Force Magazine Volume 69 Issue 3 March 1986 Frisbee John L Valor Gauntlet of Fire Air Force Magazine Volume 68 Issue 8 August 1985 Frisbee John L Valor Crisis in the Cockpit Air Force Magazine Volume 67 Issue 1 January 1984 Frisbee John L Valor Rabaul on a Wing and a Prayer Air Force Magazine Volume 73 Issue 7 July 1990 MOH citation of Sarnoski Joseph R Archived 23 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Home of Heroes Retrieved 12 January 2007 Frisbee John L Valor First of the Few Air Force Magazine Volume 67 Issue 4 April 1984 Frisbee John L Valor The Right Touch Air Force Magazine Volume 81 Issue 9 September 1998 Half a Wing Three Engines and a Prayer Chapter 25 Jeffrey Bounce Jr Frisbee John L Valor Courage and Conviction Air Force Magazine Volume 73 Issue 10 October 1990 Frisbee John L Valor Battle Over Bougainville Air Force Magazine Volume 68 Issue 12 December 1985 Holley Joe 28 November 2008 WWII gunner Babe Broyhill dies Set record for downing Nazi jets The Washington Post Retrieved 7 May 2010 Major General Allison C Brooks United States Air Force Archived from the original on 10 February 2004 Retrieved 13 February 2008 Freeman 1993 pp 497 500 Frisbee John L Valor Colin Kelly He was a Hero in Legend and in Fact Air Force Magazine Volume 77 Issue 6 June 1994 100th Bomb Group Foundation Personnel LT COL Robert ROSENTHAL 100thbg com 100th Bomb Group Foundation Retrieved 5 December 2016 Dec 1 1944 Feb 3 1945 418th BS 100th BG H ETOUSAAF 8AF Squadron Commander 55 hours B 17 Air Leader 5 c m combat missions 45 c hrs combat hours 1 Division Lead Berlin Feb 3 1945 shot down picked up by Russians and returned to England Acting Command 4 Wing Leads Pilot Feb 3 1945 BERLIN MACR 12046 A C 44 8379 Miller G Wayne Bruce at 86 A different kind of man Archived 14 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine Providence Journal 2006 Retrieved 1 October 2011 B 17 Flying Fortress Crew Positions Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Arizona Wing CAF Museum Retrieved 16 January 2007 Twelve O Clock High 1949 Internet Movie Database IMDb Retrieved 16 January 2007 The Memphis Belle A Story of a Flying Fortress 1944 Internet Movie Database IMDb Retrieved 16 January 2007 Philo Tom Eighth Air force Combat Losses Archived 31 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine taphilo com Retrieved 19 May 2012 Vargas John Question How many bomber flight crews completed their 25 missions to go home Archived 3 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine allexperts com 9 November 2010 McCormick Ken Images of War The Artist s Vision of World War II London Orion Press 1990 ISBN 978 0 517 57065 4 Mitgang Herbert Books of The Times How Both Sides Artists Saw World War II review The New York Times 3 November 1990 Retrieved 19 May 2012 Sources Edit Andrews C F and E B Morgan Vickers Aircraft since 1908 London Putnam 1988 ISBN 0 85177 815 1 Angelucci Enzo and Paolo Matricardi Combat Aircraft of World War II 1940 1941 Westoning Bedfordshire UK Military Press 1988 ISBN 978 0 517 64179 8 Arakaki Leatrice R and John R Kuborn 7 December 1941 The Air Force Story Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii Pacific Air Forces Office of History 1991 ISBN 978 0 16 050430 3 Birdsall Steve The B 24 Liberator New York Arco Publishing Company Inc 1968 ISBN 0 668 01695 7 Bowers Peter M Boeing Aircraft Since 1916 London Putnam 1989 ISBN 0 85177 804 6 Borth Christy Masters of Mass Production Indianapolis Indiana Bobbs Merrill Co 1945 OCLC 940290450 Bowers Peter M Fortress in the Sky Granada Hills California Sentry Books 1976 ISBN 0 913194 04 2 Bowman Martin W Castles in the Air The Story of the B 17 Flying Fortress Crews of the U S 8th Air Force Dulles Virginia Potomac Books 2000 ISBN 1 57488 320 8 Bowman Martin W B 17 Flying Fortress Units of the Eighth Air Force Volume 2 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing 2002 ISBN 1 84176 434 5 Caidin Martin Black Thursday New York E P Dutton amp Company 1960 ISBN 0 553 26729 9 Caldwell Donald and Richard Muller The Luftwaffe over Germany Defense of the Reich London Greenhill Books Publications 2007 ISBN 978 1 85367 712 0 Carey Brian Todd Operation Pointblank Evolution of Allied Air Doctrine During World War II historynet com 12 June 2006 archived version 19 October 2014 Chant Christopher Warplanes of the 20th century London Tiger Books International 1996 ISBN 1 85501 807 1 Cora Paul B Diamondbacks Over Europe B 17s of the 99th Bomb Group Part Two Air Enthusiast 111 May June 2004 pp 66 73 ISSN 0143 5450 Craven Wesley Frank James Lea Cate and Richard L Watson eds The Battle of the Bismarck Sea pp 129 62 The Pacific Guadalcanal to Saipan August 1942 to July 1944 The Army Air Forces in World War II Volume IV Chicago University of Chicago Press 1950 Donald David ed American Warplanes of World War Two London Aerospace Publishing 1995 ISBN 1 874023 72 7 Donald David Boeing Model 299 B 17 Flying Fortress The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft Etobicoke Ontario Canada Prospero Books 1997 ISBN 1 85605 375 X Francillon Rene J McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920 London Putnam 1979 ISBN 0 370 00050 1 Francillon Rene J Lockheed Aircraft since 1913 London Putnam 1982 ISBN 0 370 30329 6 Freeman Roger A B 17 Fortress at War New York Charles Scribner s Sons 1977 ISBN 0 684 14872 2 Gardner Brian 1984 Flight Refuelling The Wartime Story Air Enthusiast No 25 pp 34 43 80 ISSN 0143 5450 Gamble Bruce Fortress Rabaul The Battle for the Southwest Pacific January 1942 April 1943 Minneapolis Minnesota Zenith Press 2010 ISBN 978 0 7603 2350 2 Garzke William H Dulin Robert O 1985 Battleships Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II Annapolis Naval Institute Press ISBN 978 0 87021 101 0 Gillison Douglas Australia in the War of 1939 1945 Series 3 Air Volume 1 Canberra Australia Australian War Memorial 1962 OCLC 2000369 Gordon Yefim Soviet Air Power in World War 2 Hinckley Lancashire UK Midland Ian Allan Publishing 2008 ISBN 978 1 85780 304 4 Herman Arthur Freedom s Forge How American Business Produced Victory in World War II New York Random House 2012 ISBN 978 1 4000 6964 4 Hess William N B 17 Flying Fortress Combat and Development History of the Flying Fortress St Paul Minnesota Motorbook International 1994 ISBN 0 87938 881 1 Hess William N B 17 Flying Fortress Units of the MTO Botley Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2003 ISBN 1 84176 580 5 Hess William N Big Bombers of WWII Ann Arbor Michigan Lowe amp B Hould 1998 ISBN 0 681 07570 8 Hess William N and Jim Winchester Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies Wings of Fame Volume 6 1997 pp 38 103 London Aerospace Publishing ISBN 1 874023 93 X ISSN 1361 2034 Hoffman Wally and Philippe Rouyer La guerre a 30 000 pieds Available only in French Louviers France Ysec Editions 2008 ISBN 978 2 84673 109 6 Jacobson Capt Richard S ed Moresby to Manila Via Troop Carrier True Story of 54th Troop Carrier Wing the Third Tactical Arm of the U S Army Air Forces in the Southwest Pacific Sydney Australia Angus and Robertson 1945 OCLC 220194939 Johnsen Frederick A The Making of an Iconic Bomber Archived 19 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Air Force Magazine Volume 89 Issue 10 October 2006 Retrieved 14 September 2012 Knaack Marcelle Size Encyclopedia of U S Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems Volume II Post World War II Bombers 1945 1973 Washington D C Office of Air Force History 1988 ISBN 0 16 002260 6 Ledet Michel April 2002 Des avions allies aux couleurs japonais Allied Aircraft in Japanese Colors Avions Toute l Aeronautique et son histoire in French 109 17 21 ISSN 1243 8650 Ledet Michel May 2002 Des avions allies aux couleurs japonais Avions Toute l Aeronautique et son histoire in French 110 16 23 ISSN 1243 8650 Listemann Phil H Allied Wings No 7 Boeing Fortress Mk I www raf in combat com 2009 First edition ISBN 978 2 9532544 2 6 Maurer Maurer Aviation in the U S Army 1919 1939 Washington D C United States Air Force Historical Research Center Office of Air Force History 1987 pp 406 08 ISBN 0 912799 38 2 Morison Samuel Eliot 1950 Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier History of United States Naval Operations in World War II Vol 6 Boston Little Brown and Company ISBN 0 7858 1307 1 OCLC 10310299 Parker Dana T Building Victory Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II Cypress California Dana Parker Enterprises 2013 ISBN 978 0 9897906 0 4 Parshall Jonathon and Anthony Tulley Shattered Sword The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway Dulles Virginia Potomac Books 2005 ISBN 1 57488 923 0 Ramsey Winston G The V Weapons London United Kingdom After The Battle Number 6 1974 Roberts Michael D Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons Volume 2 The History of VP VPB VP HL and VP AM Squadrons Washington D C Naval Historical Center 2000 Sakai Saburo with Martin Caidin and Fred Saito Samurai Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 1996 ISBN 978 0 671 56310 3 Salecker Gene Eric Fortress Against The Sun The B 17 Flying Fortress in the Pacific Conshohocken Pennsylvania Combined Publishing 2001 ISBN 1 58097 049 4 Serling Robert J Legend amp Legacy The Story of Boeing and its People New York St Martin s Press 1992 ISBN 0 312 05890 X Shores Christopher Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa Bloody Shambles Volume One The Drift to War to The Fall of Singapore London Grub Street 1992 ISBN 0 948817 50 X Stitt Robert M Boeing B 17 Fortress in RAF Coastal Command Service Sandomierz Poland STRATUS sp j 2010 second edition 2019 ISBN 978 83 65281 54 8 Swanborough F G and Peter M Bowers United States Military aircraft since 1909 London Putnam 1963 OCLC 846651845 Swanborough Gordon and Peter M Bowers United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 London Putnam Second edition 1976 ISBN 0 370 10054 9 Tate Dr James P The Army and its Air Corps Army Policy toward Aviation 1919 1941 Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama Air University Press 1998 ISBN 1 4289 1257 6 Retrieved 1 August 2008 Trescott Jacqueline Smithsonian Panel Backs Transfer of Famed B 17 Bomber The Washington Post Volume 130 Issue 333 3 November 2007 Weigley Russell Frank The American Way of War A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy Bloomington Indiana Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0 253 28029 X Wixley Ken Boeing s Battle Wagon The B 17 Flying Fortress An Outline History Air Enthusiast No 78 November December 1998 pp 20 33 Stamford UK Key Publishing ISSN 0143 5450 Wynn Kenneth G U boat Operations of the Second World War Career Histories U511 UIT25 Annapolis MD Naval Institute Press 1998 ISBN 1 55750 862 3 Yenne Bill B 17 at War St Paul Minnesota Zenith Imprint 2006 ISBN 0 7603 2522 7 Yenne Bill The Story of the Boeing Company St Paul Minnesota Zenith Imprint 2005 ISBN 0 7603 2333 X Zamzow S L 2012 Ambassador of American Airpower Major General Robert Olds Biblioscholar ISBN 978 1 28834434 5 originally issued as an academic thesis OCLC 405724149 Further reading EditBirdsall Steve The B 17 Flying Fortress Dallas Texas Morgan Aviation Books 1965 OCLC 752618401 Calegari Robert December 1976 A vendre B 17G For Sale B 17G Le Fana de l Aviation in French 85 34 36 ISSN 0757 4169 Davis Larry B 17 in Action Carrollton Texas Squadron Signal Publications 1984 ISBN 0 89747 152 0 Jablonski Edward Flying Fortress New York Doubleday 1965 ISBN 0 385 03855 0 Johnsen Frederick A Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Stillwater Minnesota Voyageur Press 2001 ISBN 1 58007 052 3 Gansz David M B 17 Production Boeing Aircraft 4 January 1944 26 February 1944 B 17G 35 to G 45 42 31932 42 32116 and 42 97058 42 97407 New Jersey First Mountain Belgians 2020 ISBN 978 1734380606 Gansz David M B 17 Production Boeing Aircraft 26 February 1944 25 April 1944 B 17G 50 to G 60 42 102379 42 102978 New Jersey First Mountain Belgians 2013 ISBN 978 0692365465 Gansz David M B 17 Production Boeing Aircraft 25 April 1944 22 June 1944 B 17G 65 to G 75 43 37509 43 38073 New Jersey First Mountain Belgians 2017 ISBN 978 0692859841 Lloyd Alwyn T B 17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale Vol 11 Derivatives Part 2 Fallbrook California Aero Publishers 1983 ISBN 0 8168 5021 6 Lloyd Alwyn T B 17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale Vol 20 More derivatives Part 3 Blue Ridge Summit Pennsylvania Tab Books 1986 ISBN 0 8168 5029 1 Lloyd Alwyn T and Terry D Moore B 17 Flying Fortress in Detail and Scale Vol 1 Production Versions Part 1 Fallbrook California Aero Publishers 1981 ISBN 0 8168 5012 7 O Leary Michael Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Osprey Production Line to Frontline 2 Botley Oxford UK Osprey Publishing 1999 ISBN 1 85532 814 3 Stitt Robert M amp Olson Janice L July August 2002 Brothers in Arms A Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Crew in New Guinea Part 1 Air Enthusiast 100 2 11 ISSN 0143 5450 Thompson Scott A Final Cut The Post War B 17 Flying Fortress The Survivors Revised and Updated Edition Highland County Ohio Pictorial Histories Publishing Company 2000 ISBN 1 57510 077 0 Wagner Ray American Combat Planes of the 20th Century Reno Nevada 2004 Jack Bacon amp Company ISBN 0 930083 17 2 Willmott H P B 17 Flying Fortress London Bison Books 1980 ISBN 0 85368 444 8 Wisker Thomas J Talkback Air Enthusiast No 10 July September 1979 p 79 ISSN 0143 5450External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress Wikiquote has quotations related to B 17 Flying Fortress Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress amp oldid 1152922187, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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